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Ryley Walker: June 5, 2021 Private Backyard, Flushing, NY

June 7, 2021
By

“I don’t think Steve Gunn forgets his lyrics,” Ryley Walker wondered aloud midway though “The Roundabout” this past Saturday. He was performing in front of a small backyard audience in Flushing, Queens. We’re all a little rusty, performers and audiences alike, as live music returns to New York. But as we experienced this weekend, everyone’s quick to rediscover the well-worn grooves. In this hour and a half set, Ryley touches on his entire catalog, from Primrose Green to his outstanding new album, Course in Fable. A few covers complete the afternoon, including a lovely take on “There’s Hell in Hello, But More in Goodbye” from Jim O’Rourke’s Bad Timing record.

I recorded this show with a pair of MBHO omnidirectional mics positioned up front and overhead. Despite the windy day, the sound is superb. Enjoy!

Thanks to Ryley Walker for playing; and to Mark and Kim for hosting. You can purchase all of Ryley Walker’s albums, including Course in Fable, at Bandcamp. He’ll be on tour this fall with a full band opening for Dinosaur Jr. That tour wraps up November 20 at Brooklyn Steel. More immediately, Ryley will be joined by Stuart Bogie, Spencer Zahn, and Kevin Raczka for a sesh at Nublu 151 this coming Thursday, June 10. See you there!

Stream and download the show at the Live Music Archive.

Ryley Walker
2021-06-05
Private Backyard
Flushing, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

MBHO KA100DK/603A (on stage) > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 3.0.2 > FLAC

Tracks [1:34:05]
01. On the Banks of the Old Kishwaukee
02. The Roundabout
03. Rang Dizzy
04. Promise Me
05. Telluride Speed
06. Shaking Like the Others
07. The Halfwit in Me
08. If I Were a Carpenter [Tim Hardin]
09. Improvisation
10. Primrose Green
11. Summer Dress
12. Over the Hill [John Martyn]
13. There’s Hell in Hello, But More in Goodbye [Jim O’Rourke]
14. Fair Play [Van Morrison]
15. The Grand Old Trout [Bill MacKay]

Jonathan Kane and Jim McHugh: October 11, 2020 Richards Street Brooklyn

October 19, 2020
By

I read somewhere recently that your talent is your salve. That by doing the things you do best, you can help heal the psychic damage from this awful year. After an aborted attempt to capture a “drive-in” show last month, I had the wonderful opportunity to experience and record a pop-up outdoor event last weekend and it was as glorious as the pedigree of the two musicians who performed. Jim McHugh will be quite familiar to readers of this site as the founder and lead guitarist of Sunwatchers, while Jonathan Kane is a downtown music scene fixture for decades who is perhaps best known as the founding drummer of Swans.

In the Northeast section of Red Hook, a couple of hundred yards from the Battery Tunnel, there’s a few blocks of old industrial buildings that have been transformed into studios. At the corner of Commerce and Richards, there’s an art studio that has hosted these pop-up outdoor events while the weather cooperated. Last weekend, the Kane McHugh duo played a 30-minute set of two distinct improvisational pieces. The first number had a psych-blues vibe with Kane’s looped guitar providing a base for the two to work over, with McHugh’s rock guitar and Kane’s ubiquitous percussion hitting several peaks. The second piece began quietly with some tasty slide guitar licks before the two took it out into a full swampy meltdown — a truly magical climax to a short but truly sweet collaborative set.

I recorded this set with the outdoor-friendly large diaphragm Neumann’s set up immediately in front of the band, and the sound quality is quite superb. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

nyctaper · Jonathan Kane and Jim McHugh Live on Richards Oct 11 2020

Kane McHugh
2020-10-11
Richards Street
Brooklyn NY

Digital Master Recording
On Stage

Neumann KLM-102s > Sound Devices 744t > 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 27:17]
01 Improvisation 1
02 Improvisation 2

Jonathan Kane – drums, percussion, guitar loop
Jim McHugh – guitar, slide guitar

PLEASE SUPPORT These amazing artists: Kane Facebook and Sunwatchers Bandcamp

Pylon Reenactment Society: January 5, 2019 Market Hotel

September 20, 2020
By
Photo Courtesy of Chris Sikich

Last week, it was announced that legendary Athens GA post-punk band Pylon will be releasing a comprehensive box set which will include all of their official releases, many unreleased tracks, and a 200-page book documenting the history of this incredibly influential group. Pylon Box will be available through New West Records on November 6, 2020.

