An ongoing audio survey of individuals who have experienced transcendence and/or power of the will. No story will be considered too troubled, no atmosphere too strange.

Needed: tales from the underground, the underdog, the outlaw, and the outcast. Genuine characters of all kinds welcome.

Everything Is Stories explores unconventional narratives of the past and present to preserve the eccentric, the authentic, and the personal.

Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.

For dialogue and more information about the project visit eisradio.org

020 BANISHED VETERANS – PART 2

A story of military vets barred from the country they served.

In the final part of this series, EIS visits theDeported Veterans Support House in Tijuana. Commonly known as “The Bunker” by residents, the house hosts veterans released from the military and deported out of the United States. A number of veterans tell stories of hardships in Mexico, efforts to join military branches in other countries, and retaining American pride after banishment.

Select photos by Clarke Tolton

Music by Sontag Shogun

Episode 020 is sponsored by Green Chef
Get four free meals with your first order at greenchef.com/eis

EIS is also sponsored by the Proprioceptive Writing Center. Find the arc of your story at the pwriting.org

019 BANISHED VETERANS – PART 1

A story of military vets barred from the country they served.

At age seven, Hector Barajas crossed the Mexico border into United States as an illegal citizen. His family soon settled in Compton, California, where Hector encountered crime, gang violence, and racial division. Hector escaped the lifestyle by joining the United States Army as a non-citizen, becoming a medic for the 82nd Airborne Division. But personal problems soon led him to honorable discharge, prison, and deportation back to Mexico. In the first episode of this two-part series, Hector chronicles the humanity of being banished, and how he seeks to return to the country he once swore to protect.

Music by Sontag Shogun
sontagshogun.com

018 THESE EXECUTIONS

A story of public relations and lethal injection.

Michelle Lyons witnessed over 270 executions carried out by the state of Texas. At age 22, Lyons started reporting for The Huntsville Item, which gave her the opportunity to see her first lethal injection. In 2001, she became the Director of Public Information for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), a spokesperson for 110 prisons across the state. Here, Lyons talks the politics of death row, the infamous Walls Unit execution chamber, and processing her emotions death after death.

Music by Silent Isle
anastasiaclarke.info
silentisle.bandcamp.com

Episode 018 is sponsored by Audible.
Get a free audio book of your choice at
audiblepodcast.com/eisradio/

017 ANYTHING FOR A WITINESS

A story of justice found within the shape of a face.

Lois Gibson is considered by many to be the most successful forensic artist in the world. Using skills in art, witness interviewing, and facial reconstruction, Gibson has helped solve over 1,200 cases by sketching portraits of both victims and criminals all over the United States. In 2005, she was even placed in the Guinness Book of World Records because of her success in suspect identifications. EIS finds Gibson at her home in Spring, Texas where she tells stories of an early career in modeling, surviving a brutal attack, and her fascination with faces.

Music by High Aura'd and Mike Shiflet
highaurad.bandcamp.com
editionsshiflet.tumblr.com

Episode 017 is sponsored by Audible.
Get a free audio book of your choice at
audiblepodcast.com/eisradio/

EIS 015 VANISHED STATUS

A story of protest and assumed identity.

After anti-war protests at Washington University in 1970, Howard Mechanic became the first person arrested and charged under the Civil Obedience Act. Claiming innocence, Mechanic jumped bail to avoid prison time. He moved out West and created a new identity. For 28 years, he lived as Gary Tredway while raising a family and starting his own business. But what happens when Gary Tredway's background is questioned? Can he continue under an assumed name or will his past finally be open to the public?

Music by GOG (Mike Bjella)
soundcloud.com/sobasc
deepestgate.bandcamp.com/music

Episode 015 is sponsored by Sundance Now Doc Club
DocClub.com/EIS

EIS 014 BUT NOT WITH SILVER

A story of divine fate and segregation within the Secret Service.
 
Abraham Bolden was the first black Secret Service agent on the White House detail. Serving under John F. Kennedy, Bolden cracked counterfeiting cases and provided security for the President. However, the segregated 60s led Bolden from the White House to prison. In this story, EIS finds Bolden inside his Chicago home as he recounts his experiences of racial tension and why he considers himself a tool of fate.
 
