52 search results for "backyard brunch"

The Lawsuits: October 26, 2013 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming Full Set

November 22, 2013
By


IMG_2771
[Photo by Steve Alexandre]

Philly’s The Lawsuits are just straight up quality. This young act, who have established a reputation in their hometown that is growing around the East Coast, are one of those bands so ready for primetime that you can’t believe you’re seeing them in someone’s living room. Such are the advantages of living in New York City, I suppose.

This Backyard Brunch Session, like the Field Mouse set from later in the day, wasn’t exactly true to the format in terms of being (a) in a backyard or (b) acoustic, but The Lawsuits played this backup location the same way I’m sure they’d have played Bowery Ballroom. Dual lead vocalists Brian Dale Allen Strouse (also guitarist/keyboardist and lead songwriter) and Vanessa Winters give the band a wide palette to choose from vocally, and the core rhythm section of Brendan Cunningham on bass and Josh Friedman on drums (joined for this set by guitarist Joe Bisirri) give power and structure to the intricate arrangements. As a unit, the band’s highlight was probably “Love Is Weight”. With its hooky keyboard backing and catchy chorus, the song would be as at home in any of the last four decades, and it’s a home run now. The strongest individual performance could well have been Winters’ on the country-blues number “Long Drive Home”, where her vocals soared in the room without need of amplification. But it’s hard to be partial to any one performance out of this excellent set — even the impromptu, unrehearsed cover of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” brought a huge smile to everyone’s face. If a choice of cover song could fully encapsulate the spirit, style and vibe of a band, the choice of that song by The Lawsuits might well be it. The band has shows in Philly on December 6 and New Year’s Eve, and should be touring New York again next year. Don’t miss them.

I recorded set with MBHO microphones on each of the lead vocalists with a mid-side pair of Schoeps MK5 and MK8 in the middle of the room. Of all of the site’s Backyard Brunch recordings, I believe this is the finest quality one yet. Enjoy!

Stream the full set (with banter removed):

The incorrect version of “You Won’t Love Me If You Won’t” has been replaced with the right song.

Download the full set: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

unnamed2
[Photo by Paul Dryden]

The Lawsuits
2013-10-26
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com and backyardbrunchsessions.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod)+Schoeps MK8 (M-S) + MBHO KA200N>MBP603>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Voxengo MSED (decode M-S)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (various effects and mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.03 (fades, tracking, light compression, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Fine Quality
03 Ebony Rose
04 Long Drive Home
05 [banter]
06 Dreaming #26
07 [banter2]
08 Onion
09 Love Is Weight
10 [banter3]
11 You Won’t Love Me If You Don’t
12 American Girl [Tom Petty]

Players:
Brian Dale Allen Strouse (vocals, keys, guitar)
Vanessa Winters (vocals)
Brendan Cunningham (bass)
Josh Friedman (drums)
Joe Bisirri (guitar)

If you enjoyed this recording, please support The Lawsuits, visit their website and buy Cool Cool Cool and their merchandise from their online store.

Field Mouse: October 26, 2013 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

November 6, 2013
By

fieldmouse-3-jordan
[Photo by Jordan Frazes]

Those familiar with the Brooklyn dream pop band Field Mouse and their intense, guitar-driven wall of sound might wonder how exactly they could play an un-amplified acoustic session in somebody’s backyard. Fortunately for those of us attending this Backyard Brunch Session, the only thing consistent about this installment in the series was the food.

A fully-amped combo of lead guitarist Andrew Futral and vocalist/guitarist Rachel Browne arrived at an apartment on Grand Street in Williamsburg with a guest drummer in tow and their full complement of amps. Other than the absence of bassist Saysha Heinzman, this was going to be an almost full-strength Field Mouse show. And thanks to a scheduling conflict, that wall of sound was going to be ricocheting off the walls of a medium-sized living room. Thankfully our hosts have cool neighbors, because this was not a quiet Saturday afternoon.

