Episode 21 of Radio Free Charleston, featuring Under The Radar, The Ghosts Of Now, a short film by Sean Richardson and Alon Kutchinsky, and vintage beer animation is online now!This episodes is called “Yellow Submarine Shirt.” In a bit of kismet, we shot the host segments right after I ran into Guy Parker from the band Rubber Soul at the Blue Parrot. Rubber Soul just performed side one of the Yellow Submarine album last week at Beatlefest in Louisville.
This edition of RFC sports host segments that were shot last Saturday night at 3 AM on Kanawha Boulevard (following a way-cool rock show by The Concept, Rose City, and The Underdogs). The footage came out looking too “perfect” so we ran it through filters and processors to make it look like we went out and shot everything in one take with no lights. It was a stylistic choice, really. No other internet video show would go to the trouble or expense to do this for you!
Under The Radarreturns with a song written by Charleston’s rock n roll recluse, John Wallace. “Dog Day Dallas Doo Dah Demons” is a musical ode to JFK conspiracy theories. You can catch Under The Radar performing this Saturday morning from 10:30 AM to 1 PM at the Smoke On The Water Regional Chilifest at Appalachian Power Park.
THIS JUST IN: The Ghosts Of Nowwill be opening for Unknown Hinson Friday night at The Sound Factory. They’ll also be at Paradox Rift in Huntington Saturday night. And they’re right here on episode 21 of RFC with “Patton’s Blues.”
Sean Richardson, late of The Sleeping Dons, shares with us a short film he made with his buddy Alon Kutchinsky in Portland, Oregon. You will believe that “Unicorns Do Exist.”
The animation this go-around is a vintage beer commercial. That’s right, back in 1948 it was perfectly acceptable to advertise beer with a cartoon!
This is the first of four weekly episodes of RFC. Next time we have exciting new music plus new animation from my brother Frank. In addition, The No Pants Players eat a watermelon.
Oh, and I speak three languages in this episode, sort of.
Weekly? Man, I hope you’re getting paid plenty. Great show, and topical, with both bands playing this weekend. They sound great, by the way. The Unicorn film was just weird..in a good way, but just weird. That beer commercial was a trip. Did you guys get mugged, and they stole your lights or something?
Good show. Can’t wait until next week!
This is a fantastic episode of the show. I was shocked to read the negative review in the Gazz this morning. The music is really good, high-energy rock, and we get to hear it without being subjected to a smoky bar. And that short film was very clever and funny. It was fun watching you run around Kanawha Blvd in the middle of the night.
I’m glad you’re going weekly, but I hope the newspaper treats you better in the future. Between the comments last time and the attack in the paper this morning I’m afraid that we’re entering the “run anything good out of town” phase of Radio Free Charleston. I’d hate to lose this incredible little webcast. There’s nothing else like it.
Another killer show! Loved the beer commercial. Wish I was in Charleston for the Chilifest–that band is SMOKIN\’! The Ghosts were pretty rockin\’ too! Yet again you save the non-traditional-hourly worker from the deep depression of late-night boredom. Just wanted to show some props before I clock out and go home!
They ever block your site here at the office and I am SO SCREWED!!
I’m with Mountain Woman. What’s up with that nasty slam for Sean’s film in the paper this morning? You piss somebody off or something?
The show is great, and the Unicorn film was hysterical. Why the hell did they trash it in print?
I like that you’ve got some harder rock. It’s summer and that’s the time to sweat to the beat. Think I’ll head out to the Chilifest, even though I can’t imagine any sane person eating chili in June.
I read the gazz this morn and thought that maybe they were getting ready to dump the show. What the hell was up with that? Anything us fans can do to help?
I enjoyed Dr. Unicorn, Ph. D., and I wish you would feature more short films about successful, educated, skull-horned horses that can only be ridden by virgins. I did not think the movie was gay at all, but it did make me experience a curious flexing in my transverse colon.
They is a bunch of haytaz all up in hyah. Don’t hate the playa, hate the current administration!
So I wasn’t the only person who thought that whoever wrote the piece in The Gazz hated the show? I read that and I was like, wtf? That was really beyond the pale. I’ve complained about the shoddy job the Gazette does promoting Radio Free before, but this smacks of downright hostility.
I hope this isn’t the end of RFC. I’ve come to love this show since I discovered it a few weeks ago. I’ve been raving about it to everyone. What exactly did they write about it that was so bad?
The short film, ‘Unicons Do Exist’ does show what
can happen when someone is given a camera for a
day. Just don’t expect so much too often and you
may not be so driven to cast down those musings
others may find as just a way to ‘kill a day’ by
attempting to make a short film. It was all in
fun and that is exactly what we experienced. The
looks on peoples faces when we showed up with a
unicorn and Alon prancing around with it, made me
feel tickled all over! We never laughed so hard!
Try fun sometime and you may like it… And no,
we are not gay. I think the unicorn may be
uncertain of his sexual orientation, but as for
us guys, we likey the ladies! Ease up ‘big boy’
and try not talking so much about terrorism and
a little more about just living life and having
a laugh or two… Food for thought…
Love this city!
I want to thank Sean once again for allowing us to show his film on RFC. I’d like to apologize for the ill-thought-out remarks (written by others) that made it into the print Gazz last week. At my request, the offending bits of mean-spirtedness have been stricken from the online version of the piece. We fully intend to feature more music, art and film from Sean in the future. He’s one of our favorite people.
Loved the Show! I appreciate any outlet where artists can be free to be silly, serious and all the shades in between. A free environment allows more art to grow and artists to develop. Loved the short-film…it made me laugh and remember life need not be as serious and dull as some would have it be, a nice juxtaposition to the heavier music on this show. Continue the good work!
Alright. alright, I cry uncle. I am the deed-doer who wrote the RFC 21 promo. I apologize. I was trying too hard to prepare the family newspaperland readers for the ‘Unicorns’ offbeatness. I was, after all, comparing the work to Andy Kaufman, but I went too far and I regret that. I really do like Sean Richardson and think he’s a boon to the local scene.
I do object to the notion that somehow we have not promoted RFC. I have direct control only over the web portions of thegazz and a column or two in the print gazz. Every episode there is a colorful promo and show blurb in print gazz; it is the lead story at thegazz.com and then moves to a corner spot at the gazz homepage. For the past week, this current show has been promoted for the first time on the Gazette homepage with Rudy Panucci’s fractaled face. My goodness, why else would it be so prominent on thegazz.com if I didn’t think the show was something special.
If you really want to promote it, send links to friends back to the show. Send PO’ed letters to the editor asking for more. Keep watching. It ain’t going anywhere unless it wants to go somewhere else. The Panucci brothers are mad geniuses.
Douglas Imbrogno
We owe it to each other to be uplifting and
encouraging. I wish the best to all of you
locals out there attempting to write, play music,
make films, or create art. Our small community
can come together and this is a great example of
cooler heads prevailing. We are not going to find
every creation fitting into our individual views
of what is good or not so good. Having lived in
Portland for 10 years, I can honestly write I
believe Charleston artists can hang with the
best any city has to offer! I mean that from the
heart… My only wish would be that more national
college music acts would make their way into the
city instead of choosing Columbus, Pittsburgh,
Blacksburg, Louisville, or Lexington… If anyone
knows how we can lure them here, please speak up!
The Shins, Explosions In The Sky, The Album Leaf,
Roots of Orchis, Rogue Wave, Death Cab For Cutie,
The Arcade Fire…and like bands would be a great
addition to the city and could keep us on pace
with other cities music events…
That’s all folks! Now, may we smoke a peace
pipe???
SR