48 episodes

Rivers of the Mind is a psychedelic Urban Fantasy/Superhero audio drama set in the Texas Hill Country. It centers around an underground laboratory concealed underneath a water treatment facility--formerly a part of the MK Ultra program, but today used to test secret technology for space travel. It's first main character, John is a homeless geologist who takes LSD outside of the lab one night and develops the ability to read minds, who is eventually joined by Meagan, a cashier at Walmart who receives "The Gift of Language" from a field of psychedelic mushrooms, and Sapphire, the ghost of a test subject who died in the 1960s. The show also features a "show within a show" following a police officer whose memory was erased by John just as he developed empathic superpowers, and an internet conspiracy theorist trying to help him discover the truth. (S1E2, S1.5E1, S1.5E3, S1.5E5, and S1.5E6, plus all of Season 2.5)

Rivers of the Mind Timothy Vilgiate

    • Fiction
    • 4.9 • 9 Ratings

Rivers of the Mind is a psychedelic Urban Fantasy/Superhero audio drama set in the Texas Hill Country. It centers around an underground laboratory concealed underneath a water treatment facility--formerly a part of the MK Ultra program, but today used to test secret technology for space travel. It's first main character, John is a homeless geologist who takes LSD outside of the lab one night and develops the ability to read minds, who is eventually joined by Meagan, a cashier at Walmart who receives "The Gift of Language" from a field of psychedelic mushrooms, and Sapphire, the ghost of a test subject who died in the 1960s. The show also features a "show within a show" following a police officer whose memory was erased by John just as he developed empathic superpowers, and an internet conspiracy theorist trying to help him discover the truth. (S1E2, S1.5E1, S1.5E3, S1.5E5, and S1.5E6, plus all of Season 2.5)

    S3E1: The Bird

    S3E1: The Bird

    After killing Ryan, John and Sapphire find themselves stranded in a decomposing psychic hexateron. 
    CAST
    C.j. Hackett: Ryan
    Christina Vilgiate: Ryan's Mom
    Timmy Vilgiate: John
    Sophia Doss: Sapphire
    PRODUCTION
    Written, produced, and recorded by Timmy Vilgiate
    Featured sounds from freesound.org, including "lava loop" 1 and 2 by fission9, "kilauea lava" by e, dry ice and piano effects by batchku, "peace and anarchy2" by noise collector, "squeaky cabinet" by bormane, "aluminum cans" by kev durr, footsteps down stairs 2 by sinatra313, "fast reverse vortex" by earlcash05, footsteps on wood by mydo1, building collapse sounds by onteca, "windy creaky old house ambience" by pfranzen, "door-creaking" by ken788, "whistling antarctic blizzard" by stormpetrel, "magpie wings flapping" by digifishmusic, "birdflap3, deeper" by agentdd, and "an afternoon with the Buller's albatross" by stormpetrel. 

    The other bird sounds were compiled from the Handbook of the Birds of the World's "Internet Bird Collection." I used sounds of albatrosses from the Diomedea and Phoebastria genuses. 

    • 27 min
    S3E2: Oi'Te'Lotep

    S3E2: Oi'Te'Lotep

    John and Sapphire have an unexpected encounter while traveling along the vein of silver they discovered in the previous episode.
    CAST

    Timmy Vilgiate: John;
    Sophie Doss: Sapphire;
    C.j. Hackett: Prophet Oi'te'lotep

