Check back with us for Season Two this fall. Thanks! Please support Ambients: www.patreon.com/ambients Instagram: @ambients.podcast  FB: Ambients Podcast Podcast produced by Michael Robinson Music by Dana Wachs: "Preetyland" https://vorhees.bandcamp.com/album/preetyland Big thanks to the listeners financially supporting this podcast. It means a lot. Thanks to Laris Kreslins for marketing, production, and booking guidance. contact: [email protected] Thanks to Justin Geller for technical audio support. contact: [email protected] --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ambients/message

Eric Nakamura is a co-founder of Giant Robot, an influential zine that spotlighted Asian popular culture and had an incredibly wide audience from 1994-2011. That publication morphed into Giant Robot retail stores in LA, New York and San Francisco selling eclectic products and art, again spotlighting Japanese culture. Definitely go to giantrobot.com and purchase every single thing on the website;) This conversation with Eric Nakamura was recorded several months ago so I want to apologize for the delay in its' release, as I had to focus on other business ventures. I’m honored to have this episode with Eric as the finale for Season 1 and I think you will appreciate his creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and the importance of Giant Robot throughout the US.  Topics covered: Giant Robot formation, early creation of the zine and its' distribution, Japanese culture, immigrant parents, foray into the restaurant industry, indie bands, interviews he did on Giant Robot, My Bloody Valentine (we REALLY nerded-out here), The Swirlies, Gwar interview (funny), Giant robot stores openings and closing (pandemic), post-its project (democratization of local art with famous and unknown artists), among so much more... www.GiantRobot.com Please support Ambients: www.patreon.com/ambients Instagram: @ambients.podcast  FB: Ambients Podcast Podcast produced by Michael Robinson Music by Dana Wachs: "Preetyland" https://vorhees.bandcamp.com/album/preetyland Big thanks to the listeners financially supporting this podcast. It means a lot. Thanks to Laris Kreslins for marketing, production, and booking guidance. contact: [email protected] Thanks to Justin Geller for technical audio support. contact: [email protected] --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ambients/message

Dana Wachs is an audio engineer, musician and sound designer based in New York City. She has toured with and done sound for acts like St Vincent, Jon Hopkins, Deer Hunter, MGMT and many many more. Her solo work, beautifully moving ambient music, has been featured in films, live dance performances, and many other formats and settings. Think: very interesting improvisational ambient experiences. She will be performing (Vorhees) July 6, 2021 and September 2021 for Oda, an incredibly well-produced online music performance platform. You should become a member! Dana’s music: VorheesMusic.com  Vorhees.bandcamp.com Live performance: Oda.co Topics covered:  Growing up in New Jersey, getting lost in the timeless Pine Barrens, punk rock and goth music, MTV 120 minutes, Lenape Native Americans, Brian Eno, Beyoncé, L’Rain, sparse but powerful pop music, current hip hop, nervous before doing any sound engineering for concerts, self taught audio engineer, Stanley Kubrick, film as inspiration, favorite shows she has done FOH sound for, touring for YEARS, Iceland, Primavera Festival, doing sound for Deer Hunter and more, overcoming attitude from stagehands and major equipment issues, process in creating her own music (Vorhees), equipment she uses, amazing Eventide pedal, forthcoming coming Vorhees performances, sound engineer work in Central Park this summer… Please support Ambients: www.patreon.com/ambients Instagram: @ambients.podcast  FB: Ambients Podcast Podcast produced by Michael Robinson Music by Dana Wachs: "Preetyland" https://vorhees.bandcamp.com/album/preetyland Big thanks to the listeners financially supporting this podcast. It means a lot. Thanks to Laris Kreslins for marketing, production, and booking guidance. contact: [email protected] Thanks to Justin Geller for technical audio support. contact: [email protected] --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ambients/message

