Blog Archives

Acid Mothers Temple: April 22, 2017 Knitting Factory

April 27, 2017
By

It’s April and that means cosmic travelers Acid Mothers Temple have reappeared in our North American dimension for their yearly psych ritual, this one dubbed the Hallelujah Mystic tour. Kawabata & co. are awfully prolific so for those of us who might have lost track of their recorded freakouts, these outings make for a nice catchup. This set from the Knitting Factory captures some old favorites like “Pink Lady Lemonade” and “Cometary Orbital Drive,” plus a couple more recent additions like the band’s extended takes on Black Sabbath’s “The Wizard” and Gong’s “Flying Teapot.”

I recorded this from our usual location at Knitting Factory, to the right of the soundboard. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

The Hallelujah Mystic Tour 2017 continues in this and other dimensions! Check here for the remaining dates.

Download the complete show at the Live Music Archive.

Stream the complete show:

Acid Mothers Temple
2017-04-22
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY

Hallelujah Mystic Tour 2017

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard + AKG C480B/CK63 (ROC, PAS) > Zoom F8 > 2 x WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, mixdown, balance, compression, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (tracking, tagging) > FLAC (24/48, level 8)

Tracks [1:06:14]
01. Anthem Of The Inner Space
02. The Wizard [Black Sabbath]
03. Flying Teapot [Gong] >
04. Pink Lady Lemonade
05. Another Nanique Dimension >
06. Cometary Orbital Drive

Kawabata Makoto : guitar, synthesizer, voice, speed guru
Higashi Hiroshi : synthesizer, harp, noodle god
Mitsuko Tabata : guitar, guitar-synthesizer, voice, free kisses & hugs
Satoshima Nani : drums, another dimension
S/T “Wolf” : bass, space and time

• Website
• • Buy Wake to a New Dawn of Another Astro Era via Important Records

Big Ups: April 7, 2017 Sunnyvale

April 12, 2017
By


[Photo by Acidjack]

I could yap a bunch about Big Ups and how great they are, but I’ve done that before and you already know. Okay just one thing: this is one of the best of a bunch of Big Ups shows I’ve seen, so it’s more than worth checking out. While you’re listening you can pick up Before a Million Universes from Exploding in Sound, still available on orange vinyl for you collector scum.

Like the Pile set from the same night, we recorded this set from the stage lip combined with a board feed from Sunnyvale’s engineer Dave. The sound is terrific. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Big Ups
2017-04-07
Sunnyvale
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Dave) + AKG C480B/CK61 (stage lip) > Zoom F8 > 2 x WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, mixdown, balance, compression, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (tracking, tagging, dither, downsample) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [29:05]
01. Capitalized
02. Justice
03. Knight
04. Wool
05. Contain Myself
06. Hope For Someone
07. Dogs
08. Negative

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Big Ups, visit their website, like them on Facebook and buy Before A Million Universes from Exploding In Sound.

Pile: April 7, 2017 Sunnyvale

April 10, 2017
By

“Thank God for Pile”—if you listen closely, you’ll hear one zealous audience member with an enthusiasm you don’t often see for such a young band. But people really love Pile—and everyone in-the-know knows Pile are damn great. Their comparatively small but dedicated following gets bigger with each album and I daresay if you missed out on Pile this time around, I’m afraid you’ve missed the last of their shows in a small room.

On Friday, we squeezed ourselves into a packed Sunnyvale for the band’s second of two sold-out Brooklyn shows (the first was at Baby’s All Right). The thing about bands on Exploding in Sound Records is that where there’s one there’s bound to be more. Pile headlined a stacked bill featuring some current and future EIS greats: Gnarwhal, Big Ups, and Stove. Their set gets cut a bit short due to time constraints, but that only served to increase the intensity as their finale of “Rock and Roll Forever With the Customer in Mind” will attest. That tune is from 2015’s You’re Better Than This, while the rest of the set is comprised of songs off their latest album, A Hairshirt of Purpose, and their first EIS record, Dripping. Whether you’re new to the band or a longtime fan, listen to this cracking performance and be thankful for Pile.

