Bellbird: Montreal's Jazz Collective Heeds the Call

Claire Devlin and Eli Davidovici of Bellbird talk about the bird whose recorded cry became the foundation of 'The Call', the chordless sound that defines the quartet, and the political commitments embedded in the music.

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Greatest Hits

Wondering where to start or where to go next? Check out some of our most popular episodes.

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.

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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.

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Jan. 11, 2026

Patricia Brennan: Vibraphone Visions of the Universe

From Mexican marimba traditions to astronomy-guided composition, the vibraphonist explains how her album 'Of The Near And Far' maps constellations onto the circle of fifths to generate raw material for genre-defying new work.

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March 29, 2026

Bellbird: Montreal's Jazz Collective Heeds the Call

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March 22, 2026

Sam Wenc: The Experimental Language of the Pedal Steel Guitar

The Philadelphia-based pedal steel player discusses ‘Language at an Angle’, his debut under his own name, and what Susan Alcorn taught him about tradition, freedom, and the instrument she loved.

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March 15, 2026

Zeena Parkins: Invention, Loss, and the Living Harp

From a Detroit high school full of concert grand harps to the experimental clubs of the East Village, Parkins traces the unlikely path that made her one of the most restless instrumentalists in contemporary music.

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March 7, 2026

Michael Graves: The Patient Philosophy of Audio Restoration

Five Grammys and a working museum of tape machines later, Osiris Studio's Michael Graves reflects on the ethics of restoration, the problem of artist intent, and why the work never stops surprising him.

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March 1, 2026

Erik Hall: Multitracking the Minimalist Aesthetic

The Michigan-based composer and multi-instrumentalist discusses Solo Three, his trilogy-closing collection of solo reinterpretations of works by Steve Reich, Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, and Laurie Spiegel.

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Feb. 22, 2026

Patrick Smith: Bebop, Brass Bands, and a Bookstore

With ‘Words Underlined’ out now on Lit Soc Records, saxophonist Patrick Smith talks about the trio format's peculiar difficulty, what he learned from Mark Shim in New York, and why Toronto lets him play everything.

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About the Host

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

Great interviews

"The most informed, engaging interviews! Thank you"

bcsquest | March 4, 2026

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

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