Otherworld - Episode 152: "Phantom Channel"

Release Date: January 19, 2026
Host: Jack Wagner

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jack Wagner explores the intersection of the DIY music scene and the paranormal. Listeners are treated to two stories by musicians embedded in DIY spaces—places already brimming with oddities and intense experiences, making supernatural occurrences just another strange layer. The first tale comes from Beau, a Toronto-based producer who encounters something unexplainable while recording in a rural barn. The second, lighter in tone but equally eerie, unravels the story of a Massachusetts punk house intervention with chaos magic and an unexpected musical haunting.

Story One: Haunting at the Barn – Beau’s Experience (Toronto)

Timestamps: 03:58–23:11

Key Points

• Beau's Background:
  Beau introduces himself as a seasoned music producer and audio engineer in Toronto, immersed in the DIY scene at his home/venue, "the Arcade" (03:58).

• The Crocus Band Project:

  • Crocus, a shoegaze/doom-gaze band including Beau’s roommate Tim, plans to record a 4-song EP in a rural barn.
  • The barn is described as large, historic, filled with antique furniture, and often used as a local venue.

• The Setup and First “Vibes”:

  • Beau, not claiming psychic powers, mentions distinctly sensing the place’s energy, especially near storage spaces.
  • "It didn't feel weird or in a distressing way. It just felt like we were guests in this very old space." (09:17)

• The Phantom Murmurs (11:30–15:10):

  • While tracking guitars, Beau and bassist Jess hear unintelligible murmuring in their headphones, akin to a distant conversation in a house's vents.
  • "That's the best impression I can give. Like, you know when you hear a conversation that's happening on a different floor... but it's just quiet enough that you can't make it out." (13:02)
  • The phenomenon is checked for typical audio interference and ruled out; only Beau and Jess hear it, and it does not appear in the recorded tracks.

• The Shadow Figure Encounter (16:25–18:34):

  • With most band members out, only Beau, Jess, and singer Jesse remain as they record vocals for a powerful, emotionally charged song.
  • Beau glimpses a movement: "It just looks like this eight or nine foot hooded or sort of cowled shadow is just standing there. The closest comparison I can make is it looks like a shrouded sort of Nazgul type of figure from Lord of the Rings." (16:50)
  • The apparition is solid, “physically there,” and zips into a corner when noticed.
  • Jess, seeing Beau’s reaction, says:
    • "You look like you saw a ghost. You're so pale. Are you okay?" (18:34)
    • Beau: “I think I did.” (18:44)

• Aftermath and Response:

  • Beau approaches the spot, addresses the presence respectfully, and requests not to be interrupted so they can finish.
  • The session continues without further incident.
  • Studio owner later shares, "we've had some stuff, but that's sort of a cut above the rest... we haven't gotten a lot of visible appearances." (20:40)

Notable Quotes

• "I'm realizing I'm having a supernatural or paranormal experience in this moment. And my first thought is, well, I don't want to ruin the vocal take..." – Beau (17:35)
• "It was so emotional. I haven't been back. I would be curious to go back. I'm maybe a little nervous." – Beau (22:23)

Story Two: The Phantom Jam – Chaos Magic and "Ramona" in Massachusetts

Timestamps: 25:30–40:24

Key Points

• Setting the Stage:

  • Story from 2019, two friends (Xavier and Connor) recount an incident in a Massachusetts punk house (27:04).

• Summoning "Ramona":

  • Housemates Colin and Becca perform a chaos magic ritual (making a "servitor"—a ghost meant to help write songs).
  • The ritual includes drawing a sigil and chanting, “Ramana, Tihase, Ramona.”
  • "One way to charge its energy is the chant, and the other is just to play music." (29:32)

• Phantom Music in the Night (31:01–33:46):

  • At 3–4 am, after everyone has gone to bed, four housemates on the first floor hear a plugged-in bass playing a bluesy line—none of them are playing.
  • Simultaneously, others on separate floors hear drums, not bass.
  • "And so me, Connor, Joe and Sean all heard someone plug a bass into an amp and start playing, like, kind of a bluesy bass line... we just thought nothing of it and went to sleep." – Xavier (31:22)
  • Next morning, confusion reigns as everyone realizes no one played instruments. The sounds heard differ by floor.

• Postscript and Escalating Weirdness (34:29–39:43):

  • The chaos magic friends are startled—this is the first time their ritual "worked."
  • Connor shares lore about their social circle, including a friend—Jay—with disturbing occult interests, culminating in a goat sacrifice to make a necklace “to bring him closer to Satan.”
  • The ritual group stopped their magical experiments after this; the "Ramona" event is the first since.

• The Recurring Phantom and House Lore:

  • Xavier: “I think it's just stuck in the punk house or something because every time I try to sleep there, it happens.” (39:43)
  • The episode ends with the suggestion of nightly chants and hopes of recording the entity.

Notable Quotes

• "But it was going on for, like, a while. Like, I think I fell asleep to it." – Xavier (32:01)
• "Everyone in the house heard something. It was just the people in the basement and on the second floor heard drumming and on the first floor it was just bass." – Connor (33:46)
• "I always just thought that was so unsettling, the thought of trying to summon something almost as a joke for fun and then it unexpectedly working in such an eerie way." – Jack Wagner (40:24)

Memorable Moments & Quotes with Timestamps

• Beau describes the barn’s energy:
  “It just felt like we were guests in this very old space.” (09:17)
• The shadow figure revealed:
  “It just looks like this eight or nine foot hooded or sort of cowled shadow...the closest comparison I can make is...a shrouded sort of Nazgul.” – Beau (16:50)
• Xavier’s reaction to chaos magic:
  “Colin and Becca at it again with the chaos magic stuff. Nothing much is gonna happen.” – Connor (29:16)
• Phantom band practice:
  “Me, Connor, Joe, and Sean all heard someone plug into bass...but we definitively, all four of us heard someone plug into bass.” – Xavier (31:22, 33:36)
• Unexpected conclusion:
  “This took a very, very strange turn from an already strange place.” – Jack Wagner (39:31)

Episode Themes & Takeaways

• Intersection of Ordinary and Paranormal:
  • In spaces already prone to chaos and creativity, genuinely unexplainable events seem both at home and uniquely unsettling.
• Effect of Context:
  • For both groups, the chaotic, communal living and music environments heighten the sense of blurred boundaries between the bizarre, the artistic, and the supernatural.
• Respect and Response:
  • Beau’s respectful confrontation with the unknown in the barn stands in contrast to the more playful approach in the Massachusetts story, but both reinforce a recurring motif: the supernatural often echoes the energy and intent of its context.

Key Segments

• Intro & DIY scene primer: 00:41–03:15
• Beau's barn recording story: 03:58–23:11
• Transition to chaos magic tale: 25:30–27:04
• Xavier & Connor’s punk house haunting: 27:04–40:24

Final Reflections

Jack closes the episode reflecting on the unsettling power of approaching the paranormal casually, only for it to assert itself in visceral, inexplicable ways. The stories showcase the wild overlap between DIY culture’s everyday surreality and moments that truly defy rational explanation.

For listeners seeking haunted house chills, weird band house hijinks, and thoughtful engagement with the inexplicable, this episode delivers both laughs and shivers—often in the same story.