Aaron Mahnke plans to remind audiences that sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction.
This Halloween, the BRAVO! series brings Aaron Mahnke, creator of the LORE podcast, and his collaborator Chad Lawson to the de Jong Concert Hall’s stage for their only 2018 live performance.
LORE’s content is fitting for the Halloween performance date. The podcast’s first released episode was focused entirely on myths and real-life stories that form the basis of our modern conception of vampires and following episodes have ranged in subject from werewolves to real-life murderers.
“I personally stumbled upon Lore on a road trip to the Grand Canyon,” Bridget Benton, producer of the BRAVO! Series said. “I came to love Aaron Mahnke’s ability to delve into history, and weave stories surrounding historical events involving the macabre, bizarre and paranormal.”
“For me, scary stories go back to grade school, probably about fifth grade,” Mahnke said in a 2017 interview with the Los Angeles Times. “I remember having a writing teacher and, probably in early October, she assigned us a short story we had to hand-write. So, I wrote a scary story because that’s what I was interested in, and that love has stayed with me ever since.”
Mahnke’s love of eerie myths and world folklore has developed into a successful career. LORE, which was originally conceived as a marketing tool for Mahnke’s novels, has been an iTunes staple for years. The podcast has won multiple iTunes podcast awards, has been recognized and recommended by publications such as The Atlantic and Entertainment Weekly and over 5 million loyal listeners.
The brand itself has started to expand beyond the podcast as well. Amazon signed Mahnke on for an anthology LORE television series, and the podcast also spawned a “World of LORE” book series. He toured throughout the country with with a live show in 2017, performing at venues throughout the United States. Though Mahnke and Lawson had planned to take a break from live performances in 2018 to prepare for another live tour in 2019, they’ve decided to make an exception for the BRAVO! Series.
Composer and pianist Chad Lawson accompanied Mahnke on his 2017 tour and produces music for the podcast, as well. Lawson, who has multiple #1 releases, has been featured on CBS’s Sunday Morning and NPR’s All Things Considered and his music has been featured on hit TV shows like “The Walking Dead” and “Vampire Diaries.” Currently, he is arranging music for the Amazon LORE TV show.
Mahnke and Lawson will perform this Halloween at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be bought online or at the Harris Fine Arts Center’s Ticket Office.