Since I first caught the band at Northside Festival last year, their confidence and songwriting have only gotten stronger. After releasing a series of singles, the group is laying down tracks for an album that we expect to see hit the streets next year. Several of the songs played at this session should make their first appearances on it, including the outstanding new track “Asteroid” which is streaming below. While this less-than-full complement of players doesn’t quite give you the full Field Mouse experience, it gives as close of an idea as is possible in a small room in a residential area. Besides their ability to write addictive, hook-laden songs, their trademark sense of humor was on display as well. This is one recording where I don’t advise skipping the “banter” tracks.

I recorded this set with a mid-side combination of Schoeps microphones in the center of the room, with my MBHO cardiods serving as both the vocal mic and miking the vocal PA. I have attempted to give a realistic representation of how the band sounded in the room, while trying to capture the power the band has in a larger setting. I hope you enjoy it!

Field Mouse is playing Cameo Gallery on November 23 and Piano’s on December 18. Check out their live shows.

Stream “Asteroid”

Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

IMG_6110
[Photo by acidjack. That’s not actually the right running order]

Field Mouse
2013-10-26
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod)+Schoeps MK8 (M-S) + MBHO KA200N>MBP603>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Voxengo MSED (decode M-S)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (various effects and mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.03 (fades, tracking, compression, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 You Guys Are Gonna Wake Up My Mom
03 [banter]
04 Tomorrow Is Yesterday
05 [banter2]
06 Asteroid
07 Plate Tectonics
08 [banter3]
09 Everyone But You
10 [banter4]
11 Water In the Valley

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Field Mouse, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the links on their bandcamp page or on iTunes.

Modern Merchant: September 22, 2013 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

October 23, 2013
By

modernmerchant-11
[Photography by Dominick Mastrangelo]

The Brooklyn band Modern Merchant have an easy charm to them. Their laid-back sound will suck you in at an instant. But what will keep you coming back are the subtle shifts of tempo and texture that give their arrangements heft. Lead singer John Parson has a steady, soothing voice that heads into euphoric territory when it’s called for, but he knows when to use it. This Backyard Brunch Sessions performance carved back some of the more dream-pop-driven elements of the band’s sound, which are out in force on their current EP, For the Fields. For my money, this live set gave the band’s songs a more natural, lived-in feel that goes well with their natural tendencies. It’s always a nice calling cards to have when the band you’re playing with (in this case, Elizabeth and the Catapult) asks when they can see your next show. It was a compliment well deserved, as Modern Merchant put on a live show worth seeing more than once.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the Elizabeth and the Catapult recording, and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

You can catch Modern Merchant live in Brooklyn on October 29 at the Paper Box.

Stream “Be That As It May”:

Stream “Necessary Evil”:

Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

modernmerchant-5

Modern Merchant
2013-09-22
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack
Hosted at nyctaper.com and backyardbrunchsessions.com

Schoeps MK5 (omni)+Schoeps MK8 (M-S) + Audio Technica 3031>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (various effects and mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.03 (fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro – David Chaitt]
02 Be That As It May
03 [tuning]
04 For the Fields
05 Necessary Evil
06 [tuning2]
07 Marry Me Annie
08 [tuning3]
09 Untitled (Patito)

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Modern Merchant, visit their website, and buy For the Fields from their bandcamp page.

Elizabeth and the Catapult: September 22, 2013 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

October 9, 2013
By

eandthec-11
[Photography by Dominick Mastrangelo]

As they often do, this year’s edition of Backyard Brunch Sessions gave us a different take on the band Elizabeth and the Catapult than you might get from listening to their official releases. Band founder Elizabeth Ziman, a New York native, has a proud and diverse musical pedigree, from classical education at the Berklee College of Music to work in film scoring to spending some time busking in the subway. Joined by new members (as of the last album, at least) Lauren Balthrop and Jonno Linden, Ziman has been putting together material for a new release, and what we heard on this afternoon were soul-searching, mature evolutions beyond the band’s previous albums Taller Children and The Other Side of Zero. 