Pile is touring the U.S. and Europe through June. Check dates here and go see Pile!

Acidjack and I recorded this from our usual location at Sunnyvale right up at the stage lip, plus a board feed from Sunnyvale’s engineer Dave. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Download: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream:

Pile
2017-04-07
Sunnyvale
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded by Eric PH and Acidjack
Produced by Eric PH

nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Dave) + Nakamichi CM-300/CP1 (ORTF, stage lip) > Zoom F8 > 2 x WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, mixdown, balance, compression, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (tracking, tagging, dither, downsample) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [45:00]
01. Worms
02. Hissing For Peace
03. Rope’s Length
04. Grunt Like a Pig
05. Dogs
06. [banter]
07. Texas
08. [banter]
09. Leaning on a Wheel
10. [banter]
11. Bump a Grape
12. Fingers
13. [banter]
14. The Browns
15. [encore break]
16. Rock and Roll Forever With the Customer in Mind

Bandcamp
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• • • • Buy A Hairshirt of Purpose via Exploding in Sound

Tortoise: March 15, 2017 (Le) Poisson Rouge

March 20, 2017
By


[Photo by David C/@castleone]

Almost exactly a year since we last saw Tortoise, the band rolled back into town for a two-night stand at (le) Poisson Rouge and the Hall at MP. The great thing about seeing Tortoise—and it’s why I come back year after year—is that they’ve got such a vast catalog that there’s always new material to hear along with a revolving cast of deep cuts the band brings out on tour. Like last year’s setlist, this one from (le) Poisson Rouge airs a batch of newer songs off last year’s The Catastrophist, including the title track, “Hot Coffee,” “Shake Hands With Danger,” and again brings out Georgia Hubley to sing on “Yonder Blue.” Adding a few songs we hadn’t heard last year like “Ten-Day Interval,” “Crest,” and “Dot/Eyes,” the band also goes super-deep with “Tin Cans & Twine” from the very first Tortoise album.

I recorded this set with the AKG hypercards clamped in front of the soundboard, combined with a board feed courtesy of the LPR crew. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Download the complete show at the Live Music Archive.

Stream the complete show:

Tortoise
2017-03-15
(Le) Poisson Rouge
New York, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Tortoise’s engineer: Elliot Dicks
Venue engineers: Jay Eigenmann, Bernie Girman, and Gabe Montesi Garskoff
Photo: David C

Soundboard + AKG C480B/CK63 > Zoom F8 > 2 x WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, mixdown compression, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (tracking, tagging) > FLAC (24/48, level 8)

Tracks [1:25:27]
01. Gigantes
02. Hot Coffee
03. The Catastrophist
04. The Suspension Bridge at Iguazu Falls
05. Eros
06. Gesceap
07. Yonder Blue (with Georgia Hubley)
08. High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In
09. Tin Cans & Twine
10. [technical difficulties]
11. Ten-Day Interval
12. Shake Hands With Danger
13. Crest
14. [encore break]
15. Dot/Eyes
16. Seneca

Tortoise: Website | Facebook | Buy The Catastrophist and more via Thrill Jockey

Sunn O))): March 17, 2017 Knockdown Center

March 19, 2017
By

The visceral experience of seeing Sunn O))) is not readily expressible in words so I’m going to be brief. It’s two days later now, my ears still ringing despite the hearing protection. The Knockdown Center shook and rattled and groaned but contrary to its name was still standing after two hours of Sunn O))) doing their best to reduce it rubble with their low frequency assault. The four songs here are presented as a continuous piece. They have titles that I’m sadly not deft enough to know, though the second is “Aghartha” from Monoliths & Dimensions. No recording could do this experience justice but maximum volume will get you partway there.

I recorded this with the mics run high, set up at the soundboard. The results are stunning. Enjoy!