Matt Evans is a Brooklyn-based artist, composer and percussionist. We hear about his background and training as a musician, his process in producing and performing music by himself and in collaboration with others, and a whole lot more. I also appreciated his more recent forays into teaching and actively supporting equity within the music community. The music you will hear throughout this episode is from Matt’s record called a Touchless, that comes out June 25, 2021. This incredibly tender and vulnerable recording was written after the tragic loss of his girlfriend who died in a biking accident. As I edited this episode I was struck with how sensitive, intelligent and insightful Matt is. I think you’ll really enjoy this conversation with Matt Evans. www.ThisIsMattEvans.com Purchase "Touchless" here: https://thisismattevans.bandcamp.com  Please support Ambients: www.patreon.com/ambients Instagram: @ambients.podcast  FB: Ambients Podcast Podcast and music produced by Michael Robinson Big thanks to the listeners financially supporting this podcast. It means a lot. Thanks to Laris Kreslins for marketing, production, and booking guidance. contact: [email protected] Thanks to Justin Geller for technical audio support. contact: [email protected] --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ambients/message

Ted Passon is the co-founder of All Ages Productions, a Philly-based creative and video production company that has been doing incredible documentary, commercial, and music video work for over a decade. Philly DA is their most recent production that is out on PBS that Ted co-directed with Yoni Brooks and is a fascinating eight-part series that follows the polarizing Larry Krasner from campaigning for, and then winning, office of district attorney. Ted gives us very interesting insight into the mechanics of producing the documentary, and we discuss activism, progressivism and other words with the suffix “-ism”. You also hear about the formation of All Ages, it’s challenges and successes, and the employees that Ted has such deep appreciation for.  AllAgesProductions.com Must watch: Philly DA on PBS Worn Stories on Netflix Please support Ambients: www.patreon.com/ambients Instagram: @ambients.podcast  FB: Ambients Podcast Podcast and music produced by Michael Robinson Big thanks to the listeners financially supporting this podcast. It means a lot. Thanks to Laris Kreslins for marketing, production, and booking guidance. contact: [email protected] Thanks to Justin Geller for technical audio support. contact: [email protected] --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ambients/message

This episode features Kurt Heasley, frontman and songwriter behind the great indie band from the 90’s and beyond, Lily’s. In my perspective, the ever-shifting sound of the band was a manifestation of Kurt's ever-shifting and deeply creative mind, a mind I find insightful and endearing. Lilys records were undeniably part of the soundtrack in my formative years, and as I went on to be a part of the Philly music scene, the band I was in (Aspera ad Astra) released a split EP with Lilys and played several shows with them as well. Good memories.  We talk about the mechanics of Lilys, people who worked with Kurt, personal growth in relationships and health, among many other things. You will get to know Kurt from his formative years in school systems that literally couldn't handle his talents, mind, affinities. You’ll also hear about Kurt‘s most recent work creating music for the network television show, Lodge 49. This is one of my favorite conversations on Ambients thus far, and I think you’re gonna love it as well. Welcome to Kurt's vast mind. Find "In the Presence of Nothing", "A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns", "Eccsame the Photon Band", "Better Can't Make Your Life Better" and more anywhere you buy digital downloads. I recommend the vinyl versions of these albums as well.  New Lilys song on TV show Lodge 49: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTsdtOMunzc Please support Ambients: www.patreon.com/ambients Instagram: @ambients.podcast  FB: Ambients Podcast Podcast and music produced by Michael Robinson Big thanks to the listeners financially supporting this podcast. It means a lot. Thanks to Laris Kreslins for marketing, production, and booking guidance. contact: [email protected] Thanks to Justin Geller for technical audio support. contact: [email protected] --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ambients/message

Nancy Sun is a fantastic stage, television and film  actor, and now a coach for all types of creatives, from designers to writers, visual, vocal, and installation artists she guides them through their own unique process. We follow her trajectory from being a first generation immigrant to being educated at the University of Pennsylvania and into recruiting work with financial institutions. It was here that Nancy took a major turn and moved to Costa Rica and became a yoga instructor, essentially resetting her vision of her authentic vocation. The conglomeration of these skills and experience is the foundation of Nancy’s successful coaching business. Oh and, she has been on set with some amazing actors like Morgan Freeman and you will hear all about it! Enjoy! NancySun.com Coaching: PossibleThings.co @thenancysun Please support Ambients: www.patreon.com/ambients Instagram: @ambients.podcast  FB: Ambients Podcast Podcast and music produced by Michael Robinson Big thanks to the listeners financially supporting this podcast. It means a lot. Thanks to Laris Kreslins for marketing, production, and booking guidance. contact: [email protected] Thanks to Justin Geller for technical audio support. contact: [email protected] --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ambients/message