The new songs also offer some of Ziman’s most compelling hooks yet. Of particular note was “I Wish I Didn’t,” whose tone of resignation was lightened by some humorous moments with the DIY instrument selection. Ziman, Balthrop and Linden joined together for gorgeous vocal harmonies, particularly on “Please Don’t Tell Me A Lie” and “Go Away My Lover”, the lone offering played off of The Other Side of Zero. We also got to hear one of Ziman’s favorite Dawes songs, a lovely rendition of “When My Time Comes” with Ziman and Balthrop doing a soaring vocal turn. The band led off with a Balthrop original, “Please Don’t Tell Me A Lie”, which she has performed with her own project Dear Georgiana. Although this lovely back yard on Grand Street in Williamsburg didn’t feel quite the same as a subway station, the show offered some of that same loose, unadorned feel. And it proved, without doubt, that this band has the skills to keep a crowd excited.

I recorded this set with a Schoeps MK5 and MK8 microphone in the mid-side configuration in the middle of the band, plus spot mics on the performers. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “I Wish I Didn’t”

Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

eandthec-12

Elizabeth and the Catapult
2013-09-22
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack
Hosted at nyctaper.com and backyardbrunchsessions.com

Schoeps MK5 (omni)+Schoeps MK8 (M-S) + Audio Technica 3031>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (various effects and mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.03 (fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro- David Chaitt]
02 Please Don’t Tell Me A Lie [Dear Georgiana]
03 Shoelaces
04 I Wish I Didn’t
05 [banter]
06 Someday Soon
07 [banter2]
08 When My Time Comes [Dawes]
09 [banter3]
10 Go Away My Lover

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Elizabeth and the Catapult, visit their website, and buy Other Side of Zero from Amazon or your favorite retailer. 

Modern Inventors: October 7, 2012 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

November 1, 2012
By


[Photos courtesy of Dominick Mastrangelo]

The Philadelphia duo Modern Inventors led off this final Backyard Brunch Session of the season with a set of classic, tightly-arranged rock. The band for this event was a combination of old and new: Modern Inventors guitarist Matt Kass was previously in the well-known Philadelphia band The Brakes, and he was joined for this show by two of his former bandmates, Zach Djanikian (Ukelele bass) and Spence Cohen (drums/percussion). Seeing the band for the first time, I wouldn’t have guessed that they didn’t always play in this configuration – these four players clearly found their groove quickly. Modern Inventors vocalist/guitarist Josh Benus, who met Kass when Kass produced an album for him in 2007, comes across as vocally effortless and beyond his years. The band is preparing an album, Trains and Aeroplanes, for December release, and spending their time until then playing the material live at shows on the East Coast, with a tour planned following the record’s release that may well include Djanikian and Cohen in the touring unit. We are streaming the band’s debut single, “Hello” below, which was, unsurprisingly, one of the strongest of the seven songs from this set.

I recorded this set with AKG 414 large diaphragm microphones in the Blumlein configuration, which provides a rich “360 degree” soundstage, with additional reinforcement on Benus’ lead vocals. This is one of my favorite of all of my Backyard Brunch recordings.  Enjoy!

Modern Inventors have an upcoming tour date this month in NYC, when they play the Studio at Webster Hall on Friday the 23rd.  Grab your tickets here.

Stream “Hello”

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC files

Follow acidjack on twitter

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Modern Inventors
2012-10-07
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

AKG C 414 B-XLS (Blumlein) + Audio Technica 3031 (lead vocal)>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (set fades, edits)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter, imaging, edits to vocal tracks)>Audacity 3.0 (tracking, amplify, light DR compression, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Penny For Your Thoughts
02 Puncture All the Wheels
03 [banter/tuning]
04 Goodbye Northbrook Drive
05 [banter/tuning]
06 Anna
07 [banter/tuning]
08 Hello
09 [banter]
10 Old Habits
11 [banter]
12 This Sign

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Modern Inventors, visit their website, like them on Facebook, check out their NYC-area show at the Studio at Webster Hall on November 23, and buy Trains and Aeroplanes when it is released.

