Ambient, Electronica, and Soundscaping Music Podcast by Mark Rushton

Mark Rushton Podcast #38 - Ambient Matyk

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:00:38 CST

Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish release a new album under the name Ambient Matyk, a collection of live outdoor soundscaping pieces.

Mark Rushton Podcast #37 - Return To Bohemia

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:00:37 CST

Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish return to the Matyk Building in New Bohemia for a 31 minute outdoor ambient improvisation piece.

Mark Rushton Podcast #36 - More Flow Outtakes

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:00:36 CST

Four more tracks that were outtakes from my Flow album. Most of these are relatively minimal ambient/electronica, but weren't picked for a variety of reasons: unfinished, editing issues, didn't fit with the theme, etc.

Mark Rushton Podcast #34 - Flow Outtakes

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 08:00:34 CST

Four tracks that were outtakes from my Flow album. This is the first of a series of "leftover" pieces of ambient and electronica music from that time.

Mark Rushton Podcast #33 - Recent Free MP3s

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:00:33 CST

Highlighting some ambient/electronica MP3s that I have given away recently.

Mark Rushton Podcast #32 - Esker

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 08:00:32 CST

Jon Harnish and I release the free Esker EP, featuring three ambient tracks (Esker, Drumlin, and Weathering).

Mark Rushton Podcast #31 - Ornate Culmination

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:00:31 CST

A preview of the new ambient/electronica album by Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish, called Ornate Culmination. Details on where you can buy it and in what format. Visit ornate.markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #30 - Yacht Club

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:00:30 CST

An interview with Jon Harnish and Craig Erickson about the floods in Cedar Rapids. Two pieces of music (music starts at 4:30 and 13:30 into the podcast) featuring Mark Rushton, bassist Jon Harnish, and guitarist Craig Erickson at the Yacht Club in Iowa City on Sunday, July 6, 2008. Also playing on the same bill that night was Pacific Before Tiger and Eric Hall. Following our music in the podcast, I have a track by Pacific Before Tiger from his album Anchors called "In Gold" (music starts at 25:30 into the podcast). After that, I have a portion of Eric Hall's set at the Yacht Club (music starts 30:50 into the podcast). Check out the entire podcast!

Mark Rushton Podcast #29 - Mandatory

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:00:29 CST

Jon and I were expecting to get together tonight at his Weather Excuse studio in Cedar Rapids to make music, but instead a mandatory evacuation of Jon's neighborhood due to a possible flood occurred. In this podcast are three tracks from the Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish album: "New Bohemia" (excerpt), "Advisory", and "River Bend".

Mark Rushton Podcast #28 - Three Tracks of Ambient Electronica

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:00:28 CST

Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish performing three tracks. The first is a live piece recorded on October 13, 2007 in Cedar Rapids. The second is "Money Agent" from the Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish album. The third is a live piece recorded on March 8, 2008 at Jon's Weather Excuse studio. All my albums are now available as DRM-free MP3s at CDBaby.com for $3.95 each.

Mark Rushton Podcast #27 - Live at Legion Arts

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:00:27 CST

Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish performing during "Out Of Bounds" at Legion Arts in Cedar Rapids on March 22, 2008. Mark Rushton is on XioSynth, Yamaha pedal, and Sony digital audio player. Jon Harnish is on bass guitar and effects box. The performance was about 17 minutes long. The first 10 minutes were pure improvisation, and the final 7 minutes were performances of "Spaces" and "Winter Wind Chimes" from their album Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish.

Mark Rushton Podcast #26 - Mid-March 2008

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 08:00:26 CST

Three pieces of ambient/electronica music are played. A short introduction by Mark Rushton during the first piece of music, an excerpt of "That Was A Different Life" by Mark Rushton from the Flow album. "Advisory" by Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish. Finally, a new untitled track by Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish recorded live in Jon's home studio on March 8, 2008.

Mark Rushton Podcast #25 - The Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish Album

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:00:25 CST

Excerpts from every track on the Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish album. Current and back catalog is now available in MP3 download format for only $3.95 per album at CDBaby.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #24 - February 2008 - Two New Albums On Sale

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 08:00:24 CST

Four pieces of music are played. I have released two new ambient electronica albums recently. Both are on sale for a short time at CDBaby as MP3 download albums for $3.95 each, as well as the rest of my back catalog.

