Greg Slatery's Summer 6 TV Binges w/ a note from Cindi

Jasper is not impressed by folks who say, "I don't watch TV," or "I don't even own a television," because usually we're distracted by the nose hairs they're waving at us as they regard us from above, and because anyone who gives a flip flop about art knows that we are living in the age of great television. Some of the most transgressive, provocative, insightful writing and some of the most poignant, multidimensional acting the airwaves (forgive our archaic idiom) have ever seen is happening now. And with alt sources like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, Crackle, Twitch, and Sling, cordcutters don't even have to own a dreaded television in order to partake of rich, mind-expanding culture.

I won't indulge in an essay about my 6 favorite TV retrospective binges (Six Feet Under, West Wing/Sports Night/Studio 60 (love me some Sorkin), Northern Exposure, Breaking Bad, The Riches, Hamish McBeth), but Stereofly's Greg Slattery put together a thoughtful list of surprises that makes me want to take another look at my choices the next time I hunker down with a pile of cats and some Ben & Jerry's Coffee, Coffee, Buzz, Buzz, Buzz for a little me-expanding-my-mind time.

Here are Greg's top 6 TV Series indulgences for those hellacious summer afternoons in the Soda City when you've got nothing but AC and a remote control in your sites. - Cindi

Adventures of Pete & Pete

While pegged as a children's show, Nickelodeon's Adventures of Pete & Pete holds up over time, offering the same joy to show veterans while still maintaining a level of quirky genius to appeal to those who missed out on the show when it first broadcast. Big Pete's voice of reason collides with his younger brother Pete's resistance to both authority and the mainstream, offering hilarious and relatable tales of growing up. You can pick up the first two seasons on DVD and online, but the third season has yet to be officially released...but the mighty power of YouTube has all three seasons available if you can put up with some video quality issues (it's worth it).

Show Me A Hero

This HBO mini-series is based on the non-fiction book by Lisa Belkin, following former police officer Nick Wasicsko as he runs for mayor of Yonkers, NY, in 1987 and the effect of a federal mandate to scatter public housing among the white middle-class neighborhoods in the city. If you are a fan of the work David Simon and William F. Zorzi have done together on The Wire and Treme, their six part mini-series holds the same investigative flame they're known for to both race and wealth.

Other Space

Paul Feig, most loved (by me) for his role in Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, produced a science-fiction original series for Yahoo! last year called Other Space that never got much attention and was canceled when Yahoo! axed its on-demand streaming service division. The series follows a highly inexperienced crew who accidentally get launched into space with no clear vision on how to return. Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans may notice creator Joel Hodgson starring as the ship's mechanic and his robot sidekick A.R.T. sharing the voice of Crow T. Robot. The only stars in the series are the ones outside the ship, but Feig's direction provides a goofy science-fiction series for those looking for a less technical trip through space. A Yahoo! search for Other Space will pull up the only season, but according to Feig a second season will come even if he has to shoot it on his iPhone.

Marvel's Daredevil

If you've missed this Netflix exclusive, you have two incredible seasons for binge watching. Following the story of a blind lawyer with superhuman powers, Matt Murdock (a.k.a. Daredevil) takes to the streets to clean up the mess the justice system leaves to leave unscathed. This is one of the greatest comic book screen adaptations, using appropriately grimy scenery to set the dark tone for this action-packed superhero drama. If you felt the Daredevil film with Ben Affleck was a travesty, this series will bring you sweet relief. If you need more after two seasons of Daredevil, give Marvel's Jessica Jones a watch.

Wilfred

Following a failed suicide attempt, Elijah Wood's character Ryan can now hear his neighbor's dog Wilfred talk. This dark, twisted comedy explores the difficulties we all face in life with a canine serving as the voice of good and evil, though the line between the two is almost always blurred. Life lessons are common themes shrouded in pot smoking and debauchery. Though the series was ultimately canceled by FX, the crew was given enough warning to tie up loose ends for a satisfying, four season show that might be one of the stranger TV programs to date.

Stargate: Universe

I highly recommend watching the 1994 film Stargate prior to the series, only because it's a great film and offers some foundation for the story. If you've seen Stargate SG-1 and weren't a fan, I understand. This is different. This is better. As a crew flees an attack on their base on a remote planet, the team's scientist dials the Stargate to the ninth chevron to avoid taking the battle to Earth. As they cross through the Stargate they find themselves aboard an abandoned spacecraft known as Destiny. If you like the 2004 reboot of Battlestar Galactica, you'll appreciate Stargate Universe's dark exploration of what makes us human.

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Greg Slattery is a tireless concert promoter and editor of the zine Stereofly and one of the founders of the independent record label 10 Foot Woody Records. Slattery is also a guitarist and singer/songwriter in the rock band Shallow Palace and plays guitar and bass for a variety of other acts around town, including Brian Robert & The Hollerin' River Talkers, among others. 

South Carolina Musicians Band Together For Flood Relief Compilation

Despite what you’re told when and if you call up a state office, it’s not a great day in South Carolina. In fact (and at the risk of severe understatement), the Palmetto State hasn’t exactly been having what you might call a banner year. But in the wake of the recent flooding and the devastation it’s brought to many of our friends and neighbors, a group of artists, musicians, organizers, and big-hearted citizens have pooled their talents and resources to bring us the SC Flood Relief Compilation. Featuring over 70 tracks—some previously released, some brand new—from homegrown acts (Say Brother, ColorBlind, She Returns From War, Abacus, Post-Timey String Band, Shallow Palace, E.T. Anderson, Ivadell, The Fishing Journal, Those Lavender Whales, and tons more), the compilation represents not only the massive amounts of talent we’ve got in this state, but the sense of community we share and the reassurance that we’re all in this together. The SCFRC has raised $750 as of Saturday afternoon and 100% of all donations are going to the Central Carolina Community Foundation. The music is available at http://scfloodrelief.bandcamp.com and any artists interested in donating their music can contact stereoflycollective@gmail.com. -Michael Spawn

