Bob Holmes from SUSS is joined by co-hosts Mark Nelson (Pan-American), Mallory Linehan (Chelsea Bridge), and Melissa Guion (MJ Guider) – the artists who are providing the first three releases in the Across the Horizon music series that Bob is launching on Northern Spy Records. This episode gives an exclusive sneak peak of their tracks, which will be released on September 4. Mark, Mallory, and Melissa also share the music they’ve been listening to lately, including Myriam Gendron, Sam Wilkes, Guests and many more.

On today’s episode of the Ambient Country podcast, Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by his co-host David Pajo (Slint, Tortoise, Papa M, Gang of Four) to discuss Pajo’s early influences including Arvo Pärt, Popol Vuh, Miles Davis, ZZ Top, Harmonia, and many more.

You can listen to the music recommended on this show on Spotify or Amazon Music.

Known as the guitarist for ‘90s outfits Slint and Tortoise, Pajo has also created eclectic solo music, much of which is instrumental. We’re playing two of Pajo’s albums released under the name Papa M. First we’re playing A Broke Moon Rises from 2018, which is five acoustic guitar-led instrumentals, ending with an amazing cover of Arvo Pärt’s “Spiegel im Spiegel.” Second up is 1999’s Live from a Shark Cage, which features lofi, freeform guitar recordings with the occasional drum machine.

A Broke Moon Rises - Papa M (40m, no vocals)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Live from a Shark Cage - Papa M (60m, spoken vocals on track 7)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Have a great Wednesday.

PS: Bob’s band, SUSS, just launched their own newsletter – subscribe here.

In this episode, Bob Holmes from SUSS takes the listener on a journey through the Nashville ambient scene, including music and interviews with artists including Luke Schneider, Hammock, Rich Ruth, Eve Maret, Belly Full of Stars, Joseph Allred and many more.

Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by his co-hosts Pat Irwin and Jonathan Gregg of SUSS, along with Andrew Tuttle to discuss their musical influences, particularly as they apply to their recent Longform Editions release of "Rising." They discuss the music of Aaron Copland, Oneohtrix Point Never, Ry Cooder, Matmos and many more.

Hosted by Bob Holmes from SUSS, Ambient Country explores the wide landscape of instrumental music. This episode features Colin Newman (Wire) and Malka Spigel (Minimal Compact) and their most recent project Immersion. This episode features music that inspires them including Popol Vuh, Felbm, Steve Reich, Mdou Moctar, SUSS and many more. 

In this episode, we explore the wide range of Cosmic Americana music. Co-hosted by Lara Bennett from Petal Motel, we feature instrumental artists from her new album release, "Compassion: a Petal Motel Compilation for Human Rights" which is a benefit project for the National Network of Abortion Funds. Some of the artists featured on this episode include Seawind of Battery, The Royal Arctic Institute, The Howard Hughes Suite, Droneroom, Bobby Lee, SUSS and many more.

Hosted by Bob Holmes of SUSS, Ambient Country explores the wide variety of instrumental music. This episode is co-hosted by Blake Conley of Droneroom as he guides listeners through the hinterlands of ambient country, including tracks by Date Palms, Pete Fosco, Departure Street, Cortege, Black Duck and many more. 

In this episode, Bob Holmes from SUSS amd his special co-hosts Patrick McDermott and Barry Walker, Jr. go on a wild ride through ambient coiuntry as they play music from Steve Tibbets, yes/and, Papa M, Tony Rice, John Hartford, SUSS and tracks from their band North Americans. 

This is part 2 of our two-part podcast with the musician Mark Nelson of Pan-American and Labradford., where he talks about his music and influences, as well as a few new favorites, including artists like Michael Grigoni, Walt McClements, More Eaze, SUSS and many more. 

In this episode, Bob Holmes from SUSS is joined by Mark Nelson, of Pan-American where they discuss artists as wide-ranging as Duke Ellington, David Lynch, Brother Oswald, Perila, Vinnie Bell & Rachika, as well as his own music. Part 1 of a two-part conversation. 

This is the first part of a two-part interview where Bob Holmes of SUSS speaks with Steve Gunn and David Moore about their recent collaboration as well as their work with other artists, including David's Bing & Ruth. They also bring along an amazing playlist of artists, including Hayden Pedigo, Charlie Christian, Frantz Casseus, Willamette and many more.

In this second part of our two-part episode, Bob Holmes from SUSS discusses music and influences with Steve Gunn & David Moore. They also play tracks from their latest release as well as from Bing & Ruth, the Gunn Truscinski Nace Trio, Angelo Badalamenti, Smoke Dawson, SUSS and much more.  

