flyer-1Radio Free Charleston 188, “NU-TRA Shirt,” welcomes back two old friends to the show, but also showcases them in two venues which haven’t been on our show before. We also have the first of a new batch of Frank Panucci’s compilations of public domain footage. The main thrust of this episode is to raise awareness of ShockaCon, which is coming up in less than two months. Among the bands performing at ShockaCon this year are our musical guests, The Nanker Phelge and HarraH.

ShockaCon will take place September 20 – 22, with the activities divided between Kanawha Players Theater and The Haunted Barn. This is a horror, science fiction and fantasy convention that will mix music with dance, vendor tables, celebrity guests, makeup demonstrations and all sorts of really cool genre happenings. Just as we did with the first edition of ShockaCon last year, our cameras will be on hand to capture the musical guests, plus other sights and sounds for our Halloween special. You can visit the ShockaCon website or visit their Facebook page for more details.

Image11The Nanker Phelge made their public debut on episode 100 of Radio Free Charleston, but songwriters Stephen and Mark Beckner have been longtime members of the Radio Free Charleston family, dating back to our radio days when they were in Go Van Gogh. We’re such good buddies with these guys that our previous episode was actually shot at their drummer, Dave Roberts’ house.

Image8It was a real treat to get to record them in a new setting at Dunbar Lanes, located not too far from stately Radio Free Charleston Manor for a very special rock and bowling connection. Dunbar Lanes is undergoing quite the renaissance, thanks to our pal Scotty Johnson, who re-opened the bowling alley last year with a committment to bring something really cool back to the city of Dunbar. The Dunbar Lanes auditorium is still a work in progress.  The Nanker Phelge basically played the show on short notice just to help try out the sound system, but we instantly fell in love with the punk rock vibe and the ridiculously friendly atmosphere. Current plans are to build a stage and finish the walls. We hope to be recording many more bands at Dunbar Lanes in the future.

We recorded two songs by The Nanker Phelge at Dunbar Lanes, the first of which is Mark’s tune, “The Killer Took A Holiday.” This is a fantastic song, making a return appearance on the show since we recorded such a nifty version this go round. Over the end credits, we’ll hear Stephen’s song, “Winter,” which is brand spankin’ new. The Beckner brothers are constantly writing new material, which is pretty amazing considering that they are two of the most gifted songwriters in the state. They promise to unveil a couple of new horror-themed songs at their ShockaCon appearance. The Nanker Phelge will perform at Roni’s Pizza in Elkview, with Blue Million on August 9, and at ShockaCon at 7 PM on September 21.

Image2Frank Panucci returns with Prelinger Randumb, his first compilation of Prelinger public domain footage in five or six years. You could say that this is simply a random assemblage of public domain film clips set to music, but the truth is, each shot was carefully chosen and screened by a focus group of no fewer than 75 and no more than 1,302 peoples.

Image1HarraH is one of the top metal outfits in town and is the only band currently performing that features our production assistant as their lead singer. Back in June, HarraH welcomed Steve Walker into their lineup as their new bass player and we took our cameras out to the ECMC “Kick Cancer For Kids” benefit show at the Eagles Club on Charleston’s West Side to record the debut of the new lineup. Kick Cancer For Kids was a terriffic event to raise money for pediatric cancer research and treatment and we want to take a moment to thank Wood Boys Music, Rockin’ Robins Burgers & Shakes, the Eagles Club, and ECMC for sponsoring the event. You’ll be seeing more performances recorded that night featuring Zeroking and Stych N Time in the coming weeks on Radio Free Charleston.

Image6This episode of RFC features HarraH with a blistering rendition of their song, “Nothing Me.” HarraH will be on the bill at The Blue Parrot August 3 with Stytch N Time and The Key.  HarraH will take the stage at ShockaCon Friday, September 20th at 7 PM.

Image14Our title shirt this week comes to us from Vahe Manoukian, the lead singer and mastermind behind the LA based band, NU-TRA. Vahe, a devotee of DEVO who occasionally hosts  “Club DEVO night” at an LA nightclub, is gearing up to re-unleash NU-TRA on an unsuspecting world. The band, which takes their name from a contraction of DEVO’s fourth album “New Traditionalists,” has been hiding out in their lab re-formulating music for the last couple of years. You may remember their theme song from the film “Dumb and Dumber 2” and hardcore fans of PopCult might also remember his work with The Aquabats. Many thanks to Vahe for the cool shirt.

Of course, our host locations this week were on Beauregard Street in Charleston’s historic East End at The Haunted Barn and Kanawha Players Theater.

Radio Free Charleston will return in two weeks with the debut of Zeroking and Motion Theater.

Image4