For a band with such a lasting legacy, it was truly a blessing to have recorded the original band, including what was ultimately the last show the band played before the sad and untimely death of guitarist Randy Bewley in 2009. In 2014, lead singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay formed the Pylon Reenactment Society. At a gig we recorded at Mercury Lounge in July of 2018, it was clear that this new band was not just a tribute to the late great Pylon, but was a natural and organic continuation of the legacy of the band with top notch musicians who were friends with the original members. Our experiences motivated me to invite Pylon Reenactment Society to return to NYC in January of 2019 to perform at Market Hotel.

The Market Hotel show was yet another confirmation that although the original Pylon is a perfect subject for retrospective box sets, the current band is still a terrific outfit and a pure pleasure to experience live. This set included not only all of the classic numbers you’d hope to hear, but some extremely promising new material. In this current involuntary “break” from seeing shows, its great to remember the types of events that keep us coming back to see bands like Pylon.

I recorded this set with the installed AT mics mixed with an excellent soundboard feed from Eric. The sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

nyctaper · Pylon Reenactment Society – Live at Market Hotel Jan 5 2019

Pylon Reenactment Society
2019-01-05
Market Hotel
Brooklyn NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard [engineer Eric Lemke] + Audio Technica 4051 > Sound Devices 744t > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:23:30]
01 Driving School
02 Working Is No Problem
03 Volume
04 Cool
05 Gravity
06 Cliff Notes
07 Danger
08 Look Alive
09 Flowers From Everywhere
10 Crazy
11 Feast On My Heart
12 [thanks]
13 Beep
14 [band introductions]
15 Compression
16 Messenger
17 Precaution
18 Stop It
19 [encore break]
20 M Train
21 K
22 Buzz

PLEASE SUPPORT Pylon Reenactment Society: Website | Bandcamp | Buy Pylon Box

Jeff Rosenstock: December 23, 2019 Trans-Pecos

April 10, 2020
By

Its honestly hard for me to be objective about this concert for some pretty obvious reasons — including my involvement with the venue. But the real reason is because Jeff Rosenstock is truly one of the best people in music today. Jeff played four consecutive Monday nights at Trans-Pecos in December, and each night benefitted a different charitable organization. Each night also was a collection of coats for the homeless. There was no set admission price to the shows, but a suggested donation. And Jeff and his fans really came through, as over $10,000 was raised over the four shows and the funds were sent to Safe Horizon, Willie Mae Rock Camp, Educated Little Monsters, and Black Lives Matter.

We talked and the final night was Jeff’s favorite of the shows. It also happens to feature the most excellent Laura Stevenson (congrats on the baby!) in a guest spot for a couple of songs. Jeff and Laura are long time friends who also played together in Bomb The Music Industry! and the energy between the two was obvious. As Jeff moved to LA at the end of 2019, this show was also a goodbye of sorts, so the emotions are palpable. All in all, a tremendous night for a variety of reasons, and a show we’re happy to offer as a glimmer of hope in these tragic times.

This set was mixed by Manny and recorded in the thumb drive of the soundboard and the quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO THE GOFUNDME FOR TRANS-PECOS SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO PAY OUR STAFF WHILE THE ENTIRE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS CLOSED DUE TO COVID-19. THE LINK IS [HERE].

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

Jeff Rosenstock
2019-12-23
Trans-Pecos
Ridgewood NY

Digital Master Soundboard Recording

Soundboard [Engineer: Manny] > 16bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar

Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:28:25]
01 [introduction]
02 Perfect Sound Whatever
03 Hey Allison
04 Pash Rash
05 [banter – less garbage]
06 Powerlessness
07 To Be a Ghost
08 Wave Goodnight To Me
09 The Lows
10 The Shit That You Hate
11 Festival Song
12 Rewards Zone
13 While You’re Alive
14 Staring Out the Window at Your Old Apartment
15 [banter – Black Lives Matter]
16 Let Them Win
17 Eighties Through The Fifties
18 [banter – requests]
19 Rainbow
20 Saddr Weirdr
21 [Laura Stevenson intro]
22 Nine Out of Ten (9/10)
23 Sort of Like Being Pumped
24 [banter – Trans-Pecos]
25 Stand There Until You’re Sober
26 Snow Charges
27 Nausea
28 [banter – broken string]
29 You in Weird Cities
30 [banter – thanks]
31 Future 86

