Formerly known as MK Ultra, Leah Culver established herself in the Atlanta EDM scene before venturing out to Los Angeles to take her career to the next level. Known for dynamic performances that range from catchy pop hooks to aggressive breakbeats and low end, she now splits her time between the two cities. Following a massive performance at Imagine Festival last month, Culver returns to Atlanta for Iris Presents‘ Halloween party with Laidback Luke at Believe Music Hall. Wrestling with Pop Culture had a chance to talk to her about this show and other upcoming developments following her Imagine Festival set.

We last encountered each other at the 3Teeth show at The Masquerade last August. I take it you’re a fan.

I am absolutely a fan. Chase [Brawner, guitarist] worked at the production school I went to in L.A., so I met them out there. They’re just so insane to watch. I wouldn’t miss their show ever. It’s so raw and it makes you feel how you really feel.

You’ve played every Imagine Festival so far and you always bring a big production. In addition to having a full band and other performers on stage with you this year, you also had fellow Atlanta DJ SyLo helping you out. How did all that come together?

SyLo is so special and important in general to me because he started DJing a little bit before me, but I started in 2011 and he was a homie from the very beginning. I remember the day I met him, he just shook my hand and welcomed me in like one of the boys. Back then there weren’t a lot of girls, so it was nice to have a good friend like that. Over the years, we’ve played a million shows together. Then we did our Sex Sells duo for a while where we were performing together.

When I started singing on songs and decided I should be singing on my sets, at first I was running back and forth DJing and singing. It looked ridiculous because it was ridiculous. Then I was like, “I’m going to be smarter about this and section the songs. Who should I have do this with me? Of course, I want SyLo. He’s been so amazing!” Without him, that production this year wouldn’t have gone off the way it did.

Jon Wilkes was my first roommate in L.A. and he used to be the drummer for Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. His energy level never changes. He is continuously nailing it and drumming with a lot of energy. We had violins, guitars, drums, an electronic percussionist, a choir that I pulled out of my butt the other day. We called that set Leah Culver & Friends and it really was. It’s a 69-person production and it just keeps getting bigger. It takes so many people to get this done. We rehearsed choreography for weeks and [our choreographer] was Eric from Jamaica Craft’s crew.

This year was just so next level from last year because of the amount of hands on and the amount of care we put into this one. Just doing choreography was kind of scary because I’d never done that, but it worked out. I knew it was going to go one of two ways: I either totally black out [from the adrenaline] and maybe it works or I totally black out and it definitely works.

For people who have only seen you at Imagine Festival and may not have been to one of your other shows, you don’t typically have such a large production in club settings, right?

It won’t be just at Imagine Festival for much longer. But, yeah. For club settings I can’t do as much a lot of times. A lot of things are changing right now in a really good way. There will be more bigger stages to fill with very talented musicians that I’m lucky to get to play with. I’m working with Mama Jan, who is home-based Atlanta – she’s a powerhouse, she’s incredible, she’s very inspiring. She’s a vocal coach, a vocal engineer and now she has formed a label with Brian Miller, who is my manager. They’re so much more connected than I’ve ever been and hopefully what it takes is being connected with the right people and having something to offer. I think we showed the right people last night [at Imagine Festival] what we can do. With that comes the good things that are going to happen with those people in the crowd that we impressed, hopefully.

What can you tell me about any new music you have coming out or other happenings in your world?

I made a song “It Ain’t Easy” that’s kind of like we flipped the Eagles’ song and made it a little harder. We’re going to release that soon. We’re going to be releasing a lot of new music. I say “we” all the time because I really do feel like it’s such a big team effort. I don’t feel alone in it.

Will that all be released digitally or will you be putting out vinyl or physical releases?

We did go to Kindercore Vinyl in Athens, Ga. and met them. We do plan on doing vinyl and CDs, if people want that. I’ve definitely always wanted to do real distribution through bigger outlets. Again, it’s not something that I did. That’s going to be with the help of these wonderful people that I’m grateful to have aligned with me.

What can you tell me about your Halloween performance Believe Music Hall?

