750 Words About Dick

The PopCulteer
November 30, 2012 

This week we're devoting the PopCulteer to a review of a digital download. In April of this year, over four nights at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, Eric Idle staged his original play, "What About Dick?" with an all star cast of Brit expatriates performing a fairly undescribable but hilarious evening of conceptual comic theatre.

Rather than go for television or theatrical release, "What About Dick?" is a digital download that combines the best of those four performances. The plot is indecipherable. The best I can come up with to explain it is that "What About Dick?" combines elements of Monty Python with the stream of consciousness storytelling of The Firesign Theater into an hysterical hybrid where even the cast members have a hard time keeping a straight face.

Don't Forget "Mary"

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Up above you see a special video of the Trio that ends the first act of "Mary A Rock Opera."  You still have four more chances to see this Dan kehde-Mark Scarpelli homegrown Christmas classic, tonight through Staruday at 8 PM, and Saturday afternoon at 2 PM at the WVSU Capitol Center Theater.

The story of the nine months prior to the birth of Jesus Christ through the eyes of a young girl destined to be the most important woman in the Christian tradition, MARY has become a family friendly holiday tradition throughout the greater Charleston area, and continues to give audiences new insight to the days and months leading up to the first Christmas.  New to this Contemporary Youth Arts Company production this year is the introduction of a second cast of young performers who will take on the principle roles during the matinee.

The above video is a performance of the stirring "Trio" that ends the first act, with both sets of actresses portraying Elizabeth, The Archangel Gabriel and Mary combining to form a "Double Trio" of six wonderful voices. As Elizabeth we have Lo Mallory and Susanna Tucker. Singing the role of Gabriel are Maddy Gourevitch and Susanna Morris. In the tile role of Mary are Katie Shaver and Rowan Maher.

The piano is played by composer, Mark Scarpelli. Speical thanks to Lee Harrah for the camera assist.

The WVSU Capitol Center Theater is located at 123 Summers Street, Charleston. Tickets are available at the door prior to each performance: $10.00 for adults. $6.00 for students and seniors (65+). Call the WVSU Capitol Center Theater office at 342-6522 for advance ticket sales and group rates.

It's Time For The Tacular Of Joy!

Joey Stapp, the Magician, starts at 6:45 PM, so get there early!

Monday Morning Art: Stark Charleston Revisited

This week we kick off with a couple of pieces that harken back to my "Stark Charleston" series of surreal animated travelogues. Does this mean that a new installment is in the works?

Maybe.

Click to enlarge.

The Cheesy Knockoffs Return

The PopCulteer
November 23, 2012 

So it's Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, a day where hardly anybody's going to bother going on the Internet to read anything. Yet, the PopCulteer always comes on Friday and with the bonus of knowing that not too many people are going to bother reading this, I'm going to take this week for a self-indulgent visit to my own past as a nationally published columnist.

Back in the late 1990's, I was the action figure columnist for Toy Trader Magazine. Toy Trader was a competitor to Krause Publications' Toy Shop and thanks to having several pages of high quality articles each month, we were rapidly eating away at Toy Shop's readership. This came to a sudden end when Toy Trader's parent company was aquired by Toy Shop's parent company and our magazine was assimilated into theirs. Since Krause only paid one-tenth as much as we were getting from Toy Trader Magazine, none of the writers made the leap to the new publication. I continued covering action figures for MasterCollector.com for a few years, but then moved on to this here PopCult blog of which you should already be aware.

Qiet, "Mary," Farnsworth, DEVO Hats and breakfast cereal on RFC 174

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Up top you see RFC 174 "Mark Wolfe Design Shirt." This week's episode of Radio Free Charleston features music from Qiet and Farnsworth, plus a special performance from the Dan Khede/Mark Scarpelli rock opera, MARY. We also have some fresh DEVO hat animation and part of a complete breakfast. Host segments were shot on the river side of our beautiful State Capitol Building. Our titular shirt comes to us from our good friend, Mark Wolfe, and plugs Mark Wolfe Design, pretty much the hippest design firm in town.

We start the show with something childish and hysterical and we're not going to say anything more about it.

Monday Morning Art: Ragnarok

The theme for last night's edition of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School was Ragnaok, which is the term for the end of the world in Norse mythology. It was chosen as the theme because of the predictions of the end of the world thanks to the Mayan Calendar ending.