    CROWD

    Joshua Leano (Featured as an old man at a threshold), Daniel Rojas (Featured as a sculptor), Cindy Verzwyvelt (Featured as Gebbadali), Christina Vilgiate (Featured as the person Sapphire bumps into), Marissa Burdette, Anthony Carlson, Priscilla Yip, Collin Estes, Erin Caitlinn, and Anthony Vilgiate.
    PRODUCTION
    Theme and music by Timmy Vilgiate
    Production by Timmy Vilgiate
    Shoutout to speakers Silbo Gomero language of the Canary Islands, which was sampled in this episode to represent the language of the shepherds on the outside of the city.
    Sound effects (mostly) from Freesound.org, including "weak clapping" by FreqMan, "Running" by Juandamb, "Woman in Pain by Coral_Island_Studios, "10 Slap_real" by stereostereo, "Filing coarse Hand Aluminum Panel" by markpSFX, "trowel, mixing mortar" by be_a_hero_not_a_patriot, "big crowd chatter" by Kyster, "Wood Carving Off Mic" benboncan, "Avoncroft Blacksmith" by phonoflora, "herd of cows, mooing", by Martin Sadoux, "Cow Scream" by gibarroule, "Cow2" by genghisattenborough, "Sheep bleating" by zachrau, "Chickens" by Dann93, "Marche ext. Soissons..." by loillieux, "market trader NL 02 1603..." by klankbeeld, "VillageLaughter1" by acclivity", "Dolen village July morning..." by mihal40, "Italian village no traffic" by squidge316, "Market Cerdanyola" by bitlab_coop, "Street Market 2" by Stevious42, "fishermen shouts India" by kyles, "Fishing boats in harbour" by Satoration, "Cows Birds Spring' by 4barrelcarb, "Highflow River" by Cagan Celik, "River Teign and birds..." by Philip Goddard, "Walking on stone" by tigersound, "Footsteps" by TheSoundcatcher, "G52-05 Ox Cart" by craigsmith, "Canarian whistled language" by FonotecadeCanarias, and "cicade at nighttime" by Eelke. 

    • 33 min
    S3E3: The Temple of the Foreign Prophet

    S3E3: The Temple of the Foreign Prophet

    Sapphire and John enter Oi, and the prophet takes Sapphire to a temple built for foreign gods and foreign prophets. 

    CAST
    Timmy Vilgiate: John
    Sophia Doss: Sapphire
    C.j. Hackett: Oi'te'lotep
    CROWD
    Natalie Ruths, Elannia Lake, Joshua Leano, Daniel Rojas, Cindy Verzwyvelt, Christina Vilgiate, Marissa Burdette, Anthony Carlson, Priscilla Yip, Collin Estes, Erin Caitlinn, and Anthony Vilgiate.
    MUSIC
    Performed by Timmy Vilgiate on prepared mandolin, mandola, guitar, and analog synthesizer.
    SOUND EFFECTS
    From freesound.org:  "Italian village no traffic" by squidge316, "Highflow River" by Cagan Celik, "G52-05 Ox Cart" by craigsmith, "Crowd Drums" by dobroide,  "Dolen village July morning..." by mihal40, "street-market-2" by stevious, "chinese flute hulusi" by iluppai, "crowd yay applause 25 people" by Jesse Pash, and "crowd cheer" by Adam n.

    • 20 min
    S3E4: Peace and Love

    S3E4: Peace and Love

    John and Sapphire respond to their new situation in Oi, unsure whether or not it is safe or right to intervene in the city's affairs.
    Rivers of the Mind was written and produced by Timmy Vilgiate, who also played the part of John. Sophia Doss played the part of Sapphire, and C.j. Hackett played the part of the prophet. Crowd voices were provided by Hugo Delgado and Michael Merriam. Bird reference sounds were collected by Josep del Hoyo, Santiago Imberti, Laurent Demongin, Carlos Gussoni, and Scott Olmstead, all contributors to the Internet Bird Collection. 

