Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery

A special bonus interstitial episode from Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery. Nota Bene: this episode is almost entirely dialogue free. This episode is binaural- meaning if you listen with headphones, you'll be able to hear the episode in three dimensions, rather than the regular stereo. You can still listen without headphones - but you'll get a different experience if you do! Content advisories for this episode can be found here. This episode features Michael Turrentine, Mark Soloff, Jeffrey Nils Gardner, and Marsha Harman. It was composed by Jeffrey Nils Gardner, with phoebetor music by Mel Ruder. Executive Producers Eleanor Hyde and Jeffrey Nils Gardner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content warnings: police violence, racial violence, victims of hate crimes, white supremacy, and police violence. Read by: Shariba Rivers, Pat King, Alexander Danner, Ryan Schile, Bilal Dardai, Duo Yang, Eli McIlveen, Amelia Bethel, Joshua K. Harris, Michael Turrentine, Kathleen Hoil, Marsha Harman, Ele Matelan, Jeffrey Nils Gardner, and Eleanor Hyde. ===================  Today is Wednesday, June 10, 2020. There will not be a new episode of Unwell today. Following the example and the words of Black Lives Matter Chicago, we call for an end to the state violence against and criminalization of Black communities through police forces, an unjust legal system, and federal, state, and local political organizations.  As the artists of HartLife NFP, we call on our fellow art makers in positions of institutional power and privilege to take concrete actions to make your institutions and artistic work explicitly and actively anti-racist.   We affirm our commitment to do the same here. We will interrogate ourselves when we have fallen short of this goal and recommit to do better every time.  The United States is a country founded on land stolen from indigenous peoples, built with the stolen labor and lives of enslaved Black people. We call especially on White listeners to reckon with this fact, today and every day.    The following list is both incomplete and horrifyingly long. These people were victims of hate crimes, police officers and of an unjust, white supremacist system. We say their names and we remember their lives.  Tamir Rice Samuel Dubose Walter Scott Jordan Davis Tony McDade Dion Johnson Dante Parker Michelle Cusseax Laquan McDonald Richard Perkins Nathaniel Harris Pickett Benni Lee Tignor Miguel Espinal Michael Noel Kevin Mathews Bettie Jones Quintonio Legrier Keith Childress Jr Janet Wilson Randy Nelson Antronie Scott George Mann John Crawford III Ezell Ford Aaron Bailey Ronell Foster Stephon Clark Antwon Rose II Tanisha Anderson Alton Sterling Philando Castile Botham Jean Pamela Turner Akai Gurley Rumain Brisbon Trayvon Martin Jerame Reid Mathew Ajibade Frank Smart Alexia Christian Brendon Glenn Victor Manuel Larosa Jonathan Sanders Freddie Blue Joseph Mann Salvado Ellswood Albert Joseph Davis Darrius Steward Billy Ray Davis Michael Sabbie Brian Keith Day Christian Taylor Troy Robinson Natahsa McKenna Tony Robinson Anthony Hill Mya Hall Phillip White Eric Harris Walter Scott William Chapman II Asshams Pharoah Manley Felix Kumi Keith Harrison McLeod Junior Prosper LaMontez Jones Patterson Brown Dominic Hutchinson Anthony Ashford Alonzo Smith Tyree Crawford India Kager La’Vante Biggs Michael Lee Marshall Jamar Clark Wendell Celestine David Joseph Calin Roquemore Dyzhawn Perkins Christopher Davis Marco Loud Peter Gaines Torrey Robinson Darius Robinson Kevin Hicks Mary Truxillo Demarcus Semer Willie Tillman Terrill Thomas Sylville Smith Michael Brown Eric Garner Sandra Bland Fredie Gray Terrence Crutcher Paul O’Neal Alteria Woods Jordan Edwards Dominique Clayton Christopher Whitfield Christopher McCorvey Eric Reason Michael Lorenzo Dean Breonna Taylor Atatiana Jefferson Ahmaud Arbery Doug Lewis George Floyd Manuel Ellis Maurice Gordon Black Lives Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we continue to prepare for Season Three of Unwell, launching on February 17, we wanted to share another show we thought you might enjoy: Family Ghosts. Learn more and subscribe to Family Ghosts here: https://familyghostspodcast.com/ Family Ghosts is a (mostly) nonfiction show where real people investigate the truth behind stories that have haunted their families for generations. These aren't ghosts like we see in Mt Absalom- mostly- - rather, they're apocryphal stories that have been repeated over and over for decades - grandmothers who turned out to be jewel smugglers, uncles who vanished without a trace, aunts who stole corpses and hid them in undisclosed locations, parents who started cults, and much, much more. In each episode of the show, someone who feels like they might understand themselves better if they could get to the bottom of one of these mysteries tries to do exactly that, in collaboration with host Sam Dingman. I think you can see why we're so excited to share an episode of Family Ghosts here on the feed- it sounds like Lily could have been part of her own episode of the show. Family Ghosts has just launched their fourth season with a three-episode miniseries about a woman named Kate whose father mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the night in September 1987. From the industrial truck farms of East Baltimore to the newsrooms of New York City to Mount St. Helens, Kate's story has all the twists and turns of a Mt Absalom legend, but the real journey is Kate's own attempt to understand not just what she wants to know, but why she feels like she can't rest until she knows it. If you like the episode you hear today, you can hear all three parts in the Family Ghosts feed. Give it a listen, and go subscribe today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During our mid-season break, we are sharing some episodes from other shows we love. First up is Old Gods of Appalachia. Old Gods of Appalachia is an eldritch horror anthology podcast. Subscribe and learn more about Old Gods of Appalachia here: https://www.oldgodsofappalachia.