Monday Morning Art: Warpscape

This week's Monday Morning Art is yet another study in texture and color composition called "Warpscape." It's meant to depict the struggle of the downtrodden against the oppressive forces of gravity and moisture.  Click the image to see a bigger version.

Don't forget to go back and watch last night's Sunday Evening Video, a PopCult Instant Video™ featuring highlights from Mission Coalition 2011.

Sunday Evening Video: Mission Coalition Highlights

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Above you see highlights from this weekend's inagural edition of Mission Coalition.  Eleven bands over two nights brought firey heavy metal thunder to the Capitol City. Concert-goers were treated to performances by HarraH, The Suede Brothers, Linework, The Scrap Iron Pickers, The Number Six, Karma To Burn,  John Lancaster,Tomorrow Burns, Dead Face Down, Nuns On Fire,  and Saprogen with hysterical introductions by Chris Ojeda and Skip Cromer of Byzantine.

This is raw video and audio. Fully-produced version of entire songs will be seen in future episodes of Radio Free Charleston.

You can still get your hands on the Mission Coalition 2011 CD Sampler, along with T Shirts and stickers by visiting their website.

Metal On A Mission, Pepper In The Apple And More Comic Book Reviews

The PopCulteer
September 9, 2011

The Mission Begins Tonight!

Mission Coalition kicks off tonight. For all the details check out the following links:

Nick Harrah's great interview with Roadblock in The Gazz this week.

My rundown of the metal festival from The PopCulteer last month.

The Mission Coalition website.

The production notes for this week's episode of Radio Free Charleston.

And for good measure, this week's RFC itself.

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Now go see it.

Cool Comics: The New 52, Week One

Due to the level of interest in last week's PopCulteer, I've decided to do capsule reviews of all of the "New 52" DC Comics. Some of these, I'm really looking forward to reading, and some of them, well, I'm taking one for the team. I'm going to get through as many of these as I can today, with the remainder coming in tomorrow's PopCulteer.

OMAC #1
by Keith Giffen and Dan Didio with Scott Koblish

All right, I'm starting out with a guilty pleasure. I loved Jack Kirby's original OMAC (One Man Army Corps), and I've been a fan of Keith Giffen, despite his tendency to borrow heavily from the work of other artists. Over the years Giffen has done some remarkable swipes from artists as varied as Neal Adams, José Antonio Muñoz, and the King Himself, Jack Kirby. It's been confounding because Giffen is a gifted storyteller in his own right, and after going through his swipe phases, he's managed to distill his influences into his work, usually improving with each foray into another artist's work.

Mission Coalition On RFC

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At the head of this post you will find RFC 144, "Mission Coalition Shirt."  This special episode of the show is devoted to this weekend's big metal fest, to be held at The Sound Factory this weekend, September 9 and 10. You may remember that we wrote extensively about this show in the PopCulteer a couple of weeks ago.

On this edition of RFC you will find music videos by the Friday and Saturday night headliners, Karma To Burn and The Suede Brothers, plus a great video from Tomorrow Burns, and live performances from HarraH and The Scrap Iron Pickers.

Mission Coalition, Charleston's first two-day metal fest will hold their first sonic onslaught with twelve bands spread over two nights. You will hear major acts like Karma to Brun and The Suede Brothers, plus local legends The Scrap Iron Pickers, Linework, HarraH, Saprogen, Tower of the Elephant, John Lancaster, Tomorrow Burns, The Number Six, Deadface Down and Nuns on Fire. Each night the show will start at 7:30 and last until well into the wee hours.

Monday Morning Art: Untitled

I found this piece of art buried in a file folder that I rescued from my impaired laptop. I'm not sure what it was to be called or when I did it, but I like the way it looks, so now you get to see it. Click to see it even bigger. Back away from your computer to see it smaller.

Sunday Evening Video: A Lovely Bunch

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Tonight's video is a special birthday treat for my brother, Frank. It's his favorite disco tune. For more info on this video and others by the folks who made it, follow this link. Please note, for coconuts, that is not the prescribed use.

Crisis On Earths Colliding At The End Of Time

The PopCulteer
September 2, 2011

Not So Cool Comics

You'll have to indulge your PopCulteer this week as I put on my nerd helmet. I've kept quiet on the "big comic book story" this summer because I wanted to see how it played out. This week it has, and now I'm going to take a look at the hows and whys of the great DC Comics reboot.

For those of you who don't follow comic books, DC Comics, one of the "big two" publishers, the home of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, decided to start over. They ended all their books, some of which had been running for more than 75 years, and are starting their core line over with 52 first issues, which will take all their heroes back to square one...sort of. Readers of books that are doing okay, like Batman and Green Lantern, will barely notice the change. Superman and Wonder Woman are getting drastic make-overs. Most of the heroes are getting redesigned costumes, ranging from minor tweaks to major changes.

Monday Morning Art: Mirthquake

This devestating scene of destruction is a digitally-assaulted photo of....the Huntington Mall undergoing renovations. It's the floor that was ripped up in front of Gamestop a few weeks ago. I messed with it a bit. Click to stare at a bigger version for hours on end until you see the pirate ship and the bumble bee.