SUPPORT Jeff Rosenstock: Bandcamp | Tumblr | Buy WORRY at SideOneDummy Records

Wilco: January 18, 2020 – Riviera Maya, Mexico

March 30, 2020
By
Photo by gr8fulpete

The first Wilco International Festival “Sky Blue Sky” was a celebratory communal event held at a beach resort in Mexico in January. And like their Solid Sound Fest, the event in Mexico combined community action, charity, fun, sun, and music. Teaming with Positive Legacy, Wilco and fans offered a litany of community-helping tasks to give back to the local community so that the Fest would leave a positive footprint in its wake.

Musically, Wilco committed to performing no song twice in their three shows. This naturally led to some rare nuggets making their way back into the setlist for this special event. On this first night, that included three tracks from the debut album (with personal favorite “Passenger Side”) and rarely performed “Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway(again)” from Summerteeth.

Its hard to say when Wilco (or any other band) will be able to perform again, as their Spring Tour was canceled, but as of now there are tour dates beginning in June still scheduled. Hopefully, those shows can happen.

Pete recorded this set with his trusty Neumann cards from an advantageous position and other than the windy conditions, the sound quality is quite excellent. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

Wilco
2020-01-18
Hard Rock Hotel
Riveria Maya Mexico

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded at Soundboard Cage

Neumann KM-185s > Sound Devices 702 > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded by gr8fulpete
Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:54:24]
01 Bright Leaves
02 Either Way
03 Handshake Drugs
04 Side With the Seeds
05 One and a Half Stars
06 I Must Be High
07 The Joke Explained
08 I’ll Fight
09 Too Far Apart
10 Someone to Lose
11 Secret of the Sea
12 Hotel Arizona
13 Ashes of American Flags
14 Hummingbird
15 Passenger Side
16 Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway
17 Someday Soon
18 I’m Always in Love
19 Hold Me Anyway
20 Red-Eyed and Blue
21 I Got You
22 Hate It Here
23 Heavy Metal Drummer
24 I’m the Man Who Loves You
25 [encore break]
26 Spiders (Kidsmoke)

PLEASE SUPPORT Wilco, visit their website, and purchase their Ode To Joy and their other releases from their website [HERE]

Howlin’ Rain: February 21, 2020 Union Pool + August 7, 2019 Brooklyn Bowl

March 9, 2020
By

Howlin’ Rain rolled in from the West Coast into Union Pool a few Friday nights ago and proceeded to deliver a lick-filled, thoroughly jam-forward set that gave us all a quick reminder of why the band’s latest record is Under the Wheels: Live From the Coasts Vol 1. Many fewer bands cry out for the live album treatment as compared to those pushing bad-sounding, paint-by-numbers dreck. Rest assured that Howlin’ Rain are solidly among the good guys; not only does the new record boast an almost completely different setlist than this show, it’s also an outstanding recording that foregrounds Ethan Miller’s guitar pyrotechnics. If you attended this show and didn’t grip a copy of Under the Wheels afterward, I hope it’s because you already bought one.

As to this set, the band kept things loose, giving us seventy minutes’ worth of music in the form of seven songs, including a typically extended Calling Lightning Pt. 2″ and “Under the Wheels” — both of which feel like strong candidates for what I have to assume will be an Under the Wheels: Vol 2 at some point in the future.

We’re also offering a bonus recording here, with Eric PH’s capture of a Brooklyn Bowl barnburner from the band’s extended NYC run last year. It take the place of being there, but making a quick date with these recordings and the new LP ought to perk your ears for the band’s next trip through.

I recorded the Union Pool set with Doug Graham’s soundboard feed and Schoeps MK5 microphones; Eric recorded the Brooklyn Bowl show with his MBHO hypercardiods. Both recordings sound great. Enjoy!