Because the Mayans and The Norse are just like two peas in a pod, or something. But it was a fun night, and prizes included John Hodgmen's new book, the "Cards Against Humanity" game and, yes, Twinkies.

Anyway, today we have some quick digital paintings of Vorel Sarkany as C'Thulu(above), Penny Maple as The whore of Babylon and Molly Tilly and Cornelius Dapperdu as John Hodgeman and Jonathan Coulton. As always, click to enlarge. And remember, tonight in PopCult, it's time for a new episode of Radio Free Charleston.

The End Of The World, Zombie Baby Boom and The Wayward Girls

The PopCulteer
November 16, 2012

We've got just a few short items for this week's PopCulteer and then we're going to wrap it up with a photo essay featuring the Wayward Girls School of Burlesque. It's a little weird not having an ArtWalk on the third Thursday of the month, but in November they always have it on Black Friday. Your PopCulteer is still trying to figure out a way to photograph the exhibits next week without setting foot in a retail establishment on Black Friday. Stay tuned to see how that works out.

Monday Morning Art: Hello Kitty

This week we kick off PopCult with a digital painting of our own Kitty Killton misusing a couch, based on a photo taken last week at a shoot for The Wayward Girls School of Burlesque. You will be seeing way more images from this photo shoot in the coming weeks. As always, click on it to see a bigger version.

Sunday Evening Video: Veteran's Day

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In honor of Veteran's Day, we re-present the three-part Radio Free Charleston special from the "Tribute To The Troops II" concert, held last August at the Amphitheater in St. Albans City Park.  Thanking veterans and active duty military for their service to our Democracy.

The Great Rock And Roll Swindle 2012

The PopCulteer
November 7, 2012

It's finally over. Months, and in some cases years of campaigning for control of the White House, came to an end Tuesday as voters, even despite successful attempts at voter suppression by Republican governors and legislators, chose to give Barack Obama four more years to dig us out of the hole that the previous administration had placed us in.

There has been a small amount of gloating and taunting, some of it richly deserved. And on the losing side, a laughable amount of despair and hysterical panic and doomsaying, but at least it's over. Now we can study the aftermath and assess the damage.

Punk Cabaret, Cool Jazz and Hot Rock on RFC 173

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Above you should see RFC 173 "Calvin The Spiffy Spaceman Shirt" This episode of Radio Free Charleston features music from Frenchy and the Punk, Amanda Brigette and The Nanker Phelge, plus a hilarious outtake from Felix Baumgardner's Space Dive and a look at the newest Olympic sport, Spumling.

[caption id="attachment_9589" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Frenchy and the Punk[/caption]

Frenchy and Punk are featured on the show in advance of their November 7, 2012 gig at The Empty Glass in Charleston, WV, where they will be appearing with Qiet. While the goth/cabaret duo are promoting their new CD, "Hey, Hey, Cabaret," we have them on the show this week with the song "The Magician and The Dancer" from their 2010 CD, "Happy Madness."

Monday Morning Art: The Wayward Girls

Over the weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to be one of the photographers for The Wayward Girls School of Burlesque. It was a fun evening, and I got a lot of great pictures of the ladies, but production of RFC 173 (coming tonight to PopCult) kept me from processing and editing the photos, so this week our art is just the first taste from the session, a digital painting of Elle Xombeah, Susie Sketchmann and Pepper Fandango are in the back row, with Lilli Lugosi, Penny Maple and Kitty Killlton in front. Stay tuned to PopCult for news of the Wayward Girls' next performance, and for more photos. Click to enlarge.

Sunday Evening Video: Frenchy and the Punk

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Our buddies from New York, Frenchy and the Punk, will be coming to The Empty Glass Wednesday to perform songs from their brand-new CD. Also on the bill is Huntington's Qiet, so it should make for a wild night of original music, and the RFC crew will be on hand. Our video tonight is RFC 143, which focused on Frenchy and the Punk during a summer, 2011 visit. Wednesday night could well be the show of the year, and you can get a taste of Frenchy and the Punk here.

You will get an andditonal taste of the band this week on Radio Free Charleston 173, where we will bring you an unseen performance from Frenchy and the Punk's last visit to The Empty Glass, along with new music from The Nanker Phelge and Amand Bridgette, plus a ilarious outtake from Felix Baumgartner's Space Dive. Look for RFC 173, "Calvin The Spiffy Spaceman Shirt," Monday night in PopCult.

