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NYCTaper Upcoming Schedule: Winter/Spring 2017

December 29, 2016
By

Happy New Year to all of our faithful readers! As we move into the stretch towards our 10th Anniversary, its time to post another new schedule.

Caveat: Below is the updated schedule. We expect to attend and record these events. However, circumstances will prevent some of these from being done, and others will be added in the meantime. Feel free to make suggestions or point out shows we missed or invite us to your shows!

Schedule:

Thou:
January 7, 2017 Saint Vitus BK

Cracker / Camper Van Beethoven:
January 15, 2017 BB Kings NYC (venue permission pending)

Sloppy Heads / Dump:
January 25, 2017 Union Pool BK

Tonstartssbandht:
January 25, 2017 Sunnyvale BK

Ryley Walker:
January 26, 2017 Rough Trade BK

Cloud Nothings / LVL UP:
February 1, 2017 Webster Hall NYC (permission pending)

Suuns / Brian Case:
February 11, 2017 Saint Vitus BK

Monsterland / SAVAK / Fruit & Flowers:
February 24, 2017 Mercury Lounge NYC – WFDU Benefit

Grandaddy:
February 28, 2017 Le Poisson Rouge NYC

Robyn Hitchcock / Yo La Tengo:
February 28, 2017 Rough Trade BK (permission pending)

Robyn Hitchcock / Yo La Tengo:
March 1, 2017 Bowery Ballroom NYC (permission pending)

Mike Doughty:
March 4, 2017 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Tortoise:
March 15, 2017 Le Poisson Rouge NYC

Lambchop:
March 30, 2017 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Lambchop:
March 31, 2017 Underground Arts Philadelphia

Six Organs Of Admittance:
April 1, 2017 Union Pool BK

Son Volt:
April 7, 2017 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Decemberists:
April 17, 2017 Brooklyn Steel

Moon Duo:
April 27, 2017 Rough Trade BK

NYCTaper 10th Anniversary Weekend:
May, 2017 Venue and Bands TBA

Animal Collective:
May 23, 2017 Brooklyn Steel

Barbara Manning: July 3, 2016 Union Hall

October 12, 2016
By

barbara-manning-union-hall
[photo by neild]

neild reports:

Though I’d been a fan of her music for years before, my first time seeing Barbara Manning live was in 2001, when she put on a blistering performance with her then-band the Go-Luckys at the late, lamented Tonic. She was going to be playing again a couple of nights later at the (even more lamented) Maxwell’s, but I figured I’d skip it and catch her the next time around.

Bad planning: Manning more or less dropped off the touring map after that, disappearing into schoolwork and eventually a career as a high-school science teacher in Southern California. Though she continued to write and record music (available on Bandcamp as the outstanding album Chico Daze), her live appearances became few and far between: a one-off in Philadelphia one year, Boston the next, Oregon the year after. Though she showed up in 2012 at one of the final Yo La Tengo Hanukkah shows at Maxwell’s (performing a cover of “Christmas Is Lonely (When You’re A Jew)”) and in 2014 at a Chickfactor show in Brooklyn, until this summer Manning hadn’t played a headlining set in New York since that Tonic show way back when.

Fortunately, her latest jaunt took her on a two-stop tour of the east: a record store show in Philly, and a couple of nights before that, an appearance at Brooklyn’s Union Hall, with Hamish Kilgour opening. Manning was sans band this time, just her amazing voice and her guitar, but that was all she needed, transfixing the crowd with a set that ran from her earliest songs (“Breathe Lies”) to her most recent (“Tape You to a Star”), as well as with her relentlessly hilarious stage banter, including a story about performing with the krautrock band Faust that ended up leading to the audience mooing at her for much of the show (It’ll make sense once you hear it). By the final audience singalong on her trademark song “Scissors,” everyone within earshot was hoping that Barbara Manning appearances become less of a rarity in coming years.

This show was recorded with AT-853 cardioid mics suspended from the Union Hall ceiling, mixed with a multitrack soundboard recording provided via the kind help of Union Hall’s booking agent Shannon Manning and soundfolk Gary and Alex. And much thanks of course to Barbara Manning as well — you can thank her, and reward yourself, by picking up her music either at her Bandcamp site or wherever finer indie rock is sold.

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream “Life/Luck”:

Barbara Manning
2016-07-03
Union Hall
Brooklyn NY

Soundboard + Audience Matrix

AT-853 Cardioid + Soundboard > Sony PCM-M10 > WAV (24/48) + AT853 cardioid mics > SP-SPSB-1 battery box > Sony PCM-M10 > WAV (24/48) > Sound Studio (light dynamic compression and mixing) > FLAC (16/44.1) > Tag > FLAC

Recorded and mastered by neil d

Setlist:
01 Intro
02 Breathe Lies
03 B4 We Go Under
04 Buds Won’t Bud
05 I Insist
06 Coy Tongue
07 Dreaming
08 Haze is Free
09 Sympathy Wreath
10 Life Luck
11 Never Park
12 Bold Letters
13 Better By Bounds
14 Tape You to a Star
15 Deep Sea Diver
16 Someone Wants You Dead
17 Scissors

SUPPORT Barbara Manning: Facebook | Bandcamp | Discogs

NYCTaper Upcoming Schedule: Spring/Summer 2016

April 4, 2016
By

taper-larger-e1414026230872

Its been over three months since we last posted a schedule, so here is the latest. A lot of great additions, including a whole new set of shows at our home venue Market Hotel.

