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Oren Ambarchi: September 8, 2012 Hopscotch Festival, Memorial Auditorium (Raleigh, NC) – Streaming Full Set

September 27, 2012
By


[Photo by Jeremy D Larson. See his Flickr stream [HERE]]

Oren Ambarchi was a very special pickup for this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival. The world-renowned electronic guitarist and percussionist not only doesn’t spend a ton of time touring stateside, but is an especially rare sight in North Carolina. A frequent collaborator with the band sunn O))), Ambarchi’s work stretches the limits of music and the guitar as conventionally understood, with stretched-out song structures that are more dissonant soundscapes than proper songs. Coming on at Memorial Auditorium just before sunn O)))’s festival-closing set was an appropriate slot for Ambarchi and a logical move in terms of fan base; most who showed up in the hall knew what to expect (as much as anything that Ambarchi does is “expected”).  This 32-minute improvisation is classic Ambarchi, and an excellent introduction to his work for those hearing him for the first time.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 microphones in the cardiod setting from the optimal position in the venue. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream the entire set:

Please note, at the artist’s request, no downloading of this set is permitted.

Follow acidjack on twitter

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.

Oren Ambarchi
Hopscotch Music Festival
Memorial Auditorium
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, DFC, 10ft, DIN)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (light eq, set fades, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC

Tracks
01 improvisation

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Oren Ambarchi, visit his website, and buy his releases from Touch music [HERE]

Young Magic: September 6, 2012 Hopscotch Festival (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC / MP3 / Streaming

September 26, 2012
By


[not very good photos by acidjack]

Young Magic’s grab-bag of influences – West African rhythms, shoegaze textures, hip hop beats, a smattering of witch house – makes them an almost-impossibly current-sounding band, whose sound is as easy to locate in the modern present as their auditorium-shaking bass was in your throat. The band kicked off the opening night of the Hopscotch Music Festival at Raleigh, NC’s cavernous Memorial Auditorium, and rose to the occasion despite being one of the smaller acts, personnel-wise, to take the festival’s biggest stage. The opening chants and dense sonics of “You With Air” set the tone for a set that made it clear how the Brooklyn (via Australia and Indonesia) act had gotten that billing in such short time.  This is the sort of dance-ish music that you probably don’t actually dance to; like Tricky and Massive Attack before them, Young Magic’s game is to hypnotize its audiences with their dark atmospherics. The band included a couple of new numbers not on their 2012 Carpark Records debut, Melt, which could well see some action on best-of lists at year-end.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 microphones from the ideal location in the venue. The venue’s rather boomy acoustics are reflected in the recording, though with some additional editing, I think it is a solid capture. Enjoy!

Stream “Night In the Ocean”

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

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.

Young Magic
2012-09-06
Hopscotch Festival
Memorial Auditorium
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Schoeps MK41>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC (level 8 )

Tracks
01 intro>You With Air
02 The Dancer
03 Sparkly
04 Slip Time
05 [unknown]
06 [unknown2]
07 Night In the Ocean

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Young Magic, like them on Facebook, and buy Melt from Carpark Records [HERE]

Wooden Wand: September 7, 2012 Three Lobed/WXDU Day Show and Berkeley Cafe (2 shows! Hopscotch Festival (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 25, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Back when he was in law school, my college buddy Cory Rayborn decided to put out a 10″ record for the band Bardo Pond, on a new imprint he called Three Lobed Recordings. Cory didn’t have any grand cred-building mission or even a firm direction in mind; he just wanted to give wider exposure to the outsider music he held dear. So after the Bardo Pond release came another, then another, then many others, until the tiny North Carolina label that my friend founded as a hobby suddenly found itself compiling a tenth anniversary vinyl-only box set – which sold out in a matter of days. And at this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival, Three Lobed and the Durham, NC-based WXDU (nominally Duke’s college radio station, but staffed almost completely by locals) brought together an incredible lineup of artists who have released records on Three Lobed, together with other artists who are friends and admirers.

James Jackson Toth, aka Wooden Wand, first joined the Three Lobed family on the label’s 14th release, with the Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice album l’un marquee contre la moissoneuse. Toth has a staggering catalog of releases to his name, including everything from homemade tapes and CD-Rs to the recent deluxe version of his current record Briarwood (which, if you Kickstarter funded enough money, included a USB drive filled with over 100 demos, live recordings, alternate mixes, and outtakes). While Briarwood and Toth’s other most recent material could be best described as country-driven rock, Toth’s work has taken many twists and turns, with deep dives into free jazz, noise and acid folk. Toth has a new album on the way by the name of Blood Oaths of the New Blues, which promises to continue in the extremely accessible (and well-produced) vein of Briarwood. Here at the WXDU/Three Lobed Day Show at Raleigh’s King’s Barcade, we had the pleasure of seeing Toth take the stage to perform a short-but-satisfying set that included several of the new Blood Oaths tunes.

