Storylife Podcast

This is a story of a chainsaw wielding rock star, a violently protective mother, and a 9 year old boy's embarrassing and hilarious brush with rock and roll fame. Check out Steve's Podcast here P, B & J Again!       Photo by Kasey Marcum

Nathan James has been obsessed with tunneling since he was a kid. In this short piece he recounts one of his early experiences in tunneling into a neighbor's backyard. I produced this piece for the Third Coast Short Docs Competition and therefore the documentary uses sounds created by the band The Books as a condition of the contest. The piece also borrows its title from one of their songs. I will be following up with a longer version of Nathan's tunneling adventures in the coming months, so stay tuned. Music at the beginning is the Saarees

In this sound collage of a morning's journey, Chris shares his thoughts, imaginings and observations during his daily bus trip to work. Public transportation brings together nearly all walks of life and so the bus becomes an ideal setting to anonymously observe the sites, sounds and personalities of the city. Music By Nathan Dalton

In this chilling audio documentary by Claire Schoen, the survivors of solitary confinement tell of a concrete and steel room that goes by many names. Solitary confinement is a brand of torture which employs prolonged periods of sensory deprivation and isolation. It goes unchecked in the United States, despite our anti-torture campaigns and ideals. The mental and physical toll is evident in those who survive it. Producer Claire Schoen met nine former prisoners who describe what it looks, sounds and feels like to live in solitary confinement. Explore more of Claire's work here: http://claireschoenmedia.com/

Kevin Herbinson, a semi-retired marine biologist, unravels the uncanny experience he had as a young man, waking up in a row boat on the coast of Chile to a blood red sea. Wikipedia article on the Atacama Desert

In this audio-biographical exploration, I interview my three friends Jon, Nora and Avery, who were all with me at a small Portland bar called Valentines the night that a couple of bullies decided to take things too far. Musical interludes borrowed from Andrew Dougless Rothbard and Andrew Bird

My brother Andrew Bolton and his girlfriend Grace Jones (no not the angular pop singer from the 80s) were kind enough to let me interview them and record the water birth of their first child at their home in Portland, Oregon. I produced this piece while attending the CDS Documentary Studies workshop at Duke University in August 2008. Published in conjunction with Speakeasy DC.

Every once in a while a person achieves just enough altitude in his/her life and, if only for a brief moment, is given a panoramic view of the world in relation to his or her place in it. This story is about a band, a Rabbi, and a twenty year old who, without any warning, finds himself just above the trees. Ryan Scammell is a writer living in Brooklyn, where he produces audio stories and films for his website www.writinginsound.com

We invited ACDC to come to this party back in 2001. It was a silly idea. Avery and I left a note on their tour bus with our phone numbers and crude drawings. We'd just moved to Portland, OR, numberswiki.com and we were impressed with all the cool kids and happenings in town and we desperately wanted to make an impression. Imagine our surprise when we actually got a call from Angus Young, and he told us they'd stop by. Musical shenanigans by yours truly.

This is the story of a grown man who lived in a wooden box . . .