Caveat: Below is the updated schedule. We expect to attend and record these events. However, circumstances will prevent some of these from being done, and others will be added in the meantime. Feel free to make suggestions or point out shows we missed or invite us to your shows!

Schedule:

Acid Mothers Temple:
April 5, 2016 Mercury Lounge NYC

Acid Mothers Temple:
April 6, 2016 Knitting Factory BK

River Cult:
April 8, 2016 Acheron BK

Yo La Tengo:
April 9, 2016 Loew’s Theater, Jersey City NJ

Waco Brothers:
April 13, 2016 Union Hall BK

Melvins:
April 14, 2016 Music Hall of Williamsburg

the Mountain Goats:
April 17, 18, 19, 2016 City Winery NYC

Ryley Walker & Charles Rumback:
April 20, 2016 Union Pool BK

Surface to Air Missive:
April 21, 2016 Trans-Pecos Queens

The Thermals:
April 28, 2016 Market Hotel BK

Thurston Moore:
April 28, 2016 Rough Trade BK

Muuy Bien:
May 4, 2016 Shea Stadium BK

Woods / Ultimate Painting:
May 7, 2016 Music Hall of Williamsburg

Ought / Palberta:
May 8, 2016 Rough Trade BK

Heartless Bastards:
May 10, 2016 Music Hall of Williamsburg

La Sera:
May 11, 2016 Market Hotel BK

Fruit Bats:
May 12, 2016 Rough Trade BK

Dead Meadow / Creepoid:
May 12, 2016 Saint Vitus BK (permission pending)

Dead Meadow / Creepoid:
May 13, 2016 Saint Vitus BK (permission pending)

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard:
May 14, 2016 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Bent Shapes / Journalism:
May 21, 2016 Trans-Pecos Queens

Palehound:
May 25, 2016 Baby’s All Right BK

Heron Oblivion / Chris Forsyth:
May 28, 2016 Union Pool BK

Alejandro Escovedo:
May 31, 2016 City Winery NYC

Mountain Jam:
June 2-5, 2016 Hunter Mountain

Son Little:
June 9, 2016 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Kevin Morby:
June 22, 2016 Rough Trade BK

So So Glos:
June 25, 2016 Market Hotel BK

Drive Like Jehu:
August 11, 2016 Bell House BK (permission pending)

Tortoise: March 17, 2016 Littlefield

March 20, 2016
By

Tortoise
[Photo from Le Poisson Rouge by PSquared Photography]

There are a lot of twentieth anniversaries going around these days: 2016 marks twenty years since Tortoise’s Millions Now Living Will Never Die cemented their place in the annals of indie-slash-post-rock. And the last time the band played New York, it was for Thrill Jockey’s twentieth anniversary show at Webster Hall in 2012.

Tortoise’s return to New York after a four-year absence was a significantly more intimate one, playing the tiny Littlefield in front of a packed, sold-out crowd. And the band didn’t do much looking back, as the set focuses most heavily on their new album, The Catastrophist—their first since 2009’s rock-y Beacons of Ancestorship. While nothing played dates further back than 1998’s TNT, that doesn’t mean Tortoise didn’t play the hits. Ask anyone what their favorite Tortoise album is and you’ll receive a variety of answers, the most likely being Millions… and TNT; however you’re also likely to hear votes for Standards and I’ll go ahead and stump for the underrated (and perhaps maligned) It’s All Around You. Listen to this recording of “Salt the Skies” and then give It’s All Around You another listen if you don’t believe me. Other modern classics played include “Seneca” with it’s signature dual-drummer intro, the slinky “Monica,” and the rocking “Prepare Your Coffin.”

At this point it’s worth mentioning that the Littlefield crowd got to see what could turn out to be the most special moment of Tortoise’s current tour, when the band was joined onstage by Georgia Hubley (of Yo La Tengo fame, of course) to sing “Yonder Blue.” Hubley guests on that track on The Catastrophist and it’s pure geographical luck that the Brooklyn crowd got to experience the collaboration live.

I recorded this set with the AKGs clamped to the soundboard cage, at about 10 feet high. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Thanks to Littlefield FOH Todd and the rest of their production team for their help in making this recording happen.

Tortoise are still on tour through at least July and you can see their full listing of dates here.

Download the complete show at the Live Music Archive.

