2013 Christmas Treats

Christmas Treats Unwrapped

December 27, 2013 by rudy panucci

The PopCulteer 
December 27, 2013

So you may have noticed that your Popculteer has indulged in a bit of holiday slacking this week. While I’ve maintained Popcult’s new promise of at least one post per day, I’ve done it by posting videos.

I guess the fact that ten of those were videos I made and uploaded on Monday, specifically for PopCult, means that maybe I haven’t got this whole “slacking off” thing down pat yet.

Well today we’re going to revisit our Monday video stunt, and tell you what’s in most of the Christmas Treat Packages. We’ll leave the last one a bit of a mystery for technical reasons–I can only fit nine videos into one post.

Plus the last video wasn’t much, anyway.

We started off with a quick Christmas tune performed by The Laser Beams. This was recorded just last Saturday at Kanawha Players! The Laser beams are better known as the backing band for The Wayward Girls School of Burlesque, and features Pepper Fandango, Cat Schrodinger and Leo Tuxedo. Check out The Laser Beams with “Up On The Rooftop.”

Episode 194 of RFC

The Bob Thompson Unit and Frenchy and The Punk Bring You Christmas Joy on RFC 194

December 16, 2013 by rudy panucci

RFC 194, “Hasa Diga Shirt,” is our Christmas spectacular, with music from The Bob Thompson Unit and Frenchy and The Punk, plus a message from Santa, and new animation from Jake Fertig, which opens our show with a commercial for The Bearded Axe.

Our host segments were shot around the Mound in South Charleston, a location which was chosen because it had a big tree that was lit in the daytime, and all the other places we tried first were either too crowded or just dreary-looking. Luckily we managed to find a place that was infused with the Holiday Spirit!

The RFC MINI SHOW # 9

RFC MINI SHOW: Decomposing In Paris

Monday, December 9, 2013

Decomposing In Paris is a band from Ireland that found their way to The Empty Glass late last summer. Their music is ethereal, trippy and it has a beat. It’s unlike anything we’ve had on the show. Two Irish natives and one fairy-winged expatriate from Ashland, Kentucky, currently living in Belfast, make up this band.

Radio Free Charleston was fortunate to bring you their song “The Way It Is” back on episode 190. Now, from the same session we present the band with “Personal Ad” and “He Loves Me.”

Before the music starts, we have a brief promotional announcement for a special After ArtWalk Art Show by RFC’s newest animator, Jake Fertig. His work will be on display at Rival Cards and Games, located at 5206 1/2 MacCorkle Ave S.E., in Kanawha City near the old Southern Kitchen, from 7 PM to 10 PM.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 8

RFC MINI SHOW: Andrew Hellblinki

December 2, 2013 by rudy panucci

This week’s RFC MINI SHOW is a special Sepia solo showcase for Andrew Hellblinki. The Hellblinki Sextet first appeared on Radio Free Charleston way back on episode 49, back in 2008. They were the first out-of-town band we featured on the show.

Now Hellblinki has a new album nearly finished, and Andrew is undertaking a solo tour and a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds to manufacture the new album, Hellblinki “Multitudes,” which is the newest batch of Hellblinki songs recorded by the full band and loads of guest musicans. As we post this episode, there’s a little more than two weeks left in the Hellblinki Kickstarter campaign and the rewards range from a download of the entire album for a dollar, to all kinds of bonuses like CD and vinyl copies of the album, jewelry and house shows at the higher incentives.

You can find out more about the Kickstarter campaign for “Multitudes” here…

A special editorial note: In May, 2014, I suddenly realized that this was the second consecutive RFC MINI SHOW to be numbered “seven.”  The video is now retitled “RFC MINI SHOW number seven 2.0.”

The RFC MINI SHOW # 7

The RFC MINI SHOW: “MARY A Rock Opera”

November 25, 2013 by rudy panucci

Rowan Maher as “MARY”

This week we are devoting the RFC MINI SHOW to “MARY A Rock Opera,” Dan Kehde and Mark Scarpelli’s musical which has become a Charleston holiday institution. We bring you three songs from the show (our sixth year of covering “MARY”) just in time to whet your appetite for opening night, Friday, November 29.

Contemporary Youth Arts Company presents the 17th annual production of Charleston’s holiday classic. MARY tells the story of the nine months leading to the birth of Jesus, as seen through the eyes of the young girl who will become his mother. This show has become a beloved part of the holiday season by a generation of theater-goers.