Sunday Evening Video: Sure, It's A Lame Pun, But At Least It's Not Funny, Either.

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It's A Madhouse!

The PopCulteer
August 26, 2011

Cool Comics

Cool Comics returns to The PopCulteer this week as we look at the latest really nifty historical collection assembled by Craig Yoe, "Archie's Madhouse." This book is a real nostalgic treat for me because, as a very young kid, this comic book, one of many sort-of-imitators of "Mad Magazine" was one of the comics that would entertain and confound me to no end.

See, back in those days it was hard to keep up with comic books. There were no comic book stores, we had to seek out our books at newsstands, drug stores, grocery stores, any place that might carry a magazine usually had a comic book rack, but you couldn't find all the comic books from the various publishers in a single place. Finding consecutive issues of a comic was nearly impossible, especially if you were under six years old.

Radio Free Charleston 143 Is Online Now

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This episode includes three songs by Frenchy and the Punk, plus a short film by K.D. Lett and animation by Frank Panucci. You can read the full production notes at this post. Don't forget to "Like" our Facebook page for special previews and other top secret stuff.

Monday Morning Art: Plan 9 From Dr. Sketchy's

Last night, Dr. Sketchy's Charleston held their latest event, a tribute to the Ed Wood classic, "Plan 9 From Outer Space."  Shelia Jordan brought Vampira back to life, and Chase Henderson stood in as a Detective and Bela Lugosi's chiropractor. Above you see a high-contrast title card for the night. Below you see a digital painting of Sheila posing with a Gargoyle (on loan from Magic Makers) and below that another digital painting of a Vampire showdown.  Click the images to see them larger.

Frenchy and the Punk, Lippizzaner Stallions and DEVO Hats Highlight RFC 143

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At the head of this post you will find the one-hundred forty-third installment of Radio Free Charleston, "Naked Gumby Shirt."  This episode departs from our usual formula by featuring three songs by the same band, Frenchy and the Punk.  We also have animation by Frank Panucci, and a short film by K.D. Lett.

Frenchy and the Punk, who used to go by the name, "The Gypsy Nomads," returned to The Empty Glass a couple of weeks ago for their third visit (the first with the new name). We were on hand with our cameras, and the band was on fire, so we ended up recording over half an hour of their music. Since we had so much fresh music from the band I decided to devote the entire episode to them this time. This is something I'm thinking about doing more often, so why don't you use the comments section below to let me know what you think of the idea?

Metal In Charleston, Cartoons From Charleston, ArtWalking Through Charleston, And Tons Of Other Items All Crammed Into One Long Blog Post

The PopCulteer
August 19, 2011

Random Acts Of PopCult

It's been a while since we took the PopCult blunderbuss off the wall and fired wildly into the crowd. In the spirit of the 7 11 Machine Gunner, we're going to fire this week's PopCulteer in as many directions as possible--probably without hitting anything!

Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It

September 9 and 10 a new Heavy Metal Showcase debuts in the Capitol City.  Mission Coalition 2011 is a two-day celebration of all things metal, to be held at The Sound Factory, on Kanawha Boulevard in Charleston.

Monday Morning Art: Cold Sunset

Here's a digital painting of a winter scene, to help you cool down during these dog days. Click to enlarge.

Steely Dang It, Let's Just Hang It!

The PopCulteer
August 12, 2011

"Hey 50"

I don't hate Steely Dan.

I think they're fine musicians who make well-crafted music with clever lyrics. And I think they put on a show at the Clay Center Tuesday night that should have pleased their loyal fans. I do not wish the members of the band any ill will.

I just hate their music.

I don't really understand why I hate their music. It's intelligent, witty and very well played, and it contains many individual elements that I normally find quite appealing.

Perhaps it's some sort of Pavlovian response that makes me hate their music. Their formula harmonies kick in and I get a little gag reflex. I associate their music with the morning drive to high school. Except for my brief disastrous marriage, my high school years were the most miserable period of my life. Music that transports me back to that time is basically transporting me back to hell.

InFormation, The Renfields and CLOG Rock RFC 142

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Positioned strategically at the head of this post, you should see the latest episode of Radio Free Charleston. Our 142nd installment is called "It's Just A Flesh Wound Shirt." Our music this week is by InFormation, The Renfields, and the Charleston Light Opera Guild cast of "Hairspray". In addition, this episode features a quick look at Dan Kehde's new play "Cupid Falling/Cupid Rising," a short film by K.D. Lett, and new animation by Frank Panucci.

Host segments were shot in downtown Charleston Monday afternoon during lunch, which is why we ended up at Slyce Pizza Company.

This is our first show back after our month long summer hiatus and we were sort of hoping that the heat would have ended by now. It didn't. Our title shirt this episode is a mash-up of the classic electric board game "Operation" with "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." It's designed by John Sprengelmeyer, who is better known in graphic design circles as Captain RibMan.

We got the shirt from our friends at Tee Fury.com, but the design is available from a few other online sources as well.

Monday Morning Art: Sunny Day On The River

Above you see a digital painting over a digitally-assaulted photograph that I took about five years ago out of the Union Building, looking East over the Kanawha River.