Stream the complete show:

Tortoise
2016-03-17
Littlefield
Brooklyn, NY

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

AKG C480B/CK63 (ROC, FOB, PAS) > Roland R-26 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (compression, normalize, fades) > Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [01:33:45]
01. [Intro]
02. The Catastrophist
03. Prepare Your Coffin
04. Tesseract
05. Monica
06. In Sarah, Mencken, Christ, and Beethoven There Were Women and Men
07. Hot Coffee
08. Gesceap
09. Blackjack
10. At Odds With Logic
11. Gigantes
12. Eros
13. Salt the Skies
14. [encore break]
15. Yonder Blue (with Georgia Hubley)
16. Seneca
17. [encore break]
18. Shake Hands With Danger
19. High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In

Support Tortoise: Website | Facebook | Buy The Catastrophist and more via Thrill Jockey

Antietam: January 30, 2016 Union Hall

February 19, 2016
By

antietam-768x576

Correspondent Neil D writes: 

I’ve seen Antietam so many times you’d think I’d be jaded, but it turns out their music has had the opposite effect on me: The more I see them, the more I appreciate them. The punkiest of all the bands in Yo La Tengo’s social circle (though technically YLT is in Antietam’s circle, as Ira and Georgia’s first-ever show was the Louisville-via-New York trio’s third-ever), Tara Key, Tim Harris, and Josh Madell keep on putting out record after record of music that’s at times raucously cathartic, at times achingly pretty, and often both at once.

Recent Antietam shows have been augmented with Sue Garner (ex-more bands than can fit in this parenthetical) on backing vocals and occasional tambourine, and this was no exception. The most recent Antietam album was 2011’s “Tenth Life,” but none of those songs appear here: Instead, this set featured seven songs from their in-the-works untitled new album, most notably the unbeatable “I’m So Tired,” which kicks in at 11 and then cranks up the dial even further until the thrashing, yowling climax.

As befits a band led by a professional librarian, Antietam has also become a wonderful curator of other bands, playing in recent years alongside such indie rock luminaries as Sleepyhead, Thalia Zedek, The Scene Is Now, Dump, Two Mule Team, and Escape by Ostrich. For this show at Bell House, Antietam followed their fellow Kentuckian Victory Over Sound (not recorded, unfortunately, due to technical problems), and preceded sets by Feelies extended family members Speed the Plough and post-punk semi-super group Heroes of Toolik, recordings of which will follow.

Thanks to Tara Key for helping set up recording permissions, and to the excellent Union Hall soundman whose name I instantly forgot. The show was recorded with Core Sound binaural mics strung from the club’s ceiling at acidjack’s suggestion, mixed with a soundboard feed that was slightly wonky thanks to the aforementioned technical problems on my end. In any event, the result is a very enjoyable recording, which is all that matters.

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show: 

Antietam
2016-01-30
Union Hall
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Neil D

Soundboard (engineer: David Fine)> Sony PCM-M10 > WAV (24/48) + Core Sound Low-Cost Binaural mics > Church Audio ugly battery box > Sony PCM-M10 > WAV (24/48) > Sound Studio (light EQ and mixing) > FLAC (16/44.1) > Tag > FLAC

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Right Between Your Eyes
03 Sunshine
04 Automatic
05 Is It Time
06 I Swear
07 Birdwatching
08 I’m So Tired
09 Glide

Check out more Antietam news and music athttps://antietamtheband.wordpress.com/  https://soundcloud.com/antietamlabs  https://carrottoprecords.com/artists/antietam/

NYCTaper Upcoming Schedule: Summer/Fall 2015

July 13, 2015
By

taper-larger

With the announcment of a ton of new and exciting shows in the Fall, its time to update the Schedule!

Caveat: Below is the updated schedule. We expect to attend and record these events. However, circumstances will prevent some of these from being done, and others will be added in the meantime. Feel free to make suggestions or point out shows we missed or invite us to your shows!

Schedule:

Andrew Jackson Jihad:
July 18, 2015 Knitting Factory BK

Mekons:
July 21, 2015 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Woodsman / Tonstartssbandht / Herbcraft:
July 25, 2015 Palisades BK

Josephine Foster:
July 29, 2015 Trans Pecos Queens

Silver Apples:
July 30, 2015 Trans Pecos Queens

Gathering of the Vibes (Wilco, etc):
August 1, 2015 Bridgeport CT

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah:
August 2, 2015 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Chuck Johnson:
August 2, 2015 Union Pool BK

Thurston Moore Band:
August 6, 2015 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Oneida:
August 13, 2015 Secret Project Robot BK

Mac DeMarco:
August 17, 2015 Bowery Ballroom NYC (permission pending)

Earth:
August 27, 2015 St. Vitus BK

Thee Oh Sees:
September 8, 2015 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Hopscotch Music Festival:
September 10-12, 2015 Raleigh NC

Moon Duo:
September 12, 2015 Baby’s All Right BK

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard:
September 16, 2015 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn

Babes In Toyland:
September 17, 2015 Irving Plaza NYC

Ultimate Painting:
September 18, 2015 Rough Trade NYC

of Montreal / Surface to Air Missive:
September 18, 2015 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn (permission pending)

