Month: November 2018 (Page 2 of 9)

Local Spotlight: Route 60 Music

Heading West on Route 60, past the Huntington Mall in Barboursville, you will see on the right side of the road a large pink elephant. If you take a left at the next light, you will cross a small bridge and come upon a shining Mecca for guitar players from all over the region, Route 60 Music.

More than just a store, Route 60 Music has become a gathering place for musicians to learn, play and share their music. Whether you need help fixing an instrument, learning new skills on your instrument, advice on playing, recording, live sound and especially purchasing and maintaining a fine instrument, Route 60 Music is your place.

Well worth the drive from Charleston, Route 60 Music features most premium name brands as well as a wide assortment of accessories, strings and musical electronics. Their main focus business is guitars. They sell, buy, trade, repair and teach you to play your stringed instrument. Their school of music is responsible for helping to instruct hundreds of area musicians and teaches guitar, bass, piano/keyboard, violin, mandolin, banjo, drums and voice.

I’ve always enjoyed visiting this guitar paradise, and a few years ago, thanks to Route 60’s co-owner Paul Calicoat, they supplied a beautiful Danelectro Guitar for the “Great Guitar Giveaway” on the Radio Free Charleston video show. These guys really know guitars inside and out, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more knowledgeable crew anywhere else in the state.

Route 60 Music Co. also is known for hosting many musical events including concerts, songwriter nights, open mics, clinics, workshops and manufacturer’s events. This is a one-stop shop for all things musical, and if you have a musician on your holiday shopping list, this is the place to go to find the perfect gift, or gift certificate. There are always great musicians buzzing around Route 60 Music, and it’s one of our local treasures.

Check out the epic store photo below, and below that, your PopCulteer with Paul Calicoat, from the Great Guitar Giveaway.

Paul McCartney “Egypt Station”

Next up in The 2018 PopCult Gift Guide we have the latest album by a 76-year-old man. It’s not just any 76 year-old guy, though…it’s former Beatle, Paul McCartney. “Egypt Station” is his first new collection of songs in over five years, and it’s pretty impressive: The perfect gift for any Beatles fan who wants to keep up with their heroes.

Let’s go to the PR:

Paul McCartney invites you on a musical journey to Egypt Station, estimated time of arrival September 7, 2018 by way of Capitol Records.

Sharing a title with one of Paul’s own paintings, Egypt Station is the first full album of all-new McCartney music since 2013’s international chart-topping NEW. Preceded by two of its tracks just released as double A-sides–plaintive ballad “I Don’t Know” and raucous stomper “Come On To Me”—Egypt Station was recorded between Los Angeles, London and Sussex, and produced (with the exception of one Ryan Tedder track) by Greg Kurstin (Adele, Beck, Foo Fighters).

Of the album’s enigmatic title, Paul says, “I liked the words ‘Egypt Station.’ It reminded me of the ‘album’ albums we used to make.., Egypt Station starts off at the station on the first song and then each song is like a different station. So it gave us some idea to base all the songs around that. I think of it as a dream location that the music emanates from.”

True to the inspiration behind its title, Egypt Station’s 14 songs combine to convey a unique travelogue vibe. Between the opening and closing instrumentals “Station I” and “Station II,” each song finds Paul capturing a place or moment before transporting the listener seamlessly to the next destination. Stops along the way include an acoustic meditation on present day contentedness (“Happy With You”), a timeless anthem that would fit on virtually any album of any McCartney era (“People Want Peace”), and an epic multi-movement closer clocking in at seven minutes with a song suite structure harkening back to the days of Paul’s previous combos (“Despite Repeated Warnings”).

The result is a kaleidoscopic journey through myriad musical locales and eras, yet firmly rooted in the here and now–with Paul’s singular unmistakable melodic and lyrical sensibility serving as a guide.

“Egypt Station” is a great collection of songs and proves that Sir Paul still has his songwriting chops intact. You can find this album anywhere records are sold, or follow the path of least resistance and check Amazon.

