The RFC MINI SHOW # 25

The RFC MINI SHOW with TIME AND DISTANCE

June 2, 2014 by rudy panucci

This week’s RFC MINI SHOW brings you TIME AND DISTANCE, direct from the Haddad Riverfront stage and Live on the Levee, where they headlined last Friday. Actually, this show is direct from The Empty Glass in May, where they played their first show in Charleston after several weeks on the road. We didn’t get video of the Live on the Levee show. There were too many people enjoying the music to get close enough to record.

We recorded the group last month, and you saw one of the songs from that session on last week’s episode of Radio Free Charleston. This week the RFC MINI SHOW brings you two more tunes from that gig. One of the songs showed up in TIME AND DISTANCE’s first appearance on RFC last year. Guess which one and you win the satisfaction of knowing.

On Friday, June 6 You can find the band at The Thirteenth Lane Taproom at Dunbar Lanes, with Noise and Motion Theater!

PopCult Video: The Laser Beams

The Laser Beams Salute WV AG, Patrick Morrisey

June 1, 2014 by rudy panucci

Leo Tuxedo as Patrick Morrisey (photo by Mark Wolfe)

Ripped from today’s headlines, and ripped from Radio Free Charleston 198, by popular demand, it’s The Laser Beams, with their song, “Patrick Morrisey,” presented as a “boylesque” dance routine by Leo Tuxedo of The Wayward Girls School of Burlesque.

So many people wanted to watch this video and listen to this song over and over again that we broke with tradition and pulled the song out as a stand-alone clip. Making it even sweeter, we added the lyrics onscreen so that you can sing along at home! 

Episode 198 of RFC

An Alarmingly Activist Episode of RFC

May 26, 2014 by rudy panucci

Details on how you can buy your own Top O Rock shirt are coming soon

Radio Free Charleston 198, “Save Top O Rock Shirt” is one of our most politically active episodes. We have music from Time & Distance, Little Nomad, The Living Deads and a special music video by The Laser Beams, plus there’s ten epic minutes of animation by Jake Fertig. But first, in this episode I actually talk about the shirt that gives this show its name.

Top O Rock is an architectural marvel in Charleston. It was the home and office of the late architect, Henry Elden. We shot our host segments for Episode 100 there four years ago, a couple of years after he passed away. Since then, the building has fallen on hard times. Recently vandals have struck and we were in danger of seeing this landmark demolished.

A foundation is being established to assist in the resuce and restoration of Henry Elden’s dream home, and you can help out by buying this shirt, and visiting the Save Top O Rock Facebook page, plus you can visit this blog and sign this petition. We will keep you posted on future fundraising activities.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 24

Johnny Compton on The RFC MINI SHOW

May 19, 2014 by rudy panucci

This edition of The RFC MINI SHOW stars Johnny “Hurricane” Compton, a legend in the Charleston music scene, performing two solo acoustic numbers at The Thirteenth Lane Taproom at Dunbar Lanes. Johnny takes on the Marshall Tucker Band classic, “Fire on the Mountain” before debuting the title track of his upcoming solo acoustic album, “These Roads.”

The recording session for this show was a tremendous amount of fun. Dunbar Lanes has really fixed up a great, intimate performance space and it’s a wonderful place to hear live music if you don’t feel like making the trek all the way to Charleston and fighting to find parking. We really need to get the word out to music lovers and performers about this gem of a venue, tucked away in a peaceful corner of Dunbar.

After years of begging and pleading from his fans, Johnny is currently working on a solo acoustic album. “These Roads” is slated to be the title track and in this video you will witness the first public performance of this powerful new song. You may also notice the ice machine deciding to join in near the end. We’re posting this recording due to the historical significance, but you can be sure that “These Roads” will turn up again, in a more pristine form, on Radio Free Charleston in the future.

If you are a fan of Mr. Compton, you should be aware that his band, another RFC favorite, Diablo Blues Band, is recording a live album on Sunday, May 25, at The Empty Glass, with their new horn section along for the ride. The music fires up at 9 PM and the cover is just five dollars.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 23

The RFC MINI SHOW with The Living Deads

May 11, 2014 by rudy panucci

Randee and Symphony

The Living Deads are Randee and Symphony and whichever guitarist that they have most recently kidnapped. They tour the country in their RV, spreading the gospel of Punkabilly where ever they go. They live full time in their RV (Irv) and tour the world, printing T-Shirts and burning CDs while on the road. They have been known to kidnap guitar players from time to time, drag them on stage in a Burlap sack and force them to perform.

When we caught up with the band at The Empty Glass last month in Charleston, they had Wyatt Mundy on guitar, having just abducted him from his job at an adult bookstore.

The Living Deads (Randee Mcknight and Symphony Tidwell) have featured guest artists such as Danny B Harvey, Chuck Hughes, Lance Romance. Hank Hays, James Hunnicutt, Steven R Trent, Mondo Cortez, Chad Hasty, JD Holopter, Scotty Spears, Mr. Conrad, Matt Allen, Dr. Void, Sean K. Preston, Tony Burlingame, Trevor Rogers, Craig Gory along with several more.

They describe themselves thusly, “A Rhythm section born of Hate, Hellfire and Brimstone. With a book of matches, can of gas, and a Louisville slugger we’ll have a party.”

You can expect to see them again on Radio Free Charleston 198 in a week or two.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 22

The RFC MINI SHOW starring Mark Cline Bates

May 5, 2014 by rudy panucci

Mark Cline Bates hadn’t been on RFC since episode 58,in 2009, until we caught up with him again and featured his music on RFC 196. From that same recording session at The Empty Glass, we bring you two songs from Mark, “Bigger Things” and “Closer.” Mark’s next album is due out in October, and you can check out his website for news of his tour dates and you can also buy his previous CD.