Built To Spill:
September 23,24,25, 2015 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Low:
September 24, 2015 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn

Built to Spill:
September 26, 2015 Brooklyn Bowl

Godspeed You! Black Emperor:
September 29, 2015 Terminal 5 NYC

Luna:
October 7,8, 2015 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Luna:
October 9, 2015 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn

Yo La Tengo:
October 10, 2015 Kings Theatre BK (venue issues pending)

Titus Andronicus:
October 16, 2015 Warsaw BK

WAND:
November 13, 2015 Mercury Lounge NYC

WAND:
November 14, 2015 Rough Trade NYC

Pearl and The Beard:
November 19, 2015 Bowery Ballroom NYC (permission pending)

My Morning Jacket / Woods / Strand Of Oaks:
November 24, 25, 2015 Beacon Theatre NYC

Sleater-Kinney:
December 16 2015 Market Hotel Brooklyn

NYCTaper Top 25 Moments of 2014

December 31, 2014
By

taper-larger

Here is our annual compilation of the 25 best “moments” of the entire year from our site to you. Its been another banner year at NYCTaper. We’ve managed to record and post nearly one show per day for the entire year and sometimes even more than one. Its a level of consistency for which we’ve striven for years and as the NYCTaper “team” has grown so has our ability to reach our goals. All of this would not be possible were it not for the bands — hundreds of amazingly talented artists who not only perform superb concerts but allow us to bring recordings of them to you, their fans. Thanks also of course to the venues who allow us to come into their locations and do what we do, the labels, managers, PR persons, photographers, fellow bloggers and countless other people whose assistance and cooperation help make this “NYCTaper” thing happen. Here’s to many more great years!

1. Jason Molina Tribute (mems. of Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co. w/ special guests) – January 11, 2014, Hideout, Chicago, IL

acidjack: For me, the most thrilling, moving concert moment came early in the year, and in another city, no less. Mike Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger guested with Magnolia Electric Co. on four special tribute shows around the country, including this one, but it was in Chicago that the majority of Molina’s former bands and supporters coalesced into an evolving unit that traded and vocalists and instrumentalists by the song. As I put it then:

The crowd’s largest response came to perhaps Molina’s best-known song (and inarguably one of his best), “Farewell Transmission”. In that song, Molina sings that the real truth about it is that no one gets it right, but we’re all supposed to try. Well, if Jason could have heard his former bandmates and friends on this night, I think he would agree that they got it right. And they proved another piece of truth from that great song, that he will be gone, but not forever. Because the real truth about it is, a great artist like Jason Molina doesn’t die, he just changes shape. In our hearts and minds, he is forever.

2. Wussy: October 11, 2014 Private House Larchmont NY

nyctaper: Lisa Walker’s voice is one of the most compelling in all of contemporary americana music in large part because as a person she’s real and unpretentious. Its a voice that can capture the longing and heartache of a beautifully sad song such as Lisa’s penned “Motorcycle”. The experience of watching the performance of that song from about ten feet away in a private house concert was moving and is undoubtedly my single “moment” of this year.

3. Hiss Golden Messenger – March 2, 2014 Mercury Lounge and September 18, 2014 Rough Trade

acidjack: Mike Taylor, aka Hiss Golden Messenger, broke in a big way in 2014, one of the most deserving artists in all the land to do so. In early 2014 Mike still toured alone, able to afford to do little more than sling a guitar over his back. By the time he hit Rough Trade in September, he had a record out on Durham, NC stalwart Merge, and a backing band replete with new and old collaborators. Not long after that, he and his new band were on Letterman. These two shows pretty much tell the story in miniature, of a band transformed, but an artist whose honesty and craft remain steadfast.

4. The War On Drugs – March 19 and March 20, 2014 Bowery Ballroom.

acidjack: We’ll probably have similar takes on this show, so I won’t waste words, but suffice it to say that Lost In the Dream was the album of the year, and this show, complete with a cover of John Lennon’s “Mind Games”, showed any doubters that the album’s greatness wasn’t just in the painstaking production.

nyctaper: At the time it was released, I called “Eyes To The Wind” a perfect song and I still believe that nearly a year later. It was the highlight of this show for me and will be a track to which I return for years.

5. Woods: November 6, 2014 Death By Audio

nyctaper: 2014 was also a year to say goodbye to some places that meant a lot to NYCTaper over the years. Death By Audio was one of those venues and our last show at the venue was a special one. We’ve attended many Woods shows, and invariably the song that is often the centerpiece of the night is “Bend Beyond” — a terrific song that also offers the band a chance to stretch out and improvise. At this DBA show, Woods was reunited for one night with former member G. Lucas Crane whose preceding set transitioned into a Woods jam that evolved into this song. It was a fairly dramatic moment and was musically right there. A definitely highlight of the year.