November Randomosity

The PopCulteer
November 2, 2012

This week, your PopCulteer is all over the map. We're just gonna present short, random items about a variety of topics of which we are not certain as we write this introductory sentence. Part of it is because the weather has sort of scrambled our brains and upset our routines. Part of it is because there's just so darn much stuff to talk about this week. Most of it is because we put off writing this column until the last minute and had no idea what we're going to do.

Monday Morning Art: Halloween Thrills

In today's art, we are going back to last week's edition of Dr. Sketchy's, which focused on Vampirella. This week I've digitally assaulted seven photos to approximate the look of the black-and-white artwork that was featured back in Warren Publishing's Vampirella magazine when I was growing up.  You will see Penny Maple as Vampirella, Elle Xombeah as Adam Van Helsing and Lilli Lugosi as Lilith.

Click the images to see them larger. Be warned that some of the images after the jump may not be safe for work. We will likely have more images from this edition of Dr. Sketchy's next week.

Sunday Evening Video: 2012 HallowEast Zombie Walk

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The clip you see at the top of this post is our PopCult Instant Video of the 2012 HallowEast Zombie Walk, which took place less than 24 hours before this was posted.  This year's Zombie Walk started at Moxxee, the East End's ultra-hip coffee shop, and meandered down Lee, Bradford, and Quarrier Streets before ending at the HallowEast Costume Crawl on the corner of Elizabeth and Washington Street.  As always, it was tremendous fun seeing all the ghouls and zombies and zombie hunters come out for the annual shamble.  One nice addition this year was that the route took our undead friends through a residential section and the residents played along just fine.

In this clip, you will see the Cemetery Knights hearses, Carl from "The Walking Dead," a zombie chain gang, a zombie alien on a leash, a few zombie hunters, and a few wholesome zombie families.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  If you watch closely, you may even see East End Main Street's Ric Cavender and HallowEast's proud papa, Mark Wolfe, sprinkled among the rotting crowd.

Our music is part of a contest this year.  The first person in the comments section who can identify the source of our music will get a free Basil Wolverton "Space Hawk" comic book, worth an estimated fifteen cents.  Since YouTube now lets us get away with murder in terms of running times, in the next day or two we will probably post all our unedited raw footage, with no background music, so you can enjoy the unedited Zombie Walk experience and overhear all the inappropriate conversations that our cameras accidentally picked up.

HallowEast IV and ArtMares

The PopCulteer
October 26, 2012

It's the weekend before Halloween and there's just way the hell too much stuff to do in and around Charleston. Your Popculteer will be at the ArtMares reception tonight at Contemporary Galleries from 6 to 10 PM, where there will be beer, wine, and horsd'oeuvres, plus live music from Sean Sydnor. In addition to my work, nearly thirty other local artists (like Olivia Burch and Rebecca Recco, seen right) will be showing off their dark side with macabre, horror-themed works. The bulk of this week's column is a photo essay devoted to the ArtMares exhibit.

But that's not all that's going on. It's the fourth year for HallowEast and this year, they have combined with Festivall Fall to make sure that there are more really cool things going on at the same time than any one person could humanly attend. Tonight, while the ArtMares reception is going on, there will be a special Live On The Levee encore featuring Radio Free Charleston guests The Tom McGees and Qiet, plus two of Columbus' ships. At 10 PM, the No Pants Players bring their filthy, dirty adult comedy to Timothy's, downstairs at the Quarrier Diner.

Halloween 2012 on RFC

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At the head of this post, you see our brand new Halloween treat, Radio Free Charleston 172, "Nightmare In Wax shirt." The bulk of this special episode was recorded on September 29 at the first Shocka-Con horror/science fiction convention. Our musical guests are The Tom McGees, The Nanker Phelge, and The Renfields. Plus, we have a short film by convention guest, Appalachian horror author Frank Larnerd.

Shocka-Con is the brainchild of Mike and Rose Winland, of Mike Winland Studios fame, and it was a spectacular success, drawing over 2500 people. It was an all day convention, with vendors and special guests set up in tents around the Indian Mound in South Charleston while seminars were held at the South Charleston Public Library and movies were screened at the LaBelle Theater. The evening ended with a Monster Parade up D Street and a free concert at the Mound Stage.