You can sample a track from it here…

New GI Joe Books From Thomas Wheeler

Next up in The 2018 PopCult Gift Guide we have two new books written by my friend, GI Joe: A Real American Hero expert, Thomas Wheeler. These are the perfect gifts for the person on your shopping list who grew up on the cartoons and comics starring the Real American Hero, GI Joe, and of course, who played with the toys. Thomas is one of the top experts on everything about the 3 3/4 inch tall GI Joes, and these books are fascinating for fans of the toys, comics and cartoons.

JOE’S OTHER FOES

Although Cobra has always been the best-known adversary of G.I. Joe, there have been others who have challenged the Real American Hero over the decades. Joe’s Other Foes takes a detailed look at these additional adversaries.

From the Dreadnoks to the Iron Grenadiers, from the Red Shadows to the bizarre Lunartix Empire, from the hideous HeadHunters to the occasional allies of the Oktober Guard, those who have opposed the Joes when they haven’t been busy battling Cobra are covered in this book!

Expect a few surprises along the way, as well! Decepticons? And – Dinosaurs?

G.I. TOONS

From 1983-1987, Marvel/Sunbow produced a number of five-part animated mini-series focusing on the mega-hit action figure line, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. These mini-series led to a daily series, which ran for two seasons, culminating in a 1987 movie, originally intended for theatrical release, starring the very interesting lead casting of Burgess Meredith in one of his most bizarre roles ever; popular actor Don Johnson, best known for his role on the 80’s series Miami Vice; and Sgt. Slaughter, voicing his own animated counterpart!

Two years later, another animation company, DiC, would produce a new five-part mini-series, which would lead to a second daily animated series in the early 1990’s, focusing on many of the new characters introduced into the ongoing action figure line at that time.

Combined, close to 150 episodes featuring the adventures of the Real American Hero exist. G.I. Toons provides a comprehensive episode guide, in original broadcast order, to both the Marvel/Sunbow and DiC series, with full plot synopses and background details!

That’s two great reference books on the favorite toy of an entire generation of kids. You can find them at Amazon by clicking the titles of the books. Available in paperback or Kindle form, these are priced low enough to be great stocking stuffers.  Now you know…

Earth III Guitar Straps

The final entry in the Cyber Monday edition of The 2018 PopCult Gift Guide is a necessity for any guitar player on your holiday shopping list.

The Earth III Guitar Strap is back. These classic world-famous straps were worn by an astounding roster of great players such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Ace Frehley, Metallica and many others.

The Earth III Guitar Strap Co. was started by Richard Oliveri in the late 1970’s on Staten Island, NY. He designed and created world famous guitar straps, including his best known straps, the musical note and the lightning bolt straps. He manufactured them until 1989, when he was tragically killed in an auto accident in Florida while on vacation, thus ending a great career and company.

Roy Jones, creator of the Lollipop Guitar and former employee of Earth III guitar straps and music products applied for the trademark rights and has revived the company with classic designs and new spins on what many players consider the most comfortable guitar strap ever made. Many of the original employees of the company have returned to work on a new generation of Earth III Guitar Straps.

Roy has done Richard proud, and the legacy of the Earth III guitar strap continues into the future. Any guitar player worth his salt would love to own one of these beauties. Straps start at less than ten bucks for a basic, solid color cotten strap, and range higher depending on the design. Some of the most popular styles are on sale today, for Cyber Monday.

You can order Earth III Guitar Straps direct from their website, and follow their Facebook page for news on sales, new designs and special projects.

Rabin’s Relics

Today’s local (ish) Cyber Monday pick is Rabin’s Relics, two fine folks who make cool gothic and steampunk jewelry and costume pieces right here in The Mountain State. .

You may have seen the work of Rabin’s Relics for sale at local conventions, like ShockaCon and The Mountain State Pop Expo, but you can also peruse and order the fine merchandise online. They make some really cool costume jewelry, accessories and props, and they are based out of Fairmont.

You can “like” their Facebook page to keep up with their newest offerings and find out what shows they’ll be attending. You can also find contact info there.

You can also visit their etsy store, where you will find an assortment of their cool cameo jewelry, all pieces for fifteen dollars or less, each.

