Ambient Soundbath Podcast #126 – Dan Palladino’s Pastoral Memory

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Ambient Soundbath Podcast #126 - Dan Palladino's Pastoral Memory
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I’m really pleased to present Pastoral Memory, the excellent work of Dan Palladino. Dan first got in touch through email and as I listened to Pastoral Memory, I was struck by what a great addition this would be to the Ambient Soundbath Podcast. When I first listened to the individual tracks, how it came to me, I was struck by how Pastoral Memory really stood alone as a single longform track, my preference for the Soundbath. I inquired with Dan on this and he informed me that all the tracks had been edited into shorter works, but they came from a singular whole. I asked if he could re-assemble them, to which he politely obliged… then Archive.org was hacked (where the Mp3 files for the Soundbath are hosted) and we were put into a holding pattern.

Today, I’m pleased to report that Archive.org is back up and I’m able to upload the files and present Dan’s wonderful Pastoral Memory to you. Please enjoy!!
-Matt

Dan Palladino is a guitarist, vocalist and composer based in New Jersey. He began his journey on guitar at the age of seven, played his first gig at the age of 12, and has performed in public for the past 50 years. Along the way, he has backed Broadway stars, opened for comedians, appeared with contemporary jazz groups, and performed live and in the studio, with various singer/songwriters and R&B groups.

Currently, Dan performs 160+ live dates per year with Acoustic NRG, an acoustic classic rock trio.

In 2019, Dan Palladino released his first ambient album, Pastoral Memory, which was awarded Best Meditation Album of 2019 by New Age Music Guide, and Best Ambient Album of 2019 by One World Music Radio.

Pastoral Memory, a single long-form piece, began as a quest to record nature sounds. “I set up a pair of mics to record the joyful birds singing in my yard one fine August morning, and before I knew it, I’d amassed quite a library of birds, crickets, cicadas, streams, and rainstorms.” The calming nature recordings influenced the instrumentation that would follow: swirling synth pads, kalimbas, chimes, wooden flutes, harps, voices and eventually, many layers of hypnotic acoustic and electric guitars.

Dan Palladino Pastoral Memory“Most of the slowly unfolding melodies featured on Pastoral Memory began as improvisations, which is my preferred method of working. Once I’d discovered these melodies, I created supporting counter melodies and harmonies to complement them. Accidental interplay came bubbling up each time a new layer was added to the mix.”

https://danpalladino.bandcamp.com/
http://www.danpalladinomusic.com/

Listen to Ambient Soundbath on Apple Podcast – Spotify Blocks Us

I’ve talked about this before, but here’s an email I just received when posting Ambient Soundbath #125. In part of their attempt to completely dominate and monopolize online listening, Spotify does not allow music-only podcasts, i.e. artists must pay or be formally distributed (distributor pays) to be carried on their platform. We’re small potatoes, but this is a huge blow to independent music artists and music-only podcasters everywhere, but great for Joe Rogan and the like, if that’s you’re thing. Since I’ve talked about this, I thought I’d share this email.

Apple Podcasts is a giant, but I have to recommend them as the best, most accessible and most user-friendly tool for listening.

Boycott Spotify

 

Ambient Soundbath Podcast #125 – Anatomy of Melancholy

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Ambient Soundbath Podcast #125 - Anatomy of Melancholy
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Look, I gotta tell you right up front, I don’t know much about this track, Anatomy of Melancholy, except that it’s strikingly beautiful, sounds like a lost Harold Budd composition and has a strange and questionable provenance.

Through some research I learned that it came from a long out-of-business shop in Boston called Gargoyles, Grotesques and Chimeras (Old Yelp listing link). Supposedly, the proprietor of this shop, Lewis Gordon, composed and recorded the piece and that the recording played on a continuous loop. This recording is from a CD that was sold at the shop of that recording. I haven’t been able to find or reach Mr. Gordon to confirm any of this, but since this is non-profit, no money venture, I figured it couldn’t hurt to share this wonderful music.

Thank you also to John “Pathfinder” Lester for initially posting this track on his website here.

It’s a lovely, lovely recording. I’ve been listening to it for months and I really felt that the Ambient Soundbath listeners would enjoy it. I hope you do.