Monday Morning Art: Vamping It Up For Halloween

Last night saw the Halloween edition of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School for October, and it was a cool night of Halloweenish posing as the theme was Vampirella and the location was part of Kanawha Player's Haunted House, the Beauregard Nightmare Factory. Our models are Penny Maple and Elle Xombeah, above, and Lilli Lugosi, below. These are quick digital paintings over photographs. More detailed efforts from last night's session will be seen here next week. Click to see the images larger.

Check PopCult later tonight for full production notes and Radio Free Charleston 172, "Nightmare In Wax Shirt," our 2012 Hlloween special, recorded mostly at Shocka Con, featuring music from The Tom mcGees, The nanker Phelge and The Renfields.

The Harpejji Cometh During ArtWalk

The PopCulteer
October 19, 2012

It's ArtWalk time, and...we didn't do so good. Your PopCulteer managed to leave the house twice yesterday without his still camera. After I drove off the first time without it, I returned and was interrupted by one of those damnable political robo-calls (Really? West Virginians For Life wants me to vote for John Rases? They couldn't find a more wrong tree up which to bark.) and left the house a second time without my trusty Canon.

I was armed with my Kodak Zi8, which I use for video. I'm not as happy with the still photos it takes, but it was too late to make another trip back home.

The reason I had the Zi8 was that I'd planned to shoot my ArtWalk photos quickly so that I could record the public debut of the Harpejji, an exotic intrument with 24 strings of wonder, which now resides in the hands of Maestro, Chuck Biel (seen above, right).

So we start off this week's PopCulteer with a PopCult Instant Video of Chuck and his Harpejji, sitting in with another virtuoso, Sean Sydnor, recorded just last night at Capitol Roasters, in an ambient piece of wonder, with just a touch of animation by Frank Panucci. Then we'll look at four stops on last night's ArtWalk.

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Hackers Unite In Charleston

Hackercon 3 (Doomsday Eve) starts Friday. This edition of the annual information and cyber-security symposium will explore Doomsday and survival scenarios in the age of the internet.

In addition to workshops and contests, there will be presentation on Doomsday tactics, speakers including Larry Pesce and K.C. Yerrid, and a presentation of the film, "Reboot."

Hackercon 3 runs Friday through Sunday at the Ramada on Kanawha Boulevard (formerly The Charleston House Holiday Inn). Some of the workshops will take place down the boulevard at Digiso. Events kick off at 8 AM Friday, and you can find a full schedule here.

The Best of Halloween On RFC 171

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[caption id="attachment_9396" align="alignright" width="250"] Back in the Gazz.com days.[/caption]

Radio Free Charleston's 171st episode, "Skull Shirt," is online now and it's a doozy. This on- hour-five-minute compilation show brings you highlights from the first five years worth of Radio Free Charleston Halloween specials. Most of these shows were multi-part or bonus length epics and each year's special was different in its own twisted little way.

Monday Morning Art: ArtMares Preview

ArtMares, the horror-themed art show, will once again be part of HallowEast this year, and I am proud to once again be incuded among the artists whose work will be on display. What you see above is a pencil study for the digital painting that became "Ghouls Night Out," my new entry for this year's exhibit. You may rememer this image from last year. You'll have to wait to see which of the two fully-painted versions I posted as Monday Morning Art last year made it into ArtMares.

This image is based on a photo taken at the Halloween edition of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School last year. It features Lavendar Menace, Elle Xombeah, Vorel Sarkany and Penny Maple. This year's Halloween Dr. Sketchy's session happens Sunday, October 21 at Kanawha Players Theater, and the theme is Vampirella!

ArtMares opens at Contemporary Galleries on October 24 for a sneak preview. On Friday, October 26, an artist's reception will be held at Contemporary Galleries with music from the incredible Sean Sydnor. For more details, check the HallowEast IV website.

Sunday Evening Video: Time And Distance

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Our buddy, filmmaker and musician, James Vernon Brown of The Liquid Canvas (see RFC 158) has produced a great video focused on Charleston's Time And Distance, who are seeking funds via IndieGoGo for their next recording project. Check out the video and then kick in some dough.

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Burgers, Big Daddy and Captain Action

The PopCulteer
October 12, 2012  

It's a mixed bag of coolness this week, so let's dive in, shall we?