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During our mid-season break, we are sharing some favorite episodes from other shows we love. Today's is Greater Boston. Greater Boston is a full-cast audio drama set in the Boston metro area, blending the real and the unreal, the historical and the fantastical. It all begins with the death of Leon Stamatis, a man so enamored of predictability that the least hint of uncertainty makes life unbearable. But by leaving the world, he has irrevocably changed it. The show is written and produced by Alexander Danner and Jeff Van Dreason. Subscribe and learn more here: https://greaterbostonshow.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are sharing an episode of Storybound. Storybound is a show where some of our favorite authors and writers read their most impactful stories with powerful and immersive sound design, followed by a truly amazing interview. Subscribe and learn more about Storybound here: https://pod.link/1479333981 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's feed drop, we're excited to bring you the first episode of The Strange Case of the Starship Iris, written by Unwell staff writer Jessica Best! You can find more of the Strange Case of the Starship Iris here: https://www.procyonpodcastnetwork.com/starship-iris You can find a link to a transcript here. Written by JESSICA BEST Sound engineering by ERIN BAUMANN and HANNAH CROSS Directed by JESSICA BEST, PHOEBE SEIDERS, and MARGARET CLARK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Executive producer Eleanor Hyde sits down with our cast to talk about acting and audio art! This episode contains spoilers for Unwell through Season Three. You can find a transcript for this episode here. You can find content warnings for this episode here. Featuring: Eleanor Hyde, Ele Matelan, Marsha Harman, Mark Soloff, and Joshua K Harris Produced by Jeffrey Nils Gardner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're excited to bring you an episode of Parkdale Haunt, created by Emily Kellog and Alex Nursall! You can learn more about the show at parkdalehaunt.com ==== Judith Antoni’s friend Claire has gone missing. Well, she’s alive, but she’s taken off and no one can track her down. Judith enlists the help of her friend Owen to start digging through the recordings made when Claire took possession of a house in Parkdale and things started to get… kind of weird. CONTENT WARNINGS: Hauntings/the paranormal, cults (mentioned), the occult, alcohol Emily Kellogg as Claire Alex Nursall as Judith Ian Boddy as Owen Caroly Larson as Debbie Taylor Davis as Austin Bird Theme music by Phil Wright Recorded at Pirate Toronto Presented in partnership with the Frequency Podcast Network. You can find us and all the other Frequency podcasts at frequencypodcastnetwork.com. You can find us on Twitter and Instagram @parkdalehaunt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our Halloween Special, join Eleanor Hyde, Joshua K. Harris, Ele Matelan, and Jeffrey Nils Gardner as they share their favorite ghost stories- legends of a haunted college campus in Ohio, a South African theatre with a horrific past, and ghost with a Neimen Marcus sponsorship. Content advisories can be found here. A transcript can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we're excited to share a show that's very different from Unwell: Starship Tempest! Featuring some longtime HartLife NFP artists, including Unwell Lead Sound Designer Emeritus Ryan Schile, Our Fair City and Unwell star Tara Schile, and HartLife NFP board member Travis Sauder- this show should be a delight for fans of Star Trek and table top RPGs! You can learn more about Starship Tempest on their website at starshiptempest.com. Find them on all social platforms under the handle @StarshipTempest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back with the second half of our conversation with Executive producer Eleanor Hyde and our cast, talking about acting and audio art! Here's a link to our policies for safe recording during COVID19 during Season Three. This episode contains spoilers for Unwell through Season Three. You can find a transcript for this episode here. You can find content warnings for this episode here. Featuring: Eleanor Hyde, Ele Matelan, Marsha Harman, Mark Soloff, and Joshua K Harris Produced by Jeffrey Nils Gardner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Unwell feed, we're excited to share the Tapes of King's Chapel- an episode of the horror anthology podcast Bleeder's DIEgest! You can learn more about Bleeder's DIEgest on their website here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For today's episode, we've got something really exciting- two interviews with artists from Unwell, talking about making audio work. These are sourced from John Bartmann’s fantastic podcast “How I make music”- where John interviews composers and artist who make music for audio fiction. The first is an interview with longtime HartLife NFP artist Stephen Poon on his work on the Unwell theme. After the break, we’ll also be sharing an interview John recorded with me about composing for installations, and for one of my other podcasts, “The Museum at tomorrow.” You can hear more episodes of John’s podcast at HowIMakeMusic.com. You can also get access to livestreams, editing tutorials, and 58 extra episodes through the How I make Music patreon! You can access a transcript for John's interview with Stephen here, and for John's interview