The RFC crew recorded these three songs, “Spin and Grow,” “Hear Us O Lord,” and “Child, My Child” last week, before the set was finished or the full orchestra was available. It’s still a stunning work and we are happy to share it with you. Show dates and times can be found after the jump…

Episode 193 of RFC

RFC 193 Visits Third Eye Cabaret

November 18, 2013 by rudy panucci

This edition of Radio Free Charleston, “Snowshoe Shirt” comes to us from Third Eye Cabaret, a cool weekly night of label-defying performers who bring a daring Bohemian spirit to Charleston every Thursday night at The Cellar, 8 Capitol Street. Our music this week is by The BrotherSisters, Jamie Skeen, Louis Argento and Snakebox, and we kick things off with animation by Jacob Fertig.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 6

The RFC MINI SHOW: Snakebox

November 14, 2013 by rudy panucci

This week’s RFC MINI SHOW takes us back to August, when we recorded Snakebox at The Empty Glass. We brought you two of those songs on episodes 189 and 190 of Radio Free Charleston, and from that same night, we’re bringing you two more in this week’s RFC MINI SHOW.

You can see Snakebox as part of Third Eye Cabaret at The Cellar on Capitol Street Thursday night, and we will update you here in PopCult when Snakebox has their next shows. These guys are extremely creative and loads of fun. As is explained in the show, their line up changes, but we caught them as a four-piece. We hope to have them back on the show with their expanded line up soon.

As their PR says, “Snakebox, from Charleston, WV, is an ever evolving nest of undulating sounds. Original songs and music tangle around guitarist and lead vocalist Kevin Crump, fiddle player and vocalist Beth Summers, bass player Thom Walker and drummer Dave Roberts. This orchestral orgy is often heard with violist Alasha Al-Qudwah, keyboardist Christopher Harris, trombone player Logan Umlor, and other fine specimens from the local music scene. Stick your hand in the box and be surprised!”

Our host segment was shot in Rudy Panucci’s living room because it was just too windy to do it outside. Not with that hat, anyway.

The RFC MINI SHOW # 5

The RFC MINI SHOW: HarraH

November 4, 2013 by rudy panucci

The fifth RFC MINI SHOW also marks the fifth week that we bring you music recorded at Shocka-Con in September. Our music this week comes from HarraH, one of the top metal bands in Charleston.

HarraH performs “Bloodmoon” and “Sawney Beane,” live from the stage on Beauregard Street outside the Haunted Barn. The correct title of the second song is “Sawney Beane,” the tale of a Scottish patriarch of a cannibal family. It’s misspelled on screen in the show. If you read PopCult regularly, you will be kept up to date on HarraH’s upcoming shows.

Episode 192 of RFC

Halloween 2013 Part Two on RFC 192

October 28, 2013 by rudy panucci

Stay Puft

Above you see part two of the Radio Free Charleston Halloween Special for 2013. Just like with part one(which you can see here), we recorded this show at Shocka-Con. Our thanks go out once again to Mike and Rose Winland all the Shocka-Con volunteers for helping to make this show possible. If you haven’t seen part one of our show, go here and check it out.

This week you will hear music from The Nanker Phelge, Foz Rotten and his dirty scoundrels, The Big Bad, The Wayward Girls School of Burlesque and The Renfields. Plus you will be subjected to my inept interviews with RJ Haddy, Ghostbusters WV, Eliska Hahn, Danny Boyd, Vincent Renfield and a Dalek. There’s plenty of other wild sights and sounds of Shocka-Con presented here, starting with a remix of the internet sensation, the Twerking Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

Episode 191 of RFC

RFC HALLOWEEN 2013 PART ONE!

October 21, 2013 by rudy panucci

This is the Radio Free Charleston 2013 Halloween special…part one!

This year we once again recorded our Halloween show at Shocka-Con, Charleston’s own Horror Convention, which took place in September. This is the first of our two-week Halloween show, and this week you’ll hear music from HarraH, The Renfields, The Big Bad and The McGees, plus you will see something we rarely do on RFC–Rudy Panucci interviews people…poorly!

You will see interviews with Jeremy Ambler, Eamon Hardiman, Danny Hicks and The Fiend, plus we’re going to bring you some of the sights and sounds of Shocka-Con 2013.