In case you haven’t been spending enough time on the Audio Drama Talk boards lately, I want to promote a new audio drama reviews podcast that’s come out, produced by Chris Moody.

The show, Audio Cinema Review, really focuses on the news and reviews side of the audio theater world, and in the latest episode I contribute a review of Tesla Vs. The United States, alongside a review of the Icebox Radio Theater streaming radio service (which is totally rad, thanks Jeff).

Head over to the Audio Cinema Review site or listen here:

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Oh yeah, nothing makes me happier than sharing creepy tales for you my great fans of audio drama.  I was recently invited to post over on SFFAudio, and figured I should share these ghoulish delights with my loyal listeners as well!

I ALWAYS have trouble finding enough time to feature all of the delightfully terrible audio tales that are out there for Halloween in the regular ‘pod, here are a few which deserve your ears:

	1 – We’re Alive: A Story of Survival Zombies!!! Take Resident Evil and mix it with the marines from Aliens and you wind up with something like the outcome of this zombie podcast. A group of foul-mouthed marines ends up locked up in an apartment building with a scattered batch of survivors after a zombie holocaust breaks loose with little notice (or explanation). This one is well-produced, action-packed, and is as much about an odd group of people trying to survive together as it is about the roving droves of hungry undead. Not to be missed.
	2 – Wormwood Wormwood made it into my previous Five Free Favourites and it makes it again. Though not strictly “horror,” this brilliantly twisted thriller serial has ample spooks to make it a priority on any horror fan’s iPod. If you haven’t been following, you have two full seasons to catch up on, tons of bonus content, and a third season coming up which is sure to send you to an early grave.
	3 – The Grist Mill Okay, the Grist Mill isn’t free but two episodes of their work are available for free download on Radio Drama Revival, so that sort of counts. The one you should under no circumstances miss is God of the Razor. AM/FM Theater rightfully won the Ogle Award for this fine adaptation of Joe Lansdale’s classic horror short. There’s a reason you should stay out of basements in the South… Also, Jeff Adams’ The Estates is an extremely awesome innovation to the spooky story meme – Stepford Wives meets The Shining. Thank you, Jeff.
	4 – The Buoy (Part 1 and Part 2) The Cape Cod Radio Mystery Theater has been at it for a while, and “The Buoy” is perhaps the crowning gem of their productions. This is a good classic New England ghost story, which packs an even stronger punch because of its eerie parallels to the classic Poe tale, “The Pit and the Pendulum.” A man “from away” winds up tied to a buoy as the tide comes in, and recounts his terrifying tale. As the water gets higher, and no escape is in site, the real terror sets in…
	5 – Halloween in July The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine aired this back in March, but it is much better fitting for Halloween. Breaking the trend from the rest on the list, this is not strictly audio drama, but hosts Rish Outfield and Big Anklevich did a splendid job bringing the text to live. Writer Kevin Anderson also has a script in the mix for my upcoming Halloween Live Radio Drama.

BONUS! ZBS Comes out With Sticks… For Fricken’ Free!

Remember Chris Dueker’s review of Karl Edward Wagner’s Sticks? It’s a gore-ious take on a short story delivered to you with the eerie splendor of binaural sound. That means it is perfect for your iPod or other mp3 player of choice.

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Karl Edward Wagner’s Sticks by ZBS
Enjoy!!!

The Zoom Q3 is just a tad bigger than the Zoom H2 and packs in some decent video

With itchy impatient hands I finally got my anxiously awaited package from Sweetwater – the Zoom Q3 video recorder…

Yes, this is the one that has bitchin’ sound and video in a really portable and easy to use format.

For an audio drama guy, it seemed a no-brainer; I live and die by my Zoom H2 but have often thought it would be fun to be able to capture a little bit of video, too… everything from behind-the-scenes footage of FinalRune shows to how-tos on various pieces of recording equipment.

I’ve yet to get my teeth into the product but thought I’d share some initial thoughts upon looking at the product, especially compared to the Zoom H2 since I use the H2 extensively.  I kind of thought the Q3 was going to be H2 + video but it isn’t, exactly.

A few observations:

• Sound quality seems to be about the same.  The H2 has a lot more options.  The Q3 has a way bigger screen and is more friendly.
• Video (to me) seems just dandy.  Obviously I have a strong bias to good audio.  The picture is as good as I’m going to need it and I’m really excited about the possibilities once I start putting this thing to work.
• The Q3 SD card door is flimsy and will eventually break off.  They clearly did not design it for people who are going to be hot-swapping SD cards in the field.  Um, hello?

The Zoom Q3 doesn’t come with a tripod, but the one from the Zoom H2 works like a charm
• Accessories for the Q3 are really basic.  I was kind of hoping for more from a $250 device.  You get a wind screen, some RCA cables, and a 2GB SD card.  No AC adapter, no tripod, no handhold (I haven’t tested handling noise but it’s terrible on the H2).  As you can see, the mic stands from the H2 work fine with the Q3.
• A really disappointing oversight is that you can’t use the Q3 as an audio or video interface.  What the heck, Samson?  One of the most powerful features of the Zoom H2 is that you can use it as a field recorder OR audio interface depending on your need.  I was really hoping to be able to use the Q3 for talking on Skype, but now it seems I will need to jerry-rig something using the RCA cables.  I hope they are able to add this feature on with a firmware update.  Just foolish

Overall I’m really excited about the recorder and, as I said, can’t wait to put it to work.  I wish it was about $50 cheaper and that I could use it for Skype, but having the capability to capture video and decent sound in such an easy format is priority #1 for me.