After a heartfelt thank you to Rayborn and his accomplishments with Three Lobed, Toth dug right in with “Mother Midnight”, from his 2006 record Second Attention, a mid tempo rocker that showcases the deep soul in Toth’s voice. You’d never know, from listening, that he is originally from upstate New York. From there, the new material began with the brooding “Southern Colorado Song”, one of several of Toth’s new songs that demonstrates the further refinement to his songwriting even as it stays true to his essential aesthetic.  Perhaps the most moving song of the set was the new “Dungeon of Irons”, whose lyrics were culled by Toth from a compilation of the actual last words of death row prisoners. In Toth’s hands, these scattered musings become a profound statement about mortality and the essential unfairness that plagues both life and death. As this set wound down with the new song “Jhonn Balance” (in tribute to the lead singer of the experimental band Coil), Toth’s day was just beginning; Wooden Wand played Berkeley Cafe down the street later that night.

For this post we are offering both the Three Lobed/WXDU Day Show set that I recorded, as well as a partial recording of the Berkeley Cafe set that was recorded by a local taper Evan Lamb. While the Berkeley recording was done with less complicated equipment, Toth felt that this was the better of the two performances, and this recording adds an extra song not played at the earlier show.

Thanks to James Toth for allowing us to post these sets.

Stream “Dungeon of Irons” from the Three Lobed/WXDU Day Show:

Stream “Eagle Claw” from Berkeley Cafe:

Download the WXDU/Three Lobed set [MP3] | [FLAC]

Download the Berkeley Cafe set [MP3] | [FLAC]

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

Follow acidjack on twitter

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.

Wooden Wand
2012-09-07
WXDU/Three Lobed Hopscotch Day Party
Kings Barcade
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK5 (omni, onstage)>KC5>CMC6>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 3.0 (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Mother Midnight
03 Southern Colorado Song
04 Winter In Kentucky
05 [banter]
06 Dungeon of Irons
07 Days This Long
08 Jhonn Balance
______________________

Wooden Wand
2012-09-07
Hopscotch Music Festival
Berkeley Cafe
Raleigh, NC USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded by Evan Lamb
Produced by Dan Schram and acidjack

AKG Perception 170>unknown recorder + soundboard>unknown recorder>unknown processing>WAV>Audacity (tracking, set fades, amplify)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 22:53]
[set cuts in]
01 Days This Long
02 [banter]
03 Mother Midnight
04 [banter]
05 Winter In Kentucky
06 [banter]
07 Eagle Claw
08 Jhonn Balance

If you enjoyed these recordings, PLEASE SUPPORT Wooden Wand, visit his website, and buy Briarwood and the forthcoming Blood Oaths of the New Blues from Fire Records [HERE]

The Soft Moon: September 20, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 24, 2012
By


[Photos courtesy of Eric Groom Photography]

The tastemaking label Captured Tracks has developed a unique ability to find bedroom recording projects and other oddball solo visions that are capable of being something more. The Bay Area band The Soft Moon was originally such a project from frontman/guitarist Luis Vasquez, and that was the genesis of the band’s breakout debut LP, The Soft Moon. Seeing the band live at Glasslands this past Thursday, with the benefit of hindsight, it’s hard to see how Vasquez could not have pictured those songs as vital live tunes. This was easily among the most slam-packed, sold-out Glasslands shows I have been to, and the energy of this night was unmistakable; music fans lined the entire Kent Ave. block of Williamsburg that featured three completely full venues. With driving synths and an electronically-augmented backbeat, these darkwave revivalists had little difficulty getting this crowd dancing. The twelve-song set covered a solid portion of the Soft Moon material, as well as some numbers from the band’s 2011 Total Decay EP and at least one track, “Die Life”, that will appear on their forthcoming album, Zeros, which drops in a little over a month.

Vasquez was enjoying the attention and lighthearted between songs. After only five songs he  said “we’ve got one more song” – followed by groans of disappointment from the sardines in the audience.

“I’m just fucking with you” he continued, before launching into a fiery version of the gothic midtempo number “Total Decay” – a relatively mellow midpoint to a set that stayed on fire for the remaining six songs. What began with one guy in his bedroom is now quite clearly a band to be reckoned with. Best of all, New Yorkers can get a second shot at seeing The Soft Moon live when they return to Bowery Ballroom on October 30 to celebrate the release of Zeros.  Tickets are on sale now.

