[photo by Pop Tarts blog]

It is impossible for me to be objective about this performance. I asked Sharon Van Etten to headline the upstairs stage at the NYCTaper CMJ show, which was a difficult task for a solo performer. In return, Sharon not only delivered the most intense and captivating set we have ever seen her play, but she thanked me several times. It is rare to find an artist of such profound talent, but even more so to find one who matches the talent with such quality of character.

This recording was captured by simply connecting a digital recorder to the small mixer that operating as a “soundboard”. I didn’t monitor it all during the show, and as a result the levels were quite low. A large post-production boost of volume was necessary and resulted in audible hiss in the recording. Additionally, only Sharon’s vocals were amplified in the PA so that her guitar is quite low. Nevertheless, this is a quite listenable recording of a special performance — one we will quite literally never forget. Enjoy!

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

Sharon Van Etten
2008-10-23
NYCTaper CMJ Showcase
Cake Shop
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Soundboard Recording

Soundboard > RCA Cables > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM Mod) > 16 bit 44.1kHz wav file > Soundforge 8.0 (set fades, huge level boost) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
[email protected]
2008-11-04

Setlist:
[total time 29:40]
01 I Fold
02 Picking Up Rocks
03 Consolation Prize
04 You Didn’t Really Do That
05 Tornado
06 Damn Right

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Sharon Van Etten, visit her website, visit her MySpace page, purchase one of her custom-made self-released CDs directly from her website, and purchase her new CD Because I Was In Love when it is released in 2009.

[The Antlers at Pop Tarts CMJ show – photo by Ear Farm]

It was our misfortune to have missed The Antlers performance at the superb opening day Pop Tarts afternoon CMJ showcase at Cake Shop. Their set turned a lot of heads and has appeared on multiple sites on the web. So when the invitation was received to capture The Antlers at a private loft party, we found ourselves trudging through a fairly out-of-the-way industrial area in Fort Greene on Saturday night. However, what lay ahead was worth the work — as the “new” version of the band ripped through an intimate forty-minute set in a parlor-performance atmosphere. We always “got it” with this band, but now we understand the buzz created by their CMJ set. The new songs from the much-anticipated new release Hospice are intense layered motifs that feature the multiple talents of this superb trio.

Future Antlers shows are now must see events. The two upcoming dates in NYC are as follows:
November 07 at Vanishing Point Brooklyn (show canceled 5 minutes after I posted this!)
November 20 at Knitting Factory NYC

We recorded this set next to a couch about 10 feet from the stage. Since this was essentially a concert in a living room, the “PA” was a set of speakers that amplified the vocals. All other instruments were played through amps. The result is an intimate capture of this special event which was subject only to the limitations of the equipment. Enjoy!

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

The Antlers
2008-11-01
Private Loft Party in Fort Greene
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Upfront
Approximately 10 Feet from the band

Neumann KM-150’s > Monster Cable > Apogee Mini-Me > digital coax > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge 8.0 (level adjustments, downsample) > CD Wave 1.75 > Flac Frontend (level 7) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-11-03

Setlist:
[Total time 39:29]
01 Kettering
02 East River
03 Sylvia
04 Bear > 13
05 Two
06 Shiva
07 Cold War

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Antlers, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases at the Fall Records website [here] and at CD Baby [here].

[photo by Soundbites blog]

It was hard to miss the pre-CMJ buzz about Women. It was even harder on Tuesday afternoon to get inside of the downstairs room at Cake Shop to see their performance at the Pop Tarts CMJ show. I managed to work my way down the left side into the area left of the stage and what I saw left my mouth agape. This was astoundingly authentic neo-psychedelia performed by a quartet of extremely talented musicians. The rhythms were precise, the bass notes sharp and perfectly accented, and the guitar work was neat and intricate. With heavily reverbed vocals added for effect, the entire package of Women is just superb.

After the show, we were fortunate to be able to talk to the band. Not only were they familiar with NYCTaper, but happy to be recorded. The next afternoon at the Terrorbird show apparently the buzz had spread, because it was even harder to get into the Cake Shop downstairs and impossible for us to record. Undaunted, we came back to Cake Shop again on Wednesday night for the Subbacultcha Showcase and captured this set. We recorded from the same location as all of our recent Cake Shop recordings, and we are quite pleased at the excellent quality of this recording. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Women
2008-10-22
Subbacultcha CMJ Showcase
Cake Shop
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Upfront
10 Feet from the PA

DPA 4021s > Edirol UA-5 (Oade Digimod) > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge 8.0 (level adjustments, downsample 16/44) > CD Wave > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-10-27

Setlist:
[Total time 37:37]
01 Flashlights
02 Group Transport Hall
03 Black Rice
04 Upstairs
05 Shaking Hand
06 Jordan
07 Lawncare
08 Woodbine

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Women, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their debut CD at the Flemish Eye Records (Canada) website [HERE] or the Jagjaguwar Records (US) Website [HERE]