Mark Rushton Podcast #23 - January 2008 - More From The Digital Vault

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 08:00:23 CST

A quick message from Mark Rushton about two new CDs coming available, plus 5 electronica tracks from the digital vault.

Mark Rushton Podcast #22 - October 2007 - Three new improvised ambient pieces by Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 08:00:22 CST

Jon Harnish and I recorded these three improvised ambient/electronica pieces on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at his Weather Excuse studio in the New Bohemia section of Cedar Rapids.

Mark Rushton Podcast #21 - June 2007 - Two New Ambient Tracks

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:00:21 CST

Two new ambient and meditative tracks from Mark Rushton created in his new studio in Iowa City.

Mark Rushton Podcast #20 - April 2007 - Regeneration X

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 08:00:20 CST

Mark Rushton's latest album, Regeneration X, is profiled. Samples of every track are offered along with commentary by Mark Rushton. Visit MarkRushton.com for more details.

Mark Rushton Podcast #16 - Drain, Anoka-Hennepin remix, and The Advent remix

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:00:16 GMT

Mark Rushton's two year podcasting anniversary show starts off with a new drone/electronica track called Drain. After a brief break, a "lost" remix of Anoka-Hennepin is played, followed by the original Anoka-Hennepin. The last music featured is an 8 and a half minute remix of The Advent, a beat-driven electronica piece. To find out more about Mark's other podcasts, free MP3s, CD, and digital downloads, visit markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #15 - Adsorption, What Works, and Black Box

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 00:00:15 GMT

This is a very stripped-down podcast of older material. First up is Adsorption, a rising-and-falling ambient piece from 2002. Second track is What Works, a beat-driven electronic song also from 2002. Final track is Black Box, a melodic, rhythmic, and electronic spectacle from 2003.

Mark Rushton Podcast #14 - Hum, Metrics, and Rhythm

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 00:00:14 GMT

First is a remix of The Hum Of Antique Machines that runs about 6 1/2 minutes. It's a drone-based thing with fuzz and flutter coming in and out. Jon and I recorded it outdoors, so you can hear the birds singing in the background. The original studio version is the first track my latest album, Hum And Drift. After that is a short piece, just under 3 minutes, which is based on shortwave loops and some other rhythm and synth loops used in my remix of Psychometrics, the recording of which appears in Podcast #4 from September 4, 2005. The last track is about 11 minutes long and features lots of rhythms, drum beats, drawn out bass drones, bleeps, voice samples, and it's a good time summery party tune. Jon and I did another piece of music based on some of these loops in the fall of 2005 in Iowa City, but like all our live and improvised recordings, this one is different.

Mark Rushton Podcast #13 - Brine

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 00:00:13 GMT

Bass player Jon Harnish and I met up at the Ambient Matyk Cafe in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, June 10th. We had planned to do improvisational ambient soundscaping in public in Iowa City, but it had been raining all day and the temps were about 50 degrees with 20 mph winds, unseasonably cool for mid-June, so we thought it would be better to play indoors.Jon and I created a lot of great music from this session. Here's a track based on a piece of music I created called "Brine" - this is a live 14 minute version featuring Jon on bass guitar and effects box and me on laptop and loops.I also mention that my CDs are now available at BuyIowaArt.com and my latest CD, Hum And Drift, is now available in digital download format from Apple's iTunes, either as a complete album or individual tracks.For more about me, my podcasts, free MP3s, my orignial paintings, or my framed prints for under $50, please visit MarkRushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com - for more about Jon Harnish's podcasts and music, visit avantanomaly.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #12 - Ambient Electronica Live

Tue, 16 May 2006 00:00:12 GMT

A live recording from the Ambient Matyk Cafe in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Recorded in late April of 2006, it features Mark Rushton on laptop, loops, and live mixing, and Jon Harnish on bass, bass effects, and tempered bass feedback. The first track is a 12 minute improvisational take on "Winter Wind Chimes" - a track originally featured in "studio" form in January's "What Does An Iowa Winter Sound Like?" podcast. After a short break Mark Rushton introduces a second track, which runs about 16 minutes recorded during the same session. The second track, which is untitled, is more bass heavy in the beginning and eventually becomes more ambient as the piece progresses. For more about me, my podcasts, free MP3s, my orignial paintings, or my framed prints for under $50, please visit MarkRushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com - for more about Jon Harnish's podcasts and music, visit avantanomaly.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #11 - Live At The Ambient Matyk Cafe With The Buddha Machine

