Redding artists Craig Padilla and Marvin Allen release new music!

Redding-based Musicians Craig Padilla & Marvin Allen Intensify Their Electronic Post-Rock Journey on ‘UNFOLDING SKIES’

Album cover art for Weathering the Storm
Unfolding Skies is a continuation of the themes developed in our first three albums and another chapter in the many strange environments encountered by the Umbrella People on their journey.” — Marvin Allen
REDDING, CA, UNITED STATES, February 20, 2026 — Spotted Peccary Music artists Craig Padilla and Marvin Allen reunite for their fourth release Unfolding Skies, bending the ambience and turning up the intensity of their three previous collaborations into an electronic post-rock sound that pulses and shimmers like the stellar nightscapes that inspired it. The album releases worldwide today and is available on the streaming platform of your choice at https://orcd.co/unfolding-skies.
On this project, Padilla and Allen meticulously crafted Unfolding Skies into an amalgamation of sound expressiveness. This live approach brings Allen’s guitar work centerstage through Padilla’s electronic landscapes, blending familiar tones of classic rock, ambient and prog into something new.
“Unfolding Skies has a more straight-forward approach with Marvin’s guitar work, meaning that it’s more of his actual performance without the use of additional overdubs,” Padilla thoughtfully states, noting that in the past they used a technique of composing material through live studio improvisation, extracting vibrant elements, defining structure and perfecting the musical conversation. The difference is palpable.
Focus tracks for the album include “Jammin’ with Buddha,” “Undercurrents of Change” and the epic “Architects of Time,” in which Allen’s fiery guitar blazes a trail through film score panorama and space rock pyrotechnics. Padilla’s swirls of synth and guitar complement one another throughout the album, evoking listener references to Alan Parsons, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream and Robin Trower, who is one of Allen’s inspirations.

All of Padilla and Allen’s collaborations have featured the “Umbrella People” in the album artwork as a representation of everyone trying to find their way of existence in the chaos of the world. Unfolding Skies is the next step in that journey, but even bolder and brighter than before.

Starting in 2019 with Toward The Horizon, followed in 2021 by Strange Gravity, then Weathering The Storm in 2023 and now Unfolding Skies, which is available as a CD and in digital formats for streaming and downloading, including high resolution studio master formats. Listeners may select the format of their choice at https://spottedpeccary.com/shop/unfolding-skies/


New CD available now on Spotted Peccary Music, perfect for fans & playlists of Prog / Classic EM / Berlin-School / Atmospheric / Post-Rock music.

The album was mastered by Howard Givens at Spotted Peccary Studios, NW, Portland, OR; creative direction by Daniel Pipitone at Spotted Peccary Studios, NE, Ligonier, PA. Spotted Peccary owns a vast catalog of over 200 albums for easy licensing to TV, Film and commercials.
Catch the curated relaxing ambient electronic 24/7 LIVE STREAM – SPMLive: 24/7 Ambient Electronic – https://linktr.ee/ambientelectronic.tv
For artist interviews, reviews, or promotional requests, please contact Beth Ann Hilton via beth@spottedpeccary.com.
Tracklist:
1 Framework 12:03
2 Undercurrents of Change 05:28
3 Sun Portal 05:58
4 Jammin’ with Buddha 05:14
5 Cosmic Blueprint 08:38
6 Architects of Time 05:37
7 Unfolding Skies 13:20
Links:
Smartlink: https://orcd.co/unfolding-skies
Spotted Peccary Album Page: https://spottedpeccary.com/shop/unfolding-skies/
Bandcamp: https://padilla-allen.bandcamp.com/album/unfolding-skies
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spottedpeccary/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spottedpeccary
About Craig Padilla and Marvin Allen:
Craig Padilla and Marvin Allen are an international award-winning electronic ambient-rock duo from Northern California whose music combines expressive musicianship with deep atmospheric sound design. Padilla, a veteran of the electronic music scene with over 40 releases, is known for crafting immersive soundscapes using analog and digital synthesizers. Allen, a seasoned multi-instrumentalist, performer, and music educator, brings decades of experience in recording, film scoring, and mentoring young musicians. In addition to being released on the world-renowned Hemi-Sync label (through Spotted Peccary Music), their collaborative works have charted at NUMBER 1 for numerous weeks on the NACC Charts, have been commissioned by Star’s End Radio, and have also been featured on Sirius XM, nationally syndicated programs Echoes and Music from the Hearts of Space, as well as many other radio programs and podcasts. https://spottedpeccary.com/artists/craig-padilla-and-marvin-allen/
About Spotted Peccary Music:
Portland-based Spotted Peccary Music is North America’s finest independent record label with a focus on deep, vast and introspective soundscapes. For over four decades, the artists of Spotted Peccary have been on a mission to develop, produce, publish and release ultra-high-quality, deep-listening experiences that engage the listener and exceed expectations. Every release is carefully prepared in a variety of high-quality formats from MP3 to high-res studio masters. In 2023, they were named Best Independent Record Label by the HIMAwards. Explore more than 200 titles and 50 artists released over 40 years of excellence. Explore perks of the 40th Retrospective celebration at https://spottedpeccary.com/spm40/ and shop for a collectible music $20 Discovery Pack while supplies last at www.AmbientElectronic.com
Beth Hilton
Spotted Peccary Music
+1 310-560-8390
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Bluesky
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
X
Other

Sunset at Lake Redding

Still shots of Lake Redding at sunset

Lake Redding forms when the Anderson Cottonwood Irrigation District raises a wooden dam across the Sacramento River at Caldwell Park. The resulting weir supplies the old irrigation canal feeding the homes and farms to the south. There is a fish ladder. Drift boats ply the lake. The water is very cold, as it comes from the bottom of Shasta Dam.

I was getting set up to do a time lapse, but was not in the position I had planned. They sky turned gold and I popped the drone up anyway, so as to not miss the peak. It wasn’t what I planned, but it turned out very nice. The river is flowing east, toward the drone. The clouds are flowing north. Then, a southbound train crosses the river on the trestle. A boat is seen. All of it very nice.

Still shots of Lake Redding at sunset
default
default

Redding’s Garden of Lights 2023

A quick aerial overview of Redding’s Garden of Lights from 2023. Music excerpt “Live illusions” by Craig Padilla and Skip Murphy from the CD “Analog Destination,” recorded in Redding California in 2008, courtesy of of Groove Unlimited NL. Thank you again this year, Redding! #thisisredding, #gardenoflights, #craigpadilla

 

Garden of Lights at night video by Skip Murphy
default

The lady of the mountain

Just another spectacular Autumn day in Northern California. The relatively high lake level seems extra fortuitous for this time of year, perhaps heralding another bountiful water year, climate permitting. The lady of the mountain wearing a skimpy, powdery negligee in anticipation of her dense white winter cloak to come. Meanwhile, these balmy days grow shorter. Make the most of them.

Mt Shasta from Shasta Lake Mt Shasta from Shasta Lake

California’s first 3D Printed Homes are in Redding

Here’s a great project to build 4 homes in Redding with this intriguing new construction method. Is this the wave of the future?

Wide view 3D homes being builtAerial view of 3D printed homes
Aerial overhead view of 3D printed home

So, evidently I live in a science fiction novel. They print houses in my town. And I took a photo of the work getting underway using a supercomputer/digital camera/phone I carry around in my pocket. Then, I sent my satellite navigating camera airborne for aerial shots. It’s easy to get bogged down with all that seems to be going wrong in this world. But given my perspective from across nearly seven decades of progress on this planet, so many things have improved greatly. Astonishing, really. #thisisredding