    As always, Freesound.org provided most of our sound effects. Sound effects in this episode included "smashing toilet" by KeyKrusher, "Glass bottle Smashing" by awholenewlife1, "Glass Breaking" by Samgd14, "Hitting in a Face" by florianreichelt, "Crowd in Panic" by ienba, "20181018.scream03.wav" by dobroide, "human male scream terrified" by natemarler, "Scream, female, x2" by peridactyloprtix, "Footsteps Running away Fading" by Rudmer Roteveel, "yell kid male help help" by benjaminharveydesign, "boulderfall1" by AGC66, "Single Rock hit Dirt" by worthahep88, "Female horror cries: Help" by AmeAngelofSin, "Arrow Impact 3" by Ali6868, "Caball galop passa i frene" by Crater RF, "Boiling Towel" by unfa, "Heavy Rain" by lebaston100, "Whoosh" and "Big water splash" by qubodup, "Big wave splash" by soundmary, "niagara falls_02052017_002" by miastodzwiekow, "20130101_221450_rattsjoen_creaking ice" by hoersturz, "Rain heard 900 meters below the sea surface" by MBARI_MARS, "18_Underwater_Waves1" by tomtenney, "01 Morning Listening" by listening to whales, "Lobster Breathing" by baryy, "Clay Pottery Drop 'n' Break" by Kinoton, "Protest01" by karymronda, "Any_Word2_ses2"" Any_Word_ses2" and "War_ses2"  by freesound, "Crowd/Mob/Riot Noise" by FillMat, "Crowd.Yay.Applause.25ppl.Long" and "Crowd.Yay.Applause.25ppl.Short" by Jesse Pash, "Water Splashes" by Phil25,  "Jump into water splash sound" by Nikhill Kumar, "OneWaveInTelukNipah" by LoopUdu, "Hydrophone-Dissolving Vitamin C Tablet" by Sonic-ranger, "Hydrophone underwater stream quiet pipe" and "Hydrophone underwater stream close pipe gurgle" by Javier Zumer, "HighflowRiver" by Cagan Celik and "cicade at nighttime animals 02" by Eelke.

    • 28 min
    S3E5: Becoming Smoke / / Avoid Crowded Areas

    S3E5: Becoming Smoke / / Avoid Crowded Areas

    A mysterious entity welcomes Meagan to the outer darkness, and introduces her to power beyond her comprehension.
    Warning: Contains material and content that is inappropriate for children and that may disturbing for some people. Features two large cannon shots. 
    CAST
    Kyla Valenti: Meagan
    The Voice of Many Prisms: The Voice of Many Prisms
    Timothy Vilgiate: John, Crowd, Timothy Vilgiate
    speech2text(.)org: Salvia
     

    • 30 min
    S3E6: 1000 Years of Sleep

    S3E6: 1000 Years of Sleep

    Sapphire and John rest beside the river Ia, still unsure of the real nature of the world in which they are stranded. 

    NOTE: The show contains material that may be disturbing or triggering to some people. 

    Timmy Vilgiate played the parts of John and Eurycleo, Sophie Doss played the part of Sapphire, Nicholas Kline played the part of Telemakso, and Michael Merriam played the part of Dedjerba. The show was written, produced, and scored by Timmy Vilgiate.

    Sound effects were provided by freesound.org, including "highflow river" by Cagan Celik, "think funny" by shawshank 73, bris-015 by Andre Desartistes, "r21-33 man sobs" by Craig Smith, "woman screaming yelling..." by bulbastre, "footsteps squeeky wood" by tmkappelt, "kocking door and open door" by rivernile7, 
    "1-getting-dressed" by 16gjuroval, and "foley footsteps desert boots sand" by pan14."

    • 28 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
9 Ratings

9 Ratings

Sentinent8 ,

Does many interesting things

This story uses the premise of telepathy to examine and empathize with every character at once. It’s a superhero story, a conspiracy thriller, a psychedelic music project, and even a fantasy dream-quest. Recommended for fans of Within the Wires.

The first season is a little rough around the edges, but it really picks up momentum as it continues. I hope to listen for many seasons to come.

MWM1979 ,

Something Special

I really like this, though I'm not sure how to describe it. Well-written and thoughtful, also, funny, without relying on a bunch of dopey "nerds are people too" meta-jokes or in-jokes. It's like a Spalding Gray monologue, kinda; expansive. More than worthwhile.

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