Above you see episode 113 of Radio Free Charleston, “Jazz From Hell Preview.” This is our Halloween special, and it’s quite a departure. It’s also quite a bit less than I’d originally planned.
Last July I got the idea to bring back Count Rudolph and Celeste, The Zombie Supermodel for our Halloween show this year. That’s me and my imaginary daughter, Chelsea Cook, if you didn’t watch RFC 54 and 55 back in 2008. I thought that, instead of showing music videos, we’d actually interrupt a cheesy horror movie this year.
Radio Free Charelston 112, “Toxic Soup Shirt” is online now, and you should see it right above this text! We have three bands making their RFC debut–Crossroads, Doctor Curmudgeon and Happy Minor. We also have a movie trailer for the documentary, “Toxic Soup,” and one for “Jazz From Hell,” about which you will read later.
“Toxic Soup” also provided the shirt I wear in this episode. Host segments were shot in the Davis Fine Arts building at West Virginia State University, and it was a cool setting, and my old stomping grounds. People were acting like something unusual was going on, but I didn’t notice anything. Big thanks to Stefani Andrews for making her debut as an RFC crew member.
We’re doing something a little different this week. We are debuting a new episode of Radio Free Charleston on a Friday. You can see it right below this block of text. The show this week features music from Andy Park, Stephen Beckner and Stone Soup, plus some offbeat animation and a public service announcement for Covenant House that starsAnn Magnuson.
Most of this episode was shot at The Empty Glass on Thursday, September 16, during a benefit for Empty Glass Records, a project that will allow Charleston’s most celebrated bar to install recording equipment so that they can preserve the magic moments that happen there on a regular basis.
Watch the show, then follow the jump to read all about it, and also check in with a music-packed weekend here in town.
Flashback to last summer with part seven of oursix-part coverage of FestivAll 2010. This show brings you more music from Brian Diller and The Velvet Gypsies, plus extra music from Craig D’Andrea and Ron Sowell, and footage of the balloon sculptures at The Charleston Town Center.
We had some great material that didn’t quite fit into our six-part extravaganza last summer, so we went back to the well one more time. Host segments were shot at the same time as the host bits for episode 107, back in July. Now that the heat of summer is passed, we can sit back and enjoy the music.
You’ll find a couple of extra photos after the jump.
At the head of this post you see the latest episode of Radio Free Charleston. This is our third “show without words,” where we showcase instrumental music and films and animation without dialogue.
Our music this time comes fromDavid Synn and D.T. Stephenson, who coincidentally teamed up to form the band after they agreed to became part of this show. You can look for thier new join project, Frequency Down, playing at local venues soon, and on RFC in the future. We also have RFC faves, Blue Million, ripping through an instrumental blues jam during a sound check at Bruno’s last May.
Our animation comes courtesy of Frank Panucci and we also feature the oldest surviving Plant Ro Duction Mini Movie. We also get a quick, photographic tour of LiveMix Studio, our longtime production partner.
Above you see the bright, shiny new episode of Radio Free Charleston. This is our first “normal” show since before our big six-episode foray into the wonders of FestivAll. This episode, “To The Batmobile Shirt,” features music from InFormation,Volt 9000 and The AK40 Sexuals. We also have short films from K.D. Lett and Scott Elkins.
Rudy at the mall, not sweating.
Host segments were shot last Saturday at The Charleston Town Center because IT’S TOO FREAKING HOT TO SHOOT HOST SEGMENTS OUTSIDE! One segment had to be re-shot at Stately Radio Free Charleston manor just hours before the show was posted due to a technical glitch. Check out the cool stuff behind me in the intro to the song by InFormation.
Above you see the final installment of Radio Free Charleston’s extensive coverage of FestivAll 2010. Even though our coverage was extensive, we still barely scratched the surface of all the cool stuff that was going on during the time when our city becomes a work of art.
In RFC 107 you will see Option 22, Brian Diller, Bare Bones and The Velvet Gypsies. You’ll also get glimpses of Jude Binder, Kitty Killton and the Musical Easels project with Adrian DeQuiros.
With this episode of the show, which coincidentally goes online roughly on the fourth anniversary of Radio Free Charleston, we have managed to bring you over two hours of footage, shot entirely at FestivAll, in the span of seventeen days. That’s just better than a new show every three days that we’ve posted.
A special PopCulteer with full production notes for these six episodes will be posted this weekend here in PopCult. A totally unrelated-to-FestivAll bonus video will be posted here Friday, featuring a new band that will explode on the scene Saturday night.
Episode 106 of Radio Free Charleston is right there at the top of this post. This is the next-to-last of our six-episode look at FestivAll 2010. For those of you keeping score at home, this has been the equivalent of producing a two-hour documentary–filming, editing, and posting online–in the span of three weeks.
This episode of RFC includes music from The Velvet Gypsies, Actual Rhinocerous and Comparsa, plus a sample of Patrick Felton’s play, “Waiting For Jennifer” and more scenes from ArtWalk and the Capitol Street Art Fair, featuring Jude Binder and the Crystal Tooth Gallery this time.
The current plan is for our final FestivAll installment to include music from Barebones, Option 22 and Brian Diller, and as much of the rest of the stuff I shot during FestivAll as possible. I want to have that one online by the end of the week. If all goes well, I may cut these shows together into one feature-length film, and figure out where we can show it.
This week’s PopCulteer is supposed to be a full set of production notes for all six episodes complete with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and stories about how we filmed these suckers. Considering the fact that I haven’t started on part six yet, those plans are subject to change.
RFC 108 is going to get us back to normal with InFormation and a cool video by Frank Panucci for the group, Volt 9000. Look for it a couple of weeks after we get FestivAll wrapped up.
The fourth installment of our FestivAll 2010 coverage includes music from Comparsa, Evan Mack, Melanie Larch, T. J. King and Miss Behavin’. You’ll also see Scott Elkins’ entry in the FestivAll Silent Film competition and a montage of the FestivAll Catfish.
There will be at least two more episodes of Radio Free Charleston devoted to FestivAll 2010 with music from Craig D’Andrea, Option 22, The Velvet Gypsies, Barebones, Actual Rhinocerous, plus more music from Comparsa, Brian Diller and more theater, dance and art from FestivAll. Look for RFC 106 on Monday.
What was planned to be three episodes continues to expand. This is the third episode of Radio Free Charleston devoted to FestivAll 2010, but it won’t be the last. I have enough material for at least two more of these shows, and you can expect them to disrupt the regular PopCult features until I get them finished.
Today’s installment of Radio Free Charleston –origininating from Charleston, West Virginia’s 2010 FestivAll– showcases music by The VooDoo Katz, Miss Behavin’, Mark Scarpelli, The Sweet Adelines and more, plus art from ArtWalk and The Capitol Street Art Fair.
