Welcome to Radio Free Charleston

This is the Archival blog of Radio Free Charleston, the webshow hosted and instigated by Rudy Panucci that launched in 2006 as part of "GazzTV" and has survived to this day as a YouTube-based variety show bringing local music, filmmakers and animators from West Virginia to the world.

Radio Free Charleston is part of the PopCult blog at The Charleston Gazette, and this website is an attempt to organize all the episodes and various spin-off videos in one chronologically-aligned place.

Much of our video archive was wiped out when MySpace committed suicide in the summer of 2013, taking almost one hundred episodes of the show with it. We are remastering, re-uploading and in some cases, restoring those shows and will present them here, if possible, with the original production notes post-dated to their original dates, so that you can trace the show in its original running order. There are some issues with dead links and missing graphics, but we hope that doesn't interfere with your enjoyment of our inane blather.

In May, 2014, MySpace made our old video archives available again, so we will be using those to fill in the missing spaces here while we are still in the remastering phase. We expect this to take some time, and hope you'll bear with us as we build a site where soon we hope many people will waste precious hours at work.

In addition to our full-length episodes, this blog will collect our two "half episodes" from late 2008, and also all of the episodes of The RFC MINI SHOW, which began in 2013 to fill in the space between full-length editions of the show. This blog will also include other videos created by the RFC crew for the PopCult blog.

To keep up with the lastest developments with the show, please visit the PopCult blog and our Facebook page for information on our current episodes.  Radio Free Charleston is still going strong, with both the full-length program and our new RFC MINI SHOWs, and we recently posted episode 200 and have started on our next two-hundred shows.

Thanks for checking us out.

Rudy Panucci

The RFC MINI SHOW # 40

The RFC MINI SHOW with The Jasons

Monday, October 20, 2014

This week The RFC MINI SHOW brings you The Jasons, recorded live at ShockaCon, just last month. The Jasons just marked their first year of performing and this horror-punk outfit from Crystal Lake, New Jersey (by way of the Mountain State) are hotter than ever. With a sound not unlike their fierce rivals, The Renfields, The Jasons slash their way through three chords and a quick beat, leaving few survivors.

The rivalry with The Renfields is so intense that The Jasons’ frontman, Jason V refuses to be seen in the same room as Vincent Renfield.

The RFC MINI SHOW captures The Jasons performing one original tune and one cover of song by a legendary punk band. We also get to witness some of the witty stage banter between the members of the band. You never really get to see the humorous side of Jason Vorhees in the Friday the 13th movies, but on stage, his comedy just kills.

This episode of The RFC MINI SHOW is a preview of sorts for this year’s epic Radio Free Charleston Halloween Special, featuring more music by The Jasons as well as songs from HarraH, Radio Cult and The Possum Kingdom Ramblers. You can see the Radio Free Charleston Halloween Special next week.

Episode 201 of RFC

RFC 201 with WATT4, Super Heavy Duty and more!

October 13, 2014 by rudy panucci

Our first post-milestone show features music from WATT4 and Super Heavy Duty, plus animation from Third Mind Incarnation and a short film by Frank Panucci. With this episode, Radio Free Charleston reverts back to its original format, with a shorter running time and more frequent shows. 

The plan is to alternate weeks between full episodes of Radio Free Charleston, and episodes of The RFC MINI SHOW.

We shot our host segments at Riverside High School, after driving around looking for some nice fall foliage, and not finding that enough had turned yet, so we called an audible and shot in Quincy.

The RFC MINI SHOW #39

The RFC MINI SHOW starring The Velvet Brothers

Monday, October 6, 2014

Some of the Velvet Brothers (it’s so hard to get them all in one shot)

The legendary Velvet Brothers, reunited in September, 2014 at Bruno’s on Leon Sullivan Way in Charleston. In this edition of The RFC MINI SHOW you can hear them perform “Savannah Rose” and “De Do Do Do, De Dah Dah Dah.”Yes, that latter song is a cover of the old Police tune, rendered in a velvety-smooth lounge version.

The full Velvet

The Velvet Brothers were the first full band that I featured performing live on the Radio Free Charleston radio show way back in 1989. We’d had some acoustic performances on the show, but never a full band. The studio wasn’t big enough to hold the entire band, so we ran cables all over the building with the drummer in the hallway, the bass player in the production studio, and the keyboard player in the newsroom. With the guitarist and vocalist in the FM studio with me, the band managed to create a magic moment, even though it was three in the morning and they’d just played a full set at The Charleston Playhouse earlier in the evening.