Music by Zachary Reid
zacharyreid.bandcamp.com/

013 ALWAYS KEEP THE FIRE GOING SOMEWHERE

A story of compassion and saintlike devotion in the streets of New Orleans.

B.B. St. Roman is the only staff member for the New Orleans Police Department Homeless Assistant Unit. Before helping the homeless, she traveled the world, recording sound for documentaries involving shamans, Buddhist monks, and Mother Teresa. And at one point, she became the tour manager for Dr. John, Louisiana musician and legend.

Now, she works full-time with the homeless. She tells her stories of Hurricane Katrina, shelter issues in the city, as well as planning and dreaming of ways to help those living in the streets. 

Photos by Robert Johansson 
RobertJohansson.com

Music by Holy Gallows 
holygallows.bandcamp.com

EIS 012 EYES BACK ON THE HIGHWAY

A story of travel without destination.

Scooter Tramp Scotty is a writer who’s lived on the road for over 20 years. Traveling across North America on an old Harley Davidson, Scotty never stays in a single place more than two months. In this episode, we find Scotty in New Orleans, Louisiana and Harlingen, Texas where he talks about becoming a drifter, finding places to stay, and the loneliness of the road.

Photos by Robert Johansson 
RobertJohansson.com

Music by Destruction Unit 
ascetism.com/dunit
Destruction Unit Live in San Francisco

Episode 012 is sponsored by Audible.com.
Get a free audio book at audiblepodcast.com/eisradio

EIS 011 SOMETHING CAN'T BE EVERYTHING

A story of consciousness, love, and magick in vintage Hollywood.

Robin Baker dreamed of becoming a Hollywood starlet. As a teenager in the 60s, she became a Whisky a Go Go dancer, socializing with famous actors and musicians. After meeting and marrying Jim Baker, a World War II veteran, restaurant owner, and spiritual leader in Los Angeles, Robin’s life took a different path. With her husband, she established the Source Family, a commune with over 140 members. But when Jim changed his name to Father YoHoWha and adopted strange rules for the commune, Robin’s role in the family changed forever. 


Photos by Isvett Verde 
isvettverde.com

Music by Filthy Huns 
NotNotFun.com

Episode 011 is sponsored by Audible.
Get a free audio book at audiblepodcast.com/eisradio

EIS 010 MAN DIVIDED

A story of hot chrome motorcycles, leather, and a journey into the wilderness.

At age 60, Jay Byrd lives by himself off the grid in northern Arizona where he often meditates and reads theology. However, his past tells a different story of biker clubs, violence, prison, and heroin addiction. In this episode, Jay Byrd recounts his experience with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and gun-toting girlfriends. Yet after escaping personal chaos, he’s now eager to describe his philosophies concerning beauty and nothingness. 


Music by Jon Martinez

EIS 009 PRACTICES OF ENFREAKMENT

A story of autonomous abnormality.

Mat Fraser is a performance artist who currently stars on the FX television show American Horror Story: Freak Show. Born with phocomelia, a condition that results in malformation of the limbs, Fraser embraces his disability through activism, art, and the carnie-sideshow experience. In this episode, Fraser tells the stories of his condition, his relationship with Coney Island, and how he entered show business with a physical deformity.

For more information on Mat Fraser: 
matfraser.co.uk
twitter.com/mat_fraser

Music by PC Worship 
pcworship.blogspot.com
pcworship.bandcamp.com

EIS 008 THE ACCIDENTAL OUTLAWS

A story of lawlessness while practicing organic methods.

An anonymous couple live in an undisclosed part of northern California. Spearheading the back-to-the-land hippie movement, the Husband moved to the area in the early 70s while the Wife travelled the world as part of the Peace Corps. Now, the couple’s home rests off the grid where they grow a very special garden. This garden provides a peaceful and private lifestyle for the marriage. But what happens when outsiders jeopardize the couple’s way of life? Will the garden be destroyed? Or can the couple preserve their land and everything that grows within it?

