Blog Archives

Big Ups: September 13, 2016 Baby’s All Right

September 30, 2016
By

Big Ups

Big Ups are a band that I keep coming back to, not only because they’re the current standard-bearers of American post-hardcore but also because they’re a vital part of the NYC/Brooklyn music scene. We’ve seen them on bills with legacy acts before, but sharing a bill with Girls Against Boys is perhaps the most appropriate of all for Big Ups, who reference the eighties and nineties DC/Dischord scene that birthed GVSB. Big Ups are a couple decades removed from that era but they’re keeping the spirit alive with their tight craft. Their latest album is Before a Million Universes on Exploding in Sound—one of best labels out there for great young bands; and whether you’re a veteran of the nineties or a younger listener, it’s more than worth your twelve bucks to grab a copy of that limited vinyl.

Acidjack and I recorded this set from the stage lip combined with a board feed and it’s pretty outstanding. You know what to do!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC] (Note: files have been updated to fix tracking. Please re-download.)

Stream the complete show:

Big Ups
2016-09-13
Baby’s All Right
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

Soundboard (engineer: Devin) + AKG C480B/CK61 (on stage) > 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 [38:54]
01. Contain Myself
02. Hope For Someone
03. Goes Black
04. Feathers of Yes
05. Yawp
06. T.M.I.
07. National Parks
08. Knight
09. Wool
10. [New Song]

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

The Dead C: September 20, 2016 First Unitarian Congregational Society

September 25, 2016
By

The Dead C
[Photo via]

Do The Dead C need any introduction? The band’s status among devotees of noise and Kiwi rock is near mythological. And their long absence from performing in the U.S. has confounded younger listeners who might have discovered the band in the mid-aughts when Ba Da Bing issued the compilation Vain, Erudite, and Stupid and then started reissuing long-out-of-print classics like DR503 and Eusa Kills. This year saw the release of Trouble, comprised of five twitching, droning, and pummeling tracks that thwart any attempt at dissection or categorization. Having long abandoned any semblance of traditional song structure in favor of visceral, blown-eardrum improvisation resembling the band’s most famed track “Driver UFO,” Trouble might yet be The Dead C’s rock opus. So to say the anticipation for their brief September tour (hitting only Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Louisville’s Cropped Out Festival, and Los Angeles) was high would be to massively understate it. Despite the absence of drummer Robbie Yeats, who unfortunately was unable to make the tour, this hour-plus set from Michael Morley and Bruce Russell is a tribute to the band’s endurance. Backed with crashing and ebbing prerecorded drum tracks from Yeats, the duo stretch the bounds of guitar-based music, resulting in a performance that is utterly and uniquely The Dead C.

Acidjack and I recorded this from a central location in the church, combined with a board feed from the engineer Gus. The sound is outstanding; the performance extraordinary. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [FLAC] [MP3]

Stream the complete show:

The Dead C
2016-09-20
First Unitarian Congregational Society
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded by acidjack and Eric PH
Produced by acidjack

Soundboard (engineer: Gus) + Schoeps MK22 (FOB, DFC, PAS)>KCY>Aeta PSP3>>Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (compression, fades, normalize)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>xAct 2.36 (tags, encode)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 improvisation

Buy Trouble and other Dead C releases via Ba Da Bing/Grapefruit
• • Buy Harsh 70s Reality via Siltbreeze

Girls Against Boys: September 13, 2016 Baby’s All Right

September 18, 2016
By

Girls Against Boys

Twenty years ago, in 1996, I turned fifteen. Girls Against Boys were touring their third Touch & Go record, House of GVSB, and were scheduled to play Tramps a little less than a month after my birthday. I somehow scraped together $45, scammed a ride to (Nobody Beats) The Wiz, and bought a simple Aiwa walkman with a record function and a clip-on mono microphone, all in order to document my favorite band.

If you were born anytime after House of GVSB was released, you might not have heard of Tramps or The Wiz; Touch & Go has mostly folded; and it’s possible you’ve never held a walkman. But fortunately, in a limited capacity, Girls Against Boys persist. While the band certainly doesn’t play as much as they used to, we got a tour in 2013 (with David Yow contributing some vocals) and even some new music: The Ghost List sounds incredibly vital for any band, much less one that hadn’t released new music in eleven years. In 2014, three-fourths of GVSB reactivated their 80’s Dischord band Soulside and played a couple gigs at Saint Vitus in support of their reissued final album, Trigger. Lucky DC-ers even got a brief New Wet Kojak gig at the Black Cat. Soulside played some more shows last fall in Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