6. Ryley Walker – September 6, 2014 Hopscotch Music Festival, Raleigh, NC and October 24, 2014 Rough Trade

acidjack: Ryley Walker seems poised for a similar trajectory to Hiss Golden Messenger — he’s an incinerating songwriter whose ability to make an emotional connection should bring him to many larger places. In a bit of a reverse of this year’s HGM experience, I saw Walker for the first time at Hopscotch Music Festival, backed by a full band on the broad stage of the Fletcher Opera Theater. A little over a month later, he was back on the road in his natural state, a man with his guitar (with upright bassist in tow for a few songs before he left for another gig). In my book, this “Summer Dress” from Rough Trade during CMJ blows away the full-band version — and that’s saying something.

7. Nicole Atkins: June 18, 2014 Madison Square Park

nyctaper: She put out one of the best records of the year, Slow Phaser, and by the time she and her new band returned to NYC, Nicole Atkins had found her live groove. This show at Madison Square Park was a strange one, with families on blankets, roaming kids, and what seemed like a never ending parade of police sirens. But for this one magical song, “Its Only Chemistry”, Nicole Atkins was the brightest light in this huge city park.

8. The Coup – March 13, 2014 South By Southwest

acidjack: Despite that SXSW has outstayed both its literal and cultural welcome, this day show, put on by our friend Steve, hearkened back to what it ought to be about. The bill had huge range, free tacos and beer were to be had, and people were there for music, not scenemaking. Boots Riley and his crew of left-leaning, hard-swinging, hip-shaking funk geniuses stormed the joint and never looked back.

9. Smashing Pumpkins: December 8, 2014 Webster Hall

nyctaper: A Smashing Pumpkins concert at a venue the size of Webster Hall is a special event in and of itself. But this year has been a productive one for Billy Corgan and his band. Their new album is Monuments to an Elegy is really quite excellent and the new touring band is a superb collection of pros. But the most memorable moment from this show for me was the finale — “Burnt Orange-Black” a powerful dirge that will appear on next year’s album. Its already a stunner and one of the best new songs we heard all year.

10. The Growlers: September 18, 2014 Bowery Ballroom

nyctaper: This show was fairly epic at two hours and it included nearly thirty distinct songs. But the highlight was the truly surreal mid-show appearance of two huge Chinese New Year’s styled dragons and a drum parade that entered through the back of the Bowery and worked through the packed crowd to the stage. The parade drumming transitioned into the titled track from The Growlers excellent new album Chinese Fountain, in what was an odd but very memorable moment.

11. Marah: July 12, 2014 Bowery Electric

nyctaper: A band with a ten year old prodigy that plays fiddle like a man five times his age would have to be a yearly highlight, but really Marah is much more than that. This show at Bowery Electric was a revelation and this performance of an old Marah song (when it was a completely different band) was one of the best things we saw all year particularly the sweet fiddle solo by Gus Tritsch and that moment when band leader David Bielanko realized in his mid-song monologue just exactly how special this band has become.

12. Yellow Ostrich – December 8, 2014 Glasslands

acidjack: This was one of those end-of-an-era shows in two ways — both the last by a beloved band, and in the final month of a venue where I spent a lot of time, Glasslands. We were sorry to see Yellow Ostrich go, but we’re glad they didn’t overstay their welcome. Alex Schaaf and his band exited at the top of their game, and we were honored to be part of it.

13. Dream Syndicate: November 16, 2014 Rough Trade

nyctaper: We’ve chronicled the solo career of Steve Wynn pretty regularly on this site, but I had personally not seen The Dream Syndicate in more than thirty years. The band’s reunion finally made it to NYC this Fall and it was certainly worth the wait. The last time I saw them, Dream Syndicate opened with “Tell Me When Its Over” and this past month it was the second song of the set and just as sweet.

14. Tweedy – June 7, 2014 Mountain Jam, Hunter, NY

acidjack: I had minimal hopes for this father-son band; nothing about nepotism tends to go well. But the Tweedy team proved doubters totally wrong, with a record that, if anything, exceeded Wilco’s recent output. The “band” debuted their entire new album for us on the Mountain Jam stage. Even if everyone wasn’t paying attention during that mid-afternoon set, the ones that mattered were.

15. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: October 13, 2014 Baby’s All Right

nyctaper: When I hear music scene veterans claim that there’s just nothing new that exciting, I happily point to bands like King Gizzard. The band came all the way from Australia to perform some shows this Summer, and we caught one of those shows, but it wasn’t until this night at Baby’s All Right that the lure of the Gizz fully clicked for us. A youthful and energetic take on neo-psych, this band’s new album is extraordinarily good and for this night at Baby’s they opened the show with the five-song segue that opens the album — after which there was a lot of affirmative head-shaking in the crowd. The Gizz had arrived and we can’t wait until they grace our shores again.