That one’s going to be really important to me. Not to go too dark, but I lost somebody and he died right before his birthday, which is also Halloween. So, that time period is going to be kind of tough. But I’m going to be able to rely on the crowd to let me sing to them, so that’s nice.

When and why did you decide to start singing?

As long as I can remember, I’ve been singing. There’s a girl named Jenny Helms who was my first friend in kindergarten. She’s an amazing singer, one of those little kids that are made to be a Disney Channel-type kid. I think because she was my best friend and she was always singing, my memories of that time period are we’d be playing, but we were always singing. One of us could be talking, and the other one would just be singing. But it was fine because it was respectful. I think that influence at such a young age really did this ultimately. I grew up in a very musical family. Everyone plays drums, DJs, produces. My mom played bagpipes and a big bass drum. She’s like five feet tall, so that was funny.

Are you back in Atlanta now or still based in L.A.?

I pay rent in L.A., but I stay [in Atlanta] with family. I might come back soon because there might be work to be done. My team, at one point, was like, “Let’s move you back for six months. We have work we need to do here.” Now, every two months or so I’m like, “Am I moving back to Atlanta?” Right now they’re saying they’re going to put me on the road.

The post Dubstep DJ Leah Culver imagines big things in her future first appeared on Wrestling with Pop Culture.

Want to see the psychologically-thrilling new film Thoroughbreds before it’s in theaters on March 9? Well, just click here to claim your pair of passes to the March 7 screening at Midtown Art Cinema, courtesy of Wrestling with Pop Culture!

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On this first in a three-part series dedicated to women in wrestling, the ESO Pro Wrestling Roundtable talks to Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb, the filmmakers behind the award-winning documentary GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Episode 37 is also the first in a three-part series dedicated to women in wrestling, so Wrestling with Pop Culture, John Neal and Richard Ewell discuss the early days of women’s wrestling up to 1990.

The post The ESO Pro Wrestling Roundtable talks to “GLOW” documentarians first appeared on Wrestling with Pop Culture.

Wrestling with Pop Culture is proud to be involved with The Upside Down Podcast, my new Stranger Things podcast with Richard Ewell! Here’s the first episode.

The post Wrestling with Pop Culture and R.T. Ewell launch “Stranger Things” podcast first appeared on Wrestling with Pop Culture.

Before he began his transition from the wrestling ring to the Ultimate Fighting Championship octagon, former WWE Champion CM Punk started writing for Marvel Comics, another of his non-wrestling dreams. Ironically, the Straight Edge Superstar’s first foray into comics was a short story for the Thor Annual #1, released in February of 2015, in which a brash young Thor guzzles gallons of alcohol. Punk’s first ongoing series for Marvel is a solo outing for the character portrayed by Batista in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie (who, in another twist of irony, won the 2014 Royal Rumble match that ended up being Punk’s WWE finale) beginning in October of 2015.

With issue #11 being released later this month, Marvel recently collected the first five issues of Drax into a trade paperback. Co-written with the accomplished Cullen Bunn, Drax Vol.1: The Galaxy’s Best Detective sees the Destroyer going solo as the rest of the Guardians begin their own adventures. With nothing better to do, his first objective, of course, is to find Thanos and exact revenge for the loss of his family.

Despite his tragic motivations, Drax’s journey becomes comical after the Space Sucker — the hunk-of-junk spaceship Rocket Raccoon loans him — crash lands on a desolate moon. Thankfully, Drax soon finds a bar where he can drown his sorrows. It is here that Drax meets an unlikely ally in former foe Terrax, and an equally unlikely mechanic in Ora, the hot pink bartender. Ora offers to repair the Space Sucker if Drax will find out who has been stealing valuable pieces of technology from her and others around town.

Drax, with his impeccable investigative skills, tracks down the thief, who has also been kidnapping the town’s children and using them as slave labor. This monster ends up being a bigger problem than anyone anticipated, but Drax ain’t scared, especially with the help of a disembodied robot head and other new allies. Together, they are able to free the kidnapped children and figure out why this larger-than-life threat has been absconding with random mechanical gadgetry. This story arc comes to a comically anticlimactic climax that is just as quirky as the rest of the story, leading right into the issues that will be collected in a second volume later this year.