I’ll be taking this out to the first rehearsal of FinalRune’s upcoming Halloween live radio drama and getting you some footage to look at soon.

Note: Getting one of these right now might be tough, it took forever for them to come out and it looks like they’re already back-ordered.  However, I still highly recommend Sweetwater, they’ll get it to you fast and treat you right.

Title: Drabblecast
Author: Multiple
Producer: Norm Sherman
Type: Flash Fiction Podcast
Genre: Who Knows
Availability: Free Download (Podcast)

My Two Cents: Wow oh wow. Kevin Anderson gets a low and reverential bow for me for turning me on to the Drabblecast, and for that matter the whole universe of audio fiction podcasts — EscapePod, PodCastle, SteamPod, Dunesteef, Psuedopod, etc. This is the kind of stuff that I wish I were doing.   Well, on top of running Radio Drama Revival. It’s what I originally had in mind for FinalRune. Sorta.

I’m going to review each of the other audio fiction podcasts in their own time, but I want to give a special bow to what Norm Sherman is doing with the Drabblecast. As someone who is lacking completely to an ounce any talent producing music, I was blown away by him throwing in absolutely stunning song about a mutant turtle in a recent episode. Presuming he does the music for the actual stories he reads, too, well that’s just damn good.

Norm’s show isn’t strictly audio drama but if you’re a fan of stories in sound you’ll like it. It’s the shortest of the audio fiction ‘casts — it rarely runs more than 15 minutes — so if you’re like me, and find brevity the heart of audio, then you’ll dig it. There’s never a dull moment on this podcast.

Some other time I might comment on specific episodes which I love – there are a bunch.  For now I encourage you just to mosey over to the Drabblecast and start listening.

Title: Dead and Gone
Author: Adaptation of James Joyce
Producer: Chatterbox Audio Theater
Type: Audio Drama
Genre: Drama
Availability: Forthcoming download

My Two Cents: If you’re a loyal listener to the show, you’ve heard me rave about the Chatterbox Audio Theater, a Memphis-based audio theater group who have brought us excellent adaptations (Kafka’s In the Penal Colony) as well as stunning originals (The Dead Girl, anyone?). Their latest, “Dead and Gone,” does not disappoint.

“Dead and Gone” is a Southern retelling of the James Joyce tale, “The Dead.” Yes, you heard me right.

Not only does Chatterbox have the guts to take on James Joyce, but they transpose wintry and gloomy Dublin with Memphis. F–in brilliant! The adaptation is right-on, from the transposition of an ill-fated love from Galway to New Orleans, to the accusation of misplaced loyalties from “West Briton” to “Scallywag.”

Good, good, good.

My hat also goes off to the great cast of Chatterboxers, who put umph and vitality into every ounce of their performances. The production is serious drama, and while the sound effects and music are understated, they fit this terse and introspective story well.

As far as listening to this fabulous production? It’s not available for public consumption from Chatterbox’s website just yet. I caught one of their notices to hear it live on WKNO in Memphis. The next opportunity is Sunday, August 16 on KUNM-FM, 6PM MDT (8PM for us in the East). Here’s the live listen link: http://kunm.org/listen/. If you miss the live event, you’ll be able to hear it from Chatterbox’s website, eventually.

Serious drama in audio is about as hard as it gets. But Chatterbox pulls it off with the hardest artist there is, and in spades. Bravo!

Title: A Canticle for Leibowitz
Author: Walter Miller, Jr. (Adapted)
Producer: NPR
Type: Audio Drama
Genre: Adaptation of a Novel
Availability: Hard to Find

My Two Cents: Hats off to Chris Dueker for getting me a copy of this classic series released by NPR. Listening to this is tragic not just because of the story (which is a powerful testament to the screwiness of our species and the solipsism of our world), but because this kind of work isn’t being produced anymore. NPR captures a remarkable and distant sound here that isn’t BBC or OTR or anything resembling MAD. It’s its own vibe which sadly only captured by this remarkable drama.

If you’ve never read the novel, A Canticle for Leibowitz is one of the earliest post-apocalyptic stories set in a nuclear future where monks preserve the last bastion of knowledge for when humans will be fit enough to appreciate it again. Imagine Fallout if instead of ultra-violence the protagonists were pacifists. Like, if Mad Max had gone into the priesthood instead of grabbing a dune buggy.

The whole “sound” of Leibowitz is much different than many productions today — the whole audio portrait is subdued, quiet, understated. Compare than to the flash-bang of Hollywood and even most audio drama today. The simple, sparse sound effects and pervasive but muted music underscore a simple time, of simple people, where the truth of the story is allow to bubble up rather than smash you in the face with a mallet. I’m in love with Carol Colin’s narrator. She has transformed the entire idea of the narrator in audio drama.

I’m not sure where you can legitimately get this nowadays, but I recommend you do. It’s an epic journey (7.5 hrs) but well worth the trip.