nyctaper Recordings

[photo credit]

Regina Spektor came home to a huge admiring crowd at the sold-out Hammerstein Ballroom on Tuesday. Regina has come a long way from her Lower East Side anti-folk days and such venues as the Sidewalk Cafe, Fez and Tonic, but she has truly retained her modesty, charm and deadly sense of humor. All were on display at Hammerstein, as she worked through a delightful and varied setlist.

This recording was made from the best location for sound in this cavernous venue. However, recording a solo piano artist can be difficult, particularly when the crowd is so supportive. While Regina sings the recording is outstanding, but the volume levels boom when the crowd cheers. Be prepared for those boosts, and enjoy an otherwise thoroughly engaging performance!

The direct download location of the FLAC files is [HERE].

Regina Spektor
2007-10-16
Hammerstein Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded from Front of Board Center
Approximately 50 Feet from Stage

DPA 4021’s > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-10-16

Premiere Download offered at
http://www.nyctaper.com
nyctaper@nyctaper.com

Setlist:
[total time 1:30:50]
01 Ain’t No Cover
02 On the Radio
03 Sailor Boy
04 The Flowers
05 Prisoners
06 One More Time With Feeling
07 Better
08 Music Box
09 Poor Little Rich Boy
10 Bobbing for Apples
11 Remember That Time
12 Après Moi
13 Lesson in How Fleeting Preservation Is
14 Small Town Moon
15 Summer in the City
16 Baby Jesus
17 Ghost of Corporate Future
18 Human of the Year
19 Real Love
20 [encore break]
21 Us
22 Fidelity
23 Hotel Song*
24 Field Below
25 Samson

*with Only Son

If you download this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT this amazing artist and visit her website.
Click the link below to purchase Regina’s latest CD:

(photo credit)

of Montreal brought their elaborate and entertaining stage show to Roseland on Saturday night, in a relatively short but well-played performance. The set list was more representative of the material as a whole than the Spring Hissing Fauna tour. The show also featured two new numbers slated for release on a 2008 album. The only negative was the behavior of the Saturday night midtown crowd, which was far too heavy with chatters, gazers, and text-message addicts.

Although I had written permission to record from of Montreal’s lead guitarist, I still had to deal with some venue politics–and three burly security guards hovering over me and telling me to take down my rig. Fortunately, Roseland Ballroom has an excellent Venue Manager named Linda, who assessed the situation and ultimately permitted me to record from the prime front of board position. Thanks Linda!

Overall, the results are outstanding. This is a clear and rich recording, which captures the music and bit of the party atmosphere. Enjoy!

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

of Montreal
2007-10-13
Roseland Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded from Front of Board
Dead Center approximately 60 feet from Stage

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > flac

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2007-10-13

Many thanks to The Late B.P. Helium for permission to record.

[Total Time 1:22:05]
Setlist:
01 Introduction
02 So Begins Our Alabee
03 Rapture Rapes the Muses
04 The Party’s Crashing Us
05 Gronlandic Edit
06 Suffer for Fashion
07 Forecast Fascist Future
08 Exquisite Confessions
09 Lysergic Bliss
10 We Can Do It Softcore If You Want
11 She’s a Rejecter
12 October is Eternal
13 Oslo In The Summertime
14 Mingusings
15 My British Tour Diary
16 Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider
17 I Was Never Young
18 Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse
19 [encore break]
20 Requiem for O.M.M.2
21 Faberge Falls For Shuggie
22 The Repudiated Immortals

As with all artists featured at this site, if you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT of Montreal, visit their site, and purchase their latest release

of Montreal‘s Hissing Fauna is on the short list of best CDs of 2007. On Saturday October 13, they return to New York for a performance at Roseland Ballroom. The two sold-out shows in March were outstanding, and featured a healthy dose of the new album. The word is that there are new unreleased songs in the setlist this tour from a forthcoming album tentatively called “Skeletal Lamping”. I will be there with my microphones and stand, since lead guitarist “The Late B.P. Helium” has given me permission to record this show.

In March, I was fortunate to have attended one of the Irving Plaza concerts, and also recorded with permission. Thanks to the of Montreal staff and Irving Plaza, I was able to set up my microphone stand in the center of the floor in front of the soundboard overhang. The results are excellent.