I recorded this set with a pair of Audio Technica 3031 microphones right at the stage lip, plus a soundboard feed from the night’s engineer, Chris. This recording method gives you the feeling of standing right at the front of the crowd, and you can hear some semi-funny comments from audience members in between songs as a result. Enjoy!

Stream “Die Life”

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.

The Soft Moon
2012-09-20
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard + Audio Technica 3031 (onstage, ORTF)>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (tape effects and EQ)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 We Are We
02 Circles
03 Dead Love
04 Into the Depths
05 [tuning]
06 Breathe the Fire
07 Total Decay
08 Alive
09 Die Life
10 Insides
11 Parallels
12 [non-encore break]
13 When It’s Over
14 Tiny Spiders

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT The Soft Moon, like them on Facebook, and purchase their releases, including Zeros when it is available October 30, from Captured Tracks [HERE]

Lambchop: September 8, 2012 Hopscotch Festival, Fletcher Opera Theater (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 21, 2012
By


[Photo courtesy of Kevin Norris at Triangle Music Blog.  Many other Hopscotch Festival photos can be found there]

While Sunn O))) were blowing minds and eardrums next door in Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium, the Nashville band Lambchop gave this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival a more quiet but no less satisfying valedictory. Responsible for what is widely hailed as a career-defining record this year (Mr. M) Lambchop have little left to prove after a 20-year career, but clearly much left to give. Frontman Kurt Wagner and the band kept the volume in this moderately-sized opera house low for almost their entire set, and a rapt and respectful crowd set the tone for a performance that leaned heavily on Mr. M.  Subtlety and grace are Lambchop’s calling cards, and that was no different on this night, as Wagner and the band gave a classic performance. Having missed their NYC show at the Bell House this spring, I for one am thrilled to have this document as an introduction to the new material in the live setting.

This set was recorded by the North Carolina taper “bryonsos” with 3 Zigma CHI custom American-made microphones. While the low volume in the house and a low-end-heavy mix presented some challenges, after careful editing, this is an excellent recording. Enjoy!

Stream “2B2”

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

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.

Lambchop
2012-09-08
Hopscotch Festival
Fletcher Opera Theater
Raleigh, NC USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded by bryonsos
Produced by acidjack

3 Zigma CHI microphones (cardiod, DFC, DIN)>Sound Devices MixPre>Sony PCM-M10>24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, tube effects)>Audacity 3.0 (set fades, envelope crowd noise, light DR compression, adjust volume, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:17:29]
01 Betty’s Overture
02 Gone Tomorrow
03 Sharing A Gibson With Martin Luther King
04 If Not I’ll Just Die
05 The New Cobweb
06 Mr. Met
07 Nashville Parent
08 [banter]
09 The Book I Haven’t Read (Fearless)
10 Prepared
11 The Good Life (Is Wasted)
12 Women Help to Create the Kind of Men They Despise
13 [banter]
14 Nice Without Mercy
15 New Cobweb Summer
16 [banter]
17 2B2
18 Never My Love

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Lambchop, visit their website, and buy their official releases directly from Merge Records [HERE]

Death Blues: September 4, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 20, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Death Blues is the new project from the hypertalented drummer and percussionist Jon Mueller, who has joined a new cast of players to make some seriously inspired math/post-rock. Mueller’s bio includes work with members of Swans, Wilco, and Bon Iver; helping to found the bands Pele, Collections of Colonies of Bees and Volcano Choir; and work with Rhys Chatham, James Plotkin and many others. The level of output represented by his discography would be humbling to most musicians.

So enter Death Blues and their inaugural NYC show, which took place at Glasslands, possibly the best place in this city for such things. Death Blues incorporates Mueller’s relentless percussion with hammered guitars, a trio of vocalists, an upright bass, and additional percussion. The result is a melodic but gripping live experience, with the throat-singing of the vocalists carrying over Mueller’s polyrhythmic drumming. The nearest guidepost sound-wise here is probably late 80s/early 90s acts like Slint and June of 44, but with less commitment to traditional song structure. This five-song set of mostly-extended numbers (including the 14+ minute centerpiece, “Death Blues”) gave the Glasslands crowd a preview of what this group will be delivering with its forthcoming Hometapes debut, Death Blues. We can’t wait to see what else Mueller has in store.

We saw Death Blues play the Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina a few days later, and we hope to have a recording of that set from the person who recorded it available to share as well soon.