Bob Holmes from SUSS is joined by his bandmates Jonathan Gregg and Pat Irwin. They discuss their influences including Brian Eno, Bill Frisell, Pauline Oliveros, David Pajo, and more.

Bob Holmes from SUSS plays and talks about some of his favorite artists and music in the genres of instrumental new folk, Americana, electronic, experimental, soundscapes and cosmic psychedelia, including Chuck Johnson, Hayden Pedigo, North Americans, Andrew Tuttle, SUSS, and many more.

SUSS's newsletter is now live on Substack! The "SussStack" is the place to be for updates on everything going on in SUSS' world! Be sure to subscribe to get a peek at our first post for tour updates, future Ambient Country episodes, and general SUSS happenings.

Also: Northern Spy Records and Bob Holmes, member of SUSS and host of the Ambient Country Podcast, have created Across the Horizon with the goal of emulating the kind of discovery that happens when artists sit down to chat about their influences.

Hosted by Bob Holmes of SUSS, this podcast explores the new sounds of instrumental folk, Americana, ambient, electronic, soundscapes and cosmic psychedelia, featuring artists Kaki King, Warren Ellis, Yo La Tengo, Bexar Bexar, yes/and, Tim Hecker, SUSS, Tony Kinman, and more.

SUSS's newsletter is now live on Substack! The "SussStack" is the place to be for updates on everything going on in SUSS' world! Be sure to subscribe to get a peek at our first post for tour updates, future Ambient Country episodes, and general SUSS happenings.

Hosted by Bob Holmes of SUSS, this episode explores the new sounds of instrumental folk, Americana, ambient, electronic, soundscapes and cosmic psychedelia, featuring artists Saariselka, Droneroom, Stars of the Lid, Canadian Not Canadian, Adeline Hotel, Boards of Canada, SUSS and many more.

(Repost) Hosted by Bob Holmes of SUSS, this episode explores a crop of new ambient guitarists, as well as musicians using non-traditional instrumentation to create ambient music. We also explore some of the roots of ambient country in a selection of soundtrack scores, featuring artists like Hayden Pedigo, Steve Gunn, Jeff Parker, Hammock, SUSS and many more.

This is the premier episode of the Ambient Country series. Originally published in January 2022, thisepisode features host Bob Holmes from the band SUSS discussing his inspirations and influences. Artists include Chuck Johnson, Yasmin Williams, Brian Eno, Ennio Morricone, Nine Inch Nails, Hammock and many more!

This is the second installment in the Ambient COuntry series, featuring Bob Holmes of SUSS, where he explores the best instrumentral music in the genre of ambient country and cosmic Americana, featuring artists including Pan-American, Bing & Ruth, Luke Schneider, Harmonia, William Tyler, Daniel Lanois and many more.

In this episode, Bob Holmes from SUSS is joined by his co-host Eli Goldberg aka Ann Annie, the composer from Portland, Oregon, who has just released a new album of pastoral ambient music called The Wind. They discuss his creative process, his music, his influences, and recent tracks that have moved him, including Joe Hisaishi, Hana Stretton, North Americans, John Fahey, The Album Leaf and more.

Host Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by co-host Hayden Pedigo to discuss the 10 guitar records that inspired him as a teenager, including Genesis, John Fahey, Leo Kottke, Ry Cooder and many more. This is a unique extended episode exploring the artist as a young man.

In today’s episode of Ambient Country, Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by Pat Sansone of Wilco and The Autumn Defense to discuss Pat’s new ambient album Infinity Mirrors on Centripetal Force Records. They also play and talk about the music that he’s been listening to lately, including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Nick Drake, Kronos Quartet, Robert Fripp, and many more.

On today’s episode, Bob Holmes of the band SUSS interviews David Moore, Peter Silberman, and Nick Principe of the jambient band Cowboy Sadness. They discuss influences and their favorite music, including Air, Bill Orcutt, Nathan Salsburg, and Mountains.

Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by Michael Muller and Rob Lowe of the Austin, Texas neoclassic ensemble Balmorhea to discuss influences and favorite new music, including Ennio Morricone, Bing & Ruth, ML Buch, Fridge, Berlioz and much more.

Bob Holmes from SUSS, along with his co-host Stelth Ulvang from the Lumineers and Heavy Gus talk about his music and influences. They are also joined by Emily Smith from The Alt-Country Show podcast, playing music from Stelth as well as Christine Bougie, Fuubutsushi, Walt McClements, Mohave 3 and many more!