But back to Girls Against Boys: Last Tuesday the band played their first show since that 2013 tour, a warmup gig in anticipation of their appearance at Riot Fest Chicago. The set starts off with one from 2002’s Jade Tree LP, You Can’t Fight What You Can’t See; but aside from “Basstation” and “Let’s Get Killed” (off The Ghost List), it’s a lengthy tour of the band’s 90’s Touch & Go output, featuring their most well-known material from Venus Luxure No. 1 Baby, Cruise Yourself, and House of GVSB. For the hardcore fans, there’s the deep cut “Distracted” which appeared on the “Disco Six Six Six” single, and was rarely outed back in the day. The crowd packed into Baby’s small, sweaty, and still partially under construction room for what was to be one of the longer GVSB shows I’ve ever seen. The band were even called back for a second encore of “Rockets Are Red” after the house music had gone on, surely a rare occurrence these days. Aside from some rusty bits here and there and some jokes about their age, I’d swear we were transported back to that ’96 tour.

Girls Against Boys have another festival appearance scheduled at the Sound on Sound Festival in Austin, November 5th. I have it on good authority there are plans for another Brooklyn warmup gig beforehand, so keep on a lookout for that.

Update: GVSB will be playing Saint Vitus on November 3rd with the always great SAVAK. Tickets available here.

I recorded this set—with a massive assist from Acidjack who manned the deck while I rocked out—with a pair of mics on stage combined with a board feed from Baby’s FOH, Devin. It slays.

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Girls Against Boys
2016-09-13
Baby’s All Right
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

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

Tracks [1:21:24]
01. Basstation
02. (I) Don’t Got a Place
03. Disco Six Six Six
04. Let’s Get Killed
05. [banter]
06. Super-fire
07. Click Click
08. [banter]
09. Crash 17 (X-Rated Car)
10. TheKindaMzkYouLike
11. Life in Pink
12. Distracted
13. Tucked-in
14. Cruise Your New Baby Fly Self
15. Cash Machine
16. [banter]
17. Kill the Sexplayer
18. [encore break]
19. Bulletproof Cupid
20. Let Me Come Back
21. [banter]
22. Bughouse
23. [encore break]
24. Rockets Are Red

Buy The Ghost List via Epitonic
• • Connect with the band via Facebook
• • • Visit gvsb.com

Matt Valentine: August 14, 2016 Union Pool

August 24, 2016
By

Matt Valentine

Any Matt Valentine or MV/EE tour poster will tell you that tapers are welcome; and we’ve never been shy about taking him up on the invitation. We caught up with Valentine earlier this year for his solo release Midden Mound. And now a few months later, we returned to Valentine’s space homestead for this Sunday night space folk set highlighting his new record, Blazing Grace. As usual, you’ll find Valentine’s signature blend of noisy folk songs and trippy jams here. Meanwhile, Valentine wrapped up his tour last night, but he’ll no doubt be hitting that golden road again soon so keep an eye out for next time—we’ll see you in the taper’s pit.

I recorded this set from our usual location at the venue combined with a board feed from Union Pool FOH, Doug. The results are excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Matt Valentine
2016-08-14
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

Soundboard (engineer: Doug) + AKG C480B/CK63 (PAS) > 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 [48:16]
01. Boo Woe (When It’s All Gone)
02. Jeremiah Red
03. [banter]
04. Shine a Light
05. [banter]
06. Anji Variations
07. Now I Have Everything (version) > P.K. Dick

Buy Blazing Grace via Time-Lag
• • Connect with Matt Valentine via Facebook
• • • Buy MV/EE and MV solo records from their blog

SAVAK: June 11, 2016 Union Pool (Unblinking Ear Northside Showcase)

July 19, 2016
By

SAVAK

Local favorites SAVAK just released their excellent first LP, Best of Luck in Future Endeavors. We had seen a preview back in January and thankfully Unblinking Ear brought them back to Union Pool for their Northside showcase. This afternoon set literally picks up where the album leaves off with a few new songs like “They Are Bones,” “I Don’t Want To Be Defended,” “Loma Prieta,” and “Sick of War.” Like in January, Greg Vegas joins in on saxophone for a few numbers and I’m honestly surprised we didn’t hear cries of “more saxophone!” from the crowd. No further dates currently scheduled for SAVAK, but I’m sure we’ll likely see them again soon promoting this record that will justifiably end up on some 2016 best-of lists.

