We start our trek through STUFF TO DO this week with a weather advisory. As I write this, it’s hot…unbearably hot and humid. And I’m writing this at 4:30 AM. This weekend we are expected to get a very small amount of relief from the heat due to spotty and potentially fierce thunderstorms. It might be a good idea to plan for indoor events. At least stay hydrated,

We have a few unusual items this week. The first of those is a graphic for a great toy show…in the Dallas Fort-Worth area. It’s not exactly in or around Charleston, but a lot of regular PopCult readers will be interested, and your PopCulteer is pencilling in a trip to this show next year…

Also of note: Saturday at 9:45 PM at the Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema, below Taylor Books, there will be a 50th anniversary screening of Monthy Python and the Holy Grail.

And our local recommended show this week is at Pumzi’s. To hear music in an alcohol-free enviroment, see what’s happening at Pumzi’s, on Charleston’s West Side. This Friday starting at 7 PM Pumzi’s plays host to a special benefit show as several bands come together to raise money to help repair the damages that The Blue Parrot, a beloved local music venue, sustained back in March. Jerks, Friendly Fire and GLDN (doing an acoustic set) will perform, with 100% of the proceeds going to help restore The Blue Parrot.

Oh…and as for being indoors…you can’t get more indoors than staying home and watching YouTube. Our old friends, Frenchy and the Punk, premiere a new live video taken at Dark Force Fest on May 2nd, 2025 of the song “Midnight Garden!” Join them at 7:30 PM this Friday June 27th on the Frenchy and the Punk Youtube Channel!

As always, you should remember that THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST OF EVENTS.  It’s just a starting point, so don’t expect anything comprehensive, and if you feel strongly about me leaving anything out, feel free to mention it in the comments. Also, if you have a show that you’d like to plug in the future, contact me via Social Media at Facebook, BlueSky , Spoutible, Instagram or Smoke signals.  I dont charge for this, so you might as well send me something if you have an event to promote. Note that some links look like they shouldn’t work because they have lines through them, but that’s just a WordPress glitch, so click on them anyway. They should still work.

We are also very happy to remind you that Cristen Michael has created an interactive calendar that is way more comprehensive than this list of STUFF TO DO, and you can find it HERE. Just click on the day and the event and you’ll be whisked away to a page with more details about loads of area events.

City Center Live at Slack Plaza in Charleston has announced their schedule for the summer. You can find it HERE.

You can find live music in and around town every night of the week. You just have to know where to look.

Most Fridays and Saturdays you can find live music at Taylor Books. There is no cover charge, and shows start at 7:30 PM. This weekend Matthew Malinoski is listed for Friday, and Saturday Luke Molina entertains the crowd at the air-conditioned bookstore/cafe/art gallery.

You can find live music every night at The World Famous Empty Glass Cafe. Mondays feature open mic night. The first Tuesday of every month sees the legendary Spurgie Hankins Band perform. There’s both Happy Hour music and local or touring bands on Thursday and Friday, and live bands Saturday nights. On Sundays when there’s a new Mountain Stage, musicians from the legendary WV Public Radio show migrate to The Glass for the Post-Mountain Stage jam. I hear that last week’s jam was epic.

Live at The Shop in Dunbar hosts local and touring bands on most weekends, and is a nice break away from the downtown bar scene.

Louie’s, at Mardi Gras Casino & Resort, regularly brings in local bands on weekends.

In Huntington, local institution, The Loud (formerly The V Club), brings in great touring and local acts three or four nights a week.

The Wandering Wind Meadery holds several events each week, from live piano karaoke to bands to comedy to burlesque.

The multitude of breweries and distilleries that have popped up in Charleston of late bring in live musical acts as well. I tend to miss a lot of these because, being a non-drinker, they fly under my radar.

Clendenin Brewing Co is a microbrewery with 4 themed lodging rooms in a 1920s bank building on Main St Clendenin, WV. They’ve been host a lot of musical acts lately.

Roger Rablais hosts Songwriter’s stage at different venues around the area, often at 813 Penn, next door to Fret ‘n’ Fiddle in Saint Albans and also at The Empty Glass many Tuesday evenings. You might also find cool musical events at Route 60 Music in Barboursville and Folklore Music Exchange in Charleston.

You can also visit Coal River Coffee in Saint Albans for live music in an alcohol-free environment. This Friday at 7 PM  Coal River Coffee features Minor SwingI am looking to expand this list, so please contact me through the social media sites above if you know about more alcohol-free performance venues. The Huntington Music Collective has recently started hosting all ages shows at Event Horizon.

For cutting-edge independent art films, downstairs from Taylor Books you’ll find the Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema by WVIFF. Each week they program several amazing movies in their intimate viewing room that you aren’t likely to see anywhere else.

Please remember that viral illlnesses are still a going concern and many people who have very good reasons are still wearing masks, and many of us, understandably, are still nervous about being in crowds, masked or not. Be kind and understanding  while you’re out. And if you’re at an outdoor event, please remember that it’s awfully inconsiderate to smoke or vape around people who become ill when exposed to that stuff.

Keep in mind that all shows are subject to change or be cancelled at the last minute.

Here we go, roughly in order, it’s graphics for local events that I was able to scrounge up online…