Across the Horizon

On today’s episode of Across the Horizon, host Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined once again by David Moore in the second part of his two-part conversation. David’s known for his work with Bing & Ruth and Cowboy Sadness, as well as his collaborations with Steve Gunn and Stephanie Coleman. In part two, he brings along a beautiful set of solo piano pieces from artists including Debussy, Philip Glass, Dr. John, Brother Theotis, and more. He also discusses Graze the Bell, a collection of solo piano pieces he released last week on RVNG Intl.Flow State also posed a few questions to Moore over email about his musical journey generally and his work on Graze the Bell in particular – that conversation follows the streaming links. While playing Graze the Bell, listen for the influences he discussed with Bob on the two Across the Horizon episodes. We’re pairing the new record with one of those influences, Glenn Gould’s Goldberg Variations, specifically the 1981 version, recorded a year before he passed away.Graze the Bell - David Moore (48m, no vocals)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / TidalGoldberg Variations (1981) - Glenn Gould (51m, no vocals)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / TidalWhat’s your earliest memory of music?It’s really just flashes of many memories more than any complete one, and it’s not even that I remember it physically, but I do remember this feeling of being a tiny little thing and always bashing away on pots and pans. Apparently I had this compulsion to empty the kitchen cabinets and arrange everything in a big drum set on the floor. Just BANG BANG BANG. Bless my parents for putting up with it honestly. Maybe something that’s underappreciated is that behind a lot of drummers are very patient parents.How did you start playing piano? What was the first piano you played?I started playing the piano when I was six years old. I told my folks I wanted to learn, so one day I came home and we had a piano in the basement. That’s how they were. It was this little Kimball spinet that we traded up for a Yamaha a few years later. As for when I feel like I really started PLAYING the instrument, that was later. I was one of two drummers in my high school jazz band when the pianist, who was quite good, died tragically in a car accident in the middle of sophomore year. They needed someone to replace her, and the teacher knew I studied classical piano so he sort of volun-told me to switch instruments mid-year. I didn’t know anything about improvising or about jazz, but as I started learning I just became obsessed. That’s when everything changed. I had clarity. By the end of that year I had effectively quit playing the drumset and oriented my whole life and future around the piano. I still think about that girl almost every day. To be quite frank it’s been a heavy debt to carry.What were the early records or songs that pointed you in the musical directions you ultimately pursued in your solo work and as Bing & Ruth?The first time I heard Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” it was less like I was hearing music and more like I was learning about a whole new sense. Sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and… whatever this feeling was. It seems obvious, but the more you open yourself to being moved by music, the more you’ll get moved by music, and so it just kept happening. I found Bach, then Chopin and Debussy. Then as I got older and some of my mental health struggles started to present themselves, I had this whole special world I could go to for relief. By that point I also had McCoy Tyner and Bill Evans in the mix too. All this music became a ground to stand on when no other ground felt solid. Then, one day when I was 19 I stumbled into a Barnes & Noble in Kansas City and heard Steve Reich’s New York Counterpoint, and everything just immediately clicked into place. That’s when the whole thing became about developing this language, a voice to channel the emotive qualities of this more romantic and impressionistic piano music I had been drawn to with the motion and philosophies of minimalist composition. I’m still eating off that sandwich to be honest.The new record is solo piano. Tell us about the experiences and motivations around focusing on the instrument in this form.Every direction I have grown as a performer, composer, and human has come out of the piano specifically. It has always been this window through which I looked at and tried to make sense of the world, and it’s where almost everything I do musically starts and returns to. So for Graze the Bell, there’s something in me that feels like it’s important