Claire Rousay is an experimental ambient music artist living in San Antonio, Texas. Her captivating new release is called 'a softer focus' and we discuss the process and production of this impressive recording, her most poignant work to date. We delve into Claire’s identity as a queer woman and the exploration of relationships and self-perception within her immersive and beautifully strange music that creates a mindful, otherworldly and intimate experience for listeners. We also talk a lot about family, gender identification, and power dynamics in society and relationships. If you want to simply hear about 'a softer focus' skip halfway through this episode. If you realllllly want to get to know Claire Rousay, hang around for the whole episode (suggested). Enjoy! clairerousay.com Buy 'a softer focus' on Bandcamp: https://clairerousay.bandcamp.com/album/a-softer-focus Please support Ambients: www.patreon.com/ambients Instagram: @ambients.podcast  FB: Ambients Podcast Podcast and music produced by Michael Robinson Big thanks to the listeners financially supporting this podcast. It means a lot. Thanks to Laris Kreslins for marketing, production, and booking guidance. contact: [email protected] Thanks to Justin Geller for technical audio support. contact: [email protected] --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ambients/message

Max Smith is a three-time All-American track athlete who ran on fantastic Providence College teams in the early 2000s. If you’ve ever seen the video of Alan Webb breaking the American mile record in 2007, the guy who finished in second place? Max Smith. I couldn’t get Alan Webb on the podcast so...Max Smith it is. Max runs us through his trajectory as an elite track runner from his early days in his home country of New Zealand where he started running to lose weight to be more fit for rugby. We hear about epic runs in the mountains of New Zealand where the local running community supported and guided him to eventually being recruited by Providence College, making the difficult transition to an entirely new country, and his long process becoming a US citizen. This conversation with Max Smith is about allowing our skill sets to be drastically improved by surrounding ourselves with hard working, talented people, including our partners when raising children in this strange modern world. Please support Ambients: www.patreon.com/ambients Venmo/Cashapp: AmbientsPodcast Paypal: [email protected] Instagram: @ambients.podcast  FB: Ambients Podcast Podcast and music produced by Michael Robinson Big thanks to the listeners financially supporting this podcast. It means a lot. Thanks to Laris Kreslins for marketing, production, and booking guidance. contact: [email protected] Thanks to Justin Geller for technical audio support. contact: [email protected] --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ambients/message

Go inside the mind of a beginner meditator and follow the progression of the practice through this series. This second episode is part of a series that takes a comedic look at the "monkey mind" that occurs when we sit, do nothing, and utilize our body (the breath) to come more fully into the moment (reality). I will have a diverse group of voiceover actors during this series so it may be better relatable to different listeners. I hope you have a laugh from this content because this constant noise in my mind was definitely my experience while learning meditation. Note: I have taught meditation in Philadelphia, NYC, and San Antonio and pass along the technique of sitting meditation to help people free themselves from their minds. I was taught this skill by Won Buddhists many years ago and it has been a steady practice in my life. Meditation and mindfulness (purposeful action) has given me more mental discipline and the ability to better observe my ego being a jerk so I don't attach to low energy, and instead, maintain focus on high energy, health and joy that surrounds. Please support Ambients: www.patreon.com/ambients Venmo/Cashapp: AmbientsPodcast Paypal: [email protected] Instagram: @ambients.podcast Podcast and music produced by Michael Robinson Big thanks to the listeners financially supporting this podcast. It means a lot to me and my family. Thanks to Laris Kreslins for his guidance with podcasting. [email protected] --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ambients/message