This is some really nice, intricate jewelry. Mel likes their crosses, plus they also refurbish and improve vintage hats and other items, and make new leather goods in addition to their pendants and necklaces. There’s a timeless quality to their hand-crafted goods that really makes them stand out.  Perusing their shop and Facebook page will give you loads of great gift ideas for the person on your shopping list who appreciates fine adornments.

This is some very cool and creative stuff, and Mrs. PopCulteer has several of their pieces in her collection.

Cyber Monday Guide

Today’s first entry in The 2018 PopCult Gift Guide is a list of ten great online retailers for those of you who celebrate Cyber Monday (our other two picks for later today are also online stores, too).

At these retailers you will find all sorts of cool deals and sales, and plenty of great gift ideas, so get cracking and check these places out…

Retropolis Tees

This webstore is the motherlode for retro and nostalgic T-shirts. You will find shirts with everything from superhero logos to defunct candies and restaurants to cult figures like Count Dante here. Today Retropolis Tees is offering 15% off of everything for Cyber Monday.

If you have someone on your shopping list who’s a Disney Park fanatic, they have a whole section of shirts for them. You’ll find tons of shirts with classic cereal characters like Quisp and Freakies. Fans of 1960s animation will find shirts inspired by The Flintstones, Mighty Hercules, Wacky Races, Underdog and more. If you have a comic book nerd on your shopping list, you can find shirts with logos and emblems for obscure superheroes like Ultra Boy, Jor El, Nova and E Man. They even have a catagory of shirts devoted to classic toys.

Most designs are available on different colored shirts, and sizes run from small to 3 X Large. Prices are usually 18,99 to 22.99, depending on size. T Shirts make a great gift, and they have hundreds of nostalgic designs from which to choose.

Trader Vic’s

Trader Vic’s is the grand-daddy of the Tiki Bars. At one time a huge chain, they still have locations all over the world, and they have an online store that sells their classic Tiki Mugs, drink mixes and other Tiki dining accessories, plus T-shirts and artifacts from their vault.

You’ll find classic Tiki Mugs, like The Suffering Bastard, The Headhunter, The Scull Mug and the famous Trader Vic’s coconuts. They also sell Tiki plates and bowls and salt & pepper shakers, plus tons of other goodies.

Hardcore Tiki afficianados will go for their bartending supplies and drink mixes.

If you have a fan of Tiki Culture on your shopping list, you can’t go wrong with Trader Vic’s.

American Science & Surplus

American Science & Surplus has been around for decades and publishes one of the most entertaining catalogs on the face of the Earth. They sell surplus items that include electronic components, gadgets, tools, toys, military pouches, cooking supplies, art supplies, pop culture oddities, educational materials and anything else they can get their hands on, cheap.

This is a great place to find gifts for the science enthusiast on your shopping list. They sell all kinds of motors and lights that can be used for home robotics. They also have military suplus gear that can be repurposed into all sorts of things. And where else can you find a three-foot-long test tube, listed in their catalog as “Test Tooooooooooobe?”

The American Science & Surplus website is the first stop for gag gifts, or “different” ideas for the “different” people on your holiday shopping list.

Archie McPhee

Archie McPhee is another online retailer that produces a great catalog. Originally a surplus novelty house, back in the 1980s, Archie McPhee quicky exhausted their supply of weird stuff, so they had to start making their own. You find products created for Archie McPhee under their “Accoutrements” label all over the place now, but if you want to go to the source, visit their website for a wide selection of things like rubber horse heads, super librarian action figures, squirrel underpants, chicken-flavored candy canes and stuff like that. It’s fun, and perfect for the person on your holiday shopping list with a healthy sense of the absurd.

Retro A Go Go

Retro A Go Go just makes cool stuff. Whether it’s jewelry, T shirts, parasols, tin signs or giant Ben Cooper Halloween masks that you can hang on your wall, this is THE place that just epitomizes coolness. You can find designs by Mitch O’Connell, licensed Ford and Chevy stuff, Monster stuff, Betty Page clothing and decor and all sorts of the coolest things on their planet.

Visit their website for the perfect gift for the coolest person on your holiday shopping list.