I recorded this set with Naiant X-X omnidirectional mics at the lip of the stage, plus a flawless soundboard feed by Josh, the house engineer.  The sound is outstanding, and one of my finest recordings of the year. Enjoy!

Stream “Impatience:

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.

 

Death Blues
2012-09-04
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Naiant X-X (3ft split onstage A-B) + Soundboard>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify, balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Impatience
02 [tuning]
03 Death Blues
04 Acceptance
05 Impermanence
06 Iron String

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Death Blues, visit their website, follow them on Twitter, and purchase Death Blues when it becomes available from Hometapes later this year.

Six Organs of Admittance: September 6, 2012 Hopscotch Festival, Berkeley Cafe (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 19, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

The guitarist Ben Chasny, who performs with various combinations of players as Six Organs of Admittance, was a late add to this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival lineup, and a welcome one. Chasny, a veteran of the psych rock behemoth Comets On Fire, plays with a variety of approaches on the guitar; though he has been branded “new folk” in some quarters, that label hardly encompasses the wide range shown on Chasny’s Six Organs output. His latest, Ascent, finds Chasny reunited with his Comets on Fire compatriots, with the heavier sound to go with the personnel. This set at Raleigh’s Berkeley Cafe barely touched on the new material, represented only by the propulsive “A Thousand Birds”, which gave way to a lovely rendition of the mellow “Light of the Light” from 2011’s Asleep On the Floodplain. The set’s highlight came at the end, when improviser-in-residence Chris Corsano joined Chasny for an extended take on “Above A Desert I’ve Never Seen” from Asleep on the Floodplain. (Thanks to the commenter below for that information).

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 microphones and a soundboard feed from the accommodating Berkeley house staff – particularly so since the venue had been flooded a few hours earlier!  The results are excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Above A Desert I’ve Never Seen”:

Complete Show: 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

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.

Six Organs of Admittance
2012-09-06
Hopscotch Festival
Berkeley Cafe
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK41>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Audacity 3.0 (set fades, tracking, light DR compression, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Journey Through Sankuan Pass>Shelter From the Ash
02 Bless Your Blood>Wolves’ Pup
03 Elk River
04 A Thousand Birds
05 Light of the Light
06 [tuning]
07 Khidr and the Fountain
08 Lisboa
09 [banter/Corsano intro]
10 Above A Desert I’ve Never Seen [with Chris Corsano]

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Six Organs of Admittance, visit their website, and purchase Ascent and their other official releases from Drag City [HERE]

The Human Eyes: September 6, 2012 DiggUp Tapes Day Show at Hopscotch Festival (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC / MP3 / Streaming

September 18, 2012
By


[Photo by Ross Grady]

One of the many pleasures of heading down to Raleigh, NC for this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival was the chance to see regional bands that aren’t as readily available to see in New York. The Human Eyes were touted to me early on as a local favorite, and I can see why. At this DiggUp tapes day show at King’s in downtown Raleigh, the band gave a crowd of current fans and newcomers like me a 40-minute set consisting of much of their still-fresh May 2012 debut release, Guiding Eyes for the Blind.  With shimmering guitars and a dream pop  sensibility to their sound, the band was instantly approachable. After leading off with the uptempo “Born To Die”, I appreciated the band’s willingness to slow the pace a few songs later with the lovestruck “I Am Gone”. Similarly, the melancholy “Let Me In” was the right way to cue up the biggest, catchiest rocker of the set, “It’s Not the Same Without You”. This Chapel Hill, NC band is still in its infancy, but based on the enthusiasm I heard from local fans, I think we may be seeing more of them outside of their home region.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed from the excellent King’s staff and a pair of AKG 460 cardiod microphones installed by the local taper Bryon S. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “It’s Not the Same Without You”

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

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.

The Human Eyes
2012-09-06
Hopscotch Festival Day Show
King’s
Raleigh, NC USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack
Microphones courtesy of Bryon S

Soundboard + AKG 460/ck61>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (adjust levels, mix down)>Audacity 3.0 (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Born To Die [fades in]
02 Locked In the Mall
03 Another World
04 I Am Gone
05 Forever Sleep
06 [banter]
07 Human Eyes
08 Let Me In
09 It’s Not the Same Without You
10 Call Me Back

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT The Human Eyes by liking them on Facebook and visiting their bandcamp page, where you can buy Guiding Eyes for the Blind for $5 on digital or cassette (+ download code)

sunn O))): September 8, 2012 Hopscotch Festival (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC / MP3 / Streaming