SC Music Goes to SXSW - Guest blog by Greg Slattery

Jasper loves it when SC artists go forth and make our talent known so we asked Stereofly's Greg Slattery to write about their new project. Read on. South Carolina is teeming with fresh, exciting and unique art.  We've seen Main Street, a former district of wasted opportunity, turn into a vibrant street filled with businesses that promote art. First Thursday is one of the greatest events in Columbia, a monthly gathering of art lovers for wine, music and gallery openings.  In many ways the historical under-appreciation of the artists within South Carolina has led to where we are today.  The fight has made us stronger, and I think it will all be worth it.  Perhaps it is arrogance, but I believe we are surrounded with some of the greatest artists that ever lived.  Rather than wallow in the fact that the national view of South Carolina is not that of a progressive community when we can take to the streets and go on the national campaign to tell the world.  With enough people spreading the word about South Carolina's artistic merit, we will start to see the bigger changes Columbia needs that national recognition can help facilitate.

We have the foundation. With publications like Jasper, Free Times, SceneSC and Stereofly, artists have the opportunity for exposure and attention from a variety of viewpoints. We have great venues like Art Bar, New Brookland Tavern, Conundrum Music Hall, Tapp's Art Center, Foxfield and great house shows happening at Queen Punx Palace. Radio stations such as WUSC 90.5FM, The Palm 92.1FM and WXRY 99.3FM are constantly spinning local music. Columbia Arts Academy has two schools now teaching the younger generation guitar, piano, bass, voice and drums. Jam Room Studio is hosting a yearly free music festival on Main Street. With more attention on a national scale, we know that Columbia and the state of South Carolina can start building something more sustainable. More attention leads to more opportunities, and Columbia is ready to grow.

One of the steps we are taking to champion the musicians of South Carolina is featuring them at the Stereofly SXShowcase 2014 on March 11th and 12th in Austin, TX during SXSW at Javelina Bar. Tastemakers and music lovers from around the globe gather in Austin for one week in March to find new artists, and we have 22 bands from South Carolina (14 from Columbia) we're showing off. 

The Restoration - FatRat Da Czar - Rachel Kate - Say Brother - Carnaval - Megan Jean & The KFB - Mason Jar Menagerie - Shallow Palace - Stagbriar - Cole Connor - Grand Royal - Ran Bruce - Ned & The Dirt - Abacus - Sein zum Tode - Zonaea - Cancellieri - Signs of Iris - Slick - We Roll Like Madmen - Dear Blanca - Chadd Downing

We are hosting a Kickstarter to raise money to promote the showcase and make sure our message is heard. The more we raise, the more promotional campaigns we will be able to roll out to reach the 25,000 SXSW patrons.  We have the talent; we need to make sure they're heard.

We have split the two days and two stages into four categories of sound: Rustic, Fluid, Saturated and Aggressive. Pigeonholing artists into genres and subgenres is not what we have in mind, and these adjectives serve as an identifier in the most basic sense, leaving the listener the choice to further connect and identify with the artist.

If you're interested in checking out the complete lineup of artists performing, you can visit HTTP://KICKSTARTER.THESTEREOFLY.COM to read more about each artist and to preview music from each stage. 

New Music: The Hollerin' River Talkers + TONIGHT = Jasper #006

Our magazine release parties (if you’ll forgive me for saying so), have had some fairly awesome live performances. And while I have written about our headlining band The Restoration in the past, I want to take some time before the party tonight to tell you about a new, lesser known act who is also capable of blowing your mind.

The Hollerin’ River Talkers, a diverse project-group of singer/songwriters spearheaded by Shallow Palace leader Greg Slattery, is dedicated to reviving classic old folk and blues tunes into a modern context. This task is something that, to put it simply, they blow out of the f***in’ ballpark.

Marshall Brown is the lead-off singer in the troupe, and contributes a (for-him) relatively straightforward vocal that still brings the Donovan-esque psychedelia he is known for to “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home.” Daniel Machado (of the The Restoration) makes a banjo-led attack on “Mary,” an old folk tune about how cheating on your wife ain’t gonna get you to heaven, while Aaron Berg and Slattery both take a gorgeously dirty stab at the blues standards “Catfish Blues” and “Death Room Blues.” Todd Mathis rounds out the set with a dirty rock take on the gospel tune “Wade in the Water,” the only tune which fully makes use of drummer Steve Sancho’s presence.

All of these tunes are ragged and sparse, but that’s not what makes them great—it’s the fact that each contributor never forgets the feeling that these songs first inspired, with lust, laughter, and longing all mixed up in equal measure. It’s a short collection, but I guarantee you’ll want to hear it again and again.

To listen/buy all of these tunes: http://rivertalkers.bandcamp.com/

Come out and see us tonight at Tom Law's Conundrum Music Hall on Meeting Street in West Columbia. We're starting at 7:30 with poetry from Kristine Hartvigsen and Cassie Premo Steele, three short films by Wade Sellers, the Next Door Drummers, a set of classical guitar from Amelia Mau, a solo set from Rhodes Bailey of the Whiskey Tango Revue, then the Hollerin' River Talkers and The Restoration, who will be missing their drummer so they'll be laying down some pretty damn good blue grass. JoeTurkaly will be making supper ($) and two bars will be open. The event itself is free. All to celebrate Columbia's badass arts scene and the release of Jasper #006 -- a solid year of bringing you the magazine we said we would, when we said we would, and in the best possible shape we could get it to you.

You can count on Jasper.