nyctaper Recordings

concert discussion and free flac downloads

Yo La Tengo December 6, 2007 – Maxwell’s – Flac Download

December 8, 2007
By


[photo credit]

Yo La Tengo‘s annual 8 Nights of Hanukkah concert series at Maxwell’s has been a joyous success once again this year. Thursday night was the third show, and featured an opening set by the legendary original dBs. But not to be outdone by their early-career mentors, Yo La Tengo performed an absolutely stunning set — Ira in particular was in rare form, shredding nearly every number with precision and intensity. The unique setlist contained a diverse spectrum of cover songs, which included an rare Dylan treat, Sun Ra, and Neil Diamond. The guests included three of the dBs, and also Jim James from My Morning Jacket.

All of these 8 shows are benefits for a particular charity each night. Thursday night was a benefit for Day One, an organization dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence among youth. If you download this recording, please donate (click here to donate) to this important program.

Once again we left Maxwell’s with the firm belief that this is perhaps the most fan-friendly venue in the entire Metropolitan area. The sound quality in the venue was superb, aided in large part by the talents of YLT’s soundboard technician. The concert experience was not impeded by aggressive security, venue politics, or seen-and-be-seen concert-goers. Of the 70 concerts that nyctaper has attended in 2007, this was the best time we’ve had.

The recording experience was also a pleasure. There were two tapers this night, and both of us were treated royally by the sound techs. I was able to attach my DPA microphones to a stand located inside of the soundboard booth, in the ideal location in this venue. The results are quite excellent. Enjoy!

Many thanks to many people: YLT, Maxwell’s, YLT’s sound crew, Chris, Neil, and Bob for the drinks and kind words about the site.

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Yo La Tengo
2007-12-06
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ USA

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

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

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-12-07

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:44:27]
01 Nuclear War
02 Five Cornered Drone
03 The Race Is On Again
04 Autumn Sweater
05 The Weakest Part
06 Mr. Tough
07 No Water
08 I Wanna Be Your Lover
09 Cast A Shadow
10 Don’t Have To Be So Sad
11 Tom Courtenay
12 Styles of the Times
13 Watch Out For Me, Ronnie
14 I Heard You Looking
15 [encore break]
16 Heart Full of Soul
17 The Question
18 Solitary Man
19 Secret Agent Man
20 Hard Luck Woman

If you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT Yo La Tengo. Visit their excellent website.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists December 5, 2007 – Music Hall – Flac Download

December 7, 2007
By


[photo credit]

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are going on a two-year hiatus when their current tour ends this week. In their last show in NYC Wednesday night in Brooklyn, Ted and company ripped through two hours of a high-energy career retrospective. The 2007 release Living With The Living is one of the best albums of the year, but it did not dominate the setlist. Rather, Ted and the Pharmacists drew from all the releases, and included several covers including a dead-on solo version of Graham Parker and The Rumour’s “Passion is No Ordinary World”.

I recorded from the perfect location, and was unimpeded by any significant crowd disruptions (there were several upfront). nyctaper is quite pleased with the quality of this recording. Enjoy!

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

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
2007-12-05
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from FOB
Dead Center 30 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
2007-12-06

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:49:24]
01 [reggae jam]
02 The Sons of Cain
03 Me and Mia
04 Army Bound
05 The Angel’s Share
06 Old Souls Know
07 Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone
08 I’m a Ghost
09 Annunciation Day
10 Born On Christmas Day
11 Bomb.Repeat.Bomb
12 [banter]
13 Counting Down The Hours
14 Little Dawn
15 Colleen
16 [banter]
17 A Bottle Of Buckie
18 [banter]
19 Parallel Or Together?
20 Who Do You Love?
21 The Unwanted Things
22 C.I.A.
23 [banter]
24 Loyal To My Sorrowful Country
25 [encore break]
26 Rave On (Buddy Holly)
27 Passion is No Ordinary Word (Graham Parker)
28 Timorous Me
29 Biomusicology
30 Rappaport’s Testament: I Never Gave Up (Chumbawamba)

If you download this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Ted Leo and visit his website.