Cotswold Collectibles

Full disclosure: I’m friends with some of the folks who work here. Who wouldn’t be? I buy tons of their GI Joe-compatible figures, toys and equipment every year. Cotswold Collectibles carries a great assortment of vintage GI Joe and Action Man items, ranging from the 1960s to the revival toys in the 1990s and beyond, and they also make their own Elite Brigade items that bring back the glory days of The Adventure Team and also veer into the military side of things.

Lately Cotswold Collectibles has reached out to import terrific new 1/6 scale items from Spain, Brazil and France and they also offer a great selection of products from Dragon Models, Sideshow Toys, Hot Toys and many other top 1/6 high-end companies. If you have a collector of the original 12-inch GI Joe action figure on your holiday shopping list, you need to shop at Cotswold Collectibles.

Figures Toy Company

If the adult action figure collector on your list is just a little bit younger, you may want to visit Figures Toy Company, who are currently creating an insane amount of MEGO-style 8-inch action figures. Their bread-and-butter are their DC Comics figures, and the offshoot Classic Batman TV Show figures, but they also create 8 and 12-inch figures of KISS, The Monkees, The Three Stooges and several other pop culture icons.

In addition to that, they also make wrestling action figures in the same scale as the popular WWE figures. You can find Ring of Honor figures of A.J. Styles and Kevin Steen (Owens) from before they joined WWE, and several independent and legendary wrestlers.

But the real meat of the Figures Toy Company website is the MEGO style stuff. Not only can you get classic DC Comics figures (tons of ’em), you can also get carrying cases and reproductions of the MEGO Batmobile, BatCycle and Mobile Bat-Lab. If you have a MEGO collector (or indie wrestling fan) on your shopping list, Figures Toy Company is the place to go.  They even offer a MEGO-style Santa Claus!

Retro Planet

If you didn’t find quite what you were looking for at the Muntiki website, don’t despair. Retro Planet has a ridiculous selection of Tiki Mugs at very reasonable prices. They even offer a few Muntiki designs at a lower price. You’ll find these in their Tiki Mug section, but don’t stop there.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg at Retro Planet, who offer really good prices on Wall hangings, home decor, toys, clothing, kitchen items and tons more stuff. It’s all really, really cool, and it’s all at the best price you’ll find almost anywhere. Check out their website for a whole new world of great gift ideas that may just work for anyone on your holiday shopping list.They even have a 15% discount code for Cyber Monday on their website.

Auto World

Let’s say your focus is a bit more narrow, and all you want to find is some kind of toy car. You can find just about every type of toy car at Auto World. They carry die-cast, slot cars, large-scale die-cast and model kits…and not just automotive model kits. You’ll find model kits of spacecraft, ships, aircraft, monsters and more, plus paints, glue and accessories. They offer full slot car sets, or customizing parts and individual cars and track pieces. You will find the Johnny Lightning brand of die-cast as well as Auto World’s own brand and lots of other cool automotive toys.

Auto World was the original must-have catalog for child gearheads back in the 1960s, and it’s great to see the name revived for for this website that carries on the grand one-stop-shopping tradition for toy cars.

Five Below

Our final recommendation in the 2017 PopCult Gift Guide Cyber Monday Preview is for the cheapskates among you. Five Below is a wonderful chain of stores that we do not yet have in the Charleston area. They are getting closer with a new store in Morgantown, but instead of making the drive, you can now order online for the glorious cheapness that is Five Below.

Every item they sell is five dollars or less. You will find T Shirts, toys, books, make up, jewelry, decorations, candy, pillows, Snuggies, phone accessories, posters, workout equipment, and for some reason, a lot of poop emoji or just poop in general products. In fact, if you have a poop-obsessed person on your holiday shopping list, this is where you will find poop Nirvana. They have animated dancing, farting plush poop, poop emoji pillows that are puking rainbows, several sizes of fake poop, games you can play on the toilet, and poop emoji Christmas Tree ornaments.

And it’s all cheap. You can find gag gifts and actual real useful gifts like lamps, bookends, stationary. Just go check out the website and see what all they have.

And those are our ten picks for Cyber Monday. Go shop a bunch, and then come back to PopCult, where The 2018 PopCult Gift Guide will bring you two more Cyber Monday ideas while we’re in the home stretch to wrap up this Friday.

