In the captivating new podcast "Madmen Cross the Water," listeners are transported to the 19th century, where two scrappy balladeers, the fictional Sons of Town Hall, embark on a transatlantic journey filled with misadventures, musical dreams, and a devoted fan-turned-narrator. This delightfully old-timey audio experience blends comedy, performance art, and heartfelt storytelling, offering a unique platform for the duo to showcase their enchanting folk sound and bring their imagined world to life.

Weaving Fact and Fiction to Craft a Captivating Narrative

Bringing the Sons of Town Hall to Life

The theatrical folk duo known as Sons of Town Hall existed long before the podcast was even a twinkle in its creators' eyes. David Berkeley, based in Santa Fe, and Ben Parker, hailing from London, first connected musically in 2016, forging a harmonious partnership that would eventually inspire their fictional counterparts. Donning shabby, Victorian-era costumes, the real-life musicians evoke the late 18th and early 19th century setting of their podcast, blending comedy, performance art, and singalongs with a healthy dose of yarn-spinning.

Introducing Elias B. Worthington: The Devoted Narrator

At the heart of the podcast is the exuberant narrator, Elias B. Worthington, portrayed by British actor Oliver Maltman. Worthington is an armchair historian, unofficial archivist, failed musician, frustrated thespian, and dedicated super-fan of the Sons of Town Hall. With unwavering enthusiasm, he recounts the duo's "blossoming" and their "stories of friendship and fate, of history and harmony, of loss and love." In Worthington's world, the Sons of Town Hall are the greatest band that ever lived, and he has dedicated his life to documenting their illustrious history.

Crafting Fictional Backstories

The line between the real musicians and their fictional counterparts is sometimes porous, as the duo delights in fleshing out the make-believe world they've been sharing on stage and in their enchanting music videos. Berkeley's character, Josiah Chester Jones, was disowned by his Confederate father in Kentucky and fled as a stowaway to England, where he found his voice. Parker's alter-ego, George Ulysses Brown, comes from a long line of British butchers, a fact that is true in the real world as well.

Exploring Themes of Artistic Ambition and Self-Doubt

The podcast's narrative arc follows the misguided but determined journey of George and Josiah as they set out to find fame and fortune in America, cobbling together a ramshackle raft to cross the Atlantic. This quest for recognition and validation resonates with the real-life musicians, who acknowledge the challenges of getting noticed in today's crowded music landscape. By writing about themselves through the eyes of an adoring fan, they are able to explore themes of self-esteem and belief in their own work, while also inviting listeners to escape with them into another realm.

Blending Fact and Fiction in the Music

The podcast's musical component seamlessly integrates the fictional narratives with the real-life folk sound of Sons of Town Hall. The song "Wild Winds," for example, illuminates the backstories of Josiah and George, as they sing of their respective pasts and the circumstances that led them to meet in an English public house. Similarly, the track "How to Build a Boat" humorously details the random materials the duo uses to construct their raft, while also serving as a metaphor for the creative process and the "river" of music that the real-life musicians see as a constant companion.

Embracing the Theatrical and the Fantastical

The podcast's creators, Berkeley and Parker, draw inspiration from literary works like "Don Quixote," where the protagonists believe in a different reality than the one they actually inhabit. This sense of the theatrical and the fantastical permeates the "Madmen Cross the Water" narrative, as the duo's fictional counterparts embark on their hare-brained quest across the Atlantic. For the real-life musicians, this theatrical approach allows them to explore themes of artistic ambition, self-doubt, and the power of music to transport listeners to another realm.As the podcast continues to unfold, with Elias B. Worthington doggedly following the follies of the Sons of Town Hall, listeners are invited to join the duo on their transatlantic odyssey, where the lines between reality and imagination blur, and the pursuit of musical dreams takes center stage.