Richard Hawley December 1, 2007 – Bowery Ballroom – Flac Download

December 2, 2007
By

Hawley 07
[photo credit]

2007 has been an excellent year for Richard Hawley. His outstanding new release Lady’s Bridge has appeared on nearly every Best of 2007 list, and last night he began a triumphant return to the US with a sold-out concert at Bowery Ballroom. Hawley worked through a tight set of primarily Lady’s Bridge and Coles Corner material with confidence, and he entertained with quite humorous between-song banter. The closing number, “The Ocean”, reached a remarkable crescendo and featured some outstanding Hawley lead guitar work. The US tour continues through December with dates in Philadelphia, Toronto, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco, with a British tour planned for February of 2008.

This recording was made from the ideal location at this venue, in the center of the floor. While there is a minor amount of chatter from the sold-out crowd, the results are superb.

Hawley’s management responded to a pre-show email request to record. While permission was not granted, the response said “its your choice if you bring it [a recorder] or not”, which indicated a resigned ambivalence to the idea of a fan recording. nyctaper posts this recording in the spirit of fostering a positive relationship between Hawley and his fans, and also with the intent of exposing this amazing talent to readers of this site who may not be familiar with his work. As our disclaimer states, any recording will be removed immediately at the request of an artist. We hope that Richard Hawley will allow this recording to remain at nyctaper when the good intentions and positive mission of this site are understood.

Direct Download of the complete show in FLAC [here] and MP3 [here].

Richard Hawley
2007-12-01
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from FOB
Dead Center 20 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
2007-12-01

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:27:22]
01 [introduction]
02 Valentine
03 Roll River Roll
04 Just Like the Rain
05 Dark Road
06 Coles Corner
07 Tonight The Streets Are Ours
08 Lady’s Bridge
09 Hotel Room
10 Serious
11 Darlin’ Wait For Me
12 Our Darkness
13 The Sea Calls
14 Born Under A Bad Sign
15 Something Is…!
16 I’m Looking For Someone To Find Me
17 [encore break]
18 Tonight
19 The Ocean

If you download this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Richard Hawley and visit his website.

So Percussion November 20, 2007 – Wintergarden – Lossless Download

November 21, 2007
By


[photo credit]

The quartet So Percussion performed a free concert in the Wintergarden at the World Financial Center on Tuesday night. The troupe performed three distinct pieces, a US premiere of an Arvo Part piece, a world premiere of Martin Bresnick’s newest work, and the NYC premiere of Paul Lansky’s Threads. Each piece utilized the many and unique talents of So to create a rich layered texture of beats that communicated a variety of emotions.

It was quite a challenge to record this concert. The Wintergarden is a enclave in the western corner of the World Financial Center, and is essentially in the midst of a shopping center. The extraneous noise of foot traffic, shoppers, workers, and general commotion created a significantly less than ideal sonic setting. Additionally, the PA volume was quite low, as to not disturb the other inhabitants of WFC. As a result, this recording has many flaws which have been reduced but not removed through post-production. If the listener can focus on the magic of So Percussion, enjoyment is within reach.

This recording is no longer available at nyctaper. The sound quality does not meet our current standards.

So Percussion
2007-11-20
Wintergarden
World Financial Center
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Inside Soundboard Booth
at Rear of Venue

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (set fades, downsample, level adjustments) > CD Wave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

A venue with terrible acoustics, extraneous noise, low PA levels, and recorded
from the rear. Caveat Listener.

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2007-11-21

Many thanks to So Percussion (Adam) for permission to record.

Setlist:
[total time 1:32:29]
01 Fratres for Percussion Quartet (Arvo Part)
02 [interview with Martin Bresnick]
03 Caprichos Enfáticos (Martin Bresnick)
04 [interview with Paul Lansky]
05 Threads (Paul Lansky)

Information:
txt file

Verification:
md5 file

If you download this recording, please support So Percussion and visit their website.

Yo La Tengo November 16, 2007 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Lossless Download

November 17, 2007
By


[photo credit]

Yo La Tengo appeared Friday night at the Music Hall for the final night of their “Freewheeling Tour”. The band fielded questions, requests and general banter from the audience, and responded with humor and some interesting song selections and performed a primarily acoustic concert. The highlights included Georgia’s beautiful cover of Dylan’s 4th Time Around, and the humorously persistent audience member’s request for Blue Line Swinger–which was eventually granted (Ira: “Is that Fred Armisen?”).

