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RFC Flashback: Episode 73

April 12, 2014 by Rudy Panucci

This week we bring back one of the most powerful musical episodes of Radio Free Charleston.From June, 2009, RFC’s 73rd episode, “Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Movie Shirt” was shot around downtown Charleston with street art in the background, and it featured music from OVADA and The Limbs. We also have a Plant Ro Duction Mini Movie.

In the background of this show, you will see part of the “Coming And Going” art installation by Mark Wolfe, and “Celebrate,” by Amy Williams with Chris Dutch. Mark’s work features life-sized black-and-white photos of some of Charleston’s most notable people (and one schlub you can see at Taylor Books). “Celebrate” was an evolution of Amy’s “Press 2 For Spanish” street work from 2008, expanded now to include Italian and Arabic. You’ll see those peeking over my shoulder and around my back in the host segments for this pre-FestivAll show.

The dynamic music is from Ovada, a collection of great musicians from Parkersburg, and from The Limbs, a one-man-band from Denver and is considered by many to be a high point from our first 100 episodes. You can read the original production notes HERE.

Stuff To Do Overload

April 11, 2014 by Rudy Panucci

poster-2633The PopCulteer
April 11, 2014

We find ourselves once again faced with an abundance of cool and varied things to do this weekend. As I’ve mentioned before, I can’t understand how people can complain and say that nothing ever happens in Charleston. We have everything from classic Sci-Fi movies to Drag Shows to original stage drama to stargazing to live music. Oh, do we have live music!

I’ve already told you about the new Dan Kehde drama, “The Rack” (Friday and Saturday at the WVSU Capitol Center Theater), the screening of “Forbidden Planet” (Friday and Saturday at The Electric Sky Theater at The Clay Center), Yuri’s Night, a star party at the Cross Lanes branch of the Kanawha County Public library and at the Breezy Point Observatory at Camp Virgil Tate (Saturday night) and The David Mayfield Parade with David and Valerie Mayfield at The Empty Glass (Saturday night). That’s just scratching the surface.

Seriously, look at this weekend’s line-up…

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Mayfields Aplenty at The Empty Glass Saturday

by Rudy Panucci

10245342_692582720780242_6447972208513457154_nSaturday night The Empty Glass plays host to The David Mayfield Parade, with David and Valerie Mayfield opening for their son’s band. The show kicks off Saturday at 10 PM, and tickets are available in advance, or the cover is $12 at the door.

This is the Second time both of these acts have played at the Empty Glass. The David Mayfield Parade is known in many circles and their stage shows are acclaimed across the Country. David’s Mom and Dad David Lee Mayfield and Valerie Fay Mayfield will be opening the show and you can see a piece of a real musical family’s legacy.

For more information, check out this interview from the Definitely Loud Podcast…

Charlton Comics Resurrected

April 10, 2014 by Rudy Panucci

The PopCult Bookshelf

1008862_586582141421487_1877881511_oThe Charlton Arrow #1
Written and drawn by Various
Edited by Fester Faceplant, Roger McKenzie, and Mort Todd
Published by Comicfix
$6.99

“The Charlton Arrow,” a tribute to the beloved and/or ridiculed Charlton Comics Group, may be the first comic book spawned out of a Facebook Group page. Charlton was never the number one comic book publisher. Truth be told, I don’t think they were ever in the top five. They were the comic book arm of Charlton Publications, the folks who published Hit Parader magazine, among other periodicals. Charlton maintains a special place in history as a plucky little company where creativity was allowed to run wild with a very small budget.

Actually, creativity ran wild primarily due to the very small budget. Artists like Steve Ditko would work for a much lower page rate in exchange for being able to work without much interference.

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The RFC MINI SHOW starring dogSOLDIER

April 9, 2014 by Rudy Panucci

See dogSOLDIER at The Blue Parrot this Friday!
See dogSOLDIER at The Blue Parrot this Friday!

This week we bring you an RFC MINI SHOW devoted to the band,  dogSOLDIER, who will be playing at the Blue Parrot this Friday, April 11, with Twist of Fate.

It was really cool to record dogSOLDIER at The Empty Glass a few weeks ago because we hadn’t seen them in years. It had been over five years and about 140 episodes of Radio Free Charleston since we’d featured them on the show. In the interim, the band had split up, reforming late in 2013 with a slightly-altered line up. We are glad to say that Justin Johnson, Chris Burdette, Jody Ashley, and Brent Brubaker still sound fantastic.

With their musical territory staked out somewhere between Led Zepplin and Radiohead, dogSOLDIER creates timeless music that is truly remarkable. This band is so musically tight that it’s hard to believe they just reformed a few scant months ago.

The band’s last appearance was on episode 56, where I wrote, “Our first musical guest this episode is dogSOLDIER, who previously appeared on RFC 46. One of the best bands in town, in my not-so-humble opinion, you can be sure that we’ll have the guys back on soon, hopefully early in 2009.”

We only missed it by five years. But I can tell you, it was well worth the wait.

