Episode 31 Aired: 4/4/06 The Sonic Society The series "AfterHell" arrived in my mail and once again I feel like a kid waking up on Christmas morning- or perhaps in this case Hallowe'en Morn. The episode "Dark Descent" has everything in it I love about good audio cinema. A strong narrative, powerful actors, great music, and attention to one of the most important details- an understanding of the medium. I've spoken before about the brilliance of the very first known radio drama that explored the m...
Apr 05, 2006•52 min
Episode 30: Aired 3/28/06 Featured: Kerric Harvey Coyote Radio Theater www.coyoteradio.org Wasted Tape Radio Comedy In this week's late St. Patty's Day feature, two American tousirsts become lost in Western Ireland and stop to ask directions of a local shepherd. A hilarious exchange ensues, as each tries to slog through the hidden cultural assumptions of the other- helped along by the comments of several local sheep. Fresh from our mailbag, this addition to the first season of the Sonic Society ...
Mar 29, 2006•1 hr
Episode 29: Aired 3/21/06 Featured This Episode: Willamette Radio Workshop www.radiowork.com Promos: Spaceship Radio spaceshipradio.com Dream Realm Entertainment www.dregold.net Decoder Ring Theatre decoderring.libsyn.com Light a candle, stoke the fire, and lean back in your plush chair curled up with a warm blanket as we present Willamette Radio Workshop's "Frankenstein". This week's feature is an adaptation of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's "Modern Prometheus". Afterwards we'll finish our inter...
Mar 23, 2006•1 hr 23 min
Episode 28: Aired 3/14/06 The Sonic Society Texas Radio Theatre Schlock Audio Theatre Wasted Tape Radio Comedy Have you noticed that recently Westerns are making a bit of a comeback? I'm not speaking directly about the most recent Oscar buzz of "Brokeback Mountain", but rather the successes of shows like Colonial Radio Theatre's "Powder River" which is getting rave reviews and thunderous applause from all quarters. XM Satellite radio can't seem to get enough Powder River, and Jerry Robbins is no...
Mar 14, 2006•53 min
Episode 27: Aired 3/7/06 The Sonic Society Willamette Radio Workshop Dream Realm Enterprises There are a few genres that work especially well in radio drama- comedy of course is the most popular. Fantasy and Science Fiction are also exciting options because audio cinema really has no limits. It's as easy to identify an alien planet through sound as it is to have your story earthbound. Suspense and horror are some of my favourites as well because the things that scare us and fascinate us are alwa...
Mar 08, 2006•1 hr 15 min
Episode 26: Aired 2/28/06 The Sonic Society Schlock Audio Theatre Shadowlands Theatre One of the great elements of the Schlock Audio re-mastered masterpieces, is that so many of the "goofs" from the movies can be discarded from distraction or added by the narrator as schlocky flavour. Of all the favoured filmmakers in Schlock audio drama, its hard to find a Director more hallowed than Ed Wood. Ed's amazing "one shot" direction. His economical sets and scripts, and his ineffable humour permeates ...
Feb 28, 2006•56 min
Episode 25: Aired 2/21/06 The Sonic Society www.sonicsociety.org Dry Smoke and Whispers drysmoke.com Spaceship Radio spaceshipradio.com Before we look into our main feature this meeting, I'd like to thank you the listeners once again for your thoughts on improving our show. You can always send us your thoughts by emailing us at sonicsociety@gmail.com. In my regular quest to find more audio cinema out in the ethers of the Internet I ran across an immaculately designed webpage from the folks at Dr...
Feb 21, 2006•50 min
Episode 24: Aired 2/14/06 The Sonic Society www.sonicsociety.org Shadowlands Theatre I would like to thank those many people who have written in to give us their thoughts and ideas for the continual improvement of our show. From the very beginnings Andrew Dorfman and I have conceived of the Sonic Society as a collective effort. It is a partnership beginning with those who kindly offer us their works, and ending with you our listening members. We believe very deeply in audio drama's cause and loo...
Feb 14, 2006•1 hr 11 min
Episode 23: Aired 2/7/06 The Sonic Society www.sonicsociety.org Texas Radio Theatre www.texasradiotheatre.com Spaceship Radio spacehipradio.com In our previous incarnation as "Shadowlands Theatre" one of my very favourite forays into the past was listening to the old time radio drama series "Sherlock Holmes" with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Rathbone was arguably the best Holmes capturing some of the quirky spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation. It was only after Jeremy Brett's turn on ...
Feb 09, 2006•1 hr 1 min
Episode 22: Aired 1/31/06 The Sonic Society www.sonicsociety.org Schlock Audio Theatre www.schlockaudio.com Audio Addicts societyfans.blogspot.com Audio Drama has its favourites and if you talk to many aficionados of the art they will tell you that there's more science fiction and comedy in the new Audio works than any other genre. Schlock Audio Theater's works are some of the very best of the unintended intended comedy you'll find. Bruce Humphries and Charles E. Pratt have a love for the old- a...
