A fallen psychologist grows more and more deeply obsessed with the occult, leading him to spurning mob bosses and tearing off to forgotten small towns in search of his visions of a drowning woman. Meanwhile, the small town in question is haunted by ghosts of its own, and dark secrets that creep up from the past. Sound like a good start to a ghoulish drama? It sure as hell is, and it’s the premise behind the new podcast series Wormwood, which I had the delight of feasting my ears on this past week.

Wormwood is a new serial which follows in the footsteps of Shadow Falls, though the pace is a tad slower, less epic in scope (at least in the first few episodes) and not as insulated to the confines of the town. There’s still the requisite town diner, the dopey sheriff, and strange happenings galore, albeit with mysterious, rather than apocalyptic, overtones. While the series is still early (it’s only on its third episode) so far there’s a great set up, lots of moving wheels, and a storyline that breezes you through the intriguing narrative.

Not that Wormwood isn’t without its technical snafus. Lamentably, the production suffers from some rather boxy sounding effects, the occasional “is this guy in a well?” phenomena with the voice recording, and a few painfully rough scene transitions that leave you in “what’s happening?” land rather than where you should be — deeply entwined in the story. On the other side of things, the musical score is fantastic, and overall the acting is above the cut.  Besides, the story itself is what makes the series, and good story is in no shortage here.

I admire the commitment to producing an ongoing series, and Wormwood is one of the more promising ones I’ve heard lately (okay, it’s one of the only I’ve heard lately). With what appears to be great community support (com’n, how the heck do you get all those people to comment on your blog?) and an engaging storyline fraught with perils and intrigue, Wormwood should be the next stop on the XML dial for audio mystery enthusiasts.

And so we begin our dark yet funny tale, of a world killing itself, its land, its air…  Crazy Dog Audio Theatre comes to the show with the debut of the marvelous Last Harbinger, which I glowingly reviewed a few months ago.

Well, thanks to the generosity of Roger Gregg, we’ll have the opportunity to hear this cutting radio satire in its entirety during the next few weeks, culminating in an exclusive interview with the man himself!  But for today…

The land of Moloch was dying.  Hope arrives in the form of an outsider from another dimension.  Yet, will his message fall upon deaf ears?  We find out in this nodule-packed first episode.

Radio Drama Revival! Episode 29

If you were lucky enough into one of the most popular episodes ever on the show — Dreamseed’s spectacular Buried in Falling Sand and the interview with its producer, Xander Davis — then you no doubt were waiting with baited breath to hear when the next work, Soul Rift, would be out (I know I’ve been anxious!).  And now, we have our answer: Dreamseed announces Soul Rift will be released some time in the Fall.

Soul Rift is exciting for several reasons.  First, it’s gonna be damn good.  Second, it’s going to be episodic.  And third, it’s very, very contemporary.  It’s rare to have this combination of high-quality modern work, which has very good crossover potential from T.V. viewers.  Soul Rift promises all the excitement of a CSI or  X-Files but exclusively for the audio form and I think Xander summed it up as “Minority Report meets Ghostbusters.”  From what I’ve heard of Xander’s potential and ambitions, this is going to be a series well worth the wait.

AND… I also believe they’re looking to cast one more part, so saunter over to the Soul Rift Casting Call to learn more.

This week, we slough off this disgusting mid-summer deluge and return to the little burb where nothing seems to change yet everything is stranger than anyone will admit. What do a militant housewife, a frustrated arsonist, the town drug dealer, and a lascivious old lady have in common? Find out again or for the first time in John Coon’s “Tales from Williamsville.”

Episode 27: Tales from Williamsville

For the first time in, uh, memory, the podcast is actually out on Thursday… only hours after the live broadcast! Don’t expect this to become habitual behavior, but DO feast your ears on the twisted happenings of Jeff Adams’ Imagination X, with the story Family Radio, featuring a DJ at a local station who takes his experimental audio show just a little too seriously… Plus we get to talk with Jeff, who just got back from CONvergence and has some comments on this great sci-fi/fantasy convention.

Radio Drama Revival! Episode 26

Ticks, coconuts and helicopters, oh my!  In case you haven’t already gotten enough NATF coverage from this past week of entries, we start this week’s show with a quick recap, the sounds of the helicopter, and segueway oh-so-clumsily into a great show produced by Lucus Keppel, one of the great emerging audio producers I met at the Conference.

Radio Drama Revival! Episode 25

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here. This is a phone call from your future, a cry of abandoned hope from a world where all hope has been evicerated by the many faces of evil. All that is left is darkness, terror, and the fiends who stalk the Earth…

Yep, murder madness and more is what you can expect from the Afterhell, the bloody audio horror series by Ollin Productions in Portland, Oregon. Tune in for the tale of a young comedian who finds just how rough life on the road can be, in “Dying on Stage.”

Radio Drama Revival! Episode 23

This week, we enter the depths of distance space for an adventure that’s out of this world… Dry Smoke and Whispers Holodio Theater hosts The Shadowman, a trilogy of deception and intrigue in a world very distant, yet eerily parallel, our own. In this episode, Emille Song confronts an ancient cult that controls more than he wants to know about the nature of the universe, and learns secrets of his past he’d rather forget.

Radio Drama Revival! Episode 21

Lend me your ears… and let slip the dogs of war!

Tragedy, betrayal, power lust and vengeance collide in this fresh contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar,” rendered in livid sound by our friends at the Quicksilver Radio Theater. Enjoy the first half of the drama, with the bloody conclusion next week.

2008 Ides of March Special!  Hear the two halves of “Julius Caesar” in one show.

Radio Drama Revival! Episode 18

Blood, knives, intrigue and betrayal are on the way for those tuning in to tomorrow’s broadcast of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and those lucky enough to be in New York in the next ten days to see director/writer Jay Stern’s new film, The Changeling (playing at the Pioneer Theater). In common with the work he’s done with Quicksilver, Stern’s adaptation of this Elizabethan tragedy makes an old story rich, vital, and deliciously dangerous.

Changeling tells the tale of Beatrice-Johanna, a rather unlucky woman who finds herself betrothed to a man she doesn’t love while lusting for another, while another man who repulses her passionately adores her and will do anything to gain her fancy. And by anything, we mean, anything…

In the familiar tragic turn of events, one sin leads to another, innocent people are caught in the way of sinister intentions and evil deeds must be atoned for. All the while, we are delighted with intimate cinematography, surprising performances, and a story that lulls you along its deadly path.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a familiar tale to many, who will adore this vivid audio adaptation of the bard’s play. All of the lust for power, troubling self-examination, and brutal violence is here and amplified with excellent casting, effects, and music. Many of the lively Romans make an appearance in Changeling, including Craig Wichman, James Prendergast, and Clyde Baldo. We’ll enjoy a trip to old glorious Rome, full of its mystery and melancholy, with the first half airing this week and the conclusion next. Let slip the dogs of war!