LOOK: The Art of Dane Klingaman

A native of San Francisco/Minneapolis, Dane Klingman, 24, came to Charleston to play college baseball. Since graduating from the University of Charleston where he majored in painting, Dane has been one of the driving forces in jump-starting a fresh contemporary art scene in the capital city. He also owns and resides at the Hansford Art House, a DIY gallery that shows work of the region's best and also up-and-coming artists. As one of the state's most promising creative talents, Dane's own work has been featured at the Clay Center, Callen McJunkin Gallery, and West Virginia Cultural Center.

A die hard baseball fan (he can often be found at West Virginia Power games), and also a listener of indie rock and hip-hop, the work often includes sports imagery or a graffiti/street-inspired graphic nature. Of himself and his work, Dane once said: "I am an abstract painter with modernist influences just as much as the obvious postmodern ones. I make art from found objects, and react to things I make art with such as old paint, enamel, and found color. Today I am exploring the serious and overlooked layers of everyday things like sleeping, dying, and talking to people."

Dane's work is available for purchase in and around Charleston. To learn more about Dane and his work, please visit his Web site at: http://daklingaman.tumblr.com. Or read about him on Art:304.

DOWNLOAD: Dirt Bear - Bear It All

At some point in the mid-90s, following the break-up of The Provos, bassist Billy Reynolds and drummer Brian Pauley were joined by Andy Masker (formerly of Buddhashrooms) to form Dirt Bear. Ironically starting out as a joke band, but growing into one of the most popular bands in the Charleston region, it is the sense of humor that exists in the band's songwriting and lyrics that lends to the appeal of the music. As described by blog quote contributor, Dirt Bear sounds like "The Jesus Lizard plays Pee Wee's Playhouse."

Each song on 1996's Bear It All, is a poetically unbalanced stop-and-go ride that combines the melodic sensibilities of The Flaming Lips with calculated outbursts of noise reminiscent of Butthole Surfers into punk-pop chaos. Recorded at The Cave by the era's finest producer Scott Robinson, Bear It All is like a kid with ADD whose Ritalin wears off every 15 seconds - bouncing off the walls with rambunctious guitar riffs, a lot of cymbals and snare, and half-sensed but clever lyrics from a Johnny Rotten-esque voice. "I can't sing a lick, I'm one sorry punk," chants Billy (or Andy?) in the chorus of "Sykodelic."

Not long after the release of Bear It All, Billy went to dental school, and Dirt Bear called it quits with only Brian moving on to any serious projects (Shindig, Malicious Intent - and professional wrestling). Now well over a decade old, this record has proven to be timeless and effective - even if only measure by its influence on the state's music scene. "There's my fucking teens all in one record," says Aaron Crothers of The Emergency. Beginning to end, it is still one of the best records to come from a West Virginia band. This comes highly recommended.

Artist: Dirt Bear.

Album: Beart It All.

Year: 1996.

For fans of: The Jesus Lizard, Butthole Surfers, The Flaming Lips.

DOWNLOAD: Dirt Bear - Bear It All

Photo courtesy of Brian Jarrett.

DOWNLOAD: Truck Grind Your Face - Truck Grind Your Face

A crude drawing of a dancing punk with spiked hair, boots, studded belt and a 40 coupled with handmade ransom letters that spell out the band's name Truck Grind Your Face gives a pretty good idea what this Morgantown band was like. Truck Grind (for short) mixed elements of bands such as Dropdead, The Necros and Caustic Christ into a style that was part crust punk, part skate-core, and part thrash.

At the front of Truck Grind's unmistakable sound is Mark's voice, which is straight from the throat - snarling and abrasive - yet the perfect tool for delivering lyrics that teeter between pissed off ("Wake Up America," "Fuck Off") and cynically humorous ("Turn Your Head and Cough"). The music is barrage of no-frills power-chord distortion and chaotic drums that invites a circle pit from start to finish.

This cassette tape released around 2001 - during the pinnacle of an impressive hardcore-punk scene in Morgantown - is eight short track tracks of non-stop energetic and relentless crusty thrash from a group with the best band name ever.

Artist: Truck Grind Your Face.

Album: Truck Grind Your Face.

Year: 2001.

For fans of: Dropdead, Caustic Christ, The Necros.

DOWNLOAD: Truck Grind Your Face - Truck Grind Your Face.

WATCH: The Minus Tide live in Charleston, S.C.

Formed around 2001, The Minus Tide made an instant splash in West Virginia and the region, which had been overwhelmed with watered-down metalcore acts. Comprised of members of defunct Wheeling bands Killed At Camp and Horns To the Matador, The Minus Tide blended metal, screamo, rock and science fiction thrust into the face of the band's listeners by dualing guitars, synth effects and tormented vocals. In five years, The Minus Tide recorded progressively interesting and challenging records, and developed a strong following on the East Coast, before going on hiatus for the members' personal pursuits.

Here is a 23-minute video (year unkown) of The Minus Tide playing a show in Charleston, South Carolina. Though the quality is sub-par, it gives you an idea of the power and precision of one of West Virginia's most talent and creatively unique bands.

DOWNLOAD: Guru Lovechild - Untitled Demo

SRR has received recently a handful of contributions from one of its readers. The contributions include a number of rare, out-of-print or unreleased material from bands from around the state from the early '90s to '00s. I will be posting those records over the next couple weeks. Unfortunately I don't know much about some of the bands so I won't have anything to say, so I have to rely on short write-ups by the contributor. The help with adding new material to the blog is always welcome and much appreciated. So thank you and keep them coming. Enjoy. If you would like to contribute, just contact me at srrblog@gmail.com.

"Guru Lovechild emerged from Huntington in the early ‘90s and existed a mere two years. The band recorded this unreleased demo before members John Lancaster, Brian Myers and, later, Chuck Nicholas, found greater fame with their next band Chum."

Artist: Guru Lovechild.

Album: Unreleased Demo.

Year: 1992.

For fans of: Galactic Cowboys, King’s X, Tool.

DOWNLOAD: Guru Lovechild - Untitled Demo.

READ: Plural Us Singular interviews Jeremiah Munsey

Aaron Flanagan is a Charleston native booked shows around the state, as well as fronted the Morgantown hardcore band The Warriors. Aaron, a faculty member at Columbia College in Chicago where he received an M.F.A. in poetry, now runs the blog Plural Us Singular. The fairly new blog is a series of interviews with writers and other creative types talking about literature, art, screen, sports and more.

Plural Us Singular most recently interviewed Jeremiah Munsey, the Morgantown native and singer of Law Biting Citizens who is now an M.F.A. playwriting student at UNLV. In the interview, Jeremiah and Aaron discuss all things mentioned above from Daniel Day Lewis, poverty, folk-allure and French football. It is a lengthy, but interesting and entertaining read. To get an idea what former West Virginia punk-hardcore scene players are up to now, check it out.

READ: Plural Us Singular interviews Jeremiah Munsey.

WATCH: Cryptorchid Chipmunk live at KNK

Though they've been around for years, I have never seen Cryptorchid Chipmunk, but do know they're an outrageously outfitted and ska-punk-hardcore band from Morgantown. Live shows are made up of children's plenty of neon and children's costumes; a lot of jumping and crawling on the ground; and loud music and homoeroticism. This video from 2006 at KNK (I have no idea where that is, unless it is the venue in Ocala, Florida) will give you an idea, but you can also check out the band on MySpace.