The recording of this concert was a difficult affair. This was my first event at the Music Hall, and I gravitated towards the balcony for a better view and more direct line to the PA speakers. Unfortunately, the acoustic nature of the concert, drastic variations in volume, and the inattentive nature of the balcony crowd created certain impediments to a clear recording. At times, this recording can be outstanding, at other times, the stage volume is too low and the ambient noise too great. Overall, its a nice listen of an interesting concert, and the apparently the only circulated recording of this mini-tour. Enjoy!

Download the MP3 files [HERE] | Download the FLAC files [HERE]

Yo La Tengo
2007-11-16
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Balcony Railing Left
15 Feet from Left PA Speaker

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

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-11-17

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:56:04]
01 Introduction
02 The Weakest Part
03 Moby Octopad
04 [questions and banter]
05 Sometimes I Don’t Get You
06 Deeper Into Movies
07 [questions and banter]
08 I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party
09 Tom Courtenay
10 [questions and banter]
11 Magnet
12 The Summer
13 [questions and banter]
14 4th Time Around
15 [questions and banter]
16 Looney Tunes
17 [questions and banter]
18 Black Flowers
19 [questions and banter]
20 Dreaming
21 [questions and banter]
22 Blue Line Swinger
23 [questions and banter]
24 Hanky Panky Nohow
25 [questions and banter]
26 Somebody’s Baby
27 Griselda
28 The Story of Yo La Tango
29 You Can Have it All
30 [encore break]
31 Stockholm Syndrome
32 Big Day Coming
33 Flowers of the Forest

If you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT Yo La Tengo. Visit their excellent website.

mum November 10, 2007 – Wordless Music Series – Lossless Download

November 11, 2007
By


[photo credit]

mum performed another outstanding set on Saturday night at the Concert Hall of the Society for Ethical Culture. The venue was a classic structure with superb acoustics that fit the layered sound structure of mum perfectly. As this was the last night of the U.S. tour, the band was in good spirits, playful, and clearly enjoying themselves.

The other “star” of the excellent 2-night stand was the Wordless Music Series itself. Wordless had the foresight to book mum for two concerts in two very distinct but appropriate venues. The brainchild of Ronen Givony, Wordless presents diverse and yet inter-related musical genres and performers. The Series is well-researched and presented with meticulous attention to detail.

I recorded this concert, again with kind permission from Gunni (and Wordless), from the 5th row of the balcony, far right. This is not an ideal location, but the venue’s acoustics transcended space limitations, and delivered a fine recording. Again the PA speakers had some hiss, but this is only noticeable during quiet passages. Enjoy!

Download the complete show in FLAC [HERE].

mum
2007-11-10
The Wordless Music Series
Concert Hall at the Society for Ethical Culture
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Balcony
5th Row far Right

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

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2007-11-11

Many thanks to Gunni for permission to record.

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:27:14]
01 Winter (What We Never Were After All)
02 Moon Pulls
03 Oh, How the Boat Drifts
04 I Was Her Horse
05 Sit Down
06 Guilty Rocks
07 Blessed Brambles
08 I’m 9 Today
09 Marmalade Fires
10 A Little Bit, Sometimes
11 Kostrzyn
12 These Eyes are Berries
13 Dancing Behind My Eyelids
14 They Made Frogs Smoke ‘Til They Exploded
Encores:
15 The Ghosts You Draw On My Back
16 Smell Memory

If you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT mum. Visit their myspace page, the mumweb fansite, mumweb forum, and buy mum official releases

mum November 9, 2007 – Church of St. Paul – Lossless Download

November 10, 2007
By


[photo credit]

mum resurrected their old magic in the Church of St. Paul last night. The newest version of mum debuted at the Sugarcubes Reunion almost exactly a year ago. After the departure of founding member Kristin Anna Valtisdottir (now Kri­a Brekkan) , the 2006 performance was an awkward set of entirely new material, and the new mum seemed to be exploring less interesting musical approaches. Following a year of maturity, and the release of an excellent new album Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy, mum has toured Europe and the U.S. this Fall. The performance last night concentrated primarily on the new album’s songs which have developed fully into solid mum compositions, rich in texture and complex instrumentality.

An interesting footnote to last night’s concert. Near the end of the first encore, a curious tall thin dark-haired woman in a large overcoat approached my microphone stand and watched the concert for a short while. After a few brief minutes, I realized that she was Kristin, and when the woman left to the rear of the venue, a shocked mum crew member noticed her and the two embraced at length. She left shortly thereafter.

Many thanks to Gunni for permission to record. I set up very close the PA speakers to avoid the echo and boomy nature of recording inside of an old church. The PA system was plagued with a noticeable hiss and buzz, and those noises do mar the quiet moments of this recording. When the music is louder, you can not notice the noise. Enjoy!

My recording of last year’s debut mum performance is available (here).

Download of the complete show in FLAC [HERE].

mum
2007-11-09
The Wordless Music Series
The Church of St. Paul the Apostle
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Upfront, 6 rows from Right PA Speakers

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

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2007-11-10

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:14:00]
01 Slow Bicycle
02 Moon Pulls
03 I Was Her Horse
04 Oh, How the Boat Drifts
05 Sit Down
06 Asleep In A Hiding Place
07 Guilty Rocks
08 Winter (What We Never Were After All)
09 Mother’s Last Word to Her Son
10 A Little Bit, Sometimes
11 Blessed Brambles
12 Marmalade Fires
Encores:
13 The Ghosts You Draw On My Back
14 I’m 9 Today

If you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT mum. Visit their myspace page, the mumweb fansite, mumweb forum, and and buy mum official releases:

Phil Lesh and Friends – November 8, 2007 Nokia Theatre – 24-bit 4-Microphone Download

November 10, 2007
By

Phil Lesh and Friends performed the 7th show of the 10-night stand at the Nokia Theatre on Thursday. This is not your father’s Grateful Dead. Phil leads a band of young guns through tight and focused jams. This version of the “Friends” includes Jackie Greene as primary vocalist. Greene’s soulfulness and versatility were display last night, particularly in the strong version of the classic Pigpen blues-rave up “Caution.” Another new friend, keyboardist Steve Molitz from Particle played mostly a supportive role, but shined during “Unbroken Chain”. The band also includes returning friend Larry Campbell, and long-time drummer John Molo.

The recording offered for download below includes many firsts. This is the first 24-bit recording offered at this site. For those unfamiliar, 24-bit files are high resolution recordings that can be played on your computer using programs such as Foobar, or burned on DVD-A discs and played on a DVD player that supports DVD-A playback. The files are larger than standard CD-quality 16-bit files. This download is exactly 2 gigabytes.

This recording is also the first time nyctaper has recorded with both the Neumann and DPA microphones in tandem. I borrowed an Edirol R-4 Four-Track Digital Recorder (thanks Keith!), and ran all four microphones into the deck. The pre-amps on this particular R-4 have been upgraded by Oade Brothers Audio. I also connected digitally with the Microtrack from the R-4 and captured a 24-bit “raw” mix. The recording offered below is a 24-bit flac version from the Microtrack. The complete post-production of the R-4 version, and a 16-bit version will come later, and will likely be offered through bit torrent.

I am extremely proud of the quality of this recording. Nokia Theatre has a state of the art sound system, and Phil Lesh employs similar quality equipment. The use of the four mics permitted a capture not only of the sound directly from the PA speakers, but also nice room ambiance and depth. Enjoy!

This recording is now available for download in 24-bit FLAC at Archive.org [HERE].

Phil Lesh and Friends
2007-11-08
Nokia Theatre
New York, NY USA

Digital Audience Master
Neumann + DPA Four Microphone Mix
Recorded from Front of Board
Left Side, Approximately 50 Feet from PA

Neumann KM-150s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) + DPA 4021s (Cardiods) >
Edirol R4 (Oade Mod) > 4 Track 24bit 48kHz wav files > digital coaxial >
M-Audio Microtrack (2-channel mixdown) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend
(Level Eight) > 24/48 Flac files

Premiere Download offered at
http://www.nyctaper.com
[email protected]

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-11-09

Set 1:
[Total time 1:04:01]
01 Passenger
02 I’m So Gone
03 Mexican Girl
04 Pride Of Cucamonga
05 Deep Elem Blues
06 Bird Song
07 Alabama Getaway