Thanks to the Knockdown Center, Tinnitus Music Series, and LPR Presents for all their assistance in making this happen.

Stream and download via Sunn O)))’s Bandcamp page:

SUNN O)))
Knockdown Center
Maspeth, NY
USA
2017.03.17 [Friday]

NORTHEAST USA & SOUTHEAST CANADA TOUR 2017 w/ B I G | B R A V E

Tinnitus Music Series & LPR presents…

SUNN O)))
ATTILA / THE LORD / SOMA / TOS / STEBMO
FOH : Mr Chris FULLARD / TM : Mr Peter STAHL / Legend : Mr. John PEREZ

01 [25’41]
02 [33’13]
03 [34’25]
04 [28′]

Total time: 2’01’19

Recording by Eric PH >> AKG C480B/CK63 > Zoom F8 > 2 x WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (normalize, fades) > Audacity 2.0.5 (tracking, tagging) > FLAC (24/48, level 8)

Live photos & cover shot by Eric PH

Buy Sunn O))) merch and records via Southern Lord
• • Buy and stream live recordings from the Sunn O))) live Bandcamp page

Tim Presley: January 26, 2017 The Bowery Ballroom

February 7, 2017
By


[photos courtesy of Will and We All Want Someone blog]

Though we’re well acquainted with White Fence, Tim Presley has for the time being shelved that band in favor of going solo under his own name. The first record to appear as such is the The Wink, a buzzed and jittery work which was produced by Welsh musician Cate Le Bon, also Presley’s touring partner. The album is a departure from the fuzzy garage psych of White Fence, as Le Bon’s presence pushes Presley into intimate and unexplored territory. As I mentioned in my review of her set from the same night, Le Bon and her band also backed Presley for his opening set. Listening to the two side-by-side, you’ll notice a cohesive presence and song structure between them. Presley and band played the entirety of The Wink, in order, save for “Moment,” from his experimental W-X side project. Incidentally, no White Fence tunes were played until Cate Le Bon’s encore when she and Presley did a duet on “Chairs in the Dark.”

I recorded this set from our usual location in the venue slightly to the left of soundboard in the balcony area, with a board feed from Bowery FOH Kenny. As usual for the venue, the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Download: MP3/FLAC

Stream:

Tim Presley
2017-01-26
The Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for NYCTaper.com
Photo by Will Oliver

Soundboard [engineer: Kenny] + AKG C480B/CK63 > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, compression, mixdown, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [49:17]
01. O’Guardian A
02. The Wink
03. Can You Blame
04. Solitude Cola
05. Goldfish Wheelchair
06. Long Bow
07. Morris
08. ER
09. Underwater Rain
10. Kerouac
11. Clue
12. Moment
13. Aura Aura

• Facebook
• • Buy The Wink and White Fence records via Drag City

Meg Baird: January 22, 2017 Park Church Co-op

February 1, 2017
By

Finally capping off our coverage of the epic Ranaldo-Gunn-Baird tour of 2017—last but certainly not least—here’s Meg Baird’s opening set. We’ve long been fans of everything Meg Baird, from Espers to her solo work to the Baird Sisters to Heron Oblivion, but we haven’t yet had occasion to post a solo set until now. This recording captures Baird on the last date of her two-week tour with Lee Ranaldo and Steve Gunn (those sets posted here and here, respectively) and finds her playing a couple songs off her latest solo record for Drag City, Don’t Weigh Down the Light, along with a few covers: “Old Man on the Mountain” from fellow traveler P.G. Six, “Beatles and the Stones” by The House of Love, and the traditional Scottish folk song “Willie O’Winsbury.”  It’s been an emotional couple weeks for all, and Baird provides a touching introduction introduction to “Willie O’Winsbury,” describing the unique ability of traditional songs to communicate with us through time. Only a little over a week old, this set nonetheless feels like a transmission from the distant past. Our work continues… But in the meantime, feel free to accept into your life those small joys, like this gorgeous acoustic guitar set from Meg Baird.