This shoot, about a month ago, was a blast. Bruno’s was packed. I was straddling a potted palm tree in what turned out to be a lounge/mosh pit. At one point I think I rode the tree into the keyboard player, “C.R. Smoothee.” We got some great music and now you can enjoy a little more of The Velvet Brothers.

PopCult 2014 Rod Run Doo Wop Video

Video Overload, Cool Cars,

Friday, October 3, 2014

 
After a week where your PopCulteer posted a record amount of video, we slide into the weekend with a variety of topics, plus just one more video (or five).
This week we will address the Suddenlink stink, toss plugs your way for a night of animation, a local filmmaker’s bid to work for Motorhead, plus a rundown of local shows, and we’ll also bring you a mini photo essay from the subject of this freshly-made video of the 2014 Charleston Rod Run Doo Wop Car Show…


At the end of this week’s PopCulteer we’ll show you some bonus car show photos.

PopCult ShockaCon 2014 videos

In this one big post, we present the first batch of PopCult videos of ShockaCon 2014

Sunday Evening Video: The Walking Dead Speak!

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Moses with Fred Williamson (swiped from Facebook)

We’re running a bit late this week, but we have the first of many videos from the just-concluded ShockaCon horror and science fiction convention.

This video is of Friday’s panel featuringThe Walking Dead‘s Moses J. Mosley, one of Michonne’s pets, and Jeremy Ambler, the noted walker from season two. They answer audience questions and

Jeremy at ShockaCon (swiped from Facebook)

talk at length about how they came to be cast on The Walking Dead, going through Zombie School and what it was like on the set and going through the elaborate makeup process.

Over the next several days you can expect many more videos from ShockaCon, including a cool musical montage wrap-up. Those videos are collected below the jump.

Episode 200 of RFC

RADIO FREE CHARLESTON 200

September 22, 2014 by rudy panucci

Radio Free Charleston has finally reached its 200th episode, and it does so in a grand manner with four never before seen performances by the area’s top bands, plus animation, short films and more. Your host, Rudy Panucci, presents songs fromFarnsworth, The Laser Beams, HarraH and The Velvet Brothers. There is a short film from Frank Panucci, a movie trailer from Jake Fertig and the first new animation featured on RFC from Third Mind Incarnation since 2007.

Hosting the show in front of some building

This episode of the show is called “Blues Brothers Shirt,” named after a shirt which your host received as a gift from his new wife, Melanie Larch, the day after they got married less than four weeks ago. This milestone episode of the show is a monument to procrastination. If I had continued producing Radio Free Charleston at the pace that I did between 2009 and 2012, we would have hit episode 200 last November. I wanted to make the show really special and came up with grandiose plans and panicked as the date approached.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 38

The RFC MINI SHOW starring SUPER HEAVY DUTY

September 15, 2014 by rudy panucci

The RFC MINI SHOW number thirty-eight, starring Super Heavy Duty, was a real treat to put together. The band is a supergroup consisting of members of The Pistol Whippers, The Tom McGees, Beaver Knievel, and 69 Fingers. 

Two of the members of this band, Bobby Peyton and Brian Holstine, have been RFC favorites since they appeared way back on Episode 8 in 2006. Our cameras were there for the first full blown performance by the band last month at The Empty Glass. It was an unforgettable evening of Ska-Punkabilly explosions and wild, wild music. You can catch Super Heavy Duty this Saturday at 10 PM as they share the stage at The Blue Parrot with Time and Distance and Meet me in The Matinee. Five bucks gets in the door for a night of killer music.

Speaking of our cameras, it was our honor that night to welcome back Steven Allen Adams, who pitched in to run camera three during Super Heavy Duty’s set. Steven has been tied up with other stuff lately but hasn’t lost a step and gave us great camera angles just like he did back when he was a junior RFC Big Shot on Episode 100.

PopCult Bonus Video

 “20 Days” by FARNSWORTH

September 14, 2014 by rudy panucci

Above you should see the music video for “Twenty Days” by the group Farnsworth. This is the official music video, heralding the release of their new album “Live It,” which will make its debut on vinyl this Saturday at Sullivan’s Records.