to honor that source, because in the end what I’m honoring when I do that is the human singular. So much of music and the performing arts more broadly is about interplay – a reaction sprouting from the space between us, but there is something so different about performing alone. It lets you explore more thoroughly the context of being truly “solo” – of swimming in those deeper pools, so to speak. There is no consensus. There is no compromise. You live and die by your honesty, and that’s kind of the only thing I’m interested in these days. It’s why there’s no overdubs on the record. Even those felt dishonest in this context.What was the process of composing and recording these pieces? How much planning was done in advance versus impromptu playing?A lot of how I approach recording an album is just experimenting with different processes to see what yields the best results for that particular body of music. For Graze the Bell, the songs were all in a sort of incomplete completeness, but almost in this way where, like, the racecar is not finished until the race completes it. In that spirit, the full piece was mostly put together, because for these songs and the nature of how exposed you are in a solo context, it felt important that I approached the sessions more as a pianist than a composer. It’s different brains. I don’t know if it’s like that for everyone but it is for me. Practically speaking this meant that while I was in the studio, instead of going song by song until I had a take, I would just play for long stretches, cycling through different songs, sometimes the same one a few times in a row but mostly jumping around and changing things here and there – altering forms and pacing and dynamics in the moment. I knew I had the record after a couple days of that, but it took a while to sift through everything.How do you discover new music these days? Any recent notable finds?I don’t know why I’m a little embarrassed to say this, but I use Shazam a lot. I try to keep my ears open and when I hear something I like I just point the robot at it. Living in a dense place like Brooklyn, especially on nice days you get all kinds of cool stuff from all over the world coming in through car windows, bluetooth speakers, etc. It’s just music everywhere. The most recent find was from a construction site on my block that was blasting this wild Malian stuff that had me in a FIT with an armful of groceries. Here’s the last few from my search history, starting with that:Ganda Fadiga - “Ouli Abidy Camara / El Geuje”Baba Rancho - “Viejo de Julio Aramburo la Bandononona”Jards Macalé - “Farinha do Desprezo”Snatam Kaur - “Ra Ma Da Sa”Name an underrated artist from the past 50 years.It’s got to be my favorite ambient artist Willamette. I don’t know much about them in a biographical sense, but they came on my radar via a friend a long time ago, and all three of their records are perfect. One in particular that deserves a highlight is called Always in Postscript. I was listening to that periodically over the years I was writing Bing & Ruth’s Tomorrow Was the Golden Age, and their sense of timing, texture, and movement are so profound. They are a bit more straight ahead ambient than the direction I ultimately wanted to go, but I like shouting them out whenever I can because they deserve more ears than I sense they’ve gotten. For me they’re shoulder to shoulder with SOTL, Basinski… all the genre greats.What are you working on next?Well… a lot! I need to keep busy. I noticed that I have these natural cycles with albums/projects where it’s about five years from seed to harvest, so my plate is usually full with things in different stages of that cycle. Next up will likely be quite a lot of new music from my jambient power trio Cowboy Sadness, and I have some plans to record more pump organ/fiddle duets with Stephanie Coleman this year. Beyond that it’s all still coming into focus. Always writing piano music. I’d like to do another Bing & Ruth record at some point too, but that feels like a ways off. I’m grateful though, because never in my whole life have I felt this creatively clear, and channeled it through a balanced work ethic (not just blasting through and burning out constantly). I’ve also been putting more attention on my own writing/newsletter. As the mechanisms for music discovery continue to be dominated by non-artistic paradigms, it feels more important than ever to cultivate your own garden, so to speak. On that note I’ll end by saying I deeply admire what Flow State has built. Thank you for elevating this shade of music, and thanks for having me involved. Super love peace. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

On today’s episode of Across the Horizon, Bob Holmes from SUSS is joined once again by composer and pianist David Moore (Bing & Ruth, Cowboy Sadness). In this first of two parts, they discuss deep listening and solo piano pieces, including artists Glenn Gould, Morton Feldman, Sergei Prokofiev, and Emahoy Guèbrou. Bob and David also discuss the music and recording process behind David's forthcoming album of solo piano works, Graze the Bell. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

On today’s episode of Across the Horizon, Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined in this episode by co-host Six Missing aka TJ Dumser. Dumser is best known for his ambient and soundscape work, as well as his collaborations with Patrik Berg Almkvisth, Foam and Sand, Robert Koch and B9. One of his latest collaborations was with SUSS, which they discuss in this episode. Most surprisingly, TJ brings along a playlist of music that inspired his initial love for performing including Pink Floyd, Phish, Grateful Dead, Nels Cline, The Allman Bros., and many more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

On today’s episode of Across the Horizon, host Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined once again by Stephen Brower, Head of Music, US for Amazon Music and, more specifically, the curator of the “Cosmic Strings” playlist on Amazon Music. They list their favorite artists and music from 2025, including William Tyler, Steve Gunn, Julianna Barwick, Hayden Pedigo, Gwenifer Raymond, Mary Lattimore and many, many more. All Across the Horizon episode playlists are now available here.For Flow State we’re listening to two of the records highlighted in this conversation. First we’re playing Luke Schneider and Jamie Lidell’s collaboration from October, A Companion for the Spaces Between Dreams. We’ve featured Schneider’s work before, including his August record, For Dancing In Quiet Light. We’re also playing Patterner by Golden Brown, an ambient country record rooted in acoustic guitar with many effects applied to create atmosphere.A Companion for the Spaces Between Dreams - Luke Schneider & Jamie Lidell (44m, no vocals)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / TidalPatterner - Golden Brown (44m, no vocals)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / TidalHave a great Wednesday. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

In the latest episode of the Across the Horizon podcast (formerly Ambient Country), host Bob Holmes (of SUSS) is joined by guitarist and folklorist Jake Fussell and his collaborator James Elkington who discuss their latest release, the soundtrack score to the film Rebuilding. Jake and Jim discuss their inspirations, including classic soundtracks from Angelo Badalamenti, Ry Cooder, Bruce Langhorne, and Daniel Lanois. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

Bob Holmes of SUSS invites Woody Jackson to be this episode's co-host. He's best known for his game soundtrack work for RockStar Games' Red Dead Redemption and its follow-up, which broke all opening weekend revenue records for any movie, TV show or game release. The Spaghetti Western soundtrack for RDR2 is now considered a classic of the genre. Woody also brings a wide playlist of music, including music from Ennio Morricone, Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot, Ry Cooder as well as some of his own recent work . But most importantly, Woody brings a lifetime of stories – the likes of which you've never heard. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

In Part 2 of his conversation with Marc Byrd, one of the founders of ambient & post-rock pioneers Hammock, Bob Holmes of SUSS talks with Marc about his early days with Hammock as well as the music of Slow Meadow, Peter Broderick, Holly Kenniff and many more. In this episode they also take a deep emotional dive into the music and  inspirations behind Hammock’s latest Release "Nevertheless." This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

For the launch of Season 5, Bob has renamed the Ambient Country podcast to Across the Horizon to better reflect the wide expanse of music that he has been featuring on his show. The new name also aligns with the music series and NTS show. In this episode, Bob invited Marc Byrd of the Nashville-based band Hammock. Together with his band-mate Andrew Thompson, Marc created a new genre of music that floats somewhere between ambient and post-rock. In this episode they discuss Marc’s influences, like The Church and The Cure, as well as music from his playlist including Idaho, Stars of the Lid, Josh Varnedore, and Luminette. Bob also features tracks from Hammock's most recent album, Nevertheless. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

In the Season 4 Finale of Ambient Country, Bob Holmes of SUSS brings back guitarist William Tyler for part two of the discussion that they started in Episode 49. Not only do they discuss his latest release Time Indefinite, but also his recent collaboration with Julianna Barwick for the Across the Horizon music series. They also discuss the music of Joni Mitchell, Genesis, Kraftwerk, and more. William's playlist for an apocalyptic road trip across the US takes a lot of detours, so get ready for a wild ride. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

In celebration of his last episode of Season 4 of Ambient Country, Bob Holmes of SUSS invites co-host William Tyler to the show, where he debuts his new music from the Across the Horizon series, including collaborations with Claire Rousay and Julianna Barwick. They also discuss his genre defying recent album Time Indefinite as well as career defying tracks from artists like Brian Eno, Joni Mitchell, Genesis, Kraftwerk and many more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

Bob Holmes (of SUSS) is joined by co-host Walt McClements as he takes listeners on a tour de force of international accordion music. Walt plays tracks from Narciso Martinez and Steve Jordan, as well as little known works from Macedonia, Switzerland, and Holland. The episode also features Walt's recent contributions to the Across the Horizon series, including works by Natalia Beylis and Yara Asmar. We also feature the work of Walt from his recent release On a Painted Ocean. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

In today’s episode, Bob Holmes from SUSS is joined by co-host David Moore (Bing & Ruth, Cowboy Sadness) as they spend the hour talking about musical "blind spots." Every artist believes that their creativity is influenced by the music that they've listened to in their past, but in this episode Bob and David make a good case for the music that you've missed along the way being just as important as the music you were paying attention to. This episode's musical "blind spots" include Bowie, Eno, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, and many more. The episode also features sneak peeks at the new David Moore submissions to the Across the Horizon music series, including tracks from Cowboy Sadness and a collaboration with Stephanie Coleman. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

In today’s episode, Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by co-host East Forest in the second part of this two-part episode. They discuss his music, his influences, and the approach to his psychedelic ceremonial practices. In addition to a great playlist of influences including Sigur Rós, loscil, and Aphex Twin, Bob & East discuss ambient music and robots; the danger of genres; and the benefits of putting a bed in your recording studio.East has extended his invention to all listeners of Ambient Country to enjoy his feature-length documentary "Music for Mushrooms" for free. Enjoy using this link for the next 10 days: http://eastforest.org/acrossthehorizon2 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

Host Bob Holmes of SUSS welcomes co-host East Forest to the first of a two-part episode. East is the internationally known musician, producer, speaker, and ceremony guide, probably best known for his recent full-length film and album titled Music for Mushrooms. East discusses his music and film, but also brings along a playlist of music that has inspired his wellness music and practice. As an Ambient Country listener, you can screen the Music For Mushrooms documentary for free from now until June 26. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

Host Bob Holmes of SUSS plays music and interviews from artists that SUSS played with at this year's SXSW music festival in Austin, TX. Those include neo-folk rockers Frail Talk and Little Mazarn; cosmic country kratutrockers Garrett T. Capps and NASA Country; singer/songwriter Jerry David DeCicca; ambient composer SixMissing; and SUSS collaborators Immersion. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

In this episode of Ambient Country, host Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by the artists who took part in the 4-day Across the Horizon programming at Big Ears in Knoxville, TN. The episode includes interviews and music from Michael Rother (Neu! and Harmonia), harpist Mary Lattimore, composer Clarice Jensen, Alan Sparhawk (Low), Marisa Anderson, David Moore (Cowboy Sadness) and Yuka Honda. Recapture the magic of Big Ears! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

Today’s episode of Ambient Country is a special episode dedicated to the artists performing in the Across the Horizon showcases at this year's Big Ears Festival, including Chuck Johnson, Clarice Jensen, Rachika Nayar, Cowboy Sadness, Mary Lattimore, Marisa Anderson, William Tyler, Eucademix, and SUSS. Taken from recent and past episodes, the music is discussed by Stelth Ulvang (The Lumineers), Mark Nelson (Pan-American), Luke Schneider, Dave Harrington (Darkside) and many more. We’re listening to the Across the Horizon, Vol. 1 compilation that features the artists above. You can listen to the playlist of music featured in this episode on on Spotify or Amazon Music. Finally, check out the recent Across the Horizon show on NTS Radio.Across the Horizon, Vol. 1 - Various Artists (49m, mostly light vocals on tracks 2, 3, and 12)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / TidalHave a great Wednesday. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

On today’s episode of Ambient Country, Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by co-host Stelth Ulvang of The Lumineers and Heavy Gus. They discuss his recent contributions to the Across the Horizon music series, as well as music from his playlist including Marisa Anderson & Jim White, Dirty Three, Frail Talk, Nick Jaina, Slyne and the Family Stoned, Little Mazarn, Olivia Kaplan & Hand Habits, Mojave 3, and many more.We’re listening to two records that Bob and Stelth discuss on the podcast. Dirty Three, an Australian band that plays a kind of jambient style, has been putting out records since the early ‘90s. We’re playing their latest LP, Love Changes Everything, which came out in June 2024. Scenic is another group that formed in the ‘90s, led by guitarist Bruce Licher who also started the punk band Savage Republic. Scenic’s 1995 LP, Incident at Cima, is a post-rock record whose minor-key, reverbed style evokes the ruggedness and gravitas of the open desert.Love Changes Everything - Dirty Three (41m, no vocals)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / TidalIncident at Cima - Scenic (42m, no vocals)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / TidalHave a great Wednesday. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

Host Bob Holmes of the ambient country band SUSS is joined by Portland, Oregon guitarist Marisa Anderson to discuss her influences as well as her recent releases for the Across the Horizon music series. Marisa brings an eclectic playlist of music including Nicolas Jaar, Charlie Parr, Nils Okland, Dirty Three, Gustavo Santaolalla, and many more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe

Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by co-host Dave Harrington of Darkside to discuss Dave's music, his latest releases with Yuka Honda & Nicole McCabe for the Across the Horizon music series and the music that's been exciting him lately, like dub, Japanese American Primitive music, Jerry Garcia, SexMob and so much more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.flowstate.fm/subscribe