Thieving Irons: October 7, 2012 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

October 23, 2012
By


[Photos by Dominick Mastrangelo]

Thieving Irons, the current project of Brooklyn musician Nate Martinez, is a fairly gentle, vibey sort of band even in its electric format, so I was excited to see how their sound would change in a true “acoustic” setting. The band’s second album, Behold, This Dreamer! is a lovely piece of rainy-afternoon music, with gauzy production and at-times confessional lyrics that also incorporate historical and literary references. This most recent installment of the Backyard Brunch Sessions – held due to weather in a Prospect Heights apartment – gave Martinez the chance to distill his vision further, stripping his band to a duo of himself on vocals and guitar and longtime collaborator Dan Brantigan on a rare instrument called the EVI (a sort of synth trumpet, and a large component of that “vibey” sound). As a crowd gathered around with organizer David Chaitt’s spicy granola (made spicy by local Mike’s Hot Honey), Martinez and Brantigan played us eight songs that represented the range of Martinez’s current vision, all of them but two from Behold.

Two of the album’s biggest rockers, “Sleepwalking Into the Ocean” and “So Long” were among my favorite reinterpretations, not least because they differed the most from the album tracks. Even without the anthemic guitars and keyboards, “Sleepwalking” retained its resolute hopefulness and uplift; the poetry of “So Long” – possibly the album’s most memorable song – shone through, as Brantigan’s EVI provided a spare dreamscape in the background. Another of the show’s highlights, dedicated to GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, was a cover of the Kinks classic “Strangers”, a song that ought to resonate in a modern, more self-absorbed time. The band closed with “Gentle Hands”, a pastiche of images that, at its conclusion, suggests a longing for home.

I recorded this set with AKG 414 large-diaphragm microphones set to “wide cardiod” in an X/Y pattern (pictured below) in order to reduce the directionality and provide a more stable stereo image. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “So Long”

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC files

Follow acidjack on twitter

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Thieving Irons
2012-10-07
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

AKG C 414 B-XLS (wide cardiod, x/y)>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (set fades, compression, adjust L/R balance, cleanup)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter, imaging)>Audacity 3.0 (tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Babylon
03 End of September
04 Behold, This Dreamer!
05 Sleepwalking Into the Ocean
06 So Long
07 Swimming With Minnows
08 [banter]
09 Strangers [The Kinks]
10 Gentle Hands

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Thieving Irons, like them on Facebook, and buy their records and merchandise from their online store [HERE]

Ben Sollee: September 8, 2012 Backyard Brunch Sessions – Flac/MP3/Streaming

September 15, 2012
By


[photo by Dominick Mastrangelo]

The Backyard Brunch Sessions is in its third year of summer events and it continues to draw an incredible roster of performers to a very intimate and unique setting. Last weekend, Ben Sollee played a BBS that was brought indoors because of inclement weather. But the experience remained the same — an opportunity for a small selected group of people to experience an abundant amount of talent from up close. For us, very close. Ben Sollee is one of those performers whose rare combination of stage presence, likeability and sheer talent is magnetic. He is also a natural for the setting of BBS, and on Saturday Ben was fast friends with everyone in the room and effortlessly brought us all into the world of his music. As a duo with percussionist Jordon Ellis, who literally played a customized wooden box as a drum, Ben dipped into some older numbers but mostly focused on material from his new album Half Made Man, which will be released on September 25. Ben opened with “DIY” and ended the first set with “Unfinished”, two of the stronger tracks from the new album. We are streaming “Hurting” from Ben’s 2011 album Inclusions, as it was personally one of my favorite performances from this set and also features some incredible vocalizing at the conclusion of the song. Ben Sollee will be touring (via bicycle!) this month through the South and Midwest, dates [here].

I recorded this set with four microphones placed strategically around the performers. The Neumann hypercards were used primarily for vocals and the Sennheiser cards for instruments. A light amount of reverb was added in post to the vocals and the mixdown is weighted towards the vocals by about 60/40. The quiet room and hushed crowd provided a near perfect recording atmosphere so that this recording is really quite superb. Enjoy!

For more content from this performance, check this week on the sites of our partners for this event, Backyard Brunch Sessions and Consequence of Sound.