Download the Union Pool show from its page on the Live Music Archive: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Download the Brooklyn Bowl show from its page on the Live Music Archive

Howlin’ Rain
2020-02-21
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Schoeps MK5c (XY, at SBD)>KCY>Z-PFA + Soundboard (engineer: Doug Graham)>>Sound Devices MixPre 6>Adobe Audition CC>Izotope Ozone 5>Audacity 3.0>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:11:25]
01 Burn Down
02 Under the Wheels
03 Don’t Let the Tears
04 Missouri
05 Calling Lightning pt 2
06 Rotoscope
07 Alligator Bride

Band:
Dan Cervantes: guitar, b. vocs
Jeff McElroy: Bass, b. vocs
Ethan Miller: vocals, guitar
Justin Smith: Drums, B. vocs.

Howlin’ Rain
2019-08-07
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com
Photos by Christopher Bruno

MBHO KA500/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (compression, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, imaging, compression) > Audacity 2.0.5 (tracking, tagging) > FLAC (24/48, level 8)

Tracks [1:05:07]
01. Burn Down
02. Under the Wheels
03. Don’t Let the Tears
04. The Wild Boys
05. Rotoscope
06. Calling Lightning, Part 2
07. Alligator Bride

PLEASE SUPPORT HOWLIN’ RAIN: bandcamp| store

High Time: January 20, 2020 Baby’s All Right

February 27, 2020
By
High Time at Brooklyn Bowl last year, courtesy of the band

“Never miss a Sunday show,” they say. It’s a direction local Grateful Dead tribute band High Time have taken entirely to heart, playing almost exclusively Sunday nights throughout Brooklyn venues. Never miss a High Time show is also a pretty good idea: sticking to (let’s face it) the highest quality Dead material from ’65–’74, High Time promise to perform “The Classic Psychedelic Rock N Roll Music of the Grateful Dead.”

I first caught High Time last year during a two-night stand at Union Pool, and on the hottest day of the year the band did some face-melting of their own inside the air-conditioned venue. I finally got to see them again last month at Baby’s All Right where they played matinee and late shows. It didn’t hurt that they brought along a couple of my favorite bands to open, MV & EE and Elkhorn. It’s a real testament to High Time’s engagement with music beyond the Dead—quality openers playing original, Dead-influenced music sadly isn’t the norm for tribute acts. But then again High Time aren’t exactly your run-of-the-mill Dead cover band. They bring a rare energy and spirit to the music, treating it as a living thing instead of putting it behind museum glass with an attempt to create a note-by-note facsimile. Playing intimate venues like Baby’s All Right, this is the closest you’re going to get to seeing the Dead at the Matrix without time travel.

There were many highlights from last month’s shows that I’m excited to share, but the pinnacle of these sets for me was the afternoon’s “Playing in the Band” > “Dark Star” > “Eyes of the World” > “Playing in the Band” suite, an absolute rager and you shoulda been there. But if you weren’t, have no fear because High Time will be back on Sunday (naturally) April 26 at Brooklyn Bowl. Check out the poster below and grab your tickets. A good time is pretty much guaranteed and you’re unlikely to find something better to do than a night of Dead tunes on a Sunday.

Download both Baby’s All Right shows in MP3/FLAC





High Time
2020-01-19
Baby’s All Right
Brooklyn, NY

On stage recording by Eric PH
Set 1 audience recording by Adam from High Time
Set 2 soundboard recording by Alex Harwood

Mixed and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Aud (set 1)/Soundboard (set 2) + MBHO KA100DK/603A (on stage) > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.0.5 > FLAC

Matinee Show [1:21:15]
01. Jack Straw > They Love Each Other
02. Till the Morning Comes
03. Playing in the Band >
04. Dark Star >
05. Eyes of the World >
06. Playing in the Band
07. [encore break]
08. Brown Eyed Women

Late Show [1:35:15]
01. [Intro]
02. New Speedway Boogie
03. Alligator
04. [banter]
05. Truckin’ >
06. The Other One
07. [banter]
08. Scarlet Begonias
09. China Cat Sunflower >
10. I Know You Rider
11. [encore break]
12. Mr. Charlie

MV & EE: January 19, 2020 Baby’s All Right

January 27, 2020
By

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Matt and Erika playing together at MV/EE. Of course Matt’s been busy charting new frequencies with his latest solo record, Preserves, and jamming with his other duo, Wet Tuna. But really there’s nothing nicer than a cosmic Sunday matinee with the classic duo, who drove down from Vermont to open for Dead tribute band High Time. Even the traffic couldn’t dampen their spirits as they took a more relaxed drive with “East Mountain Joint,” followed by “Tea Devil,” and an extended ride on “Shit’s Creek” and “No $.”

This recording is a result of a combined effort—my onstage recording with the MBHO omnis and Baby’s FOH Alex Harwood’s soundboard recording. The sound is outstanding. Enjoy!

Download MP3/FLAC



MV & EE
2020-01-19
Baby’s All Right
Brooklyn, NY

On stage recording by Eric PH
Soundboard recording by Alex Harwood

Mixed and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard + MBHO KA100DK/603A (on stage) > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.0.5 > FLAC

Tracks [36:06]
01. East Mountain Joint
02. Tea Devil
03. Shit’s Creek > Jam > No $ > Shit’s Creek

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT MV & EE: Their Website | Buy Root/Void from Woodsist | Twitter

Stuart Bogie, Jon Goldberger, Andy Hess, and Ryan Jewell: January 5, 2020 Nublu

January 7, 2020
By

Oh, what a night. This was seventy minutes of pure improvisational bliss. These four incredibly talented musicians have played together before in various combinations, but never as a quartet. Ryan Jewell should be familiar with the readers of these pages in his many outings with Chris Forsyth and with Ryley Walker, and a few months back we posted a five-piece improv set that featured Stuart Bogie and Jonathan Goldberger. Andy Hess has only appeared here with Govt Mule (2007), but has played with a plethora of area musicians over the years.

On this night, the quartet performed an unrehearsed improvisation set that extended to almost an hour before starting another shorter piece as an encore of sorts. Generally speaking, these types of events lean towards the avant and noisy side, but these four folks naturally seemed to be able to instantaneously conjure up chunky nuggets of melody interspersed with tasty bits of effects, some quiet interludes, and some squonk. Ultimately, this was an exceptionally satisfying night of music, and one that I hope gets repeated again.

I recorded this set with a pair of Schoeps mounted at the front of the stage, and mixed with a board feed. The onstage recording was so crystal clear so that the board mix is only used as some fortification and also to soften the hard pans of the stage capture. The mix is superb. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Set [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Set:

Bogie Goldberger Hess Jewell
2020-01-05
Nublu
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
On Stage + Soundboard

Schoeps CCM4u’s + Soundboard > Sound Devices 744t > 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:08:26]
01 Improvisation 1
02 Improvisation 2

Stuart Bogie – Tenor Sax Clarinet Flute
Jonathan Goldberger – Guitar
Andy Hess – Bass
Ryan Jewell – Percussion\

PLEASE SUPPORT these outstanding Musicians and visit their websites linked above.

Garcia Peoples: October 24, 2019 Nublu 151

December 6, 2019
By

We’re close to winding down on Garcia Peoples residency shows. Here’s week number 4 and things are still running hot. Like the previous week, the band shares a couple new tracks: “Gliding Through,” which we heard first over the summer at Brooklyn Bowl, along with “Wasted Time” and its intro jam. This was also our first chance to see “Hourglass” live. That one came out on the Hans Chew & Garcia Peoples collaboration and features some live vocals from Andy Cush. Finally, the band closes with a monster version of “Rolling Tides” that was so great we forgave them for repeating the track during their residency.

Meanwhile, One Step Behind is still fresh and is popping up on lots of year-end lists all over. If you haven’t done so, grab one! Garcia Peoples also have a ton of shows coming up throughout the US. Check out their tour dates for a show near you!

I recorded this from our usual location at Nublu. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Downloads available at the Live Music Archive



Garcia Peoples
2019-10-24
Nublu 151
New York, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.0.5 > FLAC

Tracks [45:30]
01. Gliding Through
02. Hourglass
03. Hangin’ On
04. Jam >
05. Wasted Time
06. Rolling Tides

Garcia Peoples: Cesar Arakaki, Danny Arakaki, Andy Cush, Pat Gubler, Tom Malach

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