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 00:00:01 GMT

First up is a live remix of my track The Seedling Mile done at the Ambient Matyk Cafe in the New Bohemia section of downtown Cedar Rapids on March 18, 2006. To find a copy of the original version of The Seedling Mile, check out my CD, The Driver's Companion. Next is a 6 minute track called Buddhametrics. It's another live remix from the Ambient Matyk Cafe on March 18th of 2006. In this case it's a deconstruction of a track I had The Driver's Companion called "Psychometrics" along with one of the loops from The Buddha Machine, a device made by a group called FM3. The Buddha Machine is open source. For information about FM3 and the Buddha Machine, visit their web site at www.fm3.com.cn - or just Google the term "Buddha Machine." The final track for this podcast, also recorded at the Ambient Matyk Cafe on March 18, 2006, is called "Drift Even Higher" - it's a remix of a tune I put out in January from the "What Does An Iowa Winter Sound Like?" podcast that I created in collaboration with Jon Harnish. It's quite a bit longer, about 4 1/2 minutes, features more bird sounds and road noise in the middle. Towards the end of the piece, I come along with a very pretty improvised keyboard solo. It's about 4 1/2 minutes long. For more about me, my podcasts, free MP3s, my orignial paintings, or my framed prints for under $50, please visit MarkRushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #10 - September Sky, Parts 1 And 2

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 00:00:01 GMT

Bass player Jon Harnish and I did live soundscaping in Iowa City in September of 2005. It was quite a good session and we got a lot of material. I featured a track from one of these sessions in Podcast #6, which came out in early October of 2005. The first track, what I'm calling "September Sky, Part 1", is very stark with long, drawn-out synth drones and sustained bass. The birds you'll hear were not live, but multi-tracked field recordings done by me. It's a little over 6 minutes long. The second track, what I'm calling "September Sky, Part 2", starts off almost the same as Part 1, but the synth drones are speeded up and extra loops are added. A few minutes in to the 9 1/2 minute piece, I bring in and then out some multi-layered beats while Jon does his bass work. Part 1 is a nice ambient start, but Part 2 really brings it along, especially towards the end. Also, if you're interested, everything was mixed and improvised live. For more about me, my podcasts, free MP3s, my orignial paintings, or my framed prints for under $50, please visit MarkRushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #8 - Ambient Matyk and Iowa City Recordings From November 2005

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 00:00:01 GMT

Today I have four different pieces of music. The first is an edit of an rhythmic ambient piece called "Signed Away" - a piece I did with bass player Jon Harnish and singer Duke Lancaster at the Ambient Matyk on November 19, 2005. The second piece is one that that Jon and I created in Iowa City on Sunday, November 13th, 2005, in the mini stage area of the Pedestrian Mall, right outside the Sheraton Hotel. Jon and I got a permit from the City of Iowa City and played for a couple of hours until we froze, then we packed up, went to the Deadwood, and had a pitcher of Guinness and played some pool. There are two pieces from this session. The first is an edit of a tune I'm calling "Provenance" and the one after that is a more symphonic electronica piece called "Wintergarden Symphony." The final piece of music was recorded at the Ambient Matyk on November 19th of 2005. It features me on loops and keyboards, Jon Harnish on bass guitar, and Duke Lancaster on vocals. It's an edit of "The Light Will Never Be The Same Again" - which originally started out at something like 22 minutes, but this is a seven minute edit. For more about me, my podcasts, free MP3s, my orignial paintings, or my framed prints for under $50, please visit MarkRushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #7 - Russia's Very Low Frequency Station

Sun, 30 Oct 2005 00:00:01 GMT

This is a piece of drifty ambience that I made with bass player Jon Harnish on Saturday, October 15, 2005, at the Ambient Matyk in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it's called "Russia's Very Low Frequency Station." The track is about 15 minutes long. The loops I used were significantly slowed down, abused, and pitch-shifted. The shortwave broadcasts I found were recorded live as well. Everything else was done improvisationally and was not overdubbed. After listening to it for a couple of weeks, it sort of reminds me of a couple of artists. The keyboard part in the background sounds like 1980's-era Harold Budd, all slowed down and drifting in and out. Other parts remind me of tracks from Loscil's 2004 release called "First Narrows." Even though the shortwave eventually fades out, stick around for Jon's bass towards the end of the track. After recording this, I have purchased a new set of microphones, and the quality of the recordings should continue to improve. For more about me, my podcasts, free MP3s, my orignial paintings, or my framed prints for under $50, please visit MarkRushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #6 - Live From The Iowa City Ped Mall