Download the complete show in FLAC [HERE].

of Montreal
2007-03-09
Irving Plaza
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded from Front of Board
Dead Center approximately 40 feet from the stage

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > flac

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2007-03-10

[Total Time 1:32:54]
Setlist:
01 Introduction
02 Suffer for Fashion
03 Sink the Seine
04 Cato as a Pun
05 Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse
06 Labyrinthian Pomp
07 She’s a Rejecter
08 We Were Born the Mutants Again with Leafing
09 October is Eternal
10 I Was a Landscape in Your Dream
11 [Kevin banter]
12 Vegan in Furs
13 Du Og Meg
14 Climb the Ladder
15 Tropical Iceland (Fiery Furnaces cover, with “And She Was” tease-Talking Heads)
16 Forecast Fascist Future
17 I Was Never Young
18 Rapture Rapes the Muses
19 Gronlandic Edit
20 A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger
21 The Party’s Crashing Us
Encores:
22 Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider
23 Faberge Falls For Shuggie
24 Moonage Daydream (Bowie)
25 Requiem for O.M.M.2

As with all artists featured at this site, if you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT of Montreal, visit their site, and click the link below to purchase their latest release:

Radiohead. Somehow you knew it had to be them. The band to ultimately drive the last nail into the coffin of the old-model record companies. The brilliant simplicity of the promotion model for In Rainbows is something to behold. The user can buy the digital download for any price the user believes to be appropriate. I decided to order last night, and paid what amounted to $11 US. There is also a deluxe box set with extra songs, a double vinyl disc, a book, eight bonus tracks and two CDs which requires purchase and will be delivered in December.

Oh yes, and there is no record company or any other entity involved in the download. Its Radiohead and us. The ramifications of this grand experiment are huge. Here at nyctaper, we believe that Radiohead’s model represents a validation of the mission of this site–free downloads as a means to promote a positive relationship directly between artists and fans. A new paradigm indeed.

Bob Lefsetz blog contains an excellent discussion of In Rainbows.

The download will be available on October 10. Pre-Order In Rainbows here.

In 2006, Radiohead toured and performed several songs that will appear on In Rainbows. I recorded one of the Theatre at Madison Square Garden shows. This is a nice clear recording, and is the last recording I made with my old condenser microphones before upgrading the Neumann rig and the DPA rig. Enjoy!

The photograph above is courtesy of the drinkatwork blog.

This recording is no longer available on nyctaper.com. If you search the web, I’m sure you’ll find a copy.

Radiohead
2006-06-14
The Theatre at Madison Square Garden
New York, NY USA

Recorder1
Master Audience Recording
Section 202 Row R, Seat 19
approximately 100 feet directly in front of stage-left PA speaker

Core Sound Cardiods > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 >
16 bit 44.1 wav file > Soundforge > CDWave (tracking) > Flac
Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

recorded and edited by
nyctaper 2006-06-14

This recording is dedicated to the people of the Radiohub, a
wonderfully generous and dedicated group of Radiohead fans.
Visit radioheadlive.no-ip.org in the direct connect network (DC++) or
http://www.radiohub.net/index.php/Main_Page on the web

Tracklist:
01 Intro/The Gloaming
02 The National Anthem
03 15 Step
04 Arpeggi
05 Kid A
06 Dollars And Cents
07 Videotape
08 Nude
09 I Might Be Wrong
10 Paranoid Android
11 Bangers ‘n Mash
12 Pyramid Song
13 My Iron Lung
14 Bodysnatchers
15 Myxomatosis
16 No Surprises
17 Everything In Its Right Place

Encore 1
18 A Wolf At The Door
19 Down Is The New Up
20 Like Spinning Plates
21 Spooks
22 Idioteque

Encore 2
23 Just
24 The Tourist

I can not express how important it is to SUPPORT RADIOHEAD and this grand experiment. PLEASE visit the Radiohead site and purchase In Rainbows. Don’t just grab it for free and run. Its important that the artist prove that this is a new and effective business model.

The new Fiery Furnaces CD Widow City is due for general release on October 9. Sound Fix Records in Brooklyn offered it for sale exclusively on Saturday night, and the Fiery Furnaces were there to celebrate and performed a 35-minute live set featuring 9 of the Widow City songs.

The band is rehearsing for their upcoming tour, and the new material has already taken a life of its own. In particular, the 3-song medley of Duplexes>Husband>Ex-Guru was tight and focused, with “Ex-Guru” having already morphed into a power-pop number.