16. Three Lobed / WXDU Day Show – September 5, 2014 Hopscotch Music Festival

acidjack: I might as well just put this on my list for every year — this showcase, jointly produced by Three Lobed Recordings and the Durham, NC radio station WXDU, produces the most consistently incredible lineup of challenging music that I see. This year’s lineup boasted The Little Black Egg Big Band (featuring Steve Gunn, William Tyler and members of Yo La Tengo), MV & EE, Rose Cross North Carolina, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Thurston Moore/Mary Lattimore/Ryan Sawyer, and Daniel Bachman/Nathaniel Bowles. Beyond the quality of the music, the show always brings its own special crowd, the die-hards and the heads whose lack of strength is numbers is more than made up for in passion.

17. Yo La Tengo: December 6, 2014 Trocadero Philly

nyctaper: I traveled to Philly to catch my only Yo La Tengo show this year, and of course it was infinitely worth it. But what separated this show from the “standard” YLT show was the ferocious and simply awe-inspiring version of “Story” that closed the set. The guitar-crushing noise jam that concludes the song stretched the entire number to twenty-two minutes and elevated this to epic proportions. The was the band’s last show of their 30th anniversary tour and they ended it in very appropriate fashion.

18. Steve Gunn – October 12, 2014 Rough Trade

acidjack: Steve Gunn’s name always comes up among the biggest names in current American guitar music. What he accomplished with this year’s “Wildwood” took him beyond those confines, as the wider world began to view him as equal in his songwriting to what he had been recognized for on the guitar. This show at Rough Trade put that all on display, as Gunn and his band didn’t let a grueling slog up the East Coast keep them from giving a signature performance.

19. The Kickback: June 10, 2014 Pianos

nyctaper: There are very few times when I can confess to literally gasping at a live performance. The Kickback came to town for the New Music Festival and Jeff from the Syndicate recommended that I check them out. The band was quite good but it was the last number of their set that took this show to entire other level. Billy Yost’s intensity during “Rob Our House” was as breathtaking as it was simply pure rock excellence. Based on this show we invited the band to play our CMJ show where they again played one of the best sets we saw all year.

20. Strand of Oaks – December 4, 2014 Bowery Ballroom

acidjack: Tim Showalter is one of those almost comically earnest musicians, a man whose heart is as big as his sound. Strand of Oaks isn’t a new band, but it might as well be, given how meteoric Showalter’s rise has been this year. He started the year at Mercury Lounge and ended it at Bowery Ballroom, and the ceiling is far from there. Strand of Oaks has that mainstream approachability and big tent emotion that serves rock colossuses like U2 so well, but Showalter actually believes what’s coming out of his mouth.

21. PUP: February 21, 2014 Cameo Gallery

nyctaper: A long time ago, I was suspended for a week from the college radio station where I worked for playing the Dead Kennedys’ “Too Drunk To Fuck” on the air. Given the times and my position, it was a fair cop. I’m happy to still be around when the song is now a quaint old punk novelty and can be played by a band with a sense of humor and a sense of history with no repercussions whatsoever. PUP’s performance gave me a big smile to cap off an excellent night.

22. Spacin’/Purling Hiss – September 5, 2014 Hopscotch Music Festival

acidjack: Two of our favorite Philly bands formed an impromptu whole to replace someone I’ve already forgotten about on the end of this bill. While Mark Kozelek was being a dick over in the Lincoln Theatre on this night, those in the know caught this juggernaut (joined, just for good measure, by Steve Gunn and Mary Lattimore on the last song) playing real rock n’ roll that no crowd noise could keep down.

23. Hurray For The Riff Raff: July 26, 2014 XPonential Fest

nyctaper: acidjack and I went down to Camden for the Saturday of XPonential Fest and it was one of the best days we had all year. Its a great event and we’re hoping to do multiple days of XPN’s Fest in 2015. One of the reasons we made the trip was to see NYCTaper faves Hurray For The Riff Raff. The band continues to grow in stature and its fun to follow their ascent. “The Body Electric” is a song Alynda wrote as an “anti” murder ballad — the shaming of the idea that in traditional folk songs the protagonist is always the man killing a woman. The song was particularly poignant in a year when domestic violence was in the forefront of the news. The song’s powerful message earned it significant media attention including year end awards from the likes of NPR.

24. Herbcraft – January 24, 2014 Mercury Lounge

acidjack: I had no idea who Herbcraft even were when I arrived at this show, and barely got my recording equipment set up in time. They weren’t even the headliner. But what came next was no afterthought — this Woodsist band owned the stage, proving the real power of live music to expose you to new music in a way that clicking around on Spotify will never be able to top. Perhaps most notably, this post got several comments from people who felt the same way — that they couldn’t believe this band had slipped underneath their radar.

25. Dva – January 9, 2014 Trans Pecos

nyctaper: I attended this concert on the recommendation of Adam from Northern Spy and I’ll admit that I had no idea what to expect. At the end of the event, I was thanking Adam for inviting me because Dva is an amazing act and their live show has to be seen to be truly experienced. “Mulatu” was the first single from this Czech duo’s first US release and it encapsulates everything that’s great and interesting about Dva.