Rockin' Robin's First Anniversary

One year ago, Rockin Robin's Burgers and Shakes opened in Clendenin, and they've been a catering presence supporting the local music scene ever since. Saturday they're putting on all-day outdoor show with music and contests, and with a beautiful Fall day predicted by the Mational Weather Service, it should be one of the highlights of a very cool weekend.

A Hot Dog Eating Contest kicks things off at Noon, while a Costume Contest will be judged at 5 PM. At 3 PM there will be a Pumpkin carving Contest.

Monday Morning Art: Onward Wayward Girls.

The Wayward Girls School of Burlesque made their debut September 29 at The Empty Glass, dancing to music from Pepper Fandango. We'll have news on their next performance here soon. That's a digital painting of the School's headmistriss, Penny Maple, above.

Follow the jump for digital paintings inspired by Elle Xombeah, Lavender Menace, Lili Lugosi, Kitty Killton and Pepper Fandango herself. And you can click the images for larger versions.

Sunday Evening Video: RFC 170

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Watch it again. It's good!

Shocka Con In Photos

The PopCulteer
October 5, 2012  

Happy Horror Time

The first-ever Shocka Con took place last Saturday on D Street in South Charleston, and it was a rousing success, exceeding all expecations. Organizers said that they'd be happy with 300 to 800 attendees, and instead upwards of 2,500 people showed up at various points during the day-long, mostly free event.

This was the first year for the Horror/Sci Fi Con, and because it was first conceived only a few months ago, plans were scaled back from a standard three-day convention to a one-day event based around South Charleston's Mound, with films shown at The Labelle Theater and seminars at The South Charleston Public Library, just a coouple of blocks down D Street.

The even was free, but donations were accepted so they can get an early start on next year's convention. While next year's Shocka Con is expected to be a more conventional convention, I'm hoping that some of the cool elements that made this year's show such a success are retained. The Monster Parade and free concert were hugely popular.

Farnsworth Rocks Budget Tapes and Records on RFC 170, plus Weirdness and Meet Ginger From The Stock Car Musical

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Radio Free Charleston 170, "Regular Show Shirt," is a valentine to Budget Tapes and Records, the legendary music and lifestyle emporium that is celebrating forty years of serving area music fans from their Kanawha City location. Our host segments originate from Budget, and we even have two songs by Farnsworth, recorded on location at the release party for their new EP at Budget.

RFC 170 also brings viewers a song from the Contemporary Youth Arts Company production of the Dan Kehde/Mark Scarpelli original, "The Legend of Ginger and Billy Joe: The Stock Car Musical," as well as animation and a found film compilation by Frank Panucci.

Monday Morning Art: The Return Of The Return Of The Steampunk

We are going back to the Dr. Sketchy's well one more time this week with three more images from last month's Steampunk Session. Above you see Denny, below you will find Ophelia Darc and Vorel Sarkany. This month Dr. Sketchy's will feature Vampirella during their regular session, and they'll also have a presence at CharCon. We'll bring you more details as the dates approach.

As always, click the images of these digital paintings to see larger versions.

Also, don't forget that Radio Free Charleston 170, originating from Budget Tapes and Records, with music from Farnsworth and "The Stock Car musical," goes live tonight here at PopCult.

Sunday Evening Video: Shocka Con

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Shocka Con was a complete triumph over the weekend, and you will see loads of footage from it on the Radio Free Charleston Halloween show later this month. This inaugural installment of what will likely become a cool area tradition has been covered in detail by Spotlight West Virginia, who also brought us the video clip you see above (and you might see a cameo by yours truly, if you watch closely).

Weekend Events And A Great Toy Hoax

The PopCulteer
September 28, 2012  

There is some great stuff going on in town this weekend, so we're going to take a quick look at some of that before we dive into the meat of this week's PopCulteer.

The Legend of Ginger and Billy Joe: The Stock Car Musical

This is the new Dan Kehde/Mark Scarpelli musical, put on by The Contemporary Youth Arts Company, and it actually opened last night at the WVSU Capitol Center Theater. This is not your typical CYAC production. The Stock Car Musical is a wicked parody of Redneck culture, about as raunchy as "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," but about a hundred times funnier. Your PopCulteer only got to see the first four numbers from this show when we recorded portions of a dress rehearsal for next week's Radio Free Charleston, but I can tell that the show is fall-on-your-ass hilarious.

