Month: September 2014 (Page 4 of 5)

This week we’ve got a bonus Sunday Evening Video featuring Neil Zaza. The master guitarist will be in town the next two days holding clinics, giving private lessons and shredding the stage at The Empty Glass. Above you see Neil playing his signature tune,”I’m Alright.” Below you see a video I shot of Neil mixing it up with Sean O’Brien Smith last year in South Charleston.

After the jump you’ll find full details of Neil’s clinics Monday at Gorby’s Music and his performance Tuesday night at The Empty Glass with Trielement, This info was provided by Trielement’s Dave Roberts. Between that info you’ll find an interview with Neil from the Definitely Loud Podcast. For more info on his clinics and private lessons Monday and Tuesday, call Gorby’s at 304-744-9452.

Continue reading

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. Continue reading

Above you see episode 170 of Radio Free Charleston, which features the RFC debut of Farnsworth, shot on location at Budget Tapes and Records. This week we decided to just go back a couple of years ago, to the autumn of 2012, because it’s a Farnsworth sort of weekend here at PopCult. Tomorrow we will bring you the official music video for “20 Days.”

Next Saturday Farnsworth will hold their vinyl release party for their new album, “Live It” at Sullivan’s Records, so we moved Heaven and Earth to get this video ready to go in advance of the big day. While we had Farnsworth the show before as a two-piece, this will be their video debut as a trio, with the addition of Justin Yates on keys.

The other members of Farnsworth have been members of the RFC family even longer. Chris Vance first appeared as a member of Eva Elution back in early 2010, while Jason Reese was featured on RFC as a member of The Synergy Collective and Universes as far back as February, 2008.

The new video, coming tomorrow, is a retro-lovefest that will immediately thrill anyone who knows what “Beat Club” is. Also, the official music video for “20 Days” will be presented in the standard aspect ratio. The exclusive wide-screen version will be part of RFC 200. You can read the original production notes for RFC 170 HERE.

The PopCulteer
September 12, 2014

Your PopCulteer is still a bit under the weather, so this week we’re just going to look at some crowdfunding efforts and bring you the highlights of this weekend’s Stuff To Do. The big thing this weekend is the reunion of the legendary Velvet Brothers. The RFC crew will be on hand to document the festivities Saturday night at Bruno’s. Details can be found below.

Stuff To Fund

You have a couple of weeks left to help fund Kanawha Players’ production of “Evil Dead: The Musical.” Details are at this link:

Continue reading

The PopCult Bookshelf

This week your PopCulteer is facing pressing deadlines and dealing with a nasty summer cold, so today he turns his blog over to Mrs. PopCulteer, Melanie Larch, for her review of a young reader’s book written by Wolfgang Parker, who has previously been lauded in PopCult as a musican and photographer.

Missing (Crime Cats, Volume 1)
Written and Illustrated by Wolfgang Parker
ISBN 978-0615984698
$6.99

What happens when you mix missing pets, Halloween, a haunted house, a chicken costume, and an ordinary boy who discovers he has the ability to hear cats talk? When combined by the skillful hand of Wolfgang Parker, the result is the delightful mystery, “Missing,” the first book in his “Crime Cats” series.

Set in the Columbus area neighborhood of Clintonville, Ohio, “Missing” is the story of Jonas Shurmann, a likeable, average kid dealing with the familiar problems of childhood–being teased by his peers, anxieties about school, and his relationship with his parents.

Continue reading

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.

Wednesday

Cavern, from Oakland, MD and Rat Ship, from Huntington, take the stage at The Empty Glass at 10 PM for a show with NO COVER. Sample Cavern below…

Thursday

Jaye Jayle, from Louisville, KY, comes to Kin Ship Goods (818 Lee St E, Charleston). We got to the event page for a description of the music, ” It’s minimal, it’s trance, it’s blues, it’s Jayle time! Jaye Jayle plays songs inspired by traveling, being disconnected and being in love. Restlessly, yet relaxed, Jaye Jayle rides up and down and boogies around in a vortex furnished with sandy desert dreams.”

This show will be $3 or donation, so they can give the band some gas money.Check out the music, set to video from Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “El Topo.”

Plus, there will still be the comedy open mic at Mojo’s Sportsbar, behind the Mound in South Charleston, starting at 9 PM with no cover.

On our recent trip to Chicago we managed to visit The LEGO Store at Water Tower Place, a seven-story mall nestled right next to The Willis Tower. It was pretty incredible. I don’t collect LEGO, but this trip almost made a convert out of me. They had the widest assortment of LEGO sets I’ve ever seen. From their branded sets like Star Wars and Chima to their “Expert” and “Creator” sets to their limited-run Ghostbusters and Simpsons creations, the temptation was great.

If we hadn’t had to worry about having extra luggage on the train ride back, we might have walked out of there with the Simpson’s House, or the Sydney Opera House or maybe one of the other countless amazing sets they had.

This is going to be a largely wordless photo essay. You’ll see the dragon made of LEGO that snakes in and out of the walls, and you’ll see lots of cool sets and people shopping for them. We open with the Chicago skyline and close with a six-foot-tall LEGO Iron Man. Enjoy…

Continue reading

Above and below you see a couple of my digital paintings based on staring up during my recent trip to Chicago. It’s probably a safe bet that you’ll see more of these in the coming weeks. The skyline of the Windy City is pretty incredible and the visuals are still strong in my mind. Click to enlarge.

The long-delayed PopCult Wedding video has been delayed onced again, so instead, please enjoy these videos of people playing songs by AC/DC on mandolin…

…perhaps “enjoy” is not the appropriate word. If you make through all of them, even the ones after the jump, I promise you’ll get a bonus cringe-worthy video at the end.

Continue reading