Metal In Charleston, Cartoons From Charleston, ArtWalking Through Charleston, And Tons Of Other Items All Crammed Into One Long Blog Post

The PopCulteer
August 19, 2011

Random Acts Of PopCult

It’s been a while since we took the PopCult blunderbuss off the wall and fired wildly into the crowd. In the spirit of the 7 11 Machine Gunner, we’re going to fire this week’s PopCulteer in as many directions as possible–probably without hitting anything!

Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It

September 9 and 10 a new Heavy Metal Showcase debuts in the Capitol City.  Mission Coalition 2011 is a two-day celebration of all things metal, to be held at The Sound Factory, on Kanawha Boulevard in Charleston.

Featuring all local bands, with none of the high ticket prices for out-of-town bands that you’ve never heard of before, Mission Coalition will show off our homegrown talent, and unlike some of the other metal fests in the area, the local bands will actually get paid, instead of paying for a spot on stage.  Let’s go to the press release

For years there has been a community of Mountain State musicians in the Charleston area who have been redefining what the term “mountain music” means. It’s no longer just the music that grandma and grandpa used to play. There is a thriving music scene here known for a sound as heavy as the mountains themselves.
West Virginia bands like Byzantine, Bobaflex, and Karma to Burn have found success nationally, and internationally, with a heavy West-Virginia-inspired sound. For each success story like theirs though, there are dozens of local bands just trying to find stage time and a way to make a few bucks to offset the expenses of pursuing their passions for music.

These musicians face an uphill battle as promoters in the area often use them to achieve the nightly attendance numbers needed to cover the expense of bringing national acts to town, but fail to adequately compensate them for the lifeline.

Many times, the bands whose backs are used to make such shows possible, are essentially asked to pay to play through ticket-sales requirements and other contractual stipulations forced upon them just to get stage time.

Not only does the music suffer in this kind of environment, so too do the musicians who create the sounds so many enjoy. Mission Coalition 2011 is step one toward righting this wrong and building a future for the heavy music scene in the area. The two-day music festival, scheduled for September 9 and 10, will be the first of hopefully many shows where local acts will have opportunity to play in front of a packed house and walk away with much-deserved financial support.

Mission Coalition 2011 is a festival organized by local musicians, intended to benefit local musicians, and lay the groundwork for a burgeoning heavy-music scene in hopes that more local acts can focus on creating music full-time.

The Sound Factory in Charleston, W.Va., has been a fixture as a heavy-music venue in Charleston for many years. For that reason it is the perfect place to showcase local talent, entertain a capacity crowd and provide local bands with the support they so desperately need.
Mission Coalition 2011, the Sound Factory, and local musicians from throughout the region, are asking their fellow mountaineers to support local music, have a good time, and leave knowing they’ve made a positive impact on the lives of fellow West Virginians who provide the soundtracks to our daily lives.

• Who’s going to be there?

A dozen bands are scheduled to perform over two nights at the Sound Factory in September. The Suede Brothers, a regionally successful act continuing to grow in popularity, will close the show Friday, September 9, and the internationally-known, West-Virginia-born, Karma to Burn will headline the lineup Saturday, September 10.

Also on the bill are: Noizbox, John Lancaster, Dead Face Down, Tower of the Elephant, Scrap Iron Pickers, Tomorrow Burns, The Number 6, Nuns on Fire, Linework and Harrah.

The Lineup:

Friday 9-9-11
12:30  The Suede Brothers
11:30   Linework
10:30   The Scrap Iron Pickers
9:30   The Number Six
8:30   Tower of the Elephant
7:30    HarraH

Saturday 9-10-11
12:30   Karma To Burn
11:30   John Lancaster
10:30   Tomorrow Burns
9:30   Dead Face Down
8:30   Nuns On Fire
7:30   Saprogen

• Ticket Information
Tickets purchased in advance of the show are $12, or $15 at the door on the nights of the shows. Tickets can be purchased at the Sound Factory, or directly from any of the local acts scheduled to perform.
Two day combo-tickets can be purchased exclusively from the Sound Factory for $20.

• For more information contact MissionCoalition2011@Gmail.com or Call 304-543-1628 .

Ticket Locations for
Mission Coalition

The Sound Factory
812 Kanawha Boulevard East
…Charleston, WV 25301
(304) 342-8001
Open Monday-Saturday 8pm-2am
Tickets Available Upstairs

Cats Back Records
6 Bank St
Nitro, WV 25143
304-755-0107
(Cash Only)

Third Eye Tattoos
318-B Winfield Rd, Saint Albans, WV 25177
Phone
(304)-201-3413
Hours
Mon – Thurs: 12:00 – 8:00
Fri – Sat: 12:00 – 10:00

The Neighbors Have Two Flamingos

Charleston native and cartoonist extraordinaire, Brad Diller, has released the first collection of his “Funday Morning” cartoons, “The Neighbors Have Two Flamingos.” This nifty spiral-bound book collects dozens of his single-panel cartoons from his Funday Morning.com website.

Single-panel cartoons are an under-appreciated art form. With merely one drawing and one caption to create a humorous situation, the cartoonist has to stick firmly to the rule that brevity is the soul of wit. They have to combine a fresh, offbeat perspective with observations that  resonate in the reader. Diller does so in a spectacular manner, with a sense of humor that skews off-kilter enough to be genuinely funny, without being so far gone that you worry about the safety of pets living in the area.

Diller’s art is a nice combination of traditional panel cartoon style, with a contemporary sheen. It’s slick, but not too much so, with a clean line and a great balance of black and white space. Meticulous stipling and cross-hatching lend a rich organic texture to his drawings that make them stand out without looking mechanical.

