Northside Festival — Lineup + NYCTaper Coverage + Badge Contest

May 29, 2010
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The second annual Northside Festival returns from June 24 – June 27 at various venues in Brooklyn. The list of bands includes twenty-two artists who have previously been featured on NYCTaper, and this year we will be very busy covering many of the Fest’s featured shows. While the official complete schedule has not been released, there are quite a number of excellent showcases that have been announced. In particular, the Woodist Records showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg is scheduled for Friday June 25, and the Brooklynvegan showcase is at the same venue on Saturday June 26. We expect to cover both of these. In addition, shows by Titus Andronicus, Fiery Furnaces, Dinosaur Feathers, Liars, F*cked Up, Les Savy Fav and Polvo are all must-see’s.

Northside Festival is also running an excellent contest in which they will give away eight badges and other assorted goodies, the first prize of which includes a VIP pass and an iPad. All the details of the contest are here.

We will post our complete show schedule for the Northside Festival when all the showcases are officially announced. Until then, expect more updates here and at the Northside site and Northside twitter.

Neverever: May 23, 2010 NYC Popfest 2010 at Littlefield – FLAC and MP3 Downloads

May 27, 2010
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[Photos from the March 27, 2010 Slumberland Anniversary Party in San Francisco, CA courtesy of Opurt2007]

Los Angeles-based (by way of Glasgow) Neverever defy the stereotype of the dowdy indiepop band – or at least, lead vocalist Jihae Meek does, donning a gold bodysuit that stood out more than a little among the sea of cardigans (and one Spongebob Squarepants skirt) in the audience at the final day/night of NYC Popfest 2010.  The band’s flouncy, fun sound melds mid-20th century pop with a hint of post-punk.  Their songs cover the usual topics – puppy love, break-ups and romantic obsessions – rendered in Meek’s dramatic vocal style.  Playing to an enthusiastic mid-day crowd, the band (and let’s face it, the gold bodysuit) kept the attention squarely front and center.  The band released their new album, Angelic Swells, yesterday, and like almost all Slumberland Records releases, we can attest that it is a treat.

I recorded this set in the same manner as The Secret History recording, with the DPA mics and a top-quality soundboard feed.  This recording emphasizes the soundboard feed a bit more to bring out the strength of the vocals.  Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE].

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Neverever
2010-05-23
NYC Popfest 2010
Littlefield
Brooklyn, NY

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced for nyctaper.com by acidjack

Equipment: Stereo soundboard feed + DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: ROC, to left side of SBD cage, mics at 8? pointed at stacks
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify channels)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Here Is Always Somewhere Else
02 Blue Genes
03 [unknown -please help]
04 Teardrop Tattoo
05 Young Runaways
06 Cowboys and Indians
07 Young and Dumb
08 Coconut Shampoo

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Neverever, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their newly-released Angelic Swells from Slumberland Records [HERE].

Holly Miranda: May 26, 2010 Bowery Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads

May 27, 2010
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[photo courtesy of Camey Scott]

I love these break-out Bowery nights. We first got to know Holly Miranda back in October, when we recorded her set opening for the Antlers, and I then got drunk with both bands after the show. Holly’s obvious and immense talents are perhaps eclipsed only by her personality — she is genuinely a fun and nice person. It was an extra treat when the nyctaper recording of Holly’s Pink Floyd cover from that night went viral on the web. Following the February release of her new album The Magician’s Private Library on XL Recordings, the world at large caught on, critical praise and new fans followed. At the conclusion of her first major headlining tour, Holly returned home last night to a packed Bowery Ballroom and delivered a performance of stunning quality and depth. The strong Magician’s material we expected, along with the promised horn section and special guests (Kyp Malone). What we did not expect were two eclectic covers, including her jaw-dropping take on the Etta James classic “I’d Rather Go Blind”. It doesn’t get much better than that, and to have it happen at her Bowery break-out is even more rewarding.

We recorded this set with the Neumann microphones at the balcony rail. The sound mix at Bowery on this night was quite exceptional, and we are quite pleased with the excellent quality of this recording. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Holly Miranda
2010-05-26
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded at Balcony Rail

Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2010-05-27

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:08:40]
01 No One Just Is
02 Waves
03 Mark My Words [new song]
04 No One Can See Me Like You Do (Yoko Ono)
05 High Tide
06 Forest Green, Oh Forest Green
07 Everytime I Go To Sleep
08 Joints
09 I’d Rather Go Blind (Etta James)
10 Slow Burn Treason
11 Sleep on Fire
12 [banter]
13 Pelican Rapids
14 [encore break]
15 Singular Acceptance
16 Secret Identity
17 Hymnal

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Holly Miranda, visit her website, visit her blog, and purchase The Magician’s Private Library directly from the Beggar’s Group website [HERE].

