The PopCulteer
June 3, 2011

Wiley Sonic show

If you watched Radio Free Charleston 131, then you know that the big rock show in town this week is at The Empty Glass Saturday night. Wiley Sonic, Mother Nang and Tofujitsu (profiled by Nick Harrah in the Gazette this week) kick off the night at 9:30 PM, and it’s all for a mere seven bucks.

There were some mistaken notes circulating that had the show happening Friday, but it’s Saturday. Go check it out. Watch RFC 131 for a taste of all three bands, then just try to resist. You won’t be able.

Pride Week Events

A new event celebrating West Virginia Gay Pride, the Marty Adams Memorial Pride Week Arts Event, will be held Friday and Saturday, June 3 & 4, at the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation, 520 Kanawha Boulevard, West, in Charleston.
Created by the Kanawha Valley-based group PrideArts, the event is a showcase of original art by the West Virginia GLBTQ community and its allies. It kicks off Friday evening with the gallery opening and artist reception at 7:00 p.m. and performances starting at 8:00 p.m. The gallery will be open on Saturday from 3:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Friday night performances include spoken word (poetry & prose), vocal and instrumental music, dramatic pieces, other traditional expressions and non-traditional artistic expressions. Refreshments will be served.

Works of art on display and in performance are from members of the GLBTQ community, including allies.  The artists have been encouraged to explore themes that express common experiences of alienation, discovery, rejection, celebration, transgression, sexuality and spirituality.

All the events are free and open to the public, though donations will be accepted. Proceeds will be used to purchase a memorial to Marty Adams in the Living AIDS Memorial Garden in Charleston and create seed money for future events.

Adams was a young musician killed in a family tragedy in May, 2010. In addition to his many activities and services to the community, Adams was the American Sign Language interpreter for Rainbow Pride events. While a student at Capital High School, Adams founded its Straight/Gay Alliance, the first such group in West Virginia.

The committee that eventually became PrideArts began working on the event in early 2010, and Adams, a classical cellist, was the first to volunteer to participate. When the committee resumed work this year, it named the event in Adams’ memory.

The Marty Adams Memorial Pride Week Arts Event is co-sponsored by Rainbow Pride of West Virginia and the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Charleston.
For more information, call Rev. Rose Edington, co-minister of the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Charleston, 304-415-3126 , or visit the PrideArts Facebook page, “West Virginia Pride Arts,” which links to the event page, “The Marty Adams Memorial Pride Week Arts Event.”

Also part of Pride Week is a special show by Miss Viki at Atmosphere. From Viki’s Facebook page, “Gay Pride is upon us!!! I look forward to this every year. My first event is to entertain at Atmosphere Friday night. I hope to see all my young(18 to 21) friends there. I shall also be at the Broadway later. If any of you can get up early, I will be starting the Rainbow Run at 9am Saturday in high drag. Could use a starter pistol if anyone has one. Saterday night I shall entertain at the Pagent at the Civic Center. Let’s get our PRIDE on!!!”

No Pants Players

Saturday night at The Alban Theater enjoy 2 hours of family friendly improv with West Virginia’s #1 live comedy act. Bring the kids, bring the mother in-law, bring the maid and the baby sitter too! You will be treated to a cool mix of old favorite, and all new improv games. Also, the troupe will be sporting and selling all new NPP gear! The show is scheduled for Saturday June 4th at 8PM at the Alban Theater at 65 Olde Main Street in St. Albans Tickets are $8 each, $6 for 12 and under For more details, call 1-877-IMPROV9

FILMMakers Spring Meeting

The West Virginia FILMmakers Annual Spring Meeting takes place this weekend at The Elk Hotel in Sutton. This is a competitive festival with categories in narrative, documentary, shorts, features, animation, horror, festival choice, and best film.Longtime readers of PopCult know that I don’t do competitions, but I will be there Friday night to host a memorial to David Russell, a talented filmmaker who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. David was a great guy, and one of the last projects he worked on was his friend Eamon Hardiman’s film, Zombie Babies. The memorial is part of the opening reception, and will begin at 6 PM, and it will be followed by a screening of Zombie Babies.

The big draw this weekend is the appearance of West Virginia native, special effects artist Brad Kalinoski (Black Swan). For more details, we go to the press release:

“A kick-off reception will be held on June 3 at 6:00 PM in the Elk Hotel (200 Second Street, Sutton, WV) featuring a tribute to WV filmmaker David Russell from Radio… Free Charleston host Rudy Panucci and a screening of Eamon Hardiman’s film “Zombie Babies.”

The WVFG’s Annual Spring Meeting will start the day on June 4 at 11:00 AM in the Landmark Studio for the Arts (401 Main St, Sutton, WV). Main topics of discussion will be plans for the continued growth of the Guild and recruiting new members. The WVFG recently took on planning responsibilities for the West Virginia Filmmakers Festival. Committee chair Patrick Felton will report on new Festival developments and let members know how they can be involved.

Brad Kalinoski will speak at 1:30 PM at the Landmark Studio for the Arts. Mr. Kalinoski will discuss his humble origins as a local filmmaker, his subsequent rise to securing work on high profile productions, the challenges facing the state’s film industry, as well as his vision to launch a permanent visual effects studio in his home state. Mr. Kalinoski’s presence is possible thanks to the WV Film Office.

A roundtable discussion on Film Financing will take place at 3:45 PM at the Landmark Studio for the Arts. Steve Gilliland, WV State University faculty member and former WVFG Secretary, will moderate the discussion which will include WV native filmmaker Jason Brown and Joe Majestic, CEO & founder of Hurricane Film Partners LLC .  This discussion will give Guild members insight into finding funding for their projects by showing them examples from others who have been through the process.

Justin Litton, West Virginia State University Cinematographer of the Year, will deliver a presentation entitled “HDSLRs and the Future of Filmmaking” at 5:00 PM at the Landmark Studio for the Arts. Examples of Litton’s work can be found here.

WVFG’s Second Annual Open Projector Night will be held at 6:00 PM right across the street from the Landmark at the Town Square Market and Cafe (400 4th Street, Sutton, WV). WV Filmmakers Guild members may screen any films or videos they have created during the event, regardless of genre or date of completion. More information can be found here.

Admission for workshops (Brad Kalinoski, Film Financing, and HDSLRs) is $15 for members in good-standing, $30 for non-members.

Dues for all members for 2011 will be due on June 4. Dues are $5 for Students, $15 for Individuals, and $25 for Corporations. Cash or checks written out to “West Virginia Filmmakers Guild” will be accepted (ability to pay via PayPal is launching very soon). Membership applications will be available at the event, or if you would like to submit your information beforehand, please visit The WV FILMmakers website.

That’s All Folks

There’s your quick weekend run-down. Your PopCulteer is hampered by a bad back and a lack of airconditioning this week. Next week you can look forward to a surprise photo essay illustrating a cool day trip that you can go on. RFC 132 will appear on June 14.