Diller got his start producing cartoons for The Charleston Daily Mail, and moved on to be published n Funny Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the now-defunct Nashville Banner, and the Reno Gazette Journal, among other magazines and newspapers. He’s evolved into a unique talent, producing a great single-panel strip. Check out the interview with Brad below, then order his book right here.

Parking Lot Hurt In Brutal Assault

By now we’ve all heard about Justin Tyler Robbins, the 18-year-old wunderkind who shot up the parking lot of the 7 11 near the Capitol. Yes he’s the son of a Lt. in the Sheriff’s department, and yes he is free on $50,000 cash bond. He got mad at someone at the convenience store, went home and grabbed his AK 47, and returned to spray the parking lot. The most remarkable thing is that he managed to not hit anyone at all, and only shot up the pavement, with a few ricochets taking out some windows.

It occurred to me that this kid is a lot like Ed Wuncler III, a character from the Adult Swim cartoon, “The Boondocks.”  He looks like him (see above), is armed like him, Is somewhat inept at using a weapon like him, and from the looks of things, is well-connected enough to get off with a slap on the wrist.

I hope he doesn’t get upset by this item. He might hunt me down and shoot the the ground in front of me.

The Return Of Turkish Taffy

Bonomo Turkish Taffy is back, and the original “Smack It, Crack It” snack is going into comic book stores to help out cartoonists who have fallen on hard times.  Read about it here.

Meet Rick Perry, King Of The Pornographers

Newly-minted candidate for the Republican presidential nomination Rick Perry has quite a track record. He’s a folksy, down-to-Earth Texas Governor, the media loves him, and he’s one of the country’s leading pornographers!

RFC 142, Redux

RFC 143 is coming next week. Until then, watch our latest episode. It’s really good.

Insert Your Own Joke Here

“Insert” being the key word.

Feel free to submit your own captions for these photos in the comments section. Remember, this is a family-oriented site, so you’ll have to stay away from the really obvious ones that are so danged funny.

The funniest entry wins a box of frozen Kroger corndogs.  The second funniest entry wins a recommendation to Marcus Bachmann’s Counseling Center, which includes classes on the proper way to eat a corndog.

Classic Pin Ups For Today

If, unlike Governor Perry, you like to look at lovely women without seeing them engaged in full nudity or various acts of sexual depravity (not that there’s anything wrong with that) you might get a kick out of Retro Lovely Magazine.  This thick, squarebound publications presents old-school cheesecake photos featuring top models photographed by top photographers in classy poses.

If you still want the full female Monty, then you can check out their Taboo Edition, which is a little more risqué, but still classy.

As their website says, “Welcome to Retro Lovely Magazine’s online store.  Retro Lovely is a high quality publication that showcases a breathtaking collection of pinup photography. Since issue No.3 all of our regular editions are 124 full color, glossy pages of heavy paper stocks with a card like cover that has most proclaim “It’s more like a book”

Very little advertising, no martini recipes or articles on how to do pinup makeup, simply page after page of the best of today’s pinup models and artists.

We’re certain that if you like pinup, you’ll love Retro Lovey.  How certain?  If you are not completely satisfied we will cheerfully refund your purchase price.”

That’s not a bad deal. If you want to sample the mag before you buy, check out their Facebook page for plenty of preview images.

Hey, Hey, We’re The Renfields

WV Rockscene has a great piece on The Renfields (guests on RFC 142). The band will be playing during the intermission of The Clash In The Coalfields Roller Derby scrimmage taking place August 27 in Madison. Nick doesn’t quite get the appeal of the Derby, but he loves the band, and Vincent Renfield leaves a great comment in reply.

Speaking Of The Banana Splits…

Over in his “I’m On The List” blog, Bill Lynch pointed out that the Monkees reunion has fallen apart, and their planned show in Morgantown will not take place.  He also suggests that a Banana Splits reunion might happen.

Sadly, that will never become a reality.

See, two of the Banana Splits met a rather grisly fate.  Back in the early 1970s, when The Banana Splits were syndicated, and became part of The Mr. Cartoon Show on WSAZ, a full set of the Splits were loaned to the station.  Only two of them were returned.

Drooper and Bingo did not make it back.  Instead, they were savagely skinned alive, had their hides dyed different colors, and were sewn together, Frankenstein-like, into a new creature.

That creature is known today as “Beeper.” In the early days, Beeper carried Snorky’s horn, but it is believed that the lovable elephant escaped with his trunk intact. Fleagle is still said to be living under an assumed name, fearing for his life.

Recently Beeper was refurbished by the Dale Morton Studio to remove any vestiges of deceased Banana Split parts, so it’s morally okay to like Beeper now.

‘Mommy, I’m Scared Of The Dogma!”

Want to get depressed about the future of our country?  Read this piece on a prominant political philosophy. Then again, maybe there’s another reason that Michelle Bachmann and Ron Paul are leading contenders in the Republican race for president.

Why Is The Media Ignoring How Insane Ron Paul Is?

If you think I’m picking on poor Ron Paul, read this informative look at his history of racial tolerance, or a lack thereof.

August ArtWalk In Photos

Wrapping up this week’s PopCulteer, here’s this month’s parade of images from Charleston’s ArtWalk. Attendance seemed to be down  a bit this month, probably due to school starting tomorrow in Kanawha County, and people just being a bit burned out with the end-of-summer blahs.

Still, there was some great stuff. Jamie Miller opened Collage, her new shop on Quarrier Street, and The Art Emporium opened “Troubled Waters” a shared exhibit featuring work by Nik Botkin and Paul Corbit Brown.  It’s one of the best-curated shows that I’ve seen in Charleston, and every supporter of the arts should make it a point to check out this cool show.

And now, on with the ArtWalk…

 

That’s all for this week, folks. Next week check out RFC 143, plus the return of Cool Comics and all our other regular features.