The Secret History: May 23, 2010 NYC Popfest 2010 at Littlefield – FLAC and MP3 Downloads

May 25, 2010
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[Photos of The Secret History’s performance last year at NYC Popfest 2009 courtesy of F Yang at chromewaves.net]

Despite some hefty competition from the season finale of a certain fan-beloved TV show, real indiepop fans knew that the only place to be this past Sunday was sharing the cozy and welcoming Littlefield with luminaries of the genre from across the U.S. and Sweden at an all-day event. The Secret History, the penultimate act of the night and the only NYC-based band on the bill, were probably the strongest of the fourth and final night of the NYC Popfest 2010.

I recorded this set with the DPA mics and a top-quality soundboard feed. This recording emphasizes the soundboard feed a bit more to bring out the strength of the vocals. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE].

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Secret History
2010-05-23
NYC Popfest 2010
Littlefield
Brooklyn, NY

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced for nyctaper.com by acidjack

Equipment: Stereo soundboard feed + DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: ROC, to left side of SBD cage, mics at 8′ pointed at stacks
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify channels)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks
01 intro
02 Johnny Anorak
03 banter
04 Our Lady of Stalingrad
05 Its Not the End of the World, Jonah
06 God Save The Runaways
07 banter
08 Love Theme
09 Johnny Nightmare
10 Our Lady of Pompeii
11 Count Backwards
12 Sister Rose

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Secret History, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from their site [HERE].

Neil Halstead: May 1, 2010 Truck America Festival – Flac and MP3 Downloads

May 25, 2010
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[photo by nyctaper]

Neil Halstead is such a modest and unassuming fellow, that I was not even sure it was him setting up to play at the Truck America Festival earlier this month. As we set up the nyctaper DPA microphones as the stage mics for guitar and violin for his set, Neil was quietly tuning his guitar. He began his set in a similar fashion, mumbling hello before the first number. The moment the music began, it was as if a switch was turned on and his immense talent shone through. As a key figure in the influential 90’s band Slowdive and later with the excellent Mojave3, Neil Halstead’s solo work is almost a third career, and his two albums stand up to the best of his early bands’ catalog. His Truck set drew from those two releases and included some new numbers, before Neil was joined by Joe Bennett on violin for a couple of Mojave3 songs. While the crowded tent was eerily quiet during his set, at times the only sound was the voice of Neil’s young son calling out to his dad — which was entirely appropriate given the family nature of the excellent Truck America Festival.

We recorded this same in the same location and with the same equipment as the Gary Louris set and the sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

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

Neil Halstead
2010-05-01
Truck America Festival
Big Indian, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2010-05-23

Setlist: (setlist help requested)
[Total Time 49:17]
01 Driving With Bert
02
03 Queen Bee
04
05 See You On Rooftops
06
07 [banter]
08
09 Yer Feet
10
11 Some Kinda Angel
12
13
14 [banter]
15 Sometimes The Wheels

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Neil Halstead, visit his website, visit his MySpace page, and purchase his latest album from the Brushfire Records website [HERE].

Phantogram: May 19, 2010 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads

May 22, 2010
By


[Photo courtesy of lowerwestside]

It was refreshing, for once, to see an exciting, emerging American band that wasn’t from Brooklyn.  The electronic rock duo Phantogram hail from the rural college town of Saratoga Springs, NY – so far from Brooklyn it might as well be in Virginia.  But geography aside, Phantogram’s sound is very of the moment, a smooth, approachable style they call “street beat, psych pop.”  The closest reference, by far, would be the also-booming UK band The xx, who have been reviving some of the better elements of the mid-90s sound once known as “trip-hop” without letting the style devolve into a bunch of faceless Starbucks jams.  Phantogram’s style occupies a solid middle ground between the somber and the bombastic, with songs that are instantly memorable.

For Phantogram, this show represented a crucial milestone familiar to every New York band: their first sellout of the Bowery Ballroom.  Playing live can be a challenge for a band whose sound relies so heavily on pre-programmed loops and sampled beats, as the “press play” aspect can make the show feel less immediate and exciting, but Phantogram solved that problem with Josh Carter’s live guitars and Sarah Barthel’s spot-on lead vocals.  The generosity and gratitude of the band was evident, as they repeatedly thanked the audience for their support.  Selling out Bowery, clearly, will not be the end of this duo’s journey.  I just hope they don’t feel too much pressure to move to Brooklyn.

I recorded this set from the balcony with the hypercardiod microphones at eye level with the sound staff, and the omnidirectional microphones taped to the soundboard cage, providing a clear and balanced blend of sound.  Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE].

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Phantogram
2010-05-19
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY  USA

Equipment: Beyerdynamic MC950+DPA 4061>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: MC950s LOC at SBD cage, pointed at stacks, 4061s in boundary mounts, 2? split
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, EQ, set fades, tracking, amplify)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks [51:48]
01 As Far As I Can See
02 Let Me Go
03 Mouthful of Diamonds
04 Running From the Cops
05 You Are the Ocean
06 Make A Fist
07 Turn It Off
08 When I’m Small
09 [encore break]
10 All Dried Up
11 Futuristic Casket

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Phantogram, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their excellent album Eyelid Movies from Barsuk Records [HERE].

SUPPORT NYCTaper




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