This week and next Monday Morning Art is going to dig back into our archives to bring you unused pieces from years ago sessions of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art Show.  With your PopCulteer dealing with the dreaded deadline doom, this is as good a time as any to revisit some of the cool images captured and then set aside during the fun of the cool model-driven posing sessions.

This week we go back to April, 2016, for a never-before-seen digital oil painting of Lavender Menace, portraying Luna Lovegood, the first crush of one Mr. Harry Potter.This was painted over a composite image of a photograph from the session and a geometric abstract that I had laying around the hard drive. As always, click the image for a bigger version.

Over on The AIR, Marathon Monday brings you all twelve episodes of Prognosis that were hosted this year by yours truly. You get to hear me present the coolest prog-rock ever, filling in for Herman Linte, who has recently returned to the show following some health issues.  You can tune in on The AIR website, or on this rather ingenious embedded transistor radio thingy…

And don’t forget to check PopCult later this afternoon for three Cyber Monday entries to kick off the last five days of The 2018 PopCult Gift Guide.

DC Universe

Our final BIG TICKET DAY pick in The 2018 PopCult Gift Guide is a rarity…it’s a gift suggestion that you won’t be able to wrap. I’m suggesting, as the perfect gift for the die-hard fan of DC Comics on your holiday shopping list, The DC Universe streaming service and web-channel. This is the new streaming home of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and their friends and enemies.

DC Universe is a video on demand service operated by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Digital Networks. It was announced in the spring, and launched in beta in August, with the official kick-off on September 15.  The service includes original television programming, access to select animated series and films from DC’s back catalogue, a rotating selection of comics from DC Comics, forum discussion space, and a merchandise store.  A one-year subscription can be had for seventy-five bucks until the end of the year.

It’s a great deal if your giftee is a very loyal DC Comics fan.  The original programming is doled out at a rate of one new episode each week for the time being, but that should increase as the channel gains steam. Currently they are releasing new episodes of the controversial adaptation of The New Teen Titans, called “Titans.”

It’s a fun show if you completely ingore all previous incarnations of Teen Titans, and consider it as a grim and girtty, “Elseworlds” version of the young super hero team.

Once Titans wraps up its run, DC Universe will roll out new episodes of the long-awaited third season of the animated Young Justice. By the time they get to the end of those episodes, viewers will be treated to new live-action versions of The Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn, Stargirl and Swamp Thing.

Some folks have griped about the way DC Universe is releasing these show, since they’re somewhat spoiled by Netflix dropping entire seasons of shows all at the same time, but this is a good hook to get people to come back and engage with DC Universe on a regular basis.

It’s not just new shows, though. DC Universe subscribers also have access to most of the DC Animated Universe, with Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and both incarnations of The Justice League. They also have the George Reeves Superman series from the 1950s, Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman, and the Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve. There are all sorts of great finds in the video library, including Super Friends, The 1990 Flash series and loads of animated movies.

There’s also DC Daily, which brings you news of DC Comics and the DC Universe channel every day, with interviews and panel discussions featuring people who weren’t born yet when I started reading comics.

And that’s just the video. If you are inclined to read comic books online (your PopCulteer is not), then you can access a pretty impressive selection of DC Comics in digital form. Ranging from Golden Age classics to Silver Age revivals and up to today’s stuff, you can read these comics on a tablet or phone or your computer, or just sit real close to the TV.

DC Universe also offers forums, just in case you don’t have enough places to argue about comic books online, and they have a webstore, which is not really much of a selling point.

Overall, I’ve found DC Universe to be a fun addition to my Roku. Despite cringing a bit at the excessive violence and language, I’ve found Titans to be enjoyable, and I am really looking forward to Young Justice, which begins in January. Having access to the DC Animated universe is almost worth the price by itself, and if I ever get around to buying a tablet, the comics may come in handy.

It’s a great gift for the DC Comics fan on your shopping list, and maybe you can print something out to wrap and stick under the tree. You can sign up for DC Universe HERE, and take a look at the trailer below to see if it looks like the right fit for your comic book fan (warning, not for Marvel Zombies).

The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – Deluxe Box Set

The first pick for our final BIG TICKET DAY during The 2018 PopCult Gift Guide, we have yet another deluxe box set celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of a remarkable album. 1968 must’ve been a hell of a year for music.

This one is the pefect gift for fans of over-the-top, theatrical, prototypical, psychedelic prog-rock, it’s a deluxe version of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.

Back in summer 1968, THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN were on top of the world. Famously promoted by performances with Arthur Brown wearing a burning helmet, ”Fire!” was a massive worldwide hit, topping the charts in the UK and Canada and eventually reaching the Top 10 in America (No. 2), France, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands and Ireland.

The band’s second single on Track Records, co-produced by The Who’s Pete Townshend, it bridged the gap between London’s flourishing, colorful psychedelic underground and the mainstream pop scene. The resulting album, THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN, was a theatrical, ambitious concept album based around the elements (fire being just one of four, of course). Such was the huge impact of ”Fire” that the album sold in huge quantities, peaking at No. 2 in the UK and No. 7 in America. The Beatles were the only other British band to enjoy such unprecedented sales with such ambitious, psychedelic LPs.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this landmark record, Cherry Red Records presents this deluxe edition box set of THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN. Alongside the stereo album and numerous bonus tracks, the rare Mono mix appears on CD for the first time, as well as three additional, previously unissued BBC sessions and four other radio recordings, plus a handful of pre-Track recordings by Arthur Brown before he formed Crazy World.

Lavishly packaged within a 12” x 12” box set, and complete with a stereo vinyl replica of the original LP and a poster, THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN is augmented by a 12,000-word sleeve-note from Mojo magazine’s Mark Paytress (including fresh quotes from Arthur and others), alongside a wealth of illustrations and three previously unissued photos from the original front cover session.

This is your chance to finally learn the words to “Fire” past those first couple of lines, plus you’ll get to hear the drumming of an embryonic, pre-ELP, Carl Palmer.

You can probably order this from any record shop, or take the easy way out and find it at Amazon, where it’s currently around sixty-seven bucks.  Get it now, before you fall too far behind.

Music From Big Pink – 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe

Today’s other BIG TICKET DAY pick for The 2018 PopCult Gift Guide is a super deluxe fiftieth anniversary reissue of the legendary album, Music From Big Pink by The Band. This is the perfect gift for any die-hard fan of The Band, or anyone who wants to hear how Americana music was invented.

On July 1, 1968, The Band’s landmark debut album, Music from Big Pink, seemed to spring from nowhere and everywhere. Drawing from the American roots music panoply of country, blues, R&B, gospel, soul, rockabilly, the honking tenor sax tradition, hymns, funeral dirges, brass band music, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll, The Band forged a timeless new style that forever changed the course of popular music. Fifty years later, the mythology surrounding Music from Big Pink lives on through the evocative storytelling of its songs including “The Weight,” “This Wheel’s On Fire,” “Tears of Rage,” and “To Kingdom Come,” its enigmatic cover art painted by Bob Dylan, the salmon-colored upstate New York house – ‘Big Pink’ – where The Band wrote the songs, and in myriad descendant legends carried forth since the album’s stunning arrival.

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of The Band’s landmark debut album, Music From Big Pink we now have a Super Deluxe CD/Blu-ray/2LP/7-inch vinyl box set with a hardbound book.

The big attraction is a limited edition of two pink vinyl LPs that feature a new stereo mix of the album, produced by Bob Clearmountain from the original four-track analog master. This new mix achieves a striking clarity and incorporates some previously unreleased chatter from the studio sessions.

For the LP, Chris Bellman cut the vinyl lacquers for the album’s new stereo mix at 45rpm at Bernie Grundman Mastering, expanding the album’s vinyl footprint from one LP to two.The music is also included on a CD and a 5.1 digitial audio Blu Ray disc.

The box set also includes an exclusive reproduction of The Band’s 1968 7-inch vinyl single for “The Weight” / “I Shall Be Released” in their new stereo mixes and a hardbound book with a new essay by noted music journalist David Fricke and classic photos by Elliott Landy.

Music From Big Pink – 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe box set can be ordered from any record shop that carries new releases, or you can find it at Amazon for just under ninety bucks.