NYCTaper Upcoming Schedule: Fall and Winter 2014-15

October 15, 2014
By

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With the change of season and CMJ upon us, it seems like a good time to update our calendar.

Caveat: Below is the updated schedule. We expect to attend and record these events. However, circumstances will prevent some of these from being done, and others will be added in the meantime. Feel free to make suggestions or point out shows we missed.

Schedule:

White Fence:
October 13, 2014 Baby’s All Right Brooklyn

Ought:
October 14, 2014 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Caveman:
October 15, 2014 Baby’s All Right Brooklyn

J Mascis:
October 17, 2014 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Paul Collins Beat:
October 18, 2014 Cake Shop NYC

Thurston Moore:
October 21, 2014 Saint Vitus Brooklyn

NYCTaper CMJ Show:
October 23, 2014 Cake Shop NYC

Thurston Moore:
October 26, 2014 Rough Trade Brooklyn

Panache CMJ Hangover Brunch (White Fence, King Gizzard, etc):
October 26, 2014 Baby’s All Right BK

Additional CMJ shows will be attended and recorded

Wilco:
October 28 29 30, 2014 Capitol Theatre Portchester NY

Cass McCombs / Meat Puppets:
November 1, 2014 Rough Trade Brooklyn

Big Ups:
November 2, 2014 Mercury Lounge NYC

Kevin Devine:
November 3, 2014 HiFi Bar NYC (formerly Brownies)

Pup:
November 7, 2014 Mercury Lounge NYC

Dream Syndicate:
November 15 and November 16, 2014 Rough Trade Brooklyn

Thee Oh Sees:
November 18, 2014 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Yo La Tengo / Antietam:
December 6, 2014 Trocadero Philadelphia PA

Medeski Martin and Wood:
December 11, 2014 Terminal 5 NYC

Soulside:
December 18, 2014 Saint Vitus Brooklyn

Wussy:
January 17, 2015 TBA NYC

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead:
January 23 and January 24, 2015 Brooklyn Bowl

nyctaper Top Ten Concerts of 2013 + Live Mix Tape

December 29, 2013
By

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Another banner year at the site and seeing shows in NYC (and sometimes beyond). This “best of” only encompasses the shows that I, nyctaper, saw. Remember that the site has had nine contributing tapers this year, and I did not even record and post the most shows — that honor goes to the indefagitable acidjack, who we hope will come along soon with his own list.

I’ve also attached an mp3 compilation to this post. Its mostly of a mix of “honorable mentions”, just really cool songs I recall from this year, some new songs, some older songs, but all performed and recorded in 2013. Enjoy!

nyctaper Top 10 Concerts of 2013:

1. Wilco – June 21, 2013 Solid Sound Festival North Adams MA
PSquared and I drove a long way in a short time to see this show, and then drove all the way back almost as soon as it was over. And it was infinitely worth it. Wilco playing an entire two and a half hour show of covers, some popular classics and some fairly obscure, but all in their own style and all requested by fans. This one-off is very unlikely to happen again and we’re so fortunate to not only have been there to but have captured an “event” of this kind. Our recording got us mentioned in Spin Magazine, Paste Magazine, Fuse TV, WXRT radio, Pitchfork, Stereogum, Consequence of Sound, The Examiner, Prefix Magazine, Gothamist, and a hundred other smaller sites. 20,000 people have downloaded this recording from our site. There are 24,000 plays on the “Marquee Moon” soundcloud sample (posted below). Its my own personal highlight of the year, and one of the best moments in the history of the site.

2. Yo La Tengo – December 16, 2013 Bell House Brooklyn
Sure, they appeared on the site six times this year, including the final four shows of the year at Bell House and of course the historical final YLT show at Maxwell’s (RIP) in June. But I believe this show was the most fully formed, most inspirationally played, and including some absolute classic selections. I’ve seen this band live about fifty times, and this may be the most completely realized performance of all of them.

3. Thee Oh Sees – October 27, 2013 285 Kent
In a cruel bit of synchronous irony, on the same day this month that word spread that the venue 285 Kent would soon close, Thee Oh Sees announced an “indefinite hiatus”. It was only about six weeks previous that this band played this venue on the day that Lou Reed died and it was a moment in time that anyone in attendance will not soon forget. One of the best live bands around played with an enormous amount of energy and inspiration and the packed crowd responded with equal energy.

4. Deervana (Deer Tick) – September 13, 2013 Brooklyn Bowl
This is another show selected because of its historical signifance. If perhaps the performance wasn’t technically perfect, the spirit and energy that Deer Tick brings to its “Deervana” performances is clear. On the 20th anniversary of the release of In Utero, the album was played from start to finish. It was a celebration, not some mournful exercise, and the love of the music was obvious from both the band and the crowd. In terms of the importance to the site, this recording also saw us get mentioned all over the web, including Spin, Consequence of Sound, The Examiner, MTV, Stereogum and a bunch of other places.