Sullivan’s is of course the natural place for the vinyl release party since the album was recorded there after hours over the course of a few weeks earlier this year, during the water crisis. While this will be the first in-store performance at Sullivan’s open to the public, this music has been played there before.

Later in the evening, after the Sullivan’s release party, Farnsworth will take the stage again at Sam’s Uptown Cafe.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 37

The RFC MINI SHOW starring Christopher Carter

Monday, September 8, 2014

This week’s RFC MINI SHOW features a couple of solo cover songs by Christopher Carter, who will be appearing on Radio Free Charleston in the future, performing original tunes with his band, Leech.

We recorded Christopher just last week at the Arteries Art Show, at Mike Winland Studios. We were there for the art show, and were so impressed with Christopher that we pointed the camera at him, and shot an impromptu host segment too. Since we just had one camera to point at Chris, in editing we dropped in shots from the art show, which included work by Chris Woodall, Mike and Rose Winland, Tim Shinn, Lee Harrah, Kelly Bryant, Christopher’s father, Johnny Carter (he of the impressive garden) and many others.

Because we shot the host segment on the fly, some of my words came out in a less-than communicative fashion. When I say that the show came together on the spur of the moment, I’m talking about this episode of The RFC MINI SHOW. Arteries was a success because of the hard work put in by Mike and Rose Winland and Penny Maple in the weeks leading up to the exhibit. I didn’t want to give the impression that the art show was just thrown together. I didn’t realize how clumsily I’d worded the intro until I was editing the show.

Arteries was a horror-themed art show designed to promote ShockaCon (coming in just a few short weeks) and it was a huge success, with lots and lots of folks in attendance. You’ll be reading a lot about ShockaCon in the coming weeks in PopCult. Also of note is that this show is the first episode of Radio Free Charleston or The RFC MINI SHOW where all of the camera work is by our own Melanie Larch.

The RFC MINI SHOW #36

The RFC MINI SHOW starring Elephant in the Room

Monday, September 1, 2014

Our guest this week on The RFC MINI SHOW is Elephant in the Room, an Appalachian Rock group featuring previous RFC guest, Donnie Smith, along with Dylan Burkhammer, Bo Ballard and Devin Fields.

You may want to note that the group is called “Elephant in the Room” and not “The Elephant in the room,” as RFC host, Rudy Panucci, mistakenly refers to them in his introduction, twice. Panucci has the excuse of being distracted by his recent wedding to RFC co-producer, Melanie Larch. Also of note in the host segment is that it was shot in front of Ian Bode’s Peer-to-Pier work of public art on Virginia Street…a nod to the cool story about Ian in Sunday’s Gazette-Mail, and also because it was raining and the Insterstate bridge provided shelter.

Elephant in the Room was recorded live at The Empty Glass and is seen here performing a cover of the Dolly Parton classic, “Jolene” and their original tune, “Ghost Town.” Thanks for Jason “Roadblock” Robinson for recording and engineering. The final audio mix was by Rudy Panucci. Keep checking PopCult for updates on future club dates for Elephant in the Room.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 35

The RFC MINI SHOW starring Plaid Clash

Monday, August 25, 2014

This week The RFC MINI SHOW presents the mighty Plaid Clash, bringing their Celtic magic to the Bluegrass Kitchen. This four-piece features Chris Higgins, Garrett Maner, Dan Carney and Vaughn Gold singing and playing a variety of instruments.

This dynamic combo has been playing around Charleston for a few months, and we finally caught up to them at the Bluegrass Kitchen just a couple of weeks ago. We will be catching up with them again in the future, as we didn’t bring the right recording equipment to capture the audio at this event in our usual high quality. Bluegrass Kitchen is one of the finest restaurants in town, and was packed, and our microphones picked up nearly every dinner conversation in the place instead of the music.

Even with the less-than perfect audio, we wanted to give you a taste of this great band. Rest assured that Plaid Clash will grace the RFC screen again in the near future, with audio that does their beautiful sound justice.

You can next hear Plaid Clash Sunday, September 7, as part ofCulture Fest in Pipestem.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 34

The RFC MINI SHOW with C2J2

Monday, August 18, 2014

This week The RFC MINI SHOW digs up a gem from the Radio Free Charleston vault–It’s the progressive Jazz quartet, C2J2, recorded at The Empty Glass in April, 2011. C2J2 was Chris Hudson on Drums, Josh Cannon on Electric Guitar, Chris Mickel on Tenor Sax and Jamie Skeen on Electric Bass. Following a line up change, the band still performs around Charleston as Ignition.