I recorded this set from our usual location at Union Pool, the room mics combined with a board feed from FOH Kevin. I mixed those down and then Sohrab provided some additional mastering. The results are excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

SAVAK
2016-06-11
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH
Additional mastering by Sohrab Habibion

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

Tracks [33:01]
01. Alive in Shadows
02. Drop the Piece
03. Reaction
04. They Are Bones
05. Knock Don’t Run
06. I Don’t Want To Be Defended
07. Loma Prieta
08. This Currency Exchanged
09. Sick of War
10. Early Western Traders

Buy Best of Luck in Future Endeavors via Comedy Minus One
• • Connect with the band at their Website and on Facebook

Kohoutek: May 13, 2016 Saint Vitus

July 13, 2016
By

Kohoutek
[photos courtesy of Kohoutek]

Kohoutek are a long-running, loose collective improvisational psych band from Washington, DC and Philadelphia. While the extended Kohoutek family is massive, their core members are Scott Verrastro, Craig Garrett, Scott Allison and Vic Salazar. These guys don’t get out together too much these days owing to geographical differences, but they’ve lately seen some increased activity due to their most recent release, Curious Aroma. We caught up with Kohoutek opening for Dead Meadow a few months back and got lost in this explorative jam that starts off slow and tentative before finding its groove a few minutes in. After about a half hour the band eases things out with their noisier side. If this recording has you curious, Kohoutek have a gig this upcoming weekend, Saturday July 16, at their Philly headquarters—check here for more details.

I recorded this set from our usual location at Saint Vitus. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Download: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream:

Kohoutek
2016-05-13
Saint Vitus
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

Soundboard + AKG C480B/CK61 (PAS, LOC) > 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 [28:21]
01. Live at Saint Vitus

• Buy Curious Aroma from Forced Exposure in the US, and MIE in the UK.
• • Connect with the band at their Website
• • • Check their Facebook for updates

Matchess: June 10, 2016 Union Pool (Monofonus Press Northside Showcase)

June 30, 2016
By

Matchess
[Photos By Rocketman]

You may have not heard of Matchess before, but chances are you’ve listening to music from Whitney Johnson for a while now. She’s accumulated some impressive credits playing with her like-minded Chicago neighbors Ryley Walker, Circuit Des Yeux, and Bichin Bajas, not to mention her band Verma who have got a few records out on Trouble in Mind. Meanwhile, Johnson has been releasing a steady stream of solo work under the alias Matchess: Seraphasta was released in 2013 on highly respected tape label Digitalis and was then reissued by Trouble in Mind, who also put our her second record Somnaphoria. Just this past May, she switched to Austin label Monofonus Press for her latest album, The Rafter. Matchess combines vocals, synthesizers, tape loops, and live viola into textural, ambient songs. Her compositions are anything but grounded, sounding more like something sighted or visited in outer space. Among other appearances at Northside Festival, including one with Grouper, Matchess joined in for the Monofonus Press showcase, giving us all a respite from the heavier fare with her quieter, but challenging, set.

I recorded this set from our usual location in Union Pool with a board feed from FOH Robert. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Download: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream:

Matchess
2016-06-10
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

Soundboard (engineer: Robert) + AKG C480B/CK63 (PAS) > 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 [24:42]
01. Mi Ti Ra
02. The Need of the Greatest Wealth
03. But Their Chains
04. Aweh
05. Melts Into Air

Buy The Rafter via Monofonus Press
• • Buy Somnaphoria via Trouble in Mind
• • • Check tour dates, etc. at the Matchess Tumblr

Dead Meadow: May 13, 2016 Saint Vitus

June 27, 2016
By

Dead Meadow
[photos courtesy of P Squared Photography]

For many of us who grew up on indie rock, Dead Meadow was our introduction to psych/stoner/metal/whathaveyou, owing to a few early aughts tours with the likes of Stephen Malkmus and Sleater-Kinney (among others), and putting out records on indie-rock-label-of-record Matador. In those opening slots, Dead Meadow’s long, plodding nods seemed out of place—it’s only years later that the connected headspace between acts has become obvious. Dead Meadow is among the best at what they do and I’m sure many a thirty-something psych-freak owes at least some of their formative taste to the band. We last caught up with Dead Meadow in 2014 at the Bowery Ballroom, and the intervening couple years saw another change of drummers. But the core of the band and what they do is still there, the proof being this career-spanning set they cooked up for the second of a two-night stand at Saint Vitus.

I recorded this set from our usual location in the venue with a board feed from Dead Meadow’s FOH (if anyone knows his name, please let us know so we can credit him). The sound is outstanding, and you’re guaranteed to enjoy this one!

