At the top of this post you should see Radio Free Charleston 168 “Zelda by Megan Lara Shirt” (Tribute To The Troops II part three).This is the final installment of our three-part special devoted to Tribute To The Troops II, an all-ages, all-day musical event held at The Saint Albans City Pak amphitheater for the benefit of The West Virginia National Guard Foundation and The Wounded Warrior Project.

This episode brings you music from In The Company of Wolves, Point of Jerus, Deck of Fools and a very special song from HarraH. We also have a short film about The West Virginia National Guard Foundation narrated by Melanie Larch, with video contributions by Steven Allen Adams and West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Our namesake shirt is a Teefury design by up-and-coming designer, Megan Lara, who is destined to be a star soon.

We open this week with a short film that shines a spotlight on The West Virginia National Guard Foundation. WVNGF does not have a web presence,so we had to make our own film to explain the much-needed work that they do. We owe special thanks to Steven Allen Adams, who shot the video of the National Guard Band performing Pachabel’s “Canon in D Minor,” and to WV Public Broadcasting and Lockheed Martin for additional footage. Narration for the film is by Melanie Larch, whose late father, Orville, was a Lt. Colonel with the 130th Airlift Wing, West Virginia Air National Guard.  For information on how you can help, either by volunteering your time, or by making a cash donation, contact the West Virginia National Guard Foundation at 304-561-6322, or write to:

West Virginia National Guard Foundation
1703 Coonskin Drive
Charleston WV
25311

Our first musical guest is Point of Jerus, from Huntington. I shot video of these guys last year at the September Slam show, but the audio wasn’t up to snuff and I couldn’t use it.  It was a big disappointment because I enjoyed their music so much.  So I was very happy to catch up with them while we had superior recording equipment, and I hope to have them back on RFC again in the future.

Next up we have a return performance by In The Company of Wolves. This high-energy band from Hurricane has a unique sound and is one of the fastest-rising bands in the area. We featured them on part one of our Tribute To The Troops II special, but couldn’t resist bringing them back for more. We also hope to hear more from them on RFC in the future.

Our headliner spot this episode goes to Deck of Fools, another young band making their RFC debut. We were blown away by their set, early in the day, and were very happy to get an ultra-deluxe mix courtesy of Dave McClanahan. We’ve got one of their songs banked for use on an episode of the show later this fall and hope to record them again soon.

I want to take a moment to thank Dave McClanahan for his audio superheroics on these last three episodes of the show. Dave is a friend, a technical genius and an incredible musician going all the way back to the radio incarnation of Radio Free Charleston. Dave’s band project, The Mad Scientist Club, was one of the most-requested groups on the radio show, and we’re working on a way to bring some of that music to our video viewers. It was a surprise and a treat to discover that Dave was recording Tribute To The Troops II and I can’t thank him enough for the high-quality board recordings and the ultra-deluxe twenty-track mixes for In The Company of Wolves and Deck of Fools that he was able to fit into his busy schedule.

Playing us out we have our old friends, HarraH, also returning from episode 166, performing a special song written by Dawn Marie Wood. “Too Late” came from the pen and the heart of the lady who conceived Tribute To The Troops, and with her husband, Brad and Wood Boys Music, they have helped to pump a lot of life and excitement into the local music scene. These last three shows would not have been possible without them.

This wraps up our coverage of Tribute To The Troops II. You can see part one and part two, or wait until Friday’s PopCulteer, when I join them all together. Radio Free Charleston will take next week off, then return on September 24 with Godmode Broadway, Emily Burdette and The Nanker Phelge…if all goes according to plan, that is. You can expect to see a few more songs from Tribute To The Troops II in the coming months. We’re pretty bd about squirreling stuff away.