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On today’s episode of Across the Horizon, host Bob Holmes of the band SUSS is joined by Lara Somogyi. Lara is a harpist and composer who recently released an album a [time] patterned on Mercury KX Records. They talk about her new music as well as the playlist of ambient music that she brought to the show, including Ólafur Arnalds, Clarice Jensen, Steve Reich, Koki Nakano, and much more. Lara really takes Bob across the horizon into a whole new territory in this episode! 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 from the band SUSS finishes his conversation with Sarah Davachi from last week. Where the first part of their discussion focused on the titans of prog rock – Genesis, King Crimson, and Yes – this episode focuses on the fringes of the genre, including acts from Italy, Brazil, and Germany, as well as some of the solo ventures spawned by the bigger artists. And, finally, Bob gets to talk with Sarah about her latest minimalist masterpiece The Will of Tongues. 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 the band SUSS is joined by Canadian composer Sarah Davachi, who brings a playlist of her prog rock favorites including Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, and more. If you have wondered about the connections between neo-classical minimalism and ‘70s prog rock, this show is especially for you. Bob and Sarah also discuss the origins of her music as well as her latest triple album release, The Will of Tongues. For Flow State we’re revisiting Davachi’s latest release The Will of Tongues, which is truly something. But first we’re playing her 2021 LP, Antiphonals, which contains the track “Gradual of Image” which opens this episode. “When I was making that album,” she told Bob, “I would think to myself, this is like a prog song but just the keyboards. If you isolated the keyboard track and slowed it way down, this is what it would be like.” With today’s rec she extends her Flow State record of being featured in the newsletter eight times, though somehow we haven’t recommended Antiphonals before. Antiphonals - Sarah Davachi (44m, no vocals)Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal The Will of Tongues - Sarah Davachi (139m, choir vocals on a few tracks)Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal Have 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 first show of his 6th season, Bob Holmes of the band SUSS dedicates a whole episode to one of his favorite labels, Centripetal Force Records. Home to many of the artists that listeners hear on his podcast and radio show, Centripetal has one of the largest rosters of artists performing experimental, ambient, and instrumental music with an Americana bent. In this episode you will hear music and interviews with artists including Michael Hix (of the Nashville Ambient Ensemble), Tacoma Park, Prairiewolf, Kevin Coleman, Johnny Bell, and label owner Mike Mannix. As an extra bonus, each of the guests get to choose one of their favorite Centripetal Force artists to play and discuss. It’s an amazing hour of info and laughs from this unique music community. 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 co-host Brad Rose on to the show to play the inaugural edition of music "Jeopardy" – where Bob plays a musical segment and his co-host is asked to provide the correct question in response. Brad is a man of many talents, including musician, visual artist, label owner, music journalist for Foxy Digitalis, as well as a fellow music podcaster for a great series called “Songs of Our Lives," a podcast that Bob was recently on. Bob had such a good time on the show that he wanted to return the favor, as well as turn the tables on Brad. This episode includes a variety of experimental instrumental music, including More Eaze, Shane Parish, Lake Mary, Sarah Davachi, and 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

Host Bob Holmes of SUSS sits down with Animal Collective members Geologist (Brian Weitz) and Avey Tare (David Portner) to discuss their new instrumental electronic/acoustic duo Croz Boyce. Brian and David also bring along a playlist of music that inspired them from their Baltimore high school years, including Wendy Carlos, Apples in Stereo, Climax Golden Twins, Pink Floyd, The Cure, and much more. Their free-flowing conversation ranges from their love of horror films to music concrete and the band Pavement. 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