I recorded this set from my improvised tapers section in front of board, combined with a feed from Park Church’s engineer Jasno Swarez. Despite some ambient noise from the church, the sound is very good. Enjoy—and resist!

Download: MP3/FLAC

Stream:

Meg Baird
2017-01-22
Park Church Co-op
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for NYCTaper.com

Soundboard [engineer: Jasno Swarez] + AKG C480B/CK61 > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, compression, mixdown, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [31:23]
01. Old Man on the Mountain [P.G. Six]
02. Back to You
03. Don’t Weigh Down the Light
04. Beatles and the Stones [The House of Love]
05. [Willie O’Winsbury intro]
06. Willie O’Winsbury [traditional]

Buy Meg Baird records via Drag City

And then, please consider donating to local organizations that support freedom and fair treatment for all, such as the New York Civil Liberties Union and the New York Immigration Coalition.

Cate Le Bon: January 26, 2017 The Bowery Ballroom

January 31, 2017
By


[photos courtesy of Will and We All Want Someone blog]

Cate Le Bon’s been awfully busy since we last saw her in 2014: in 2016 she released her fourth (and excellent) LP, Crab Day; she produced Tim Presley’s (also excellent) LP, The Wink; and last Friday she put out a followup to Crab Day, the companion EP Rock Pool. Fittingly, on her current tour with Tim Presley, Le Bon is pulling a double shift, contributing guitar and vocals in Presley’s backing band before playing her own headlining set. I’ll talk more about Presley’s set when we post it shortly, but the music on The Wink is so informed by Le Bon’s production that the night felt less like two co-headlining sets and more like a conjoined, ongoing collaboration between the two musicians. Later on in Le Bon’s set, Presley joined in on guitar for “What’s Not Mine,” a cover of Presley’s White Fence tune “Chairs in the Dark,” and “Are You With Me Now?” While Le Bon and Presley were obviously the focus of the evening, it would be criminal not to mention their crack shot backing band featuring JT, Stephen Black, and Daniel Ward. This set showcases mostly songs from the off-kilter Crab Day, two new ones from Rock Pool (“Aside From Growing Old” and “I Just Wanna Be Good”), plus a few older tracks like “No God,” “Greta,” “Sisters,” and the fan-favorite “Are You With Me Now?” The Le Bon/Presley tour soldiers on for a few more dates (here) and if you have the chance I highly recommend you not miss out on this one.

I recorded this set from our usual location in the venue slightly to the left of soundboard in the balcony area, with a board feed from Bowery FOH Kenny. As usual for the venue, the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Download: MP3/FLAC

Stream:

Cate Le Bon
2017-01-26
The Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for NYCTaper.com
Photos by Will Oliver

Soundboard [engineer: Kenny] + AKG C480B/CK63 > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, balance, mixdown, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [1:07:11]
01. Crab Day
02. Love is Not Love
03. Wonderful
04. No God
05. Aside From Growing Old
06. I’m a Dirty Attic
07. I Was Born on the Wrong Day
08. How Do You Know?
09. I Can’t Help You
10. I Just Wanna Be Good
11. Greta
12. Sisters
13. We Might Revolve
14. What’s Not Mine
15. [encore break]
16. Chairs in the Dark [White Fence]
17. Are You With Me Now?

• Website
• • Facebook
• • • Buy Crab Day and Rock Pool via Drag City

Lee Ranaldo: January 22, 2017 Park Church Co-op

January 26, 2017
By

For all the reasons I need not repeat here, protest music is perhaps more vital now than at any other time in my lifetime if not everyone’s. Lee Ranaldo’s engagement with Occupy Wall Street has been well documented; and it was around that time that he started performing Neil Young’s classic “Revolution Blues” regularly at shows. Coming off inauguration weekend, I think we can safely call all of the songs Ranaldo performed last Sunday protest music, each song imploring us in its own language to “resist, resist, resist, resist.”