Punk and Bunn’s writing is complemented by Scott Hepburn’s illustrations to create a fun new sci-fi adventure serial. Say what you will about his other post-wrestling endeavor, but Punk was always a good storyteller in the ring. Though he wasn’t able to escape a clobbering in his UFC debut, his work here is delightful antihero escapism.

The post CM Punk transitions from in-ring to comic book storytelling with “Drax” first appeared on Wrestling with Pop Culture.

On a very special episode 35 of the ESO Pro Wrestling Roundtable, Wrestling with Pop Culture, John Neal and Richard Ewell talk to two wrestling greats. First we talk to former Ohio Valley Wrestling Southern Tag Team Champion Jayson “JTG” Paul about his WWE career with Cryme Tyme, his Damn! Why Did I Write This Book? series, the Kickstarter campaign for The Ultimate Spider-Man: Miles Morales (in which he will portray Venom) and more. Then we talk to WWE Hall of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts about his Unspoken Word tour dates, the new DVD/Blu-ray release of The Resurrection of Jake the Snake and several of his wrestling memories. It’s one of our biggest episodes to date and will give you plenty of entertainment this Labor Day weekend.

The post The ESO Pro Wrestling Roundtable talks to JTG and Jake Roberts first appeared on Wrestling with Pop Culture.

On episode 34 of the ESO Pro Wrestling Roundtable podcast, Wrestling with Pop Culture, John Neal, Richard Ewell, Michael A. Gordon and Mark Bousquet discuss the aftermath of SummerSlam, including the subsequent Raw and SmackDown Live. We also talk to Dragon Con Wrestling booker Slim J about this year’s DCW event, his work with Total Nonstop Action and Ring of Honor, and more.

The post The ESO Pro Wrestling Roundtable recaps SummerSlam first appeared on Wrestling with Pop Culture.

As was the case with the speakeasies of old, getting into the Atlanta’s Prohibition was always a challenge. But if you were privileged enough to obtain the right code and find the vintage red phone booth, you were treated to an experience straight out of the Roaring ’20s. At the end of last year, however, Prohibition’s secret door (along with the doors to every other bar, restaurant and venue in Buckhead’s Andrews Entertainment District) was permanently closed to make way for more development. After months of renovations to the 100-year-old Downtown building formerly occupied by the iconic Dailey’s restaurant, the owners of Prohibition are opening a new speakeasy called the Red Phone Booth tonight, Aug. 26.

As was the case with its predecessor, you still have to dial a secret number on the rotary phone inside the phone booth to gain admittance to this new venue. (And no, Wrestling with Pop Culture isn’t going to reveal that number because we don’t want to end up sleeping with the fishes.) For those fortunate enough to get in, the anachronistic allure continues with extravagant decor such as Italian leather couches, a honey onyx bar top and I’m pretty sure that’s the same backlit, hand-painted ceiling from Prohibition. The drinks aren’t cheap (most are $12), and they might take a while to prepare. That’s because each craft cocktail is made with the highest-quality liquors and requires things like reverse-osmosis ice that is chipped by hand, fresh-squeezed juices, hand-cut garnishes, an absinthe drip, and wood that is torched in the glass to create a smokey flavor. Rather than showing sporting events or other typical bar fare, the TV behind the bar plays a steady loop of silent black-and-white films.

The same attention to detail went into the menu, with classy Italian offerings such as a shrimp martini (featuring plump jumbo shrimp), West Coast oysters, a fresh Caprese salad and beef carpaccio. When Amalfi Pizza opens upstairs in September, Red Phone Booth will also offer wood-fired pizzas baked in ovens imported from Italy. This cigar lounge also features a humidor with an extensive cigar selection. For those who don’t enjoy cigar smoke, Red Phone Booth also has a powerful air filter to prevent you from taking any stuffy air home with you.

Red Phone Booth is likely to become a new landmark for locals and tourists alike. With Dragon Con (and numerous other events) taking over the Downtown area for Labor Day weekend, Red Phone Booth is likely to attract a unique crowd of cosplayers and steampunks looking for an appropriate setting for their period-appropriate attire.

www.redphonebooth.com

The post Red Phone Booth provides a speakeasy experience in Downtown Atlanta first appeared on Wrestling with Pop Culture.

