We have been making a few appearances at local events to promote both our original “Dark Descent” CD, as well as the upcoming Volume 2 (presently scheduled for release in early spring).

Our next appearance is at the Willamette Radio Workshop performance of “The Confessions of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” over the Halloween weekend. There are three shows: one at the McMenamins White Eagle Saloon on Saturday the 29th at 7 p.m. and two at the McMenamins Kennedy School Halloween night at 5 and 7:30 p.m. All the performances are free.

If you’re in the Portland area, come check out some great live audio theater, and talk to us about Afterhell into the bargain. We’ll have postcards to give away and copies of “Dark Descent” for sale at a special live venue price!

Two weeks ago, we were at the first annual Rose City Paranormal Conference where we met a lot of folks who seemed almost as interested in audio drama horror as they were in ghost hunting! It was a fun event and we currently plan to go back next year.

Please spread the word about this little service that Air America Radio is offering.

Air America Public Voicemail
1-866-217-6255

Folks stranded because of Hurricane Katrina can use this to reach their loved ones.  AAR explains:

“Call the toll-free number above, enter your everyday phone number, and then record a message. Other people who know your everyday phone number (even if it doesn’t work anymore) can call Emergency Voicemail, enter the phone number they associate with you, and hear your message.  You can also search for messages left by people whose phone numbers you know.  Air America Radio will leave Public Voicemail in service for as long as this crisis continues. You can call it whenever you are trying to locate someone, or if you are trying to be found.”

Spread the word.

Afterhell is about a world that’s been transformed into a nightmare vision. But every so often, we get a glimpse of that nightmare in the real world. Sometimes it’s thanks to a very angry Mother Earth. (I mean, if getting handed some margarine ticked her off, imagine what all this pollution and global warming is doing …) It happened last December in Southeast Asia, and now it’s come to this half of the planet in the form of Hurricane Katrina.

All of us who aren’t stuck in the middle of the disaster are in a position to help. It’s only a question of how.

Derek Sivers, founder of the online music store CD Baby, has found one way. You can now go to the CD Baby site, buy a copy of “Afterhell: Dark Descent,” and all the profit (the money that would have come to us) will be donated to the Red Cross.

There are hundreds of other artists who have agreed to donate their profits too — so go have a look. Even if you don’t buy a copy of our disc (and why wouldn’t you?) there’s bound to be something you’d like.

–Jamie Lawson, Producer

Big news, folks:  We’re on the radio!

Jamie and I heard about a radio station back in San Francisco switching to an all-podcast format, basically broadcasting the best contributions from folks on the net.  As one part lark, several parts ambition, we sent in the Afterhell pilot.

KYOU-AM has accepted “Dark Descent.”

AAAAAAAAAH!!!!

Er, I mean…cool.

Ironically we’d been talking about doing some kind of podcast on the website, whether as audio blog or a broadband showcase of individual eps.  I’ve been downloading podcasts for a little while, and it’s been a blast for me.  It’s a really convenient way to get quality, customized content.  (Say that three times fast.  Ouch.)  Anyway it’s gotten me thinking that folks might like some kind of Afterhell podcast.  And hopefully this’ll get us a few more hits.

Meanwhile we’ve been busy even before we found out about KYOU-AM.  This weekend we’re hitting the studio to lay down dialogue tracks for Brian Rust’s “Dying on Stage.”  We had a rehearsal a few weeks ago to nail down comedic timing.  Back in in Massachusetts, Neil Marsh has already started on what folks with a film background might call Second Unit duty.  Things are going well on both sides of the country.

And while the cast and crew here are in the studio, we’re going to let them check out the script a copy of our next episode.  This might be the third or fourth time someone’s asked to read an Afterhell script in progress.

Yeah, right, and the fish that got away was how big….?  No, no, really!

It’s been a century, maybe even three, since I resurfaced and kept folks in the loop.

We’re making a slight shift in the production schedule.  Originally I wanted to tackle Vol 2 one story at a time, but we’re going to maximize our resources.  While “Sleepless Days” is still in post, we’re taking Brian Rust’s “Dying on Stage” into the production phase.  The main characters have been cast, so we’re scheduling a rehearsal and pencilling in a date for studio time.  If the new schedule works out, we’ll have principal dialogue recorded by mid-May.

Meanwhile, I just finished writng the last script for Volume 2.  The working title is “Deep in the Red.”  I don’t want to reveal too much about it, but it’ll be in keeping with the dark comedic tone we seemed to have stumbled on.  If I did my job, this one might freak a few people out.

And while hammering that story out, I started a treatment for yet another story.  Looking into the future:  It could go on Volume 3, maybe even Volume 4 if the length demands it.  We’ve touched base with prospective writers while working on new stuff of our own, so now we have…let’s see, about nine stories in various stages coming down the pipe.  Ten, if we include the final episode which would wrap up the series. 

