“Welcome to My Study!”
Bone and Sickle celebrates horror and folklore — their fertile intertwining and the strange fruit of their embrace – the genus sometimes known as “folk horror.” Every episode offers a bounty of frightful tales, fantastic legends, and macabre histories harvested by eccentric artist, collector, and rogue folklorist Al Ridenour (author of The Krampus and The Old, Dark Christmas). “Bone and Sickle” is a labor of love, albeit, a hyper-focused, manic love with no time for the usual podcast chit-chat. Beginning with a folkloric topic (say, “the cuckoo bird” “May Eve,” or “lost heads”), Ridenour takes us on a wildly discursive tour of the subject, using authentic sourcebooks pulled from the imaginary shelves of an imaginary manor house library. He is attended in his imaginary study by the impeccable Wilkinson (Rick Galiher), mononymous manservant and unflinching participant in their deeply passive-aggressive relationship. Ridenour’s feverish narrative bounces between the scholarly-antiquarian and the campy world of cult films and horror fandom. Folk tales spill into grisly murder ballads, crossing paths with ecclesiastic treatises on witchcraft, strange bits of Victoriana, and superstitions from the European hinterlands. The whole unfolds within an immersive ever-shifting audio landscape of original music, brooding tones, intricately layered effects, sound bites, and film clips. Episodes are generally 30 minutes long and released every 2 weeks on Mondays.
April 30 Special Walpurgis “Binge Release”
In honor of the the occasion, we premiere with “Binge Release” of 3 regular episodes. Episode 1, WALPURGISNACHT, Part 1 Episode 2, WALPURGISNACHT, Part 2 Episode 3, LOUDLY SING CUCKOO!
Upcoming Episodes
June 11: Episode 4, LOST HEADS June 25 Episode 5, TBA. More episodes will follow throughout the Summer and Fall on alternate Mondays. Stay tuned for schedule details. Become a Patron!