Music by Holy Gallows.
Stream the new record Rêve dans un rêve: 
holygallows.bandcamp.com

EIS 007 CURRENT WITH THE PAST

A story of seclusion, discovery, creation, and worship.

Originally released in 1969, Dave Bixby’s Ode to Quetzacoatl is considered an underground classic in the psychedelic folk genre. With tracks such as "Drug Song" and "666", the album remains dark, revelatory, and spiritual even in the 21st century. For years, rumors of Bixby's disappearance and death spread amongst listeners. No one knew his story or his whereabouts or what influenced him to create an album dedicated to a Mesoamerican deity. He was a mystery.
           
In Episode 007, Everything Is Stories finds Dave Bixby in Northern Arizona where he shares his incredible adventures with hallucinogens in the 60s, a Christian cult in the 70s, sailing the open sea alone in the 80s, and what exactly influenced him to produce an album named after a feathered serpent.

Additional music by Khris Reinshagen of Nostilevo & Men of Bissau
snakeland.net
nostilevo.bandcamp.com

004 HIGHWAYS OF THE PAST JOURNEYING: …WHERE OUR SON WAS

A story of vanishment and revelation on the road.

Jon Gerwtiz’s son was born on April 20th, 1988 and kidnapped four hours later. In this story, Gerwitz describes the peculiar circumstances of the disappearance which includes his hometown, a lifelong friend, and the many corridors of Interstate 40. Gerwitz also explains his emotions at the time which ranged from paranoia to forgiveness. 20 years later, he wonders if the whole experience was a coincidence or miracle.

Music by J.S. Aurelius
ascetism.com
acousmaticindustries.us

EIS 003 - AS I HAVE GONE ALONE IN THERE

A story from someone who creates adventure in the 21st century.

After surviving cancer, Forrest Fenn, a dealer of antique luxuries, hid a treasure chest filled with gold coins, gold dust, gold nuggets, rubies, and other valuable things. The treasure is said to be worth over one million dollars, and he’s only given clues to where it may be in his poetry, prose, and the occasional television appearance.

In this story, Forrest Fenn is interviewed at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he shares stories from his childhood, experiences of being a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, and what exactly made him want to hide a treasure. Local friends and treasure hunters also describe their encounters with Fenn and ideas of where the treasure may be found.

Music by High Aura'd
http://highaurad.bandcamp.com/

For more information about Forrest Fenn’s books visit
collectedworksbookstore.com

EIS 002 OTHER WORLDS

Two stories from those who challenge reality by contacting other spirits, dimensions, portals, and voids. How? Ancient mind-altering ceremonies and leaps of faith.

Diego Palma is a healer. Kush is a shaman. Both are located in Peru. Their methods for spiritual discovery include medicine songs, mantras, icaros, tobacco smoke, and ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is a brew made from the caapi vine and the chacruna shrub. Amazonas have used ayahuasca for centuries. When ingested, it opens the mind to cosmic possibilities.

Peter Gersten is a retired lawyer. In 1987, he sued the United States Government for UFO information. Years later, Gersten began following visions and signs which led him to Sedona, Arizona. He began to believe reality was a simulation that could be manipulated by action. On December 21, 2012, Gersten traveled to the top of Bell Rock, a butte with an elevation of 600 ft. There, he believed a portal would open that could take him to the center of the universe, but only if he jumped into it.

Music by Kwaidan, Locrian, and William Cody Watson.

EIS 001 BURDEN OF PROOF

Two stories from individuals who collected evidence in different ways

Tommy Cotter worked as a soundman for network television show COPS. For one year, Cotter experienced several forms of crime alongside officers in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Fort Wayne, Texas. He captured sound of prostitution stings, robberies, and domestic disputes. Ten years after leaving the job, Cotter reveals how this experience transformed him.

****** **** is a photographer who spent time as a crime scene specialist in a southwestern state.  He recounts the elaborate hiring process which included a lie detector test, a mock crime scene, and a trip to the morgue. Photographing evidence, suspects, and autopsies, the experience began affecting his subconscious. Memories forgotten resurfaced, and the elements of a crime scene even began appearing in his personal photography.

Music by William Cody Watson
pinkpriest.bandcamp.com