Mon, 03 Oct 2005 00:00:01 GMT

Bass player Jon Harnish and I went to Iowa City on Saturday, September 24, 2005, to create soundscapes in the Ped Mall near the corner of Washington and Dubuque Streets from 6pm to 9pm. This is an 8 minute piece we created towards the end of the evening. It features slowed-down and drawn out electronica, bass sounds, and rendered field recordings I recorded earlier this spring. In the background you can hear skateboarders practicing and, at the end, Jon and I laughing at how I rendered a bird sound into something resembling a dog's bark. There are many more excellent recordings from this session and they'll be in future podcasts. For more about Mark, his music, his original art and framed prints, his CDs, his ringtones, and his podcasts, visit http://www.markrushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #5 - One 34-minute Untitled Drone/Electronica Piece

Sun, 18 Sep 2005 12:00:00 GMT

This piece was recorded at the September 17, 2005, Ambient Matyk (the night before this podcast was initially released). It's just me on laptop and loops, and Jon Harnish on bass guitar and effects box. We work an initial drone sequence into this electronic/somewhat drifty/somewhat industrial-ish piece that's over 34 minutes long. For more about Mark, his music, his original art and framed prints, his CDs, his ringtones, and his podcasts, visit http://www.markrushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #4 - Ambient, Field Recordings, Dance, Rock, and Remix

Sun, 04 Sep 2005 12:00:00 GMT

Mark Rushton starts off with a short ambient piece, National Championship from his latest album, Hum And Drift. The second track is a brand-new arranged field recording called Interference. Next is a work-in-progress that has dance, field recording, and ambient elements. Following that is the track Psychometrics from Mark's 2004 CD release, The Driver's Companion. Immediately following Psychometrics is an 8-minute dance remix Mark created live, improvisationally, in his basement at the end of August 2005. Throughout the podcast are three brief ads. One is for EcoLips.com, a natural and organic lip balm; another is for ScrapItOut.com, a business and government recycler of computers and e-waste, and LinkertonPublishing.com, an e-book publisher. For more about Mark, his music, his original art and framed prints, his CDs, his ringtones, and his podcasts, visit http://www.markrushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #3 - Anoka-Hennepin, New Untitled Track, 3 Ambient Matyk live songs, and 3 field recordings

Mon, 01 Aug 2005 12:00:00 GMT

Mark Rushton starts off with an excerpt of the track "Anoka-Hennepin" a drift piece of ambience from his latest CD, "Hum and Drift" - after that is a new untilted downtempo groove piece. There's also 3 pieces featuring a side group Mark plays live with in Cedar Rapids, Iowa called Ambient Matyk, and finally 3 brief field recordings of birdsong, road noise, and arrange real industrial outdoor ambience. Throughout the podcast are three brief ads. One is for EcoLips.com, a natural and organic lip balm; another is for ScrapItOut.com, a business and government recycler of computers and e-waste, and LinkertonPublishing.com, an e-book publisher. For more about Mark, his music, his original art and framed prints, his CDs, his ringtones, and his podcasts, visit http://www.markrushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #2 - Perpetual Vision, Ambient Matyk, Sunday's Drift

Fri, 08 Jul 2005 12:00:00 GMT

Mark Rushton plays the track "Perpetual Vision" from his 2004 CD, The Driver's Companion. This is followed by two live Ambient Matyk tracks, a side group Mark is involved with in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that makes live/improvisational ambient/downtempo music. Visit http://www.markrushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com

Mark Rushton Podcast #1 - Hum And Drift

Fri, 17 Jun 2005 12:00:00 GMT

Mark Rushton talks about his new web site, MarkRushton.com, and where to buy his new ambient/downtempo/trip hop-ish CD called "Hum and Drift" - Mark provides an 8 1/2 minute "megamix" featuring sections of every piece of music on the album. Visit http://www.markrushton.com or email mark@markrushton.com