Jan 31, 2006•43 min
Episode 21: Aired 1/24/06 The Sonic Society The Society of Audio Addicts Returning to the Society another great fan favourite- The Red Panda. The Red Panda's new adventures can be heard regularly through Podcast at the Radio Memories Network or through Decoder Ring Theatre's website. I love the Red Panda because Gregg Taylor's humour and alacrity knows exactly how much cheese we want on our meal, and how much meat. Too many turns at the heroic wheel have produced silly stories or super serious o...
Jan 25, 2006•47 min
Episode 20- Aired 1/17/06 The Sonic Society This week our Society meeting looks at Texas Radio Theatre. Our good friend and Society member in good stead Richard Frolick has been writing and creating radio drama for many years now. One of his favourite productions is yet another famous Jack- and that being a hardnosed or rather hardcastled detective. Jack Hardcastle is a delightful romp in the style that Texas Radio Theatre has become best known for- loving tributes with a wink to the past and an...
Jan 22, 2006•32 min
Episode 19- Aired 1/10/06 The Sonic Society This week in the Society we return to a fan favourite, "The Soul Patrol" by David Koenigsberg. Our heroes of the Soul Patrol investigate the kinds of terrible crimes only humans could commit upon each other. They explore the psyche's of villains that most likely go undetected by mere mortal law enforcement, and that brings some interesting questions to mind. There's some long abiding principles that have run out of favour in our society today. The idea...
Jan 20, 2006•48 min
Episode 18- Aired 1/03/06 The Sonic Society The idea in most science fiction is that it's not science fiction. That is to say, the stories may be set in the near or distant future, but they are about us as people today. Even if the people are future people, their sentiments, their concerns, their lives reflect our sentiments, our concerns, and our lives. Whether the characters are aliens or robots, they represent humanity and all our foibles and hopes. Great Northern Audio's "Martian Trombones" ...
Jan 19, 2006•39 min
Episode #17 Aired: 12/27/2005As we look into a New Year here in the Society, one has to spend a little time in the past. But becareful where you step, because the past can be a rabbit hole of traps that loops again and again. Crazy Dog Audio Theatre has a propensity in their timeless and powerful tales to look at society in its most naked absurdity. This week's foray into the Universe requires only that you press #3. Later we'll take a week's hiatus from our serial and enjoy some laughter from T...
Dec 27, 2005•1 hr 40 min
Episode #16 Replay of the Christmas Podcast A treat for the Society's podcasting audience- a delayed Christmas present. In this special replacement podcast we travel to the past as your host reads three stories from Oscar Wilde. What makes this gift extra-special is the heartfelt motivation behind it. After, it's Christmas in August as we travel to the future with the Robotz of the Company and their season finale, "Santicon Day". Official Web Site of Oscar Wilde Promo: Shrink Rap Radio Dream Rea...
Dec 25, 2005•56 min
Episode #15 The Sonic Society This week we return once again to the next exciting installment of the Arbiter Chronicles from Prometheus Theater. One of the enduring ideas of space that has been explored so readily in television shows like Star Trek, Firefly, Space Above and Beyond, and Babylon 5 among others is the concept of isolation. Like great adventurers of the past, heroes in space will not have the opportunity to turn to the powerful resources of a city, country, or empire to solve proble...
Dec 13, 2005•1 hr 21 min
Episode #14 The Sonic Society Music has a powerful draw in all our lives, and its importance seems to grow as the years pass. We purchase CD's of the music of movies as readily as the DVD's of the movies themselves. No less is the importance of music in radio drama. While there have been very successful series that have not utilized music, for the most part, modern radio drama depends upon it to cover the skeletal structure of an audio performance and make each contour seamless... beautiful. In ...
Dec 06, 2005•1 hr 28 min
Episode #13 Aired: 11/29/2005We may walk roads of darkness as well as light, but we spend most of our time drifting in shadow. Crazy Dog Audio Theatre has a proven track record of high-end sonic soundscapes, and this week on the Society we are pleased to present one of our favourites, "Gerry in the Dark Passage." The Dark Passage in this story is a video game, but it could easily be many other escapes that modern life affords. As we sit in our consumer-driven lifestyles most of our relationships...
Nov 29, 2005•1 hr 27 min
Episode #12 Aired: 11/22/2005Our meeting this week takes us back into the far depths of space to listen to the next installments of Prometheus Theatres' sci-fi epic "The Arbiter Chronicles". Later we'll continue our interview with the actors who make up the crew of the Arbiter and of course we'll complete our show with another trip to the mayhem of Dream Realm Enterprises "Robots of the Company". Prometheus Radio Theatre Decoder Ring Theatre Consortium Comics Dream Realm Enterprises **Vote for T...