with Jeffrey here. Content advisories for this episode can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi there- Jeffrey here. We're so close to the return of Unwell Season Four- and we're so excited to have the chance to share one more guest episode- Brimstone Valley Mall, written and directed by Kristen DiMercurio. You'll recognize a bunch of Unwell folks from the credits- including Kristen, Regina Renée Russell, Julia Schifini, and myself- I was one of the sound designers for this delightful show. Brimstone Valley Mall is a dark comedy that sends us back to the Malls of the 90s- a deeply nostalgic setting for me- following a group of demons who not only work at the mall, but...play in a band. It's so much fun. Brimstone Valley Mall has a love for its setting that I think Unwell listeners will appreciate- because let me tell you, the malls of the 90s were a unique and occasionally terrifying place. I hope you enjoy! Learn more and listen to Brimstone Valley Mall here! Read a transcript for the episode here. Written, directed & produced by Kristen DiMercurio, co-written by Talia Rochmann & Mark Wolf Roberts, sound design by Jeffrey Nils Gardner In this episode you heard: Misroch, played by Elliot Gindi Belzagor, played by Susannah Wilson Trainee, played by Regina Russell Hornblas, played by Sheldon Brown And the Mall Announcements, played by Kristen DiMercurio Additional voices were played by Julia Schifini, and Mischa Stanton, Our theme music is written and performed by FM Buller. Our show art is designed by Talia Rochmann. Brimstone Valley Mall is produced by Kristen DiMercurio, with Production Consulting by Julia Schifini. It’s Executive Produced by Mischa Stanton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I say this piece has been a long time coming- understand that we've now been working on it for over a year. It's something very different from most of our episodes, and stands alone beautifully- a memory out of time, an explorer out of place, and a love that pervades everything in the story of Unwell. Unwell 1790: The Poplars of Soissons Content advisories can be found here  Transcript can be found here  Featuring Breon Arzell as Emil. Written by Jessica Wright Buha, directed and with sound design by Jeffrey Nils Gardner, with design support from Eli Hamada McIlveen. Art by Peng Yang. Produced by HartLife NFP, executive producers Eleanor Hyde and Jeffrey Nils Gardner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first week of our mid-season break- we've got a roundtable with some of our writers, answering YOUR questions! This episodes features Jessica Best, Bilal Dardai, and Jessica Wright Buha, and is hosted by Jeffrey Nils Gardner. You can find a transcript of the episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello- Jeffrey here.  Today, we’re excited to share a show from the Fable and Folly Network that we think you might enjoy- Where the Stars fell.  This is another American Gothic show- though set in the Pacific Northwest rather than in the Midwest.  It’s a wonderful story that centers of themes of identity and choice- and for me, I was sold on the imaginative, strange world- a joy to lose yourself in. Enjoy this first episode of the show, and head to your podcatcher of choice to hear the rest of the story!  Now- enjoy the first episode of Where the Stars Fell Where the Stars Fell is a production of Caldera Studios, and is produced and written by Newton Schottelkotte. The voice of Mama Gabe was Kiera Gill. The voice of Lucille Kensington was Madelyn Harvieux. The voice of Dr. Edison Tucker was Newton Schottelkotte. The voice of Mike Elle was Kyle Street. Script edits were done by Lucy Brown, with a sensitivity read by Kit Addams. All sound effects taken from Audio Library, Sound Library, Soundbible dot com, original foley, or used under Creative Commons License. Find transcripts, social media links, and places to listen at wherethestarsfell.com Find a transcript here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the final week of our mid-season break- we've got a roundtable with some of our sound design team, answering more of your questions! This episodes features Eli Hamada McIlveen, Alexander Danner, and Jeffrey Nils Gardner, and is hosted by Eleanor Hyde. You can find a transcript of the episode here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello- Jeffrey here! Over here in Chicago, we’ve just kicked off recording for Season Five of unwell- it is so wonderful to be back in the studio with these actors, and I am SO excited for you to hear what we’re working on. In the meantime- we’re thrilled to bring you the first episode of Gideon Media’s “Give Me Away.” It’s a sci-fi thriller from Mac Rogers, who wrote some of my very favorite pieces of audio in the genre- including  The Message, LifeAfter, and Steal The Stars.  You can hear the rest of the series, and find credits, transcripts, and more at gideon-media. org. === The screaming spaceship lands just as Graham Shapiro's life is falling apart. The world reels, and Graham makes some big decisions. Featuring Hanna Cheek, Sean Williams, Kevin R. Free, Nat Cassidy, Diana Oh, Dani Martineck, Rebecca Comtois, Alba Ponce de León, Jorge Cordova, Lori Elizabeth Parquet, and Stephanie Willing. Written by Mac Rogers, directed by Jordana Williams, sound designed by Bart Fasbender, music composed by Adam Blau, assistant directed by Marty McGuire, and produced by Cara Ehlenfeldt. Transcripts are available at www.gideon-media.com/transcripts. Gideon Media crafts gripping productions that explore human grace and darkness through popular genre forms. Learn more at www.gideon-media.com and follow us on Twitter @mediagideon, Instagram @gideonaudio, and Facebook @gideonaudio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices