nyctaper Recordings

Its not often when the opening act of a concert performs a 90 minute set, and the crowd is thoroughly engaged. The Umphrey’s McGee set last night was the rarest of beasts, a tight “jam band” set full of prog-rock twists and turns.

Umphrey’s “taper-friendly” approach allowed a group of a half-dozen recordists to position themselves directly in front of the soundboard in the center. I was fortunate to be in that group, and used my best equipment. The result is an outstanding recording, with rich bass presence and excellent clarity.

The Disco Biscuits set from this concert will be posted within the next 24 hours.

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

More about FLAC

Umphrey’s McGee
2007-08-15
McCarren Pool
Brooklyn, New York USA

Digital Master Recording
Front of Board Center

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

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:29:08]
01 Prowler
02 Pipeline
03 Plunger
04 Higgins
05 Plunger
06 Atmosfarag
07 Roulette
08 Utopian Fir
09 All in Time

As with all artists featured on this site, if you download this recording please purchase Umphrey’s McGee’s latest CD:

This past Friday was one of those perfect concert experiences that occur all too infrequently. You may know “pub rock” trio The Figgs as Graham Parker’s band, or you may know The Figgs from their 1994 hit “Favorite Shirt”, but they are so much more than those references. The Figgs write and perform well-crafted power pop songs as a skin-tight ensemble. As you’ll hear in the recording offered below, they are also an energetic and entertaining live act.

My experience of recording the Figgs was also outstanding. I was fortunate to meet up with some Figgs fans including Sal (who made this all happen) and Steve (from the excellent music blog Baby, You Got a Stew Goin’!), and also chat with the band. The soundman at Maxwell’s not only mixed a perfect set, but also assisted me in setting up my recording in an ideal location. As a result, the sound quality on this recording is about as superb as could possibly be captured in a venue of this size.

Many thanks to the excellent Figgs, Mike, Pete and Pete, to Sal, and to Craig the soundman. When the Figgs come to your town, you must go and experience this band!

Download the complete concert in FLAC [HERE].

More about FLAC

The Figgs
2007-08-03
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ USA

Digital Audience Master Recording
Recorded from Inside the Soundboard Booth
Dead Center, approximately 30 feet from the PA

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

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
01 Waiting for the Sun to Rise
02 The Daylight Strong
03 Something’s Wrong
04 Jumping Again
05 Follow Jean Through the Sea
06 Song Of A Baker (Small Faces cover)
07 Cheap Cassettes
08 Some Desperate Measure
09 [work in progress – track removed at artist’s request]
10 Simon Simone
11 Let Me Hold You
12 One Hit Wonder

Please support this outstanding band and visit The Figgs website.
As with all artists featured on this site, if you download this recording please purchase the newest Figgs CD:

Well, maybe 1988 is over, but 1981? Squeeze on Pier 84 in the Summer of 1981 is one of my favorite old concert experiences. The current reunion tour is essentially to promote the re-release of the back catalog and the new compilation Essential Squeeze. Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook have written some of the most engaging and enjoyable pop songs in the last three decades, and the songs still hold up particularly well as the best of them were performed tonight.

I recorded this concert from the middle of the floor, using my clip-on microphones. This recording was not captured with pro-quality equipment, and it generally does not measure up to the sonic standards of other recordings on this site. However, it is certainly an enjoyable listen of a terrific concert.

The photograph above is courtesy of the excellent Squeeze fan site Packet of Three.

This recording is no longer available at nyctaper. I’m sure you can find it somewhere on the web if you look hard enough.

Squeeze
2007-08-02
Nokia Theatre
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded from Front of Board
Center of the Floor
approximately 30 feet from PA

Core Sound Cardiods > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > flac

Premiere Download offered at nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:39:29]
01 Take Me I’m Yours
02 Slightly Drunk
03 Piccadilly
04 Hourglass
05 Up the Junction
06 I Think I’m Go Go
07 Third Rail
08 Electric Trains
09 Some Fantastic Place
10 Annie Get Your Gun
11 Melody Motel
12 Messed Around
13 Walk Away
14 Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken
15 Another Nail in My Heart
16 Goodbye Girl
17 If I Didn’t Love You
18 Pulling Mussels From The Shell
19 Slap and Tickle
20 Cool for Cats
21 [encore break]
22 Tempted
23 Is That Love?
24 Black Coffee in Bed

As with all artists featured on this site, if you download this recording, please support Squeeze and purchase the new compilation:

Well, its two weeks later, and instead of seeing White Stripes with 1200 people on a remote island in Canada, its back to the big city, the world’s most famous arena, and 20,000 fans. Again, Jack and Meg were consistently excellent. The performance lasted 30 minutes longer than the July 11 concert, and the band did not seem to be fazed at all by the size of the venue or the raucous crowd.

The NYC recording differs from the Canada recording, but the quality is equally excellent. I was in my favorite recording section of the Garden, Section 7, which placed me in front of the soundboard and in the center. This recording has more stereo presence, but also more of the crowd. It is perhaps a better overall representation of the experience of this outstanding concert.

This recording is no longer available due to Mr. White’s new strict anti-taping and anti-sharing policy.

White Stripes
2007-07-24
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Board Center
Section 7, Row J, Seat 10

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

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

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:52:22]
01 Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
02 When I Hear My Name
03 Jolene
04 Hotel Yorba
05 Cannon
06 Icky Thump
07 Do
08 Death Letter
09 In The Cold, Cold Night
10 A Martyr for My Love for You
11 I’m Slowly Turning Into You
12 I Think I Smell A Rat
13 Wasting My Time
14 300 MPH Torrential Outpour Blues
15 You Don’t Know What Love Is
16 Fell in Love With a Girl
17 Ball and Biscuit
18 [encore break]
19 Blue Orchid
20 I Just Don’t Know What To Do with Myself
21 Little Ghost
22 We’re Going to Be Friends
23 Little Bird
24 Catch Hell Blues
25 My Doorbell
26 Seven Nation Army
27 Boll Weevil

Support the White Stripes and purchase their official releases.

Avante-harpist Zeena Parkins played a central role in the Matmos concert discussed below. She performed a full array of harp sounds, from the beautiful melodic acoustic harp to the powerful and violent cacophony of her electric harp.

The concert offered for download below was a trio of Zeena, keyboardist Jamie Saft, and drummer Bobby Previte. They performed at the now-defunct jazz club Tonic, and provided an hour of compelling experimental jazz.

Download complete performance in FLAC [HERE].

More about FLAC

Zeena Parkins
with Jamie Saft (keyboard), Bobby Previte (drums)
2006-02-01
Tonic
New York, NY

Master Audience Recording
10 feet from stage and PA

Recorded by nyctaper
http://www.nyctaper.com

Core Sound Cardiods > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > flac

Tracklist:
01 Untitled Improvisational Piece [1:01:27]

PLEASE SUPPORT Zeena Parkins and purchase her CDs:

NYCTaper became PEITaper for a night when my annual vacation trip to Prince Edward Island crisscrossed with the White Stripes tour across Canada. Charlottetown is a beautiful old city on the water, and its quaint Civic Centre provided a uniquely intimate setting to experience Jack and Meg on tour. The White Stripes large stage set-up and the layout of the small hockey arena only allowed for about 1200 people in the facility.

I was seated in the first row of the stands, 3 seats from the front, directly in line and only 20 feet from the left PA speaker stack. As a result, the recording is quite clear and upfront. Additionally, the hockey boards provided a buffer from much of the noise of the crowd from the floor.

As you’ll hear in the recording offered for download below, the White Stripes used the intimate setting to perform a nice varied setlist and a high energy show–such that Charlottetown may be the best show of the entire Canadian tour.

This recording is no longer available due to Mr. White’s new strict anti-taping and anti-sharing policy.

White Stripes
2007-07-11
Civic Centre
Charlottetown
Prince Edward Island
Canada

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Section 18, Row A, Seat 9
20 Feet in Front of Left PA Stacks

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

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

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:25:58]
01 Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
02 Icky Thump
03 Hotel Yorba
04 Cannon
05 I’m Slowly Turning Into You
06 Wasting My Time
07 Jolene
08 Catch Hell Blues
09 The Same Boy You’ve Always Known
10 I’m Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman
11 I Think I Smell a Rat
12 In The Cold, Cold Night
13 You Don’t Know What Love Is
14 The Denial Twist
15 One More Cup of Coffee
16 We’re Going To Be Friends
17 Fell In Love With a Girl
18 Ball and a Biscuit
19 [encore break]
20 Black Math
21 Blue Orchid
22 Party of Special Things to Do
23 I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself
24 Seven Nation Army
25 Boll Weevil

As with all artists featured on this site, if you download this recording please visit White Stripes Website and purchase their commercial releases.

Support the White Stripes and purchase the new album Icky Thump

I was introduced to the music of the Fiery Furnaces through a live cover of their song “Tropical Ice-land” by Of Montreal. Kevin Barnes called their Blueberry Boat the album he “goes to sleep with at night”.

When one door closes, sometimes another better door opens. When Morrissey postponed his show (see below), I was fortunate that a concert of this quality was also scheduled in the NYC area. After securing a ticket through craigslist, it was off to Jersey.

Its hard to describe the music of Fiery Furnaces without engaging in weird musical juxtapositions. They perform oddly accessible alt-pop, with a dry sense of humor, and strange twists of melody. My best absurd description would be the 1975-era Patti Smith fronting a band with members of Captain Beefheart.