Recently, Bob Holmes of SUSS was on the Songs of our Lives podcast hosted by Brad Rose of Foxy Digitalis. Bob had a great time, and it was one of those occasions where over the course of an hour talking about music, complete strangers turned into good friends. They discussed SUSS's latest release, Counting Sunsets, as well as the Across the Horizon podcast and music series. They also talked about the music that continues to inspire Bob, including tracks by Glen Campbell, Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, David Bowie, Harry Nilsson, and many more. For this special edition, Bob has added the music that they discussed, which is something that Brad does not include on his show. 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 is joined by composer and multi-instrumentalist Chuck Johnson, one of the Curators in Vol. 2 of the Across the Horizon music series. In this episode they discuss his latest music as well as tracks from his guest artists Marielle V. Jakobsons and Cole Pulice. Chuck also features music from his DJ playlist that he performed at this year’s Across the Horizon night at Big Ears 2026, including Eiko Ishibashi, Natural Information Society, and Nina Keith. 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 by co-host Marisa Anderson, the Portland-based guitarist who just released The Anthology on UnAmerican Folk Music on Thrill Jockey Records. They discuss the new record, which was inspired by the personal record collection of Harry Smith, American polymath and major figure in the Beat movement. They also discuss a playlist from Marisa’s own collection including Fela Kuti, Kokoroko, Ennio Morricone, and others. 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, host Bob Holmes of SUSS welcomes back Mark Nelson aka Pan-American to discuss his latest album, Fly the Ocean in a Silver Plane. Mark brings a playlist of music he's recently discovered including Hoavi, Sam Wilkes, Dave Easley, and Elori Saxl. They also discuss recent collaborations that Mark has released with Chelsea Bridge and MIchael Grigoni. For Flow State, we’re listening to two recent Pan-American records. We’re first playing that new LP, which came out in March. Its tender ambient pieces are made up of elegant strings, multi-layered processed guitar lines, and field recordings. We’re also revisiting his 2024 collaboration with Kramer, Reverberations of Non-Stop Traffic on Redding Road, which we previously described as ghostly Americana, as if William Basinski or The Caretaker were handed a guitar. Fly the Ocean in a Silver Plane - Pan-American (38m, light vocals on tracks 2 and 10)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal Reverberations of Non-Stop Traffic on Redding Road - Pan-American & Kramer (50m, no vocals)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal Have 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 Across the Horizon, Bob Holmes of SUSS reconnects with co-hosts Rob Lowe and Michael A. Muller of Balmorhea for a discussion about their latest release in Vol. 2 of the Across the Horizon music series. Rob and Michael also curate a playlist of influences from their early years in Balmorhea, which is on the eve of its twentieth anniversary, including music from Bexar Bexar, Pullman, Rachel Grimes, Will Ackerman, and many more. The playlists from this episode are available here. For Flow State, we’re listening to two of Balmorhea’s albums released on Deutsche Grammophon. The Trap, their latest album, came out in August of last year, and is an original score for a film written and directed by Lena Headey (not the M. Night Shyamalan Trap). As they discuss on today’s episode, that record is just Rob and Michael playing keys and guitar together. We’re also playing The Wind from 2021, which features a range of accompanists including cellist Clarice Jensen. The Trap - Balmorhea (24m, no vocals)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal The Wind - Balmorhea (46m, spoken vocals on track 1)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal Have 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 Across the Horizon, host Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined in this episode by co-host Cynthia Bernard aka marine eyes. In addition to her prolific ambient output, Cynthia is also one of the curator artists in Vol. 2 of the Across the Horizon music series. In this episode, she discusses the music and artists that she brought to the series, as well as a playlist of ambient artists that have inspired her own music including Nancy Wilson, Amiina, Julianna Barwick, 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) speaks with artists featured at this year's Across the Horizon Showcase at Big Ears 2026. Pulled from interviews Bob has had over the last few years, the show features the music and artists who will be performing at this event, including Pan-American, Chuck Johnson, Hayden Pedigo, Gwenifer Raymond, Ken Pomeroy, Dave Harrington, Luke Schneider, Walt McClements and SUSS. 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 by his co-host, the cellist and composer Clarice Jensen, to discuss the music of her friends and mentors: Max Richter, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Stars of the Lid, and more. She also discusses her latest releases, including her submissions to the new Across the Horizon Vol. 2 series. 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 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 / Tidal Goldberg Variations (1981) - Glenn Gould (51m, no vocals)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Tidal What’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