Download: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream:

Dead Meadow
2016-05-13
Saint Vitus
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

Soundboard + AKG C480B/CK61 (PAS, LOC) > 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 [1:24:49]
01. [Intro]
02. Greensky Greenlake
03. Babbling Flower
04. To the One
05. Mr Chesty
06. Golden Cloud
07. Let It All Pass
08. What Needs Must Be
09. Good Moanin’
10. Keep Your Head
11. Rains in the Desert
12. Sleepy Silver Door
13. At Her Open Door

• Visit their Website
• • Shop the Dead Meadow store (once they’re back from touring)
• • • Connect with the band on Facebook

Dead Meadow

The Gotobeds: June 11, 2016 Union Pool (Unblinking Ear Northside Showcase)

June 26, 2016
By

The Gotobeds
[photo via Lauren Piper, Bushwick Daily]

Consider The Gotobeds music by and for music nerds. The Pittsburgh post-punks aren’t shy about their influences—hell, the band is named after Wire’s drummer after all. And while some internet rags may take issue with a band that wears its influences proudly, these guys clearly don’t take themselves overly seriously and they don’t expect you to either. Their first record for Sub Pop, Blood // Sugar // Secs // Traffic, came out on June 10th and that weekend they stopped by Brooklyn for a couple shows at Northside Festival. We made it out for a typically loose set at the afternoon Unblinking Ear Records Showcase at Union Pool. The band plays the hits old an new, including my personal favorite, “Bodies,” which has been stuck in my head since last August if we’re talking earworms… So pretend it’s Saturday afternoon: chill out, have a beer, soak in the songs—and while you’re at it, go see The Gotobeds on their ongoing tour.

I recorded this set from our usual spot in the venue, with a soundboard feed from Union Pool FOH, Kevin. The results are excellent. Enjoy!

As an added bonus, we’ve uploaded the complete set from the Gotobeds’ show at Saint Vitus last year, which had originally been redacted to exclude songs off their (then) upcoming record. Check here for the restored recording!

Download: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream:

The Gotobeds
2016-06-11
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

Soundboard (engineer: Kevin) + AKG C480B/CK63 (PAS) > 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 [36:38]
01. [Intro]
02. Blank Stairs
03. Real Maths/Too Much
04. Cold Gold (LA’s Alright)
05. Untitled
06. “Bodies”
07. Red Alphabet
08. [banter]
09. New York’s Alright
10. Jenna Rations
11. [banter]
12. Wimpy Garcia (Brotherfucker)

Buy Blood // Sugar // Secs // Traffic via Sub Pop
• • Buy Poor People are Revolting and more via Bandcamp

Beech Creeps: June 10, 2016 Union Pool (Monofonus Press Northside Showcase)

June 23, 2016
By

Beech Creeps
[Photos by Rocketman]

Here we have it—another bone-crushing, mind-rattling set from Brooklyn’s notorious Beech Creeps. I had thought these guys put on a monstrous set last time I saw them at Union Pool, but that was nothing. The addition of Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) on drums has turned a great band into a formidable one. Their new 7″ out on Monofonus Press absolutely crushes, and we got to hear both sides of that disc at the Monofonus Press Northside Showcase a couple weeks back. A-side “Creeps Can’t Swim” and b-side “Deep in the Dive” both pack a mean punch, and the band even breaks out a new song, “Suntan Man” (the title itself sounds pretty damn skeevy). If you have the opportunity to catch these guys live, I have to pretty much insist that you do so. No further dates currently, but if you’re in Brooklyn, you’ll have ample opportunity.

I recorded this set from our usual location in the venue, combined with a board feed from Union Pool FOH Robert. The sound is outstanding. Enjoy!

Download: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream:

Beech Creeps

Beech Creeps
2016-06-10
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

Soundboard (engineer: Robert) + AKG C480B/CK63 (PAS) > 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 [37:47]
01. Son of Sud
02. Teenage Boogie
03. Times B Short
04. Creeps Can’t Swim
05. Arm of the T Rex
06. Deep in the Dive
07. Suntan Man

• Buy Beech Creeps and the “Creeps Can’t Swim” 7″ from Monofonus Press
• • Connect with the band on FacebookBandcamp, and Twitter

 

SUPPORT NYCTaper




DISCLAIMER and LEGAL NOTICE

nyctaper.com is a live music blog that offers a new paradigm of music distribution on the web. The recordings are offered for free on this site as are the music posts, reviews and links to artist sites. All recordings are posted with artist permission or artists with an existing pro-taping policy.

All recordings and original content posted on this site are @nyctaper.com as live recordings pursuant to 17 U.S.C. Section 106, et. seq. Redistribution of nyctaper recordings without consent of nyctaper.com is strictly prohibited.

nyctaper.com hereby waives all copyright claims to any and all recordings posted on this site to THE PERFORMERS ONLY. If any artist posted on this site requests that recordings be removed, those recordings will be removed forthwith.