Maddie Gourevich and Travis Stephens are Ginger and Billy Joe, two star-crossed lovers trying to find their way back together five years, three marriages and divorces and three kids later. The action takes place at The Blue Bonnet Whiskey 500, where Billy Joe wants to be a driver, just like his dad, and Ginger sells T-shirts to the crowd. Billy Joe's aspirations are blocked by the owner of the Snout driving team, who promised Billy Joe's mother that he wouldn't let her son race because that's how his daddy died.

Great Music, Strange Film and A Very Dark Mound On RFC 169

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Radio Free Charleston 169, "The Black Knight Rises," features music from Emily Burdette, Godmode Broadway and The Nanker Phelge, plus two short films by Frank Panucci. Host segments were shot at The Mound in South Charleston about an hour later than we'd planned, and we plug a couple of cool local events, both of which are coming up this Saturday.

This week's episode is hosted from The Mound in South Charleston, where September 29, part of Shocka Con will take place. This year's Shocka Con will be a fundraiser/preview of what organizers hope will be a full-blown horror and fantasy convention next year.

This year there will be horror movies, including Eamon Hardiman's "Porkchop 3 D," screened just down D street at The historic Labelle Theater, seminars at the South Charleston Public Library, and at the Mound, following the Monster Parade, it's live music from The Dead Ringers, The Nanker Phelge and The Renfields, plus performances from The Monster Dolls and the cast of Kanawha Player's Evil Dead.  

Monday Morning Art: More Steampunk Sketchy

We're still working on some of the cool images we captured last week at Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School. Above you see a digital painting of Vorel Sarkany and Ophellia Darc. Below it's a graphically doctored image of Denny. As always, click to enlarge.

Be sure to hit up PopCult later today for Radio Free Charleston 169, with music from Emily Burdette, Godmode Broadway and The Nanker Phelge, plus animation from Frank Panucci.

ArtWalk In Photos and The New Rules Of Debate

The PopCulteer
September 21, 2012  

Last night a very tired PopCulteer made the ArtWalk rounds, but I ran out of steam before I could pop in to what was probably the coolest event of the nght, Underground Art at Studio 1031, featuring Steven Schmidt's interview with Iggy Pop. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was week. We did get to see some cool new stuff (Like the Blenko Glass Cat at The Purple Moon, seen on the right) at the stops we made before our age caught up with us and we had to go home.

Also this week, I don't often write about politics in the PopCulteer, but when I do, I bury it at the end, after a photo essay.

Arguing With Idiots On The Internet

"Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."

The above quote, derived from the writings of Mark Twain, is sage advice. Advice which I, sadly, do not always observe. I've got a bad habit, some would say a personality flaw, in that when I see misinformation online, I try to correct it. Usually, this is benign and welcome. I'm an expert in a few fields. If I see someone list a Beatles single with the wrong B-side, or say that a GI Joe accessory came out in the wrong year, I set the record straight, and it's usually appreciated.

Unfortunately, politics are a different matter. These days people approach politics with the passion and stupidity usually reserved for rooting for a sports team. Fact-checking is not welcome. My knowledge of The Affordable Healthcare Act is mocked and derided. Never mind that I've been paid to read and analyze it. If I point out that someone is posting something that's factually wrong, I get attacked and then watch as a lie is justified by some imagined sin by the other side.

Monday Morning Art: Steampunk Sketchy's

Last night saw Sarkany, Denny and Ophelia take the stage at KP for Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School's Steampunk II session. It was a fun night, about which I would write more if I didn't have to get some sleep. Stay tuned to PopCult for news of double dose of Dr. Sketchy's coming our way in October. As always, click the images to enlarge. The images, that is.

Sunday Evening Video: The Grand Opening of The East End Bazaar

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It's PopCult Instant Video time, where we bring you video of a cool local event the day after it took place. On September 15, 2012, The East End Bazaar and Artisan Market held its grand opening, with music from Comparsa and many vendors including Charly Hamilton, Mark Wolfe Photography, The EcoBeader, Ian Bode, Kelly Bryant , Karen Garnes of the Capitol Clay Arts Company, Fish Acre Farms and Frütcake, among others. This video combines the music of Comparsa with some of the sights and sounds of opening day. The Bazaar will be held Saturdays from April through October, from 9 AM to 3 PM.