Yuri’s Night at Camp Virgil Tate

by Rudy Panucci
LogoYurisNight_BLACKring_WHITEbackgroundTo celebrate mankind’s past, present & future in space, a worldwide celebration takes place every year on April 12th, the date of the first manned space flight by Russia’s Yuri Gagarin and the inaugural launch of NASA’s Space Shuttle. The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society will be joining the Kanawha County Public Library system to celebrate with a Yuri’s Night Star Party at Camp Virgil Tate, happening this Saturday starting at 6 PM.

As darkness falls, the KVAS group will lead the party to the Breezy Point Observatory to gaze at the stars through their new large telescope and also KVAS members’ personal telescopes. Registration is limited, so it’s recommended that you register with the Cross Lanes Library either online or by calling the library – 304-776-5999. Registration ends Friday night at Midnight.

So you’re still wondering, what exactly is Yuri’s Night?

Yuri’s Night is a global celebration of humanity’s past, present, and future in space. Yuri’s Night parties and events are held around the world every April in commemoration of April 12, 1961, the day of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s first manned spaceflight, and April 12, 1981, the inaugural launch of NASA’s Space Shuttle.

yuri sky 001Yuri’s Night events combine space-themed partying with education and outreach. These events can range from an all-night mix of techno and technology at a NASA Center, to a movie showing and stargazing at your local college, to a gathering of friends at a bar or barbecue. In this case, it will be a night of star gazing away from the light pollution of the city, where the beauty of the celestial sky is on display for all to see. The party will start at dusk with crafts, games and activities for children of all ages. Then the party moves to the Breezy Point Observatory.

The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society is a non-profit educational organization. We are dedicated to the promotion of amateur astronomy in and around the West Virginia area and work closely with local schools and the Avampato Discovery Museum at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences.

The Kanawha Valley Astronomical Society operates and maintains Breezy Point Observatory, located at Camp Virgil Tate, near Cross Lanes, West Virginia. This rolling-roof design observatory houses the club’s 16″ F-4.5 Newtonion Reflector Telescope. Breezy Point Observatory is host to many of the club’s monthly meetings as well as a number of star parties each year, such as Yuri Night this weekend. Even if you decide to skip the festivities at the Cross Lanes Branch of the Kanawha County Public Library, you are welcome to join the party in time for stargazing at the Observatory.

You can find driving directions to the Breezy Point Observatory HERE.
Information how to register at the library can be found HERE.

It should be a grand night for looking to the sky.

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Stuff To Do Wednesday April 9

by Rudy Panucci

The Creekside Cafe’s Unplugged series continues with RFC 196 guest, Jordan Searls!

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The PopCult Toybox: More of Those Crazy Zombies

April 8, 2014 by Rudy Panucci
10003308_10203227970769446_925454117_nI didn’t mean to take a week to get around to posting the second half of our photo essay devoted the “Zombie Horde at Yellow Jacket Creek” diorama tribute to The Walking Dead, but things have been hopping at PopCult central, and we’re just getting caught up.

To recap, one of the most striking features of the JoeLanta GI Joe convention in Atlanta last month was a gigantic tribute to The Walking Dead, “Zombie Horde at Yellow Jacket Creek,” a huge diorama built by Mike Gardner was loaded with tons of custom action figures, plus scenary, vehicles, a highway overpass and lots and lots of walking dead folks, plus an explosion, this awesome diorama measured eight by eight feet, and stood almost eight feet high in places.

This week we are going to pick up where we left off, just past Michonne beheading a zombie (see last week’s PopCult Toybox), and we will rotate, clockwise, around the diorama where we will find Carl, Hershel, Daryl, Rick, The Governor and a few surprises.

We’re not quite done yet with this diorama. If we’re lucky, you will get to see one last JoeLanta video this weekend. Now, on with the pictures…

We rejoin the diorama looking down at Carl and Hershel.
We rejoin the diorama looking down at Carl and Hershel.

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Stuff To Do Lunchtime Wednesday

by Rudy Panucci
dotz 5006

If you are downtown Wednesday afternoon and want to hear some exciting new music, then you should head to Kanawha United Presbyterian Church, where, at Noon, Kanawha Forum presents a free concert by The Terra Firma Ensemble. The ensemble includes Ryan Kennedy, Dave Porter, Scott Milam, Lisa Peery, John Inghram and Jim Lange. They will be performing the music of Ralph Towner, Robert Fripp and they will premiere a new piece by Jim Lange.

The music for the Kanawha Forum is always around 25 minutes. The concert is free, but the lunch afterwards is not. It’s $10 for what, I’m told, is a fine gourmet meal. You don’t have to buy the meal to listen to the music.

The graphic above has nothing to do with the band or the Kanawha Forum, but it looked cool, so I tossed it in as a bonus.

Monday Morning Art: Wordstorm

April 7, 2014 by Rudy Panucci
word storm 002

Today’s art is an in-joke. Click to enlarge.