Shirt by Megan Lara

Above you see a very special episode of Radio Free Charleston. Our friend and international music superstar, Deni Bonet is in this week’s show with a really cool music video. We also have a very special semi-animated performance by HARRAH, plus we have the Radio Free Charleston debut of Beggar’s Clan. We also have the return of Murfmeef and some trippy animation. 

“Too Much Beer”

Host segments were shot in a couple of places in Charleston, near the State Culture Center and downtown on Capitol Street. In my exuberance, I claim that we shot “all over town,” but I was stretching things a bit. We only went to two places on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, right after the switch to Daylight Savings Time messed with everybody’s internal clock.

Our title shirt is a nod to the Big Lebowski, “He Abides,” by Megan Lara. We kick of this week’s show with “Too Much Beer,” a film by Murfmeef. We are thrilled to have Murfmeef back in the RFC fold.

I have known Deni Bonet for longer than either of us would care to admit. I was working for West Virginia Public Television and she was a member of the Mountain Stage Band and the Twister Sisters. I was running camera for a televised benefit show for Southern West Virginia flood victims. This show was organized by Larry Groce back when Mountain Stage was in its infancy. Deni was also a guest on the radio incarnationn of RFC as a member of Stark Raven. She was also in the room when I met future RFC Big Shot, Melanie Larch.

Since leaving Mountain Stage, Deni has found fame around the world collaborating with artists like REM, Sarah McLachlan, Cyndi Lauper and Robyn Hitchcock and making solo appearances on the Conan O’Brien show.

Deni has a great new album out which you can purchase at her website in hard copy form or download or you can buy it from iTunes. The music video for “One In A Million” is a real creative romp, a throwback to the glory days of music video. If you want to see it in full hi-def without the annoying little RFC bug on it, you can check it out at YouTube.

Vortex

Our animation this week is just something I did a few weeks ago when I had some time to kill.

I think I called it “Vortex.” Maybe because it sorta sucks or something.Actually it’s pretty cool and I should say something more about it because if I don’t the photos will run together, so, it’s very clean, too.

HarraH shows up next, in a blazing green, black and white video for their song “Green.” We recorded HARRAH performing the PG-rated version of their song “Green”, which is a tribute to a certain Incredible Hulk, at the Tribute To The Troops II concert last summer. In honor of the Hulk and St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to run the footage through a special filter and came up with a rotoscoped, shaded, black, white and green video of that performance.

We included HarraH this week so we could highlight their big March 15 extravaganza at The Blue Parrot. It may well be the show of the year– HARRAH with Trielement and The Wayward Girls School of Burlesque! The Blue Parrot plays host to HARRAH’s third anniversary show and you will see the premiere of HARRAH’s new lineup. You will also get to hear the progressive stylings of Trielement. And I have a feeling that with the combination of St. Patrick’s Day weekend and the Wayward Girls School of Burlesque, somehow green pasties will make an appearance.It’s part of a huge St. Paddy’s weekend at the Blue Parrot.

On our way out, we have some footage shot by Tanille Spencer featuring Beggar’s Clan. Beggar’s Clan will share the stage at The Blue Parrot with InFormation next Saturday, March 16. . This song was recorded at Sam’s Uptown Cafe just last week and is just a taste of what we’ll be treated to in the future when we record the Beggar’s Clan with our full crew. Playing us out is Beggar’s Clan with “Can’t Stop Us” on Radio Free Charleston.

RFC 183 will likely be delayed a week by a very special event I will be attending that you can read about Tuesday in PopCult. Don’t fret. I’ll be back soon enough with more local music, film and animation than you can shake a stick at. Meanwhile, go like the living crap out of our Facebook Page.