Podcast Summary: Bigfoot Collectors Club Hi, Strangeness — “PSYCH!” w/ Steve Berg & Riley Bray
Podcast: Bigfoot Collectors Club (Wood Elf Media)
Episode: Hi, Strangeness - "PSYCH!" w/ Steve Berg & Riley Bray
Date: November 26, 2025
Episode Overview
In this special episode of "High Strangeness," host Steve Berg sits down with multifaceted musician, audio engineer, and Bigfoot Collectors Club co-host Riley Bray. The conversation traverses Riley's roots in the psychedelic music scene, his engineering and performing career with bands like Spindrift and his work with Pussy Riot, as well as his evolving relationship with all things paranormal. This deep-dive is a mix of music geekery, philosophy, art, and candid talk about the role of creativity (and strangeness) in life. The tone is intimate, humorous, and curious throughout—a thoughtful exploration for anyone interested in music, art, or the mysteries of the universe.
Key Discussion Points
1. Riley’s Creative Life in Music and Tech
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AI in Music ([04:08]): Riley is currently obsessed with building audio programs using AI-assisted programming, creating tools inspired by analog gear for ambient music creation.
“With the new GPT models that are trained for Python programming, I've been like self-teaching programming. ... Inspired by like a Tascam four-track cassette and how people use them for ambient music.” — Riley [04:24]
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Riley speaks about his shift toward ambient music, highlighting the need for atmospheric, lyric-less sounds in a noisy world and citing influences like Tim Hecker ([05:58]).
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Spindrift & Psychedelic Music Scene ([07:18]): Riley details how he first got involved with psychedelic “spaghetti western” band Spindrift, transitioning from fan to collaborator and eventually joining the band.
“My first recording with Spindrift is me playing sitar on Classic Soundtracks Volume one. … There’s a hilarious picture of me in the studio, just looking like the, you know, early 2000s, like Ravi Shankar cosplay buddy.” — Riley [08:52]
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He shares stories of legendary instruments (a custom double-neck guitar that was stolen and recovered twice), collaborations with Jello Biafra, and Spindrift’s place in the vibrant 2000s LA psych scene ([09:43], [11:06]).
2. Reflections on Psychedelic & Rock Scenes
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LA & Bay Area Psychedelic Scene ([13:00]): Both hosts reminisce on LA and Bay Area venues, bands (Asteroid #4, Sleepy Sun, Darker My Love), and the shift from grunge/garage roots to more ambient and electronic flavors in the contemporary scene ([23:02]).
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Challenges for Musicians and Artists ([18:18]): Riley and Steve lament the declining financial state for artists—Streaming platforms’ CEO wealth vs. musicians, the impact of demotionizing art, and the continuing necessity of art for culture.
“The CEO of Spotify is more wealthy than any musician in the history of ever. And that seems off.” — Riley [20:43]
3. Work with Pussy Riot: Activism, Art, & Noise
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Pussy Riot Siberia ([29:22]): Riley describes his collaboration with Nadia Tolokonnikova, from filming radical art pieces (“God Save Abortion,” “Putin’s Ashes”) to performing as part of a new, noise-heavy musique concrète ensemble.
“We’re sort of...making noise and then carving music back out of it.” — Riley [32:41]
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Performances as Protest ([34:38]): Notable moments include premiering at the World Trade Center, David Byrne introducing Pussy Riot’s project, massive participation in Berlin, and the seamless fusion of protest, art, music, and humor.
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Philosophy of Performance ([37:22]):
“The band is billed as...not a band, it’s a performance art noise project, basically.” — Riley [37:53]
4. Bigfoot Collectors Club Origins & Riley’s Skepticism
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BCC Genesis ([43:44]): Riley tells the story of turning from podcast producer to full participant after hitting it off with Michael McMillian and Bryce Johnson. Originally the behind-the-scenes guy, he soon became an on-mic fixture.