Host Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by co-host Stephen Brower of Amazon Music and "Cosmic Strings" to play and talk about their favorite artists and music of 2023, including Bill Orcutt, Chuck Johnson, Mary Lattimore, Hayden Pedigo, and many more!

Hosted by Bob Holmes of SUSS, this episode from July 2022 features Bob's first artist interview, featuring Chip Kinman (Rank & File, The Dils, Cowboy Nation, etc.) as he talks about his instrumental electronic album The Great Confrontation. The episode also features music by Kramer, Yasmin Williams, Matt Kivel, Mohave 3, SUSS, and many more.

In this episode, host Bob Holmes from SUSS is joined by co-host Chuck Johnson to talk about his latest release "Sun Glories" as well as the wide catalog of music that he has produced, played on, mixed and/or mastered, including Michael Muller, Danny Paul Grody, Claire Rousay, Clarice Jension, Six Organs of Admittance and many more.

This episode of Ambient Country features host Bob Holmes of SUSS and his special guest Andrew Tuttle as they discuss Andrew's 2022 release "Fleeting Adventures". This episode was Andrew's first meeting with Bob and well before he collaborated with SUSS to record their LongForm Editions track "Rising". Listen to Bob and Andrew discuss his latest release as well as the music of Pan-American, Danny Paul Grody, The Nashville Ambient Ensemble, Ennio Morricone, SUSS and many more.

Sign up for SUSS updates here. Check out Bob’s series on Northern Spy “Across the Horizon” here.

Host Bob Holmes from SUSS is joined this month by co-hosts Luke Schneider and Kyle Hamlett as they discuss their latest releases on the Across the Horizon music series. Luke & Kyle bring along a playlist of instrumental music including Yo La Tengo, Marisa Anderson, Anthony Phillips, Coupler, and Amelia Courthouse.

In this episode, host Bob Holmes from SUSS joins co-host Luke Schneider, ambient pedal steel player from Nashville, TN, as they play music from Luke's pedal steel compilation "Chrome Universal" on Tompkins Square Records. This episode dates back to its original airing in August of 2022 and features Bob's first meeting with Luke, who went on to co-host 2 more episodes after this one, including our most recent episode 36. This episode is a perfect companion piece as it shows how the relationship between these two musicians has grown over the years.

Host Bob Holmes from SUSS is joined by John Diliberto, host of the syndicated radio show, Echoes. Celebrating his 35th year with Echoes, John has been exploring the wide landscape of instrumental and ambient music longer than just about anyone else. Bob and SUSS have performed live on Echoes as well as appeared many times over the years. Now Bob is returning the favor by having John on his show to discuss the roots of the music John calls "Ambient Americana," including artists Brian Eno, Ry Cooder, Steve Roach, Bruce Kaphan, BJ Cole, and many more.

On today’s episode, Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by co-host Stephen Brower, Head of Amazon Music U.S. and curator of the Cosmic Strings playlist, to play their favorite artists and music of 2024.

Listen to their best of 2024 playlists here: Spotify / Amazon Music / BNDCMPR

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.

Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by guitarist Hayden Pedigo. Dating back to September 2022, this is one of the first artist interviews on Ambient Country and the first time that Bob had Hayden on the show, who went on to become a recurring co-host over the years. Hayden discusses his release "Letting Go" as well as his (at the time) unreleased album The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored. The episode includes tracks from Balmorhea, North Americans, Yasmin Williams, and a never-before released track from SUSS.

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.

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 / Tidal

Incident at Cima - Scenic (42m, no vocals)Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal

Have a great Wednesday.

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 / Tidal

Have a great Wednesday.

In this repost of Ambient Country Episode 11 from October 2022, host Bob Holmes (from SUSS) is joined by bandmate Pat Irwin to discuss the recent release of his soundtrack work for Showtime's Dexter: New Blood. This was the first episode of Ambient Country where Bob let his co-host choose the playlist of music, which started a trend that he has continued to follow to this day. Pat not only discusses his approach to scoring soundtracks, but we also get to hear about his work with John Cage and Philip Glass, as well his other influences including Ry Cooder, Fripp & Eno and Bill Frisell.

Host Bob Holmes of SUSS is joined by designer and art director Darryl Norsen to discuss his musical influences and inspirations. Known for his album covers and posters for acts including Phish, Folkways, the Jerry Garcia Estate, William Tyler, Moe, SUSS and many more, Darryl brings a jazzier side to this episode with artists including Miles Davis, Alice Coltrane, and Bobby Hutcherson. He also discusses some of his more recent favorites like William Tyler, Bitchin' Bajas, Tortoise, and Daniel Bachman.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."