5. Superchunk – September 28, 2013 Bowery Ballroom NYC
They are indie vets both as a band and as a label, but Superchunk continues to produce excellent material. And this year’s new album I Hate Music was one of their best. This show at Bowery, the first of two sold-out shows in NYC was like most Superchunk shows a kinetic and crazy run through material old and new and their was a celebratory and special air in the room. Perhaps the most fun show we saw all year.

6. The Complete Last Waltz – November 27, 2013 Capitol Theatre, Portchester NY
The original Last Waltz was perhaps the greatest concert in the history of rock music, so a complete performance nearly forty years later would have to be a pale comparison, right? Only it wasn’t. We were absolutely stunned at the quality of the performances and the reverence with which the entire ensemble treated the material.

7. Deafheaven – February 22, 2013 Saint Vitus Brooklyn
Yes, I realize that Deafheaven has appeared on virtually every best of 2013 list compiled on the web in the last month or so, but this is different (aren’t we always), this is a concert that we recorded early in the year before their game-changing album Sunbather had even been released. We saw them again in July, which was also a phenomenal show but we’re sticking with the first experience of this “take your breath away” band who are destined for bigger places than the great Saint Vitus in 2014. But we were there then. As it ever was.

8. Kevin Devine – November 22, 2013 Webster Hall NYC
He released two of the best records of the year, and unless you read Paste Magazine every day or saw our post about Kevin in November, you wouldn’t even know it. He is perhaps the best current purveyor of power pop and his prolific songwriting ability is a thing to behold. This concert was the home show after a lengthy US tour and Kevin and band were in a fine form from start to finish.

9. Ty Segall – August 30, 2013 Bowery Ballroom NYC
Ty Segall released a true departure album this year, the somewhat-quiet and contemplative Sleeper. This Bowery show was a seated affair, with the new album performed almost entirely to start the show. Ty is a performer of great proficiency and this show highlighted his maturity and versatility.

10. Joe Russo’s Almost Dead – January 26, 2013 Brooklyn Bowl
Easily the best single performance of Grateful Dead material since the demise of the original band nearly twenty years ago. My review was pretty harsh regarding “post-Jerry” projects and that generated a bit of a comment war, but thankfully most people agreed with me — and nearly everyone agreed that this show was immense.

Honorable Mention:
This is a 16-track MP3 mix of songs from other excellent concerts I attended this year. Its by no means a comprehensive list of musical highlights, but consists of tracks that caught our ear this year. We included three tracks from the Top Ten because fit they thematically, but 13 songs are from shows that were certainly important enough to deserve mention. Download [HERE].

NYCTaper Upcoming Schedule – Winter 2013-14

October 22, 2013
By

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With CMJ in the rear view mirror, its time again to look forward.

[Caveat: Below is the updated schedule. We expect to attend and record these events. However, circumstances will prevent some of these from being done, and others will be added in the meantime.]

If you want nyctaper to record your band, a band you represent, a show you’re promoting, or even your favorite band in the world, get us in the door and make sure everyone who needs to approve of the recording gives permission. Also, remember each person on the nyctaper crew does this all for free, the recordings, the post-production, the reviews, the links, etc., so treat us fairly.

Schedule:

John Wesley Coleman:
October 24, 2013 Cake Shop NYC\

The Black Crowes:
October 26, 2013 Terminal 5 NYC

Thee Oh Sees:
October 27, 2013 285 Kent Brooklyn

Thee Oh Sees:
October 29, 2013 Irving Plaza NYC

Matt Nathanson:
October 30, 2013 Terminal 5 NYC

Sebadoh:
November 1, 2013 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Hurray For The Riff Raff:
November 4, 2013 Mercury Lounge NYC

John Vanderslice:
November 5, 2013 Mercury Lounge NYC

Deer Tick:
November 7, 2013 Webster Hall NYC

Built to Spill:
November 7, 2013 Irving Plaza NYC

Lucero:
November 8, 2013 Terminal 5 NYC

Wooden Shjips:
November 13, 2013 Mercury Lounge NYC

Hayden / Doug Paisley:
November 14, 2013 Glasslands Gallery Brooklyn (permission pending)

Wooden Shjips:
November 14, 2013 Knitting Factory Brooklyn

Kevin Devine:
November 22, 2013 Webster Hall NYC

Mike Doughty:
November 23, 2013 Webster Hall NYC

The Complete Last Waltz:
November 27, 2013 Capitol Theatre Portchester

Dean Wareham:
November 29, 2013 Bell House Brooklyn

Los Lobos:
November 30, 2013 City Winery NYC

Yo La Tengo:
December 13, 14, 15, 16, 2013 Bell House Brooklyn

Phosphorescent:
December 19, 2013 Music Hall of Williamsburg (permission pending)

Lee Ranaldo and The Dust:
January 11, 2013 Bell House Brooklyn

Cracker / Camper Van Beethoven:
January 19, 2014 Highline Ballroom NYC

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