Stream “Hurting”:

This Recording is now available to Download in FLAC and MP3 at Archive.org [HERE]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Ben Sollee
2012-09-08
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
On Stage 4-Track

Neumann KM-150s + Sennheiser MKH-8040s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (mix down, level adjustments, slight reverb to vocals, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 > (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2012-09-13

Setlist:
[Total Time 44:21]
01 DIY
02 [banter – intro]
03 Some Lovin
04 [banter – bicycle tour]
05 The Globe
06 [banter – Half Made Man]
07 Unfinished
08 Teach Me
09 [banter – Captivity intro]
10 Captivity
11 [banter – questions]
12 Cajun Jam
13 [banter – geeking out]
14 Hurting
15 [banter – bike tour story]
16 Panning For Gold

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Ben Sollee, visit his website, and pre-order Half Made Man from Ben’s online Store [HERE].

Lucius: July 14, 2012 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

August 6, 2012
By

lucius-14
[Photo courtesy of Backyard Brunch sessions]

acidjack reports:
“The duo of talented vocalists that make up the band Lucius joined us for the inaugural Backyard Brunch Session of the season recently, and proceeded to blow us away. Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe’s note-perfect vocals were as well matched as their outfits at this casual backyard show, which consisted primarily of their 2012 self-titled EP plus some new songs. In BBS tradition, the duo were backed by lightly-played instrumentation, but little was needed; Laessig and Wolfe’s voices are the only instruments required. Their latest work is sweet and dreamy, but never comes off as twee. The band has range as well; the new “Two Of Us” has a bit of a rootsy twang, while the new “Wildewoman” is a spare, breezy number that builds to a life-affirming climax. “Turn it Around,” the hardest rocking song from the Lucius EP, closed the set, and the semi-acoustic setup focused the crowd on the vocal, rather than robbing the song of its power.  With only one full album – 2009’s Songs from the Bromley House – under their belts, Lucius are a young band, but one that is obviously full of promise.

hi and lo recorded this set with a combination of Schoeps and MBHO microphones and the weather was fortunately cooperative. Only some very minor wind gusts occurred and the overall sound is excellent. Enjoy!”

Thanks to the BBS sponsors for this show, Grady’s Cold Brew and Kings County Distillery Moonshine.

Stream “Don’t Just Sit There”
[audio:http://nyctaper.com/L1407Lucius1212/lucius2012-07-14.nyctaper.t03.mp3]

Stream “Wildewoman”
[audio:http://nyctaper.com/L1407Lucius1212/lucius2012-07-14.nyctaper.t06.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Lucius
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY
2012-07-14

Recordist : hi and lo
Source 1 : MBHO KA200/603 + Schoeps MK5 (omni, mono) > Naiant PFA >> Tascam DR-680 @ 24bit / 48kHz
Edit : WaveLab V5 (mixdown/eq/gain/fades/dither/resampling)
Encoding : FLAC v1.2.1 Level 8 with TLH v2.6.0 (Build 168)

Tracklist:

01. Intro
02. Go home
03. Don’t Just Sit There
04. Genevieve
05. Two of Us
06. Wildewoman
07. Turn it Around

Running Time: 27:29

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Lucius, visit their website, and purchase their record from [HERE] or on iTunes.

Prairie Empire: July 14, 2012 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

July 30, 2012
By

prarie empire dominic
[Photos courtesy of Dominick Mastrangelo Photography]

If the true measure of a band’s abilities is how well they play live, you could say it is doubly a measure of their talents how well they can play acoustically in someone’s back yard on a muggy July day, with planes flying overhead and bugs threatening to choke them. Prairie Empire rose to that challenge at a recent Backyard Brunch Sessions, where they gave the audience the added bonus of new material recorded after their just-released eponymous debut album. Though weary from closing out their recent tour, lead singer Brittain Ashford and her band (or at least, part of it) were in high spirits and strong form, further honed from their time on the road.  Both “Like Birds” and the brand-new “Muir Woods” gave those of us just getting acquainted with the new record even-newer material to delve into, while album tracks like “Give” have never sounded better. For a more electrified take on the band, check out our June 10th recording from Mercury Lounge, but if you are into the acoustic style, it’s also worth taking a look at the band’s recent Daytrotter session.

hi and lo recorded this set with a combination of Schoeps and MBHO microphones.  Other than a few unavoidable blasts of wind and planes flying overhead, the sound is excellent!

