Music Is Art Podcast

How does being in the same room—feeding off each other’s energy in real time—elevate the creative process? And what happens when two very different unique musical voices blend together, creating something new and beautiful? This episode, we’re joined by Ambient Electronic veteran Deborah Martin and renowned oboist and multi-instrumentalist Jill Haley for a discussion about their upcoming collaborative album “Rendering Time.” We discuss the magic of co-creating in studio together, the seamless blending of acoustic and synthetic sounds from distinct artistic worlds, moments of discovery, and what these elements might reveal about the listening experience. Listen in on this Interview Edition: // 00:00 – Intro 02:27 – Surprising intersection of unique musical paths 10:14 – Rendering Time is a little different than The Silence of Grace, Into The Quiet 17:50 – “Rendering Time” – What’s with the name? 25:29 – Working together in the studio 41:02 – Deer hooves, primordial howling and other things outside the comfort zone 45:15 – Changed by working together 52:00 – What can listeners expect to hear on Rendering Time? 54:55 – Track-by-track conceptual focus 01:01:00 – Wrap up // Music Preview – Rendering Time 01:02:01 – Deborah Martin & Jill Haley | From Source | Rendering Time 01:07:36 – Deborah Martin & Jill Haley | Soaring | Rendering Time 01:11:14 – Deborah Martin & Jill Haley | Secrets of the Talking Trees | Rendering Time – Video Edition >

Drifting in with the warmth of the season, our Summer 2025 CMX is a continuous mix born of sun-drenched days, still waters, and the golden hush of twilight. These handpicked tracks flow through light and shadow — a soundtrack for lingering July afternoons and the quiet pull of the August night. As the sky deepens and the stars emerge, let this mix accompany your search for wonder, reflection, and the unseen magic that stirs just beneath the surface. // 00:00 – Intro / VO / Mark Rownd | At the Edge of Calm Waters – II | Painting Twilight 01:41 – Deborah Martin, Greg Klamt & Mark Rownd | Shimmers | Convergence 09:37 – AeTopus | Sunny | iota 15:45 – Darshan Ambient | Acre of Sun | Autumn’s Apple 22:20 – John Gregorius | The Expansive Sky | Full Of Life 27:48 – Matthew Stewart | A World Bathed In Sunlight | A World Bathed In Sunlight 32:52 – Jeff Greinke | A Stretch of Sun | Other Weather 37:16 – Craig Padilla & Marvin Allen | Sunflowers in the Wind | Weathering the Storm 41:45 – Ben Cox | Grebe | On Water 50:17 – Tom Eaton | The Slow River | How It Happened 59:00 – Dark Sky Alliance | Warm Inlet | Interdwell 01:05:11 – David Helpling | Waves Dream of Breaking | IN 01:12:16 – Northcore | Nocturne | Desatero 01:17:43 – Rudy Adrian | Moonlit Beach (for Jeff) | As Dusk Becomes Night 01:22:38 – Chronotope Project | The Scent of Evening Flowers | Dawn Treader 01:29:28 – Darshan Ambient | Lingering Day | Lingering Day: Anatomy Of A Daydream 01:35:46 – Erik Wøllo | Summer Tommorow | Guitar Nova 01:38:33 – Jon Jenkins | Zzyzx Road | Beyond City Light – Video Edition >

June and the beginning of summer bring warmer temperatures. So warm, in fact, that the intense heat wave we’ve had here at SPM NE has us sheltering in the AC of the studio where we’ve been spending the month thinking about Improvisation. How do artists think about those moments of uncertainty and unexpected opportunity? Do some artists embrace it only when it results in something great, or do they make it a core part of their creative process? This episode, we’re joined by recording artists Howard Givens, Craig Padilla and Eric Jensen (otherwise known as Massergy) for a discussion about improvisation, spontaneity, “happy accidents,” the space between the notes – and what all of that teaches them about themselves as artists and humans. Listen in on this Interview Edition: // 00:00 – Intro 00:42 – Welcome / VO 03:09 – Introductions 04:10 – Improv / Spontaneity in the creative process: Craig Padilla 05:50 – Improv / Spontaneity in the creative process: Eric Jensen 10:30  – Improv / Spontaneity in the creative process: Howard Givens 17:50 – “Happy Accidents” and mistakes leading to new ideas 22:22 – Inspiration from film and acting (h/t to Kubrik) 24:04 – Create for yourself, not results (h/t to Rick Rubin) 27:10 – Improvisation’s “elastic” structure 29:05 – “The blank canvas” (music vs visual) 32:57 – The spiritual aspect of collaboration in the flow state 37:48 – Creating music in nature (watch out for owls) 41:58 – What makes a piece finished? 47:29 – In the ear of the listener 53:35 – The gift of Craig’s Holiday house performances (and the limitations) 59:34 – What has improvisation taught you? 01:05:15 – Lightening Round 1: Name a track – Craig (Howard Givens & Craig Padilla: A Step Achieved) 01:06:55 – Lightening Round 1: Name a track – Eric (Massergy: Fire Opal) 01:08:38 – Lightening Round 1: Name a track – Howard (Brain Laughter: The Other Side (of Night)) 01:13:14 – What it teaches us about being human 01:17:51 – Lightning Round 2: Name one thing that inspires (gear or not) – Howard: Everything 01:20:50 – Lightning Round 2: Name one thing that inspires (gear or not) – Craig: Modular synths 01:22:42 – Lightning Round 2: Name one thing that inspires (gear or not) – Eric: The process itself // More from Howard Givens: https://spottedpeccary.com/artists/howard-givens/ More from Craig Padilla: https://spottedpeccary.com/artists/craig-padilla/ More from Massergy: https://spottedpeccary.com/artists/massergy/ – Video Edition >

May is Mental Health Awareness Month — and it’s also when we celebrate Mother’s Day. That got us thinking about the deeply emotional, nurturing music created by the women on the Spotted Peccary label. It doesn’t feel like a coincidence. So this month, we’re kicking off a new series called Critical Listening to explore that connection. In Critical Listening, we’ll explore music through the lens of themes, ideas and concepts all drawn from the music in our deep catalog. For this first episode, we’re highlighting the women of Spotted Peccary — their rich, expressive music and its ability to quiet the mind and offer a break from the chaos of everyday life. We’ll hear music from Deborah Martin, Madhavi Devi (Cheryl Gallagher), Jill Haley and Catherine Marie Charlton. // 00:00 – Intro / VO 02:23 – Deborah Martin | Aurora | Under The Moon 06:57 – About Deborah Martin 07:42 – Deborah Martin | Metamorphic | Eye Of The Wizard 14:49 – Deborah Martin | Blue Lake | Deep Roots, Hidden Water – 21:29 – About Madhavi Devi (Cheryl Gallagher) 22:33 – Madhavi Devi | Jade Breeze | The Truth Of Being 33:48 – Madhavi Devi | Breakthrough | The Truth Of Being – 38:38 – About Jill Haley 39:35 – Deborah Martin & Jill Haley | Earth Stone Water Sky | The Silence Of Grace 42:23 – Deborah Martin & Jill Haley | Into The Quiet | Into The Quiet – 50:40 – Deborah Martin & Cheryl Gallagher | Seeker and Sought | Tibet (20th Anniversary Remaster) – 57:40 – About Catherine Marie Charlton 58:40 – Weingarten-Charlton | Refuge | Where There Is Light 01:01:11 – Weingarten-Charlton | 5 AM | Where There Is Light – Video Edition > – Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month National Organizations Mental Health America (MHA): https://mhanational.org/ National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): https://www.nami.org/ National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): https://www.nimh.nih.gov/  Helplines and Crisis Support:  National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 NAMI HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)  Online Resources: FindTreatment.gov: https://findtreatment.gov/ SAMHSA National Helpline: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline Mental Health First Aid: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/ 

We welcome Spotted Peccary recording artists and collaborators David Helpling and Eric “the” Taylor to the podcast, along with photographer, creator and teacher David Behringer to talk about the amazing macro-photography and video he contributed to their latest release, The Precious Dark. We dive deep into David Behringer’s macro-photography approach on the streets of Nagoya, Japan, and geek-out over how the visual and musical aspects of projects impact one another. We also tangent to talk about the love/hate we have for AI, Behringer’s Instagram stardom, and the time Helpling and Taylor spent in the studio creating their recent record. // 00:00 – Intro / VO 01:41 – The Setup | SPM / “Music Is Art” and why the visuals matter 04:39 – The Precious Dark: concept and visuals 09:09 – David Behringer’s photography background and the macro approach 16:00 – The photos as a “Deep Viewing” experience vs music as “Deep Listening” experience 19:00 – The   “Produced Entirely by Humans” ethos 23:17 – The “AI factor” 25:11 – The Listening Party experience 30:05 – The Dark Sky Alliance connection 31:15 – Working together in Deep Exile 36:12 – Differing opinions / unique perspectives / learning from each other 37:29 – How it started vs how it’s going 41:27 – “Your images look like my music” – better call mom. 42:47 – “The Precious Dark” video: telling the story thru David Behringer’s lens 48:50 – Gratitude for new eyes and ears / leaving a legacy 51:40 – The “Instagram factor” – David Behringer blew up my phone 53:07 – The music and visuals are forever connected through love 56:35 – Immersion colors mindsets, neon synthwave and getting lost in the “atmosphere” 01:03:28 – Studio session twister, cussing and “chasing the truth” 01:05:29 – Collective creative spirit and our precious time 01:07:16 – Bi-coastal / global / dimensional time travel via small magical moments 01:11:45 – Feeling the air move and experiencing the music with your whole self 01:13:52 – Favorite track picks: David Helpling – We Rise In A Harmonious System (excerpt) 01:16:16 – Favorite track picks: Eric “the” Taylor – The Ice Has Dreams (excerpt) 01:18:24 – Favorite track picks: David Behringer – The Precious Dark (excerpt) 01:22:23 – The Digital Booklet 01:26:27 – What’s next? More music? Interviews? — Get The Precious Dark > Download the Digital Booklet > Follow David Behringer on Instagram > — Video Edition >