The experienced readers of this site have had the opportunity to witness the evolution of my interest in the Fiery Furnaces, from a curiosity to rabid fan. In June, when Morrissey canceled, I took advantage of an open night and recorded (here) a band I had only experienced through an Of Montreal cover of one Fiery Furnaces song. Thereafter, thoroughly impressed with the band, I bought Bitter Tea, recorded them again in August (here), and have not looked back.

Last night I had the pleasure of chatting with Matt after the performance. He was pleasant, showed appreciation for my recordings and my site, and thanked me for coming to the shows. When an artist of this talent proves to be modest and appreciative, it becomes truly a pleasure to thank and support them at my site.

The recording offered for download below was captured from 10 feet in front of the PA, and is crystal clear. Although the crowd was packed into the small cafe in the rear of Sound Fix, it was a group of true fans who were respectful of the performance. There’s no chatter on this recording, only support. Enjoy!

Download the complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Fiery Furnaces
2007-10-06
Sound Fix Records
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Dead Center
Approximately 10 feet from PA

DPA 4021’s > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM) > 16bit 44.1 wav > Soundforge (set fades, level boost, slight eq) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-10-07

Setlist:
[Total Time 33:46]
01 The Philadelphia Grand Jury
02 Navy Nurse
03 My Egyptian Grammar
04 Evergreen
05 Duplexes of the Dead
06 More Automatic Husband
07 Ex-Guru
08 Japanese Slippers
09 Restorative Beer
10 Right by Conquest

As with all artists featured at this site, if you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT The Fiery Furnaces, visit their site, and purchase Widow City:

Sigur Ros are set to release Heima, the documentary about their 2006 tour through all of Iceland. Advanced screenings have been available in half-dozen cities worldwide, and last night New York was treated to 2 screenings, a 7pm and a Midnight show. I was fortunate to get a ticket to the late show, which was announced just a few days ago. The bonus for all the screenings has been a brief 3-song live acoustic set by Sigur Ros.

The documentary contains a stunning visual portrayal of Iceland–a unique magical land–with a soundtrack of powerful live performances by Sigur Ros. The majority of the film follows Sigur Ros through the unpopulated upper regions of Iceland, where they perform in locales such as an open field, a town square, and an abandoned fish factory. The band discusses their experiences with detail, humor, and true appreciation for their homeland. This film is due to be released on DVD in November and is undoubtedly a must buy for even the most casual fan of Sigur Ros or Iceland in general. Watch the trailer here.

I recorded the 3-song acoustic set, and offer it for download below. Unfortunately, I did a below average job of capturing this performance. I did not re-set my levels from the Fiery Furnaces concert I had recorded hours ago (from 10 feet in front of the PA), and as a result the master recording has extremely low levels. When I raised levels significantly in post-production, obvious hiss was present. Caveat listener.

Download the complete performance in FLAC [HERE].

Sigur Ros
2007-10-06
Midnight Show
Florence Gould Hall
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from 15th Row Center

DPA 4021’s > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM) > 16bit 44.1 .wav > Soundforge (level boosts and balance, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-10-07

Setlist
[Total Time 17:40]
01 Ágætis Byrjun
02 Heima
03 Njósnavélin

As with all artists featured at this site, if you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT Sigur Ros and purchase the DVD in November.

The Mekons 30th Anniversary tour rolled into New York on Wednesday with a rousing and lengthy concert by the British legends. While the set did feature several numbers from their new album Natural, the set also was fine retrospective of their material. The set was punctuated with the standard Mekons oeuvre — extensive stage banter, some alcohol, and much humor.

The Mekons permit fan recording. As a result I was able to position myself in the identical location as the Bjorkestra / Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey recordings from last week, and use my best equipment. The results are outstanding, and a fine representation of this entertaining and enjoyable performance.

The photograph posted above is courtesy of twi-ny. There are more excellent high-resolution photos from this concert here. Thanks also to Club Mekon for advice and assistance. Visit Club Mekon here.