Wrestling with Pop Culture‘s Jonathan Williams joins John Neal and Richard Ewell for episode 33 of the ESO Pro Wrestling Roundtable podcast! On this episode we offer our SummerSlam predictions and talk to C.B. Suavé about Dragon Con Wrestling, being part of P Dog’s Get Along Gang in Ring of Honor and more. I also recap the recent Raw event from Philips Arena.

The post The ESO Pro Wrestling Roundtable offers its SummerSlam predictions first appeared on Wrestling with Pop Culture.

Jack Huston plays Judah Ben-Hur, who escapes slavery to become a champion charioteer in “Ben-Hur”. Photo by Philippe Antonello.

Considering that the 1959 version of Ben-Hur starring Charlton Heston smashed box office records, won 11 Oscars and is widely regarded as one of the best films of all time, it would take a biblical miracle for this new remake to live up to its predecessor. The latest of several adaptations of the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (written by Civil War general Lew Wallace), the new Ben-Hur is directed by Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, best known for such stylized horror and dark fantasy vampire films as Night Watch, Day Watch and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It’s an odd, but intriguing, choice for this Romans vs. Jews remake.

Jack Huston, a supporting actor in Boardwalk Empire, American Hustle and others, has big sandals to fill as Judah Ben-Hur, the Jewish prince made famous by Charlton Heston. A friendly lifelong rivalry with adopted brother Messala Severus (Toby Kebbell) evolves into a bloodthirsty struggle as Severus grows up to become a Roman soldier. The tension between the Jewish royalty and the Roman oppressors in Jerusalem reaches its breaking point after an assassination attempt on Roman leaders. In an effort to save his family, Ben-Hur confesses to the crime despite his innocence.

Huston as Ben-Hur and Morgan Freeman as Sheik Ilderim, one of the more commanding presences in “Ben-Hur”. Photo by Philippe Antonello.

Severus makes an example of Ben-Hur and his family, enslaving the prince and sentencing his mother Naomi (Ayelet Zurer) and sister Tirzah (Sofia Black D’Elia) to crucifixion, despite the fact that Severus and Tirzah are in love with one another. Ben-Hur spends the next five years in the abusive galley of a Roman warship. After his ship is destroyed during battle, Ben-Hur miraculously survives and is rescued by Sheik Ilderim (Morgan Freeman) upon washing ashore. It just so happens that Ilderim trains horses and earns his wealth betting on chariot races, something that Ben-Hur knows a little bit about having grown up racing horses with Severus. With Severus now a champion charioteer, Ilderim trains Ben-Hur to compete in the upcoming chariot race.

This race in the 1959 version of Ben-Hur is lauded as one of the most exciting sequences in all of cinema. Naturally, the chariot race in the new Ben-Hur is the most action-packed part of the movie, with each racer plotting to take out the others and Ben-Hur looking for revenge against his villainous brother. It definitely has some intense moments, but it’s hard to say if it lives up to its predecessor.

Toby Kebbell as Messala Severus does battle with Ben-Hur in the climactic chariot race. Photo by Philippe Antonello.

An interesting subplot in this Ben-Hur is the story of Jesus (Rodrigo Santoro), who crosses paths with Ben-Hur and his loved ones on a few occasions, leaving an interesting impression each time. Jesus’ story runs concurrent to that of Ben-Hur, and their roles are reversed towards the end of the movie as it is Ben-Hur who shows compassion for Jesus during his torturous trials just as Jesus had done for him earlier in the movie. Despite the fact that these two stories are somewhat entwined, having Jesus’ struggles with Pontius Pilate (Pilou Asbæk) culminate after the chariot race feels a little superfluous, even though it ultimately plays an important part in the closure between Ben-Hur and Severus.

Ben-Hur is unlikely to ascend to the cinematic greatness of its predecessor. It’s still an entertaining adventure with some action-packed moments of redemption. Freeman is a commanding presence that helps bring the story together pretty well while the rest of the cast holds its own in grandiose settings.

The post With big sandals to fill, “Ben-Hur” is an entertaining adventure film first appeared on Wrestling with Pop Culture.