Inside Weird Studies Vol. 3
A Track-by-Track Commentary
This event starts May 30, 2026.
Join Montreal composer Pierre-Yves Martel, and his brother J.F. Martel, co-host of the Weird Studies podcast, to celebrate the release of Weird Studies Vol. 3. Attendees of this live event will hear the album in full, and Pierre-Yves and J.F. will provide commentary between tracks.
Format
The event consists of one live, 90-minute Zoom session. Attendees will listen to the album together, with commentary by Pierre-Yves and J.F. Martel occurring between tracks. A recording of the event will be made available after the Zoom call and will remain available in the event space for all registrants.
Schedule
The event will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 8 p.m. EDT / 5 p.m. PDT, and will take place over Zoom via the Weirdosphere learning platform. A video recording of the session will remain available to registrants after the event concludes.
Instructor Bio
J.F. Martel is a Canadian author, filmmaker, lecturer, and cultural critic known for his work on the arts, philosophy, and the uncanny. With a background in film production and an interest in metaphysics, Martel explores the intersections of creativity and the ineffable, challenging conventional boundaries of understanding. He is best known for his book Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice, which argues for the intrinsic value of art beyond commodification and utilitarianism. Martel’s writings often appear in various publications, where he discusses the spiritual and existential dimensions of culture. As a filmmaker, he has directed several documentaries and short films. Through his work, Martel invites audiences to reconsider their perceptions of reality and embrace the mysteries that lie beneath the surface of the workaday world. He co-hosts the Weird Studies podcast with the music historian Phil Ford.
Pierre-Yves Martel is a Montreal-based musician and composer whose work brings together early music, improvised music, and contemporary experimental practice. Working across a range of instruments and sound sources, he continues to incorporate the viola da gamba into contexts where it is rarely heard, alongside pedal steel guitar, modular synthesis, and field recording. Approaching sound as sound, he focuses on timbre, texture, and the act of listening itself. His wide-ranging output includes numerous solo albums, scores for film and dance, long-standing collaborations such as the improvised trio Hübsch Martel Zoubek, and original music for the arts and philosophy podcast Weird Studies. Alongside an active international concert career, Martel develops site-specific and long-form projects, including the 600-minute Ephemera and the ongoing Weekly Pieces, often combining improvisation, composition, and soundscape.