The Maxwell’s performance captured below was superb in all respects. The sound quality, the performance, and the energy of the crowd and the band were all outstanding.

Direct download of complete show in FLAC [HERE].

More about FLAC

Fiery Furnaces
2007-06-30
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from in Front of the Soundboard Booth

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

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2007-07-01

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:24:07]
01 Japanese Slippers
02 In My Little Thatched Hut
03 I’m in No Mood to Comb My Hair
04 Black-Hearted Boy
05 Bitter Tea
06 I’m Waiting to Know You
07 The Vietnamese Telephone Ministry
08 Oh Sweet Woods
09 Borneo
10 Benton Harbor Blues
11 Whistle Rhapsody
12 Teach Me Sweetheart
13 Bitter Tea
14 Single Again
15 Wicker
16 Quay Cur
17 I’m Gonna Run
18 Here Comes the Summer
19 Blueberry Boat
20 Tropical Ice-Land
21 Spaniolated
22 Name Game
23 Birdie Brain
24 1917
Encores:
25 Police Sweater Blood Vow
26 Restorative Beer
27 Widow City

As with all concerts featured on this site, please support this unique artist, and buy their latest album.

Richard Thompson is currently on tour supporting one of his strongest albums in quite some years, Sweet Warrior, and he performed a free concert in Prospect Park in Brooklyn last night. Under the most difficult conditions, Thompson delivered a stunning performance of new material and classics, proving once again that he is one of the most prolific and yet under-appreciated performers of last four decades.

But, oh, the rain. With any outdoor concert, the elements play a part in the experience, but this recording is an extreme example. As Thompson took the stage, it began to rain and in the middle of the second song (“Bad Monkey”), the skies opened with a torrential downpour and lightning. The commotion during that song is obvious on this recording. The concert was halted for about 15 minutes, and the crowd ran for cover.

Thankfully, my equipment was not drenched, due to the kindness of a older couple providing cover with a plastic tarp. It rained on and off throughout most of the concert, and there are moments when the surrounding noises of umbrellas and people fleeing for cover can be heard. There is one song missing from this recording (“Mingulay Boat Song”), as my Marantz digital recorder seized near the end of “I’ll Never Give it Up”, most likely as a result of excessive moisture. After a reset, the recording resumed and the balance of the set was captured.

All things considered, under the most difficult circumstances possible, this recording is nevertheless an outstanding capture of a memorable Richard Thompson concert. For an example of this recording at its best, sample the encore “Sunset Song”.

Interestingly, this recording comes almost exactly 10 years to the day since the last time I recorded Thompson, June 15, 1997 at the Fleadh Festival. That 1997 recording will be posted on this site in the coming months.

This recording is no longer available at NYCTaper. Search the web and you’ll probably find it.

Richard Thompson
2007-06-21
Prospect Park Bandshell
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from in Front of the Soundboard Booth
Center Seating Section

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

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

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:30:48]
01 Needle & Thread
02 Bad Monkey
03 Dad’s Gonna Kill Me
04 Take Care the Road You Choose
05 The Wrong Heartbeat
06 Al Bowlly’s in Heaven
07 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
08 One Door Opens
09 I’ll Never Give It Up//
Mingulay Boat Song [not recorded]
10 A Man in Need
11 I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
12 Wall of Death
13 Read About Love
Encores:
14 Sunset Song
15 Mr. Stupid
16 Persuasion
17 Tear Stained Letter

Information:
txt file

Verification:
md5 file

As with all recordings posted on this site, please support this outstanding artist, visit Richard Thompson’s website, and buy his commercial releases.

Purchase Richard Thompson’s latest CD

If you have not heard of Scott Maher, you soon will. Scott’s perfectly crafted pop songs are both melodic and lyrically strong. His debut album Cartoon Moon received rave reviews, and a groundswell of support is developing in his hometown of Dublin, in NYC, and in LA, where he performs in July. He is currently working on a second album, and has recorded 2 songs for a film to be released this Summer.

The recording captured below was done with Scott’s permission, from a microphone stand in front of the soundboard, with my Neumann microphones. The recording captures Scott with a full band, performing a tight set of representative material.

Scott Maher
2007-06-19
Luna Lounge
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Audience Master Recording
Recorded from in Front of the Soundboard Booth
Dead Center, approximately 20 feet from the PA

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

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

Setlist:
[total time 48:31]
01 Cinema Smile
02 Pyramid
03 Mojo
04 Moving On
05 Reveal
06 Shine
07 Cartoon Moon
08 Roundstone
09 My Star
10 High Time

If you download this recording, please support the artist and visit Scott’s Website to get news and purchase his CDs. Scott’s CDs can also be purchased at CD Baby.