[photo by Sierra Starno. See more of her great work on her Instagram page]
Matt Valentine and Erika Elder, aka MV & EE, have a prolific output of records — 147 releases, if Discogs can be believed — that spans everything from proper albums to live CDRs to all manner of weird EPs and one-offs. But their most recent release, Root/Void, has been one of the most notable. The band’s first record for Woodsist, Root/Void has some of the band’s most focused songwriting to date, without losing the cosmic, herbal flow that gives this couple such a unique musical voice. The band’s latest isn’t missing the homegrown quality that makes MV & EE feel like a perpetually well-kept secret, but it will probably rope in some newcomers along the way.
This show at Trans-Pecos, presented by nyctaper, was pleasantly devoid of political conversation, though by virtue of existing, its politics were evident. Held on a bracing but sunny afternoon in Ridgewood, a like-minded group of souls gathered around the stage as Valentine and Elder pulled out a jam-heavy (even by their standards) hour-plus long set that covered recent road favorites like “Tea Devil” as well as some of the new album’s best jams. Perhaps the winner on that front would be “Roll On,” which arrived here as a furious, 16-minute squall that flowed into “Love Lemma” to close out the show. It was as “rock n’ roll” as this band gets, and it befitted the moment, as the sun fell in the afternoon sky, casting colored shadows on the two players as they did what they do best.
I recorded this set with a soundboard feed, together with Schoeps MK4V microphones in the crowd and Naiant X-X microphones onstage. Matt Valentine was kind enough to mix the sources to his specifications, and the result is a true MV & EE burner. We are offering this recording in a new format that we believe will benefit both the artists and the fans — our new “official” bandcamp page. The downloads are offered in every format on a “pay what you will” basis, and streaming remains free via the bandcamp page and their handy mobile app. We hope you are as proud of the new effort as we are. Enjoy!
Stream and download this show from our new bandcamp page:
MV & EE
2016-11-13
Trans-Pecos
Queens, NY
Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper bandcamp
Recorded by acidjack
Produced by Matt Valentine
Soundboard (mono) + Schoeps MK4V (FOB, DFC)>KCY>Z-PFA + Naiant X-X (split omni, onstage)>>Zoom F8>3x24bit/48kHz WAV>Matt’s wizardry>Audacity 2.0.3 (fades, tracking, amplify, balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )
Tracks [Total Time 1:08:22]
01 Much Obliged
02 Stars Are In Your Eyes
03 Coot Moon Rap
04 No $>Shit’s Creek
05 Tea Devil>Tea Jam
06 Shout Outs Rap
07 Roll On>jam>Love Lemma
If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT MV & EE: Their Website | Buy Root/Void from Woodsist | Twitter
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