September 18, 2012
By


[Photos by Josh Sisk]

It makes sense that sunn O))) are named after Sunn amps, because the many Sunn amps onstage with them get a punishing workout during their sets. Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium proved to be one of the most challenging rooms for bands at this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival; its size and cavernous design threatened to swallow the sound of several of the acts who played there. But for the doom metal pioneers and their slow, hypnotic wall of sound, the mid-sized auditorium was child’s play. As they prefer it, sunn O))) took the stage shrouded in a wall of smoke, the silhouettes of the black robed players barely visible. sunn O))) doesn’t need to give you much to see, though, as their music communicates on a more visceral level – that is, by rattling your guts with their bass-driven, low-tuned guitars and periodic paganistic chants. For this set, there was no percussion involved, and for the uninitiated, there were no obvious discernible songs – again, as the masters prefer it. A sunn O))) show is not so much as a “concert” as a holistic experience, as if you’ve joined the band in a dark ritual that will give them, for an hour and a half or so, your undivided attention and near-catatonic rapture. A scan of tweets during the show revealed a mixture of awe and fear among the show’s participants; sunn O))) is not for the faint of heart. The Hopscotch Festival was meant to reflect the impeccable and unique musical tastes of its co-founders, and I think it’s safe to say that co-founder Grayson Currin‘s predilection for “heaviest music” was satisfied by having sunn O))) close out the third successful run of this festival.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones in the optimal location in the venue. This is an outstanding recording and perhaps my favorite quality-wise of the entire festival. Enjoy!

Stream a 5-minute sample of the set:

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] (Single click to play; right-click and “Save As” to download) | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]
If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC files

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.

sunn O)))
2012-09-08
Hopscotch Festival
Memorial Auditorium
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (FOB, DFC, DIN, 9ft)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Izotope Ozone 5 (light EQ and tube effects)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (set fades, adjust levels, downsample)>xAct (tag and convert to FLAC)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [untitled]

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT sunn O))), visit their page at Southern Lord Records, and purchase their music there.


[Photo by acidjack]

Megafaun: September 8, 2012 Hopscotch Festival Day Show (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC / MP3 / Streaming

September 14, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Megafaun are one of several Triangle-area bands that have gone national recently, and they are also one of our personal favorites. Since being introduced to the band when they opened for fellow Triangle-area band The Mountain Goats, and our own Sharon Van Etten, we have followed their progress to becoming a headliner and national act in their own right with pleasure. But on their home turf, Megafaun aren’t just an up-and-coming act from out of town; they are stars in their own right. The Americana-driven band was the centerpiece and part sponsor of this outdoor day show on the final day of the Hopscotch Festival, and they brought with them several other bands we’ve been longtime fans of: Oneida, Mount Moriah, and the db’s. Coming on last, Megafaun arrived to a teeming and rowdy crowd that was as thrilled as I was to see them joined by not only the improvisational drummer Chris Corsano, the Nashville-based guitarist and Lambchop member William Tyler and Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs. Clearly feeding off of the energy of the crowd, the band gave us a rollicking hour-plus set that didn’t shut down until the band said so. We have watched the band move from a trio to a touring foursome already, but with the additional players rotating in and out of the cast, Megafaun became a Southern juggernaut. With Graduciel onstage, the band performed a “cover” of the The War on Drugs’ “Brothers” with Graduciel on vocals. Lighting up the streets of Raleigh with their all-American charm and good humor, Megafaun ruled this day, and inaugurated the final day of the Hopscotch Festival as no other band could.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed provided by the extremely professional and high quality staff of North State Sound, together with Schoeps MK5 mics in the omnidirectional setting to provide a live feel. This show is, as the band says themselves, mixed on the fly, and you will hear some occasional fluctuations in levels and instructions from the stage, but it is a very strong recording and document of this day. Enjoy!

Stream “Kaufman’s Ballad”

Stream “Brothers” [The War On Drugs]

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

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Megafaun
2012-09-08
Hopscotch Music Festival Day Party
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK5 (omni, 3ft split, slightly ROC)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 65:54]
01 [intro]
02 Scorned>
03 Heretofore
04 [banter]
05 Kaufman’s Ballad
06 The Fade
07 [banter]
08 Second Friend
09 His Robe
10 [banter – intro Chris Corsano and Adam Granduciel]
11 Get Right
12 I Was There [The War on Drugs]
13 [banter]
14 Real Slow

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Megafaun, visit their website, and purchase their official releases including their latest album Megafaun from Hometapes Records [HERE].

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