The Tonearm
The Tonearm
The people and ideas moving culture forward. With host Lawrence Peryer.
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The Tonearm
Latest Episode

Graham St. John: Terence McKenna's Hallucinatory Life

Cultural anthropologist Graham St. John spent ten years assembling McKenna's story, documenting the rogue scholar who argued that interfacing with tryptamines was evolution's missing link and that rave was its modern revival.

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Recent Episodes

Dec. 21, 2025

Graham St. John: Terence McKenna's Hallucinatory Life

Cultural anthropologist Graham St. John spent ten years assembling McKenna's story, documenting the rogue scholar who argued that interfacing with tryptamines was evolution's missing link and that rave was its modern revival.
Dec. 14, 2025

Nels Cline: Tales of a Daunted Guitarist

Fresh from sessions for Trio of Bloom, the Wilco guitarist reflects on working with Craig Taborn and Marcus Gilmore for the first time, reconciling insecurity with ambition, and why comfort might be creativity's biggest enemy.
Dec. 7, 2025

Marcus Roberts: Jazz Piano and Technology's Promise

The acclaimed blind pianist who honed his craft playing with Wynton Marsalis and Seiji Ozawa now pioneers accessible music technology while leading The Modern Jazz Generation into uncharted creative territory.
Nov. 30, 2025

Ned Rothenberg: Solo Improvisation in Bizarre Times

The veteran woodwind master joins the podcast to discuss 'Looms & Legends,' his approach to making "ugly and out of tune" multiphonics musically useful, and why curiosity remains essential to both artistic practice and human empathy.
Nov. 23, 2025

Miguel Zenón: Vanguardia Subterránea and the Sound of Sanctuary

The alto saxophonist and MacArthur Fellow reflects on his quartet's first live recording, captured at New York's Village Vanguard after two decades of collaboration and hundreds of performances worldwide.
Nov. 16, 2025

Linda May Han Oh: In Search of Strange Heavens

The bassist behind the chordless trio album ‘Strange ‘Heavens reflects on studying Dave Holland's transcriptions, competing as a Thelonious Monk semifinalist, and learning to be comfortable with her own sound rather than imitating her heroes.

About the Host

Lawrence Peryer Profile Photo
Lawrence Peryer

Executive Producer & Host

LP is a lifelong music fan turned industry innovator who has spent his career helping artists forge meaningful connections with their audiences. From pioneering early digital communities to producing Grammy-nominated box sets and award-winning retail experiences, his work lives at the intersection of creativity, technology and fandom. He's hosted The Tonearm since it initially launched as Spotlight On in February 2020.

Reviews

Curiosity

"Whether I’m considering science, poetry, carpentry, or music, nothing opens the door to enlightenment wider than the (spoken or unspoken) phrase “I’m curious…” If there’s a secret sauce to Spotlight …"

Harry Landers | April 8, 2025

Excited for future episodes!

"It feels like we get to hear a behind the scenes conversation. Thanks for providing insight from key leaders in the live events industry!"

Ashley Bland | April 29, 2020

An easy yet insightful listen

"It’s special to get a behind the scenes look of how guests on the show have navigated their life to live out their passion in music and reflect on how they got to where they are today."

815ams | Aug. 4, 2022

Interesting and Insightful

"I love hearing interviews with people from all spaces of the pop culture spectrum. Lawrence is a natural host and the podcast always has the most interesting questions. I look forward to seeing who t…"

JNO(ctrl) | Aug. 4, 2022

Keep getting better!

"Great series of podcasts and interviews from people across the entirety of the live music space. Such a treat to hear LP speak with his guests about life, music, art and everything in between. 10/10 …"

relly124 | Nov. 11, 2022

One of the More Entertaining Music Chat Podcasts Out There

"I think Lawrence is one of the best under-the-radar podcast interviewers in podcast-land. These shows feel like fly-on-the-wall conversations, with Lawrence often prompting his guests into pleasantly…"

General Zubon | Sept. 22, 2023

Brilliant

"As one of Lawrence’s interview subjects, I can tell you I was really impressed with his preparation and insightful questions as well as his professional and comfortable vibe. I really enjoyed chattin…"

joebrent | March 12, 2025

Just what we needed

"This is exactly what the industry needed at this time - measured insights and analysis from various sectors. Please keep them coming."

jimilayne | April 29, 2020

Very Insightful and Thoughtful Conversation

"Really enjoyed the first episode and learning more about Ben and his other projects. Keep em comin’!!!"

cheftricci4 | March 5, 2020

Peak behind the curtain

"Super fun to finally see these interviews come out!"

lperyer | Feb. 6, 2020

So fun!

"A great inside look at the music industry!"

Jonny_electric | Feb. 6, 2020