Wrapping up his two-week tour with Meg Baird and Steve Gunn (Steve’s set here, Meg’s set here), Ranaldo showed up at Park Church Co-op with a slew of new material (some of which we’ve heard before), plus covers of The Velvet Underground’s “Ocean” and the aforementioned Neil Young tune. Will the help of a few friends—left to right in the above photo that’s Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan, Lee, and Steve—the glorious crescendo of “Ocean” is as overwhelming as the lyrics’ crashing waves suggest. These days, we need art not only for protest but also to uplift, and this performance is nothing if not uplifting. Closing with “Revolution Blues,” Lee is joined by Steve Gunn and Meg Baird, both on guitar and vocals, Alan Licht on guitar, and Georgia Hubley on drums. We’ve heard Lee do this song a few times now, but trading verses with Meg the forty-year-old song and its lyrics feel refreshing as we listen with new ears.

I recorded this set from my improvised tapers section in front of board, combined with a feed from Park Church’s engineer Jasno Swarez. The sound is excellent. Enjoy—and resist!

Download: MP3/FLAC

Stream:

Lee Ranaldo
2017-01-22
Park Church Co-op
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for NYCTaper.com

Soundboard [engineer: Jasno Swarez] + AKG C480B/CK61 > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, compression, mixdown, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [1:03:44]
01. Moroccan Mountains
02. Let’s Start Again
03. Circular
04. Electric Trim
05. [Uncle Skeleton intro]
06. Uncle Skeleton
07. Thrown Over the Wall (w/Alan Licht)
08. Last Looks (w/Meg Baird)
09. [Ocean intro]
10. Ocean [The Velvet Underground] (w/Alan, Steve Gunn, Georgia Hubley, and Ira Kaplan)
11. [Revolution Blues intro]
12. Revolution Blues [Neil Young] (w/Meg, Alan, Steve, and Georgia)

• Website
• • Facebook
• • • Buy Lee Ranaldo and the Dust records from Matador

And then, please consider donating to local organizations that support freedom and fair treatment for all, such as the New York Civil Liberties Union and the New York Immigration Coalition.

Steve Gunn: January 22, 2017 Park Church Co-op

January 25, 2017
By


[Photo via @laurencebuisson]

Steve Gunn needs little introduction in these pages. We’re big fans—and no doubt you are too. Steve has been touring the US and Canada the last couple weeks along with Meg Baird and Lee Ranaldo, the trio making up the first must-see tour of 2017 and spreading some much needed solidarity, positive vibes, and resistance in these unfortunate times. The final weekend of the tour found them playing Washington, DC on the night of the inauguration, Philadelphia the night of the next day’s massive and exhilarating marches, and wrapping up Sunday night in Brooklyn at the Park Church Co-op. The success of the weekend’s protests had people feeling pretty hopeful by Sunday night and this solo set from Gunn feels great all the way through. Seeing him solo and in a smaller, less formal space than December’s Bell House gig brought back happy memories of the days when you could regularly catch Gunn doing an intimate set at Zebulon.

I recorded this set from in front of board, combined with a feed from Park Church’s engineer Jasno Swarez. The sound is excellent. Enjoy—and resist!

Download: MP3/FLAC

Stream:

Steve Gunn
2017-01-22
Park Church Co-op
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for NYCTaper.com

Soundboard [engineer: Jasno Suarez] + AKG C480B/CK61 > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, compression, mixdown, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [60:52]
01. [Intro]
02. Old Strange
03. Milly’s Garden
04. Way Out Weather
05. Ark
06. Night Wander
07. Park Bench Smile
08. [Wildwood intro]
09. Wildwood
10. Mr. Franklin

PLEASE SUPPORT STEVE GUNN: Go to matadorrecords.com or your local record store and buy Eyes On the Lines and the recent “Ancient Jules” EP. 

And then, please consider donating to local organizations that support freedom and fair treatment for all, such as the New York Civil Liberties Union and the New York Immigration Coalition.

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