Thanks to the BBS sponsors for this show, Grady’s Cold Brew and Kings County Distillery Moonshine.

Stream “Snow”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/P6001PrairieEmpire2012/06 Snow.mp3]

Stream “Give”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/P6001PrairieEmpire2012/09 Give.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

prairie-empire-3

Prairie Empire
2012-07-14
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded by hi and lo
Produced by acidjack

Equipment: Schoeps MK21 (NOS)>NBox Cables>PFA + Schoeps MK5 (omni)>KC5>PFA + MBHO KA200/603>>Tascam DR-680
Mastering: 5x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown, adjust levels, DR compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, assorted other effects)>Audacity (tracking, set fades, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Song For You
03 Tenfold
04 Like Birds
05 [banter]
06 Snow
07 Winter Came
08 [tuning/banter]
09 Give
10 Where You Are
11 Muir Woods

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Prairie Empire, visit their website, and purchase their record from Trailer Fire Records [HERE] or on iTunes.

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper: October 9, 2011 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

October 11, 2011
By

backyard_brunch-22
[Photo by Dominick Mastrangelo]

When I first heard Aly Spaltro, aka Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, I flat-out couldn’t believe a girl so small (the band’s Facebook page cheekily describes her as 6’2″) – and so young (early 20s) – could make such a large, mature sound. Her “band” is no more than her and her guitar, but Aly never sounded intimidated or lonely on that empty stage. She cold-opened with an a cappella number – “Up In the Rafters” – that gave me chills. Stripped bare, the song is a sustained cry of longing, at once sultry, dangerous and sweet, and it’s delivered fearlessly. She closes out “Rafters” and moves straight into “Mezzanine”, this time accompanied by her guitar. Her playing is the equal of that lovely gravel in her voice, taking abrupt and unexpected twists in time and tempo. Both songs appear on LLTB’s current release Mammoth Swoon, a collection of unreleased, rare, and bedroom tracks that Aly released at the end of last year. You may be asking yourself how a young artist like Aly manages to have a rarities comp already, and that would be a good question. But head to LLTB’s bandcamp page, and you’ll see that she is already three releases deep. This set of six songs was culled from several of her records other than Mammoth, and each song showcased her unique songwriting ability. It’s hard for the word “precocious” not to come to mind, but LLTB would be an act of striking talent and depth at any age.

Backyard Brunch Sessions work best with artists who have the confidence to let their music stand unadorned. In a simple East Village backyard surrounded by a garden, new friends (and some delicious French Toast Grilled Cheese Sandwiches), Aly Spaltro fit this show’s aesthetic perfectly. She’s been playing alone on that empty stage since day one.

I recorded this set with a combination of high-end microphones, including the DPA 4021 that you can see miking Aly’s vocals. The sound quality is excellent, other than a two-second spot during “Up In the Rafters” where her guitar hit the mic stand. Enjoy!

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper’s next show will be a Windish Agency CMJ Showcase at Rockwood Music Hall on October 21.  More info here.

Stream “Up in the Rafters”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/L1009LLTB0211/Rafters.mp3]

Stream “Southernfly”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/L1009LLTB0211/Southernfly.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

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Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
2011-10-09
Backyard Brunch Sessions
New York, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

AKG C 414 B-XLS (cardiod pair, on guitar amp)+DPA 4021 (on vocals)>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)>Audition (studio effects, mixdown)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Up In the Rafters
03 Mezzanine
04 Between Two Trees
05 Florence Berlin
06 Southernfly
07 [banter]
08 Crane Your Neck
09 [outro]

PLEASE SUPPORT Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, like her on Facebook, visit her website, and purchase her releases from her bandcamp page.

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