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

Mekons
2007-10-03
Blender Theatre at Gramercy
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from 1st Row of Seating Area
Directly Behind Soundboard

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge 8.0 (set fades, level adjustments, resample 16/44) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Please support the Mekons
http://www.mekons.de/mekonhom.htm

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2007-10-05

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:57:52]
01 [introduction]
02 Beaten and Broken
03 Dickie Chalkie and Nobby
04 [banter]
05 Wine or Money
06 Fletcher Christian
07 Thee Olde Trip to Jerusalem
08 The Hope and The Anchor
09 [banter]
10 Tina
11 [banter]
12 Diamonds
13 [banter]
14 Hey! Susan
15 [banter]
16 Cockermouth
17 Dark Dark Dark
18 Ghosts Of American Astronauts
19 Last Dance
20 Lonely and Wet
21 Lost Highway
22 Perfect Mirror
23 Curse of the Mekons
Encores
24 [banter]
25 Heaven and Back
26 The Letter
27 Hard to be Human
28 [banter]
[last encore Wild and Blue not recorded]

As with all artists featured at this site, if you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT The Mekons and purchase their latest release:

What a difference a day makes. Animal Collective’s Monday night show at Webster Hall was consistently focused, mixed well, and was 30 minutes longer than Sunday’s “disaster” (Avey’s word). The highlight was the powerful 14-minute Fireworks/Essplode/Fireworks, the exact location in the set where Sunday’s show went wrong.

My recording location was about 5 feet to the left of Sunday’s night’s spot. The same equipment was used, but this recording is even better simply because the sound in the venue was much improved.

This recording is now available for download in FLAC or MP3 format [HERE].

Animal Collective
2007-10-01
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Balcony First Row Center
Directly Behind Soundboard

DPA 4021’s > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM) > 16bit 44.1 .wav >
Soundforge (level boosts and balance, softening and some removal
of audience noise, EQ, set fades) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-10-02

Setlist:
[total time 1:44:39]
01 Dancer
02 Material Things
03 Peacebone
04 Leaf House
05 Bearhug
06 Song for Ariel
07 Unsolved Mysteries
08 Daily Routine
09 Fireworks/Essplode/Fireworks
10 Brother Sport
11 Grace
12 Chores
13 We Tigers
14 [encore break]
15 No More Running
16 Derek

As with all artists featured on this site, if you download this recording, please support Animal Collective and the Paw Tracks website.

The Animal Collective tour in support of their new release Strawberry Jam came to New York tonight for the first of two shows at Webster Hall. This was an off night. The band seemed somewhat out of sync, and the show came to a screeching halt when Avey Tare stopped “Fireworks” in the middle because it was “too bass-y”. Three truncated songs later, no encore, and the show was over in a little over 70 minutes. We hope tomorrow will be better.

The recording offered for download below has superior sound quality. Avey was right about the bass, and as a result I equalized the low-end in post-production. I had an excellent place for recording, and used DPA microphones that can handle the booming bass of this concert without distortion or saturation.

This recording is now available as a direct download in FLAC or MP3 [HERE].

Animal Collective
2007-09-30
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Balcony First Row Center
Directly Behind Soundboard

DPA 4021’s > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM) > 16bit 44.1 .wav >
Soundforge > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-09-30

Premiere Download offered at
http://www.nyctaper.com
nyctaper@nyctaper.com

Setlist:
[total time 1:14:11]
01 #1
02 Bearhug
03 Song for Ariel
04 Peacebone
05 Who Could Win a Rabbit
06 Daily Routine
07 Unsolved Mysteries
08 Dreamer
09 Firewords/Essplode
10 Brother Sport
11 Grace
12 Leaf House

As with all artists featured on this site, if you download this recording, please support Animal Collective and the Paw Tracks website.

Bjorkestra at Bowery Ballroom
January 20, 2006

Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra headlined the Blender Theatre last Saturday with a ninety minute set of jazz excellence. In anticipation of the release of their first CD (to be entitled Enjoy and due for release in January), Bjorkestra went on a brief tour in the Northeast. The Blender show featured the addition of a track from Bjork’s Volta album in the setlist.

The sound quality in the venue was outstanding, and my equipment and positioning were ideal. This recording accurately reflects the excellent venue sound, but perhaps the horn section was mixed too low. Thanks again to Travis for permission to record.

This is the third time I have recorded Bjorkestra. Excellent recordings of the February (here) and the June (here) performances are still available for download in the archives of nyctaper.

Direct download of the complete show in FLAC is [HERE].

Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra
2007-09-22
Blender Theatre at Gramercy
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from 1st Row of Seating Area
Directly Behind Soundboard

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > flac

Many thanks to Travis for permission to record.

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:38:09]
01 Overture
02 Hyperballad
03 Alarm Call
04 Enjoy
05 Jòga
06 Army of Me
07 Pneumonia
08 Pluto
09 Show Me Forgiveness
10 Hunter
11 Who Is It
12 Cocoon
13 Human Behavior

Please support this unique and compelling interpretation of the music of Bjork and visit the Bjorkestra website.