If we don’t slow down, we’ll never catch up on the backlog!  Ack!

Things are moving along steadily. Here’s the latest on the cd art for the second CD of audio dark fantasty stories that’s in production. The first is for the cover, leaving plenty of room right now for text and changes. The second will be on the inside tray, the ring holding the CD in place falling between them. A little over the top? Yes, but that’s one of the goals. 😉

Also in the near future expect some products to appear thanks to Cafepress. Journals, t-shirts and all that good stuff to go along with the show.

 I’m knee-deep in work for upcoming episodes, so just a few quick notes:

Tuesday was major studio time this week.  The rough mix of “Sleepless Days” is almost complete.  The hardest part was getting into the studio, actually.  Illness and weather kept me well out of it.  And I had to climb five flights of stairs once I got there.  Fortunately I wasn’t there to do voice work!  Anyway, it’ll take two more mini-sessions, one to add effects, another to add music and polish the chrome.  Or in this case, add cobwebs.

Next week will see a new edition of the first Afterhell CD, sporting its own UPC code and a lower price.  “Dark Descent” will retail for $12.99, about three dollars off our original price.  (I wanted to make it $13, but maybe it was too obvious….)   Our CafePress shop will have Afterhell swag for the brave, but our CDs will be available through CD Baby and, eventually, Amazon.com.  Spread the word!

Hi, kids…sorry for the month-long silence.  Lots to do, not a lot of time to do it in.  I’ll plead work, family emergencies, and illness.

No, physical illness.  The rest, you already know. (hee hee)

Anyway, we’ve only started on the mixing process for “Sleepless Days.”  MS Word has been a profound pain, which has made editing difficult.  Fear not–I managed to beat it into submission.  I’ll be sending my edits on “Dying on Stage” to its author Brian Rust for his approval.

If I’ve clocked those stories well enough, each one should run about 28 minutes.  I want to squeeze in another story.  To play it safe, we’ll make it shorter than the others.  Jamie’s hoping the results will be like the off-the-wall shorts they’d do on Night Gallery. Once we complete pre-production on the last two eps for the disk, we’ll pour on the speed after the first of the new year and take Volume 2 into the home stretch.

Also Jamie and I have been discussing a possible reissue of Volume 1 “Dark Descent.”  From now on, Afterhell CDs will come with a UPC bar code, making them eligible for sale on Amazon.  Hoo ha!

In case we don’t check in by then, let me wish everyone happy holidays!

I was going to write this up last night, but Jamie and I were really tired by the time we got back.

Back from what, you ask?  Our recording session for “Sleepless Days.”  We got together with our actors at Doug Kreb’s DIG Recording in downtown Portland to lend voices to the goofball characters and their dark shenanigans.  DJ Chiles, David Loftus, and Holly Neuenschwander joined me and Jamie in the studio.  Together, we banged through the script for about three hours which included an unusually giggy zombie hoard.  (Those were most definitely outtakes.  If there’s room on Vol 2 and if I’m feeling especially twisted, those might show up as a bonus track.  Ha, ha, evil chortle.)

The most Jamie and I have been able to do this year for Halloween is pass treats out to little tricksters and spin up some choice flicks.  Our studio sessions on All Hallow’s Eve’s Eve was a great way to celebrate the holiday, though.  If it wasn’t so expensive, we’d make it a Halloween tradition!  😉

We’ll probably need two mixing sessions to complete that episode.  In the meantime, we start prelims on the next ep, which is probably Brian Rust’s “Dying on Stage.”  (I still owe you an update on that, Brian.  I haven’t forgotten.  Blame the election…along with the cold I got from all the canvassing in the rain.)

Anyway, stay safe.  I hope everyone had some fun this Halloween!

The folks here at Ollin Productions (both of us) are working steadily on Volume 2 of “Afterhell.”  Two scripts are on the fast track to the studio.  Their working titles are “Dying on Stage,” which was our second out-of-house contribution by Brian Rust, and of course “Sleepless Days.”  I’m writing outlines for a few other stories while editing and planning out those eps.  With luck we can fill out the next CD with three stories instead of leaving one with all that extra space floating around.

We won’t be able to go back to Walnut Studios, so we’re talking to someone recommended by Piotr Orloff, the engineer on the pilot ep.  It looks like Curt Siffert will be back to compose new music for us, so that’s brought our spirits up.

It’d be a real kick to produce one ep in time for Halloween, wouldn’t it?  Right now that’s my short-term goal.

Anyway, gotta go.  Lots of production forms to write up, a few roles to cast.