The Last Weekend Of Summer

The PopCulteer
September 14, 2012  

Yes Virginia, It's One of Those Weekends

We're heading into the last weekend of summer and Charleston is having one of its "you must be high if you think nothing ever happens here" weekends. There's so much going on here in town that we have to devote the entire PopCulteer to a run down of weekend events. In order to make things more interesting, we're not going to cover them in chronological order; instead, jumping around at random. Your PopCulteer has to do something to stay awake while he's writing this.

East End Bazaar Grand Opening

This Saturday morning it's time for the Grand Opening of the East End Bazaar, at the corner of Washington St., E. and Ruffner Ave. The Bazaar will feature a variety of local artists and artisans, food and drinks by Frütcake, produce and CSA info from Fish Hawk Acres, and music by Comparsa (TWO SETS). The market opens at 9 AM, and there will be a short ceremony at 11 AM, Comparsa's hot Latin music starts at 11:15 AM

A partial list of artists and vendors includes: Charly Hamilton, Mark Wolfe, Mel Bradbury, Ian Bode, Kelly Bryant , Karen Garnes of the Capitol Clay Arts Company, and many, many more. You can find more information at www.charlestoneastend.com.

Watching The Web

Some folks will want to spend the weekend just watching TV shows on the internet. For those folks, you can watch the three-part Tribute To The Troops II special of Radio Free Charleston all smooshed together right here...

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Part Three Of Tribute To The Troops on RFC 168

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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.

[caption id="attachment_9135" align="alignright" width="180"] Rudy, wearing Megan Lara's Zelda[/caption]

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.

Monday Morning Art: Sign O' The Tines

It's a geometric design, an exercise in color composition, textures and shape. Really just an abstract doodle. But I came up with a good pun for the title so I had to use it. Enjoy, and click to see it larger.

Check back late Monday Night for Radio Free Charleston 168, "Zelda by Megan Lara Shirt," which is part three of our coverage of Tribute To The Troops II, with music from Point of Jerus, In the Company of Wolves, Deck of Fools and HarraH.

Seven Things That Make Up PopCult

The PopCulteer
September 7, 2012  

Okay, if you read last week's PopCulteer you know that your PopCulteer has been writing this blog for seven years. So what exactly is it about? There's no easy answer. I sort of have free reign to write about whatever I want as long as it's related somehow to Pop Culture, and since that covers just about every aspect of modern life, I get to run a little wild here.

But in order to try and explain our existence, I have come up with seven things that help make up PopCult. They are Art, Music, Comics, Theater, Wrestling, Toys and animation. This week we're going to revisit some examples of each of these and how they frequently intersect.

More From Tribute To The Troops II on RFC 167

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Up above is the second of three episodes of Radio Free Charleston devoted to Tribute To The Troops II. On August 11, Wood Boys Music took over the Saint Albans City Park Amphitheater for an all-day all-ages benefit show for our troops. Over eleven hundred dollars was raised for The Wounded Warrior Project and The National Guard Fund, and our cameras were on hand for the first half of the concert.Last week you heard Harrah, In The Company of Wolves, and Everpulse. The show kicked off with Cadence Weaver singing the National Anthem. You can see that show here:.

This week you will hear music from Breedlove, The Under Social, Remains UnNamed and Johnny Compton.

Before the music starts, we bring you a short film that shows you the work of one of the beneficiaries of Tribute To The Troops II, The Wounded Warrior Project. This is a great cause that helps our wounded and maimed soldiers segueway back into society after their service. If you would like to donate to this cause, visit their website for more details.

Monday Morning Art: Artsy Cheesecake

This week's special Labor Day dose of art is a digital painting that applies Impressionistic technique to a classic cheesecake pin-up pose. You can click it to see it larger.

Be sure to check PopCult later tonight for part two of our coverage of Tribute To The Troops II. This middle segment of our trilogy features Remains UnNamed, The Under Social, Breedlove and Johnny Compton. Expect it late Monday night.

Sunday Evening Videos: The Aquabats!

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On Labor Day, at Noon, on The Hub, It's a "Bats-to school" marathon of The Aquabats Super Show, also known as the greatest show in the history of television. I honor of that, we're bringing you a couple of their videos. Above you see "Fashion Zombies."  Below you will find their first video, "Super Rad," directed by BobCat Goldthwait.

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