Set 2:
[Total time 1:59:11]
08 Playing In The Band
09 Althea
10 Cold Black Devil
11 Caution
12 New Speedway Boogie
13 Unbroken Chain
14 Scarlet Begonias
15 Fire On The Mountain
Encores
16 Donor Rap/Band Introductions
17 Its a Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall

If you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT Phil Lesh and Friends, and visit their website

Pylon November 7, 2007 – Mercury Lounge – Lossless Download

November 8, 2007
By


[photo credit]

I had the same reaction when I saw Pylon in 1988. How can a band who has not toured in many years, and who have played intermittently since the 1980s, so sound tight. Its a credit to the rhythm section of Curtis on drums and Michael on bass, but its also a testament to the quality of the original songwriting and the unique melodic sense of guitarist Randy. Last night at the Mercury Lounge, Pylon delivered a terrific set of their best material in front of a packed and adoring crowd. Vanessa was energetic and genuinely modest about the tremendous crowd support.

With the permission of Pylon (thanks!), I recorded this concert from the ideal location in this venue, equidistant from the two sets of speakers, and directly in front of the soundboard booth. The result is a recording with excellent stereo separation and clarity. The crowd is present in the recording, but not obtrusively. Enjoy!

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Pylon
2007-11-07
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from in Front of Soundboard
Dead Center Approximately 30 feet from PA

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

Many Thanks to Pylon (in particular Michael) for permission to record.

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-11-08

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:17:38]
01 Cool
02 Dub
03 Driving School
04 Read a Book
05 Working is No Problem
06 Sugarpop
07 3×3
08 Gravity
09 Precaution
10 Weather
11 The Human Body
12 Crazy
13 K
14 Danger
15 Volume
16 Feast on My Heart
17 Stop It
Encores
18 M Train
19 Beep
20 Sloganistic

If you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT Pylon. Visit their website and buy their official releases.

Fiery Furnaces November 3, 2007 – Hiro Ballroom – Lossless Download

November 4, 2007
By


[photo credit – From our friends at twi-ny]

The Fiery Furnaces continue to invent new ways to entertain their fans. At the Hiro Ballroom last night, the final show on the US leg of their Widow City tour, the Furnaces added a written/call-out request segment to their show. Following a tight 45-minute set which began and ended with the new material, and contained a nice medley of Rehearsing My Choir material in the middle, Eleanor read from some notes passed up on stage (as their website suggested) and fielded shouted requests. The last 20 minutes of the performance featured some oldies, some false-starts, and much humor. The band continues their tour with a trip to Europe that begins on Tuesday, and goes throughout to the end of November.

My recording of this concert was a bit of an ordeal. I arrived very early, with plans to record one of the opening acts on the bill, Pit Er Pat. However, after nearly completing the set-up of the Neumann rig, I discovered that my fully-charged lithium battery (that powers the entire rig), had completely died. I broke down the rig, left the venue, and took the L train all the way home again. I retrieved my DPA rig, returned to the venue, and arrived in time to record the Furnaces.

The Hiro Ballroom is a neat little venue with an excellent sound system. I positioned myself in the back section of the floor, in the center of the stacks, and recorded a fine stereo mix. Enjoy!

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Fiery Furnaces
2007-11-03
Hiro Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Dead Center
Approximately 30 feet from PA

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

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2007-11-03

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:11:43]
Main Set:
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 Black-hearted Boy
09 Bitter Tea
10 Right by Conquest
11 A Candymaker’s Knife in My Handbag
12 Forty-Eight Twenty-Three Twenty-Second Street
13 Seven Silver Curses
14 Slavin’ Away
15 Japanese Slippers
16 Widow City
17 Restorative Beer
18 Clear Signal From Cairo
Request Set:
19 Inca Rag (partial)
20 Whistle Rhapsody
21 Blueberry Boat
22 My Dog Was Lost But Now He’s Found
23 Single Again/Smelling Cigarettes/Single Again
24 Don’t Dance Her Down

If you download this recording PLEASE SUPPORT The Fiery Furnaces, visit their site, and purchase Widow City:

SUPPORT NYCTaper




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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.

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