One reason for reviving this lost classic is that C2J2 will appear on The Empty Glass 30th Anniversary Live collection. They will not be part of the vinyl project, but they will be represented on CD and via digital download (and everyone who buys the vinyl will get a digital download, too).

There’s about four weeks left in the IndieGoGo campaign for the Empty Glass Live vinyl, and if you are a supporter of live, local music, you should check out the crowdfunding page and kick in a few bucks on the project.




Our host segment was shot right outside The Empty Glass on Elizabeth Street in Charleston shortly after a taping session for two new bands that you will see on The RFC MINI SHOW in the coming weeks, Elephant in the Room and Super Heavy Duty.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 33

The RFC MINI SHOW: The Legend of Sleeping Beauty

Monday, August 11, 2014

Rachel couch and Sheila Jarrett

This week The RFC MINI SHOW offers up a preview of The Legend of Sleeping Beauty, a musical version of the classic fairy tale that is fun for the whole family. You can catch this cute musical at the Alban Arts and Conference Center starting Friday, August 15. The performance dates are: August 15-16, 22-23 at 8 PM and August 17, 24 at 2 PM. Tickets are available online at albanartscenter.com/ or by calling (304) 721-8896. Adult admission is $15, while Seniors and Children (under 12) is $10.

We recorded a preview performance of this show at The Charleston Town Center weekend before last, and the group did a great job in what is a tough venue. We bring you two songs: “Bright and Shining” sung by Sheila Jarrett as Evelyn and Rachel Couch as Elise and “M-A-L-I-C-I-A” sung by Sara Golden as Malicia and Alondra Johnson, Ben Valleau, Claire Atkinson, Jaxzen Allen, Bethany Cole, Rowe Tapley and Bodie Allen as mice.

Sara Golden as Malicia with her “mice”

When the new princess is born, the court is excited that this is the child who will save them all from the evil force that threatens to vanquish the kingdom. The king asks his three favorite aunts to be godmothers to his daughter, Elise. A fourth aunt, Malicia, who has harassed the king’s family for years, shows up uninvited at the christening, causing a scene which ends with deadly curses.

To protect the child, the three kindly godmothers take Elise to live in a secluded forest cottage until after her 16th birthday when the curse will expire. It is then that the princess and her protectors leave the safety of the forest and proceed to the king’s castle, but it’s a day too early to avoid the curse! The crazed and powerful Malicia arrives at the castle, making demands and threats, knowing that the time is right for fulfillment of the curse. Prince Michael, who is in love with Elise, also arrives at the castle, where his newfound love has fallen victim to Malicia’s curse and is sleeping in an isolated tower. In his search for Elise, Michael confronts Malicia, overcomes her curses, and finds his dear Elise. Michael awakens Elise, proclaims his love, and together they triumph over the curse and fulfill the legend.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 32

The RFC MINI SHOW starring Blue Million

August 4, 2014 by rudy panucci

This week The RFC MINI SHOW stars Charleston Rock Institutions, Blue Million. This is footage of Alan, Andy and Gary that we recorded in April, 2011 at The Empty Glass. Our crew that night included Johnny Rock, the drummer for the legendary RFC band, Go Van Gogh. You’ll see him in a couple of shots.

Blue Million was one of the original local bands featured on the radio version of Radio Free Charleston, and they are still going strong 25 years later. They still perform locally, most recently in June at Bruno’s, and we will keep you posted on their next shows in PopCult.

This episode of The RFC MINI SHOW features two songs from the band’s night at the Glass back in 2011, one of which has never been seen before.

PopCult Instant Video: Doctor Who Regenerated

Doctor Who Comes To Charleston

August 3, 2014 by rudy panucci

Ronn Smith as The Doctor

PopCult is proud to present the first look at Doctor Who: The Classic Series Regenerated. This is a locally-produced fan-film tribute to the long-running BBC science fiction series, particularly the era of the Fourth Doctor, who was portrayed by Tom Baker. You can check out the Facebook page for this projectHERE.

Just last weekend, scenes for Doctor Who: The Classic Series Regenerated were shot at The Clay Center, Spring Hill Cemetary, Dunbar’s Wine Cellar Park and other locations around the area.