Nov 22, 2005•1 hr 28 min
Episode #11 Aired: 11/15/2005Returning with us here on the Society this week, we're proud to bring you episodes #5 and #6 of David Koenigsberg's exciting adventure drama "The Soul Patrol". Later we'll have a conversation with the creative force behind our continual serial "Robots of the Company", Jonithan Patrick Russell, and of course listen in to the Company's latest antics. Cosmic Forces Promo: Spaceship Radio Promo: 7th Son Podiobook Dream Realm Enterprises...
Nov 15, 2005•1 hr 32 min
Episode 10- Aired 11/8/05 The Sonic Society Many of us in the Sonic Society thrill at the very thought of a radio hero from World War II. My first remembrances of audio cinema were in listening to The Shadow, Buck Rogers, and The Green Hornet. The good folks from Decoder Ring Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada have uncovered a gem of a hero, one who has finally received the acolaydes he deserves for his part in the war effort. This week on the Sonic Society, we're proud to present the first two...
Nov 08, 2005•1 hr 21 min
**Re-cast of Meeting 9 of The Sonic Society** http://www.sonicsociety.org This week, in a special podcasting issue, of the Sonic Society, we offer the Shadowlands Theatre radio noir spectacular premiere episode of "Graves Shift- Episode #1- Open for Business". Phillipa Graves was my first full feature as an audio script writer. Immediately when I was considering doing a private jane, Phillipa's personality came to me in a flash. I'm absolutely certain she's always been waiting to come out, and i...
Oct 31, 2005•1 hr 23 min
Episode #8 Aired: 10/25/2005 This week we travel back to a little familiar ground. Three years ago, the Shadowlands Theatre Players completed work on their first project. It was a classically plotted story of audio suspense. In the tradition of Lucille Fletcher's triumph "Sorry, Wrong Number", Jack Ward wrote a script centred around a single phone call received by the wrong person. Stand by for the thriller "Right Number, Wrong Party". Later we'll have a conversation with some of the cast of the...
Oct 25, 2005•1 hr 12 min
Episode #7 Aired: 10/18/2005 This week we enter into the back row of the movie house to watch two classic frightmares brought to life. Schlock Radio Theatre excels in taking classic B horrors from the screen and re-imagining them for the mind. Taking motion pictures and making audio cinema is nothing new, but the innovative method of rendering what is normally a visual stunt (and usually cheap looking) in a narrative comedic form is a brilliant way to give new life to old reels. We're lucky enou...
Oct 18, 2005•1 hr 20 min
Episode #6 Aired: 10/11/2005 Orson Welles knew how to draw a crowd. Whether it was from his groundbreaking MacBeth with all black cast, or frightening middle America with the invasion of Martians in his recreation of H.G. Well's "War of the Worlds", Orson understood that radio drama- that audio cinema required one fundamental rule- make use of excellent material. This lesson wasn't lost in Sound Mind Theater's production of "The Curse of Dracula". Drawing upon the classic Brahm Stoker tale, Lee ...
Oct 11, 2005•1 hr 25 min
Episode #5 Aired: 10/04/2005The Soul Patrol is back on duty this week in the Sonic Society. David Koenigsberg fantasy morality tale series continues with episodes 3 and 4. After the feature, we'll continue our conversation with Mr. Koenigsberg and listen to our weekly serial from DreamRealm Enterprises with Robots of the Company Episode #5. The Soul Patrol Promo: Escape Pod Dream Realm Enterprises...
Oct 04, 2005•1 hr 20 min
Episode #4 Aired: 9/27/2005 From Asimov to Zelazny and every where in between science fiction has been the canvas for art work both wildly representational as well as highly realistic. Science Fiction has the potential to unveil powerful truths about humanity. Gene Roddenberry brought this to the forefront in his very popular "Star Trek" series, and decades later we're still learning about who we are as a society, and as human beings. In Prometheus Radio Theatre's award winning series- "The Arbi...
Sep 27, 2005•1 hr 23 min
Episode 3 Aired: 9/20/2005From the Emerald Isle this tale brought to us by Kerric Harvey, professor and author, explores some of the lesser known yet nevertheless pivotal characters from the past. It is well known that history is written by the victors, however even the victors contain their own prejudices and preferences when it comes to chronicling what was. Witness how familiar the name Brian Boru is compared to that of Gormlaith. Brian has long been considered the last great high king to uni...
Sep 20, 2005•1 hr 24 min
Episode 2 Aired: 9/13/2005Welcome to our first podcasting meeting of the Sonic Society. For the most part, the Society can be heard from coast to coast across North America. At times, however, our podcasting license boxes with our regular affiliates license and loses. So instead of having holes in our podcasting shows, we would like to offer special release podcasting shows not available to our regular affiliates. Here is the first special edition podcast. This week, "And Low, Thou I Walk" from ...
Sep 13, 2005•1 hr 16 min