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his Journey from Skeptic to Open-Minded ([53:08]):
“I think my high strangeness education is like, you know, X-Files in the 90s...But one of the things that I’ve just been struck by over the years is just the amount of very earnest, very honest seeming people that have experienced just truly unexplainable things in their lives.” — Riley [54:00]
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Riley remains a grounded skeptic: he’s “materialist” by default, but deeply interested in how the paranormal offers a new, playful lens for examining reality, consciousness, and personal experience ([55:55]).
5. High Strangeness, Philosophy, and Consciousness
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Philosophy and the Paranormal ([56:34]): The conversation explores the overlap between paranormal topics and philosophical questions about perception, consciousness, and reality.
“The paranormal becomes this like, larger thing that's playing out in all these different forms, but it’s really sort of all masks of the same thing.” — Riley [63:01]
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The duo discusses Jacques Vallée’s control theory, the possibility of higher consciousness, and whether phenomena like UFOs exist independently of observers ([66:32]).
"I do sort of tend to the...perception is a necessary, like, condition for the existence of reality. ... If something is not perceived, how can it exist?" — Riley [67:01]
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Patterns that emerge in stories of high strangeness: an unexpected thread of humor and trickster-energy.
“It’s the level of humor in a lot of these things...this, like, cheeky, trickster kind of thing...And then we'll just throw this in so no one's ever gonna believe you.” — Riley [73:09]
6. The Mystical Nature of Music
- Music as Divination ([77:08]): Riley affirms the ancient and spiritual dimensions of music, both as a personal practice and as a kind of wizardry.
“It’s the closest job to, like, wizard that I could find in this life.” — Riley [78:28]
- He shares that he intentionally maintains a private, improvisational musical practice—playing not for an audience or income, but to hone his “antenna” for creative inspiration and transcendence.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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Ambient Music’s Resurgence
“Ambient music is like having a renaissance, I think, because there’s so much noise in the world, and sometimes...you just want to relax.” — Riley [05:58] -
Artist Financial Reality
“The CEO of Spotify is more wealthy than any musician in the history of ever. And that seems off.” — Riley [20:43] -
Pussy Riot & David Byrne
“David Byrne introduced the project. Whoa. Which was like a very, like, pinch me moment of like, is this real?” — Riley [34:38] -
Humor in the Paranormal
“It’s the level of humor in a lot of these things...this, like, cheeky, trickster kind of thing… And then we’ll just throw this in so no one’s ever gonna believe you.” — Riley [73:09] -
Music as Wizardry
“To me, it’s like, it’s the closest job to, like, wizard that I could find in this life. And I was like, well, I’m gonna do that one then.” — Riley [78:27]
Standout Segments & Timestamps
- Riley describes AI music hobbies & ambient inspirations [04:08–06:59]
- The spaghetti western spirit of Spindrift & band lore [07:18–12:22]
- Nostalgia for the LA/Bay Area music scenes, venue shifts [13:00–18:18]
- Deep-dive into Pussy Riot activism and avant-garde noise music [29:22–38:59]
- Formation of BCC and the evolution of Riley’s role [43:44–47:24]
- How paranormal podcasting expanded Riley’s worldview [53:08–56:51]
- The philosophy of perception and the observer effect [66:32–68:52]
- Absurdity, pranks, and humor in high strangeness stories [73:09–75:19]
- Music’s transcendental, mystical essence [77:08–79:34]
Tone, Energy & Takeaways
Riley Bray stands out as a thoughtful, approachable, and deeply creative presence: candid about his skepticism but passionately enamored with both the psychedelic arts and the enduring mysteries of consciousness and the paranormal. The conversation is rich in musical anecdotes, philosophical inquiry, wry humor, and warmth—making it accessible and engaging for listeners, whether they're music heads, paranormal enthusiasts, or simply curious about creativity and the unknown.
For More:
- Riley Bray on Instagram: @peacedrone
- Bigfoot Collectors Club: YouTube, Official Site