In May, you can catch Mark in Man, at Keith’s Bar on the 9th at 9 PM , and in Sutton at Cafe Cimino on The 25th at 8 PM as part of the WV Hall Of Fame Garden fundraiser. In June Mark will perform as such exotic locations as Los Angeles and Venice Beach California, Columbia South Caroline, Chicago and Barboursville. You can also check out his recent Gazette interview for more news.

You may notice that this episode of the RFC MINI SHOW is number twenty-one, while our previous show was number nineteen. It recently came to our attention that, almost six months ago, we numbered two of our RFC MINI SHOWs as “seven.” We didn’t catch it, and nobody pointed it out to us, so we didn’t discover it until we were working on the RFC Archives. Rather than go back and re-number the previous thirteen shows, we’re just going to skip a number to get back on track. 

And of course, after we rendered the show as number twenty-one, we discovered that we also had two shows numbered “fifteen.” So expect next week’s RFC MINI SHOW to be number twenty-three.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 21

RFC MINI SHOW with Jody Herndon

April 28, 2014 by rudy panucci

Jody Herndon is a very talented singer/songwriter, and he’s also one of the driving forces behind Voices of Appalachia and New Appalachian Radio. We caught up with Jody at a special evening of local music hosted by Little Nomad at The Empty Glass. Coincidentally, you can catch Jody again this Wednesday at The Empty Glass at another showcase hosted by Little Nomad, which really ought to become a regular thing.

You will see Little Nomad and the other artists we recorded that night on future installments of Radio Free Charleston and The RFC MINI SHOW, and Little Nomad will also be hosting the Monday Night Open Mic at The Empty Glass on May 12.

Getting back to Jody, he’s written some striking tunes and we happily bring two of them to you this week in the MINI SHOW. Lifting a bit from his bio page, “Jody started writing songs when he was fourteen years old and quickly learned that he had a passion for words. When he went to college he encountered a song writer that changed him forever: Mike Morningstar. Mike’s honesty and eloquence about the beauty of West Virginia, and even more so, the beauty of West Virginians has kept Jody in these mountains singing about life from a Mountaineer’s perspective.”

Check back with PopCult because sometime in the coming weeks we will bring you more information on New Appalachian Radio and Voices of Appalachia. For now, you can check them out at the provided links.

RFC presents The Terra Firma Ensemble

Sunday Evening Video: The Terra Firma Ensemble

April 27, 2014 by rudy panucci

As promised, today we present the entire Kanawha Forum performance from April 9, 2014, by The Terra Firma Ensemble. We have brought you two-thirds of this performance on Radio Free Charleston and the RFC MINI SHOW, but this video collects the entire concert, in order, complete with the entrance and applause.

The Terra Firma Ensemble was recorded at The Kanawha Forum at Kanawha United Presbyterian Church on Quarrier Street. The Terra Firma Ensemble is Jim Lange, David Porter, J. Scott Milam, Lisa Peery, John Inghram and Ryan Kennedy. The Kanawha Forum is a series of Wednesday concerts that offer up free half-hour lunch performances at the church, which are followed by a paid gourmet meal, which is optional.

Episode 197 of RFC

Mind-blowing Music and Animation on RFC 197, Plus A Prophecy!

April 21, 2014 by rudy panucci

Radio Free Charleston 197, “Jake The Dog Shirt” is a diverse collection of great music, cool animation plus a neat theater preview. Our music is from Donnie Smith, The Big Bad, The Terra Firma Ensemble and Jordan Searls. Animation comes to us from Jake Fertig and we also have a preview for the Alban Arts Center production of “Antigone.”

Host segments were shot in the Alban Arts Center theater after our first location, just outside the theater, proved to be unworkable because folks were using lawn-mowers and gas-powered trimmers…on Easter Sunday.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 20

The RFC MINI SHOW: The Terra Firma Ensemble

April 14, 2014 by rudy panucci

Uncredited photo swiped from Jim Lange’s Facebook page

This week’s RFC MINI SHOW features The Terra Firma Ensemble, recorded at The Kanawha Forum at Kanawha United Presbyterian Church on Quarrier Street. The Terra Firma Ensemble is Jim Lange, David Porter, J. Scott Milam, Lisa Peery, John Inghram and Ryan Kennedy. The Kanawha Forum offers up free half-hour lunch concerts at the church, which are followed by a paid gourmet meal, which is optional.

At this particular edition of The Kanawha Forum, The Terra Firma Ensemble performed three pieces: “Innocente,” by Robert Towner and Gary Burton; “Eye of the Needle,” by Robert Fripp and the world premiere of “Brambles and Briers,” a piece composed by Jim Lange. You will see Jim Lange’s composition next week on the full-length Radio Free Charleston number 197. This RFC MINI SHOW features “Innocente.”

In a couple of weeks we will bring you the entire program from The Terra Firma Ensemble’s Kanawha Forum peformance, with all three pieces presented in order.

Lisa Perry, Scott Milam, Ryan Kennedy

It was a real treat to get to record this group. Jim Lange has been a friend of RFC dating back to our radio days, when he appeared live, on the air, with The Velvet Brothers. His guitar work is legendary. David Porter brings his virtuosity on the EWI wind-controlled synth to the ensemble. Lisa Peery contributes acoustic flute. Scott Milam brought percussion and the malletKAT to the table. And eagle-eyed viewers of RFC may recognize Ryan Kennedy (guitar) and John Inghram (fretless bass) from The Bob Thompson Unit, who appeared on our last Christmas show and their own RFC MINI SHOW.

David Porter, Jim Lange, John Inghram

This is an amazing collection of musicians who include three current or former members of The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra among their ranks, alongside musicians with lists of credits that would take up several paragraphs. It was truly an honor to record them for the show.