The Dcotor and Sara Jane at Dunbar’s Wine Cellar Park, photo by Mark Wolfe Design

Doctor Who: The Classic Series Regenerated is the brainchild and labor of love of Ronn Smith, a life-long fan of The Doctor. In fact, the first time I met Ronn, several years ago at one of Dale Morton’s Halloween parties, he was dressed as The Fourth Doctor. You may have noticed our sneak peek at Ronn as The Doctor in this week’s Monday Morning Art. The plan is to recreate the look and feel of the original series while telling new adventures of The Fourth Doctor and Sara Jane, his companion.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 31

The RFC MINI SHOW starring The Diablo Blues Band

July 30, 2014 by rudy panucci

This week’s RFC MINI SHOW presents The Diablo Blues Band. Newly signed to Arm The Pit Records,

this band is a long-time Radio Free Charleston mainstay, newly reborn with a new vocalist and the addition of a great horn section. We’ve been bringing you great music from this band for over five years, and it’s great to see them revitalized with new energy and a new line up.

We recorded them at The Empty Glass last May performing two originals, “Loud Mouth Woman” and “How D’You Like Me Now?” The members of DBB are Johnny “Hurricane” Compton,John ” The Mud Cat” Chickogee, Tommy Fountaine, Jessica Lowe, Kevin Kidd, Terry Lowry, Billy Hambleton and Morris Hambleton.

You can catch The Diablo Blues Band August 10 at The Empty Glass, where they will be recording a live album, their debut onArm The Pit Records.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 30

The RFC MINI SHOW Starring Dina Hornbaker

July 21, 2014 by rudy panucci

This week the RFC MINI SHOW shines its spotlight on Dina Hornbaker, who made her Radio Free Charleston debut back on episode 196, last March. Dina is a very talented singer/songwriter who just moved back to Charleston last year and has become a star of the open mic scene in town.

This week’s RFC MINI SHOW brings you three songs performed by Dina just last week at the Early Open Mic at Taylor Books. The RFC Crew just happened to be there armed with cameras and we decided to snag Dina’s first three-song set before deadline duties forced us to make a hasty retreat.This was true guerilla filmmaking because we forgot to tell anyone we were recording and had to ask permission afterward.

You’ll hear Dina doing a Summertime song with nods to Sam Cooke and George Gershwin, as well as the song that she performed on RFC 196, “Mountain Mama.” We wrap up the show with a lovely song that does not yet have a title. We’d like to thank Dina for allowing us to bring you this terrific little work-in-progress.
The Taylor Books Early Open Mic is developing into quite an eclectic scene. Keep checking PopCult for details on when the next one is coming up. The video in this episode may seem a little blocky, but that’s entirely due to your producer/director/host screwing up something while rendering it. So pretend it was done on purpose.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 29

The RFC MINI SHOW starring InFormation

July 14, 2014 by rudy panucci

This week The RFC MINI SHOW dives into the vault for two songs by the terrific local band,InFormation. One of these performances has never been seen before. These were recorded in May, 2011 at The Blue Parrot.

InFormation is Curtis Chittendon, Shane Durham and Roy Graley, and we first had them on Radio Free Charleston (with an early line-up) seven years ago. They continue to impress the hell out of RFC host Rudy Panucci with their progressive alternative energy and great lyrics.
We will now quote freely from their website…

“InFormation is a 3 piece Rock ‘N’ Roll group from Charleston, WV. If you think that Rock ‘N’ Roll music may be dying off, you need to see an InFormation show and have your Rock ‘N’ Roll spirits re-lifted!InFormation brings everything you need for a Rock ‘N’ Roll show; mind melting guitar solos, killer guitar riffs, 9 string basses, 7 string basses, drum solos, catchy lyrics, and most of all a real good time.”

You can next catch the band Friday, July 18, at The Blue Parrot (where we recorded these tunes) with Deck of Fools (another great band that we’ve had on RFC). The show starts at 10 PM and the cover charge is only five bucks.

Episode 199 of RFC

RFC 199 Brings You FestivALL 2014

July 1, 2014 by rudy panucci

Despite some technical glitches, we are bringing you a half hour of coverage of Charleston’s just-concluded FestivALL 2014 in RFC 199. Radio Free Charleston looks at FestivALL with music from Todd Burge, The Bark O Loungers, QiET and The Company Stores, plus dance from Susan Angela Hughart and The Trillium Performance Arts Collective. Sprinkled throughout are many sights and sounds of FestivALL.