That's pretty much all you need to know about it.  Click to see it bigger.

Sunday Evening Videos: Weird, Funny Shorts

I'm not talking about pants here. This week we're bringing you some short, weird little films, designed to amuse and astound you.  Well, amuse, at least.

First up, courtesy of Mark Evanier and his NewsFromME blog, here's a Diabnetes Awareness clip starring Bill Kirchenbauer...

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More mind-hurting weirdness after the jump...

John Waters At The Clay Center (sort of)

The PopCulteer
August 5, 2011

Once again, Charleston's theatre scene is blessed with two high-quality shows running at the same time. You can see a video clip of CYAC's production of Dan Kehde's "Cupid Falling/Cupid Rising" right here. That original comedy is running at The WVSU Capitol Center Theater. Meanwhile, across tiown at The Clay Center, Charleston Light Opera Guild, in conjunction with the Clay Center, will bring you "Hairspray," the broadway musical based on the 1988 John Waters movie.

Big Hair = Big Fun

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"Hairspray" opens tonight at 7:30 PM at The Clay Center, and it's a fun musical set in Baltimore in 1962. While it tells the story of how young Tracy Turnblad helped break down the walls of racial integration on a local "American Bandstand" style dance show, the deeper message is how Tracy stands up against the rampant sizism, which is still a problem today.

This is a fun production. Nina Denton Pasinetti has mastered the science of distilling hit Broadway productions into the perfect works for the local stage, and the young cast shines brightly as they rip into a score that is a pure valentine to the pre-Beatles era of American music. You'll hear echoes of Motown, Phil Spector's "Wall Of Sound" and classic girl groups, all performed with gusto by the cast and recreated faithfully by the orchestra, under the direction of Bobby Hodges.

Jessica Cooper captures the spirit of Rikki Lake, who made her mark as Tracy in the original movie, and Alan Pennington is overwhelming as her mother, Edna, a role created by the late iconic transvestie star, Divine.

Check out the video preview below...

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CD Review: Marcie “Spent”

The debut CD by Huntington singer Marcie Bullock is a powerful collection of original songs anchored by her dynamic vocals and arrangements that defy simple labels.  "Spent" straddles the worlds of blues, jazz, and rock, with a hint of country in the mix.  Bullock's versatility as a singer is on full display, as she alternately belts out blues/rock jams and tenderly delivers jazzy ballads.

"Spent" is nearly a concept album, with many of the tunes chronicalling a relationship from its beginning to its decay. The songs are striking, with sharp lyrics and killer musical backing.

Colan

Word came over the weekend that Gene Colan, the artist most associated with the Howard The Duck comic book, is hospitalized with liver failure. This is just a couple of months after the death of Howard's creator and writer, Steve Gerber (a major influence on your humble PopCult blogger).

While Colan made a huge mark with Howard, he had a long career in comics before and after. Most notably a lenghty run on Marvel Comic's "Tomb Of Dracula" in the 1970s. Colan also served stints as the main artist on Daredevil, Iron Man, and Dr. Strange, among many other Marvel stalwarts. Jumping to DC Comics in the 1980s, Colan lent his talents to Batman and Wonder Woman. It was around this time that he crafted two creator-owned series with writer Don McGregor: Nathaniel Dusk, a Private Eye comic, and Ragamuffins, about a group of children. These series were reproduced directly from Colan's pencilled pages, skipping the industry standard of employing other artists to "finish" the artwork in ink. Colan was legendary for the quality of his pencilled pages, which often were obliterated by less talented inkers.

For more information on Gene Colan and his current health crisis, check out Mark Evanier's blog. He reports that a benefit project is in the works. PopCult sends best wishes to Gene and his family.

Akon wasn't there.

Monday Morning Art will go up Tuesday Afternoon this week. I’m working on a project related to the Emily Gunter-Haynes benefit from yesterday, but the details won’t be finalized until tomorrow, so to tide you over, here’s a photo essay featuring some of the sights from yesterday’s show at the Blue Parrot. The show was rousing success and the vibes were amazing and positive all day long. We got to see friends like Sean Richardson and Karen Allen and local bloggers Jackie Lantern and Scarlett Tanager. Filmmaker Eamon Hardiman was there, and promised to contribute a short film to a future RFC. We even saw a few members of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and “Symphony Idol” winner Ryan Hardiman.

Above you see The Spurgie Hankins Band. We recorded a few tunes by Spurgie that you’ll get to see on future episodes of Radio Free Charleston. Below is a shot of The Synergy Collective, who you can see on the most recent RFC.

More pics following the jump:

Here's some of the artwork and other cool things that were up for auction.

The VooDoo Katz turned in a great set, as usual.

Kai Haynes, from the Katz, delivered an astounding vocal during their finale.

The Tom Batchelor Band, from Morgantown, laid down a wonderful Reggae vibe, complete with steel drum.

Past RFC guest Mark Bates peformed with his band, The Vacancies.

Here’s another shot of Spurgie and the boys.

And we’ll leave you with another photo of The Synergy Collective, who used electric guitars for the first time that we heard them, and sounded great. Check PopCult tomorrow for art and more info on how to help Emily.