The LodesTone List of Modern Audio Theatre #1

For almost 20 years, Richard Fish and John Weber made the LodesTone Catalog the one-stop shop for modern audio theatre on compact disc. The Firesigns, Star Wars, Superman, Garrison Keillor; LodesTone carried many great titles, and promoted the best the medium had to offer. In the spirit of Rich and John’s vision, and as part of the NATF’s mission to promote modern audio theatre, we now offer you the following resource: the LodesTone List.

The List will be continually evolving, adding new titles and new producers on a regular basis, beginning here with Yuri Rasovsky’s Hollywood Theater of the Ear, Tom Lopez’s ZBS Foundation, and The Firesign Theatre. The List will include each title produced by each indie producer or company, whether that title is available on CD or MP3, and best of all a direct link to where the product can be purchased. So, you’re looking for quality set-the-bar-high modern audio theatre but you don’t know where to look? Open your eyes and then open your ears, because here’s the first of “the List:”

Yuri Rasovsky/The Hollywood Theater of the Ear

The founder and director of the National Radio Theater, multiple award-winning Yuri Rasovsky established the Hollywood Theater of the Ear in 1993, which produces “world-class audio drama for descriminating audiences.” In fact, his recent full-cast production of The Maltese Falcon was nominated for a Grammy!

7 Classic Plays (CD, MP3 CD: www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?ID=3016)
Medea
The Tempest
The Imaginary Invalid
An Enemy of the People
Arms and the Man
Uncle Vanya
Camille
Black Mask Audio Magazine Vol. 1 (CD, MP3 CD: www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?id=4819)
Black Mask Vol. 2: The Maltese Falcon (CD, MP3 CD: www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?id=4876)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (CD, MP3 CD: www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?ID=3328)
The Cask of Amontillado (Free MP3 download: www.irasov.com/Amontillado.htm)
Craven Street (Ben Franklin in London) (CD, MP3 CD: www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?id=3698)
The Dybbuk (CD: www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?ID=3204)
The Odyssey of Homer (CD, MP3 CD: www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?id=3065)
Aeschylus’ The Oresteia (CD, MP3 CD: www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?id=4136)
Sherlock Holmes Theatre (CD, MP3 CD: www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?id=3420)
Sweeney Todd and the String of Pearls (CD, MP3 CD: www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?id=4400)
The Sibyl (CD, MP3 CD: www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?ID=3391)

Coming in 2010: Saint Joan and The Mark of Zorro

Tom Lopez/ZBS

He’s worked for Yoko Ono, interviewed Henrdix, Ram Dass, Mel Blanc, and Syd Barrett. Tom Lopez has been producing audio theatre since the early 70′s through his not-for-profit ZBS Foundation. His tales of metaphysical explorer Jack Flanders and intergalactic gumshoe Ruby are both cosmic and comical, whimsy and wonderous. ZBS’ mission: to raise consciousness through the medium of audio theatre. “Our stories are more like mindful entertainment.”

The Jack Flanders series:

The Ruby series:

Other goodies:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, ZBS is where you’ll find the complete Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series!

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (CD: www.zbs.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=10_37&products_id=102)
Hitchhiker’s Guide: Secondary Phase (CD: www.zbs.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=10_37&products_id=102)
Hitchhiker’s Guide: Tertiary Phase (CD: www.zbs.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=10_37&products_id=104)
Hitchhiker’s Guide: Quandary Phase (CD: www.zbs.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=10_37&products_id=136)
Hitchhiker’s Guide: Quintessential Phase (CD: www.zbs.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=10_37&products_id=137)

The Firesign Theatre

Ralph Spoilsport. Mark Time. Nick Danger. Bear Whiz Beer. Beat the Reaper. Combine the satire of Stan Freberg and the humor of The Goon Show with a stream of consciousness style and studio mixing above and beyond and you have the comedy of Austin, Bergman, Ossman, and Proctor. Below is but a sampling of the work of “Four or Five Crazee Guys.” Can you dig it?

The Firesign Solo!

Roller Maidens From Outer Space (Phil Austin) (CD: laughstore.stores.yahoo.net/phauromafrou.html)
How Time Flys (David Ossman) (CD: laughstore.stores.yahoo.net/daoshowtifl.html)
What This Country Needs (Proctor and Bergman) (CD: laughstore.stores.yahoo.net/phprandpebew.html)
TV Or Not TV (Proctor and Bergman) (CD: laughstore.stores.yahoo.net/prbetvornott.html)
True Confessions of the Real World (Peter Bergman) (CD: laughstore.stores.yahoo.net/petbertrucon.html)

And www.cafepress.com/firesign for cool merchandise!