32 search results for "thee oh sees"

Acidjack’s Top Ten Musical Moments of 2009

January 2, 2010
By


[photo courtesy of Amanda M. Hatfield]

Acidjack Reports:
Before I delve into this further, I want to thank the host of this site for allowing me to share my recordings here and contribute to the nyctaper mission. I started taping shows back when I was 15 years old with a cheap Aiwa analog recorder and fell in love with this hobby right away. Various life events intruded, so I took a hiatus starting in 2000, which I am happy to say ended this year. If it were not for the encouragement of nyctaper and other veteran tapers who encouraged me to get back into this despite the new technological hurdles, I would have missed out on what has been a fantastic experience for me since I started back. The music industry has seen a ton of setbacks this decade. Sites like nyctaper are changing the way that fans think about music, helping to promote live shows and the venues that bring out good bands, and hopefully, drawing attention to rising and underappreciated local artists.

On to my top 10. Just a quick caveat, since nothing on tape (even an nyctaper recording) quite compares to the live experience, I am mostly focusing on shows that I actually attended (or at least, tried to)!

10. Thee Oh Sees, “Enemy Destruct” Mercury Lounge, New York, 10/8/2009.
One of the greatest pleasures for me as a taper is going to see a band I know very little about, discovering they are freaking great and coming home to congratulate myself that I recorded the proceedings. Thee Oh Sees are a west coast band that doesn’t see as much print time out here, but if they keep opening performances the way they did back in October at Mercury, that will change. This is one of those songs that gets your body moving, that puts you in fifth gear, that reminds you that one of rock’s greatest gifts to us is its ability to provoke unbridled exuberance. Listen to this thing. I dare you to sit still.

9. Vivian Girls, “Damaged” Bowery Ballroom, New York, 5/11/2009.
“After a complete cycle through the hype machine,” as this site eloquently put it, the Girls put on a clutch performance at Bowery that ended with the band members switching roles for a nine minute version of this song. If anything else needed to be said, this performance proved that this band was a lot more than just hype.

8. Mogwai, “Mogwai Fear Satan” Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn 4/29/2009.
Besides being one of my favorite recordings of the year, this song in particular shows Mogwai’s soft/loud dynamic at its peak, an eleven-minute opus of tension and release. Fans should take note that a compilation of these MHOW performances are being released as a live DVD set. I am honored that the band actually asked to hear my recordings to help them decide what to include!

7. The Meat Puppets, “Oh Me” Mercury Lounge, New York 6/11/2009.
The only reason I ever got into taping was the band Nirvana. They will always be my favorite band, and, as I never recorded them, they will always matter to me more than any band I record. As with a lot of fans, Nirvana introduced me to the Meat Puppets, and in particular, this beautiful song (it even played at my wedding). Seeing this performed live, by the original artists, a band that has battled addiction problems and prevailed, showed me exactly what caused Kurt Cobain to select this song for Nirvana’s famous “MTV Unplugged” performance and made me wish that he, too, had prevailed.

6. Polvo, “Beggar’s Bowl” Bell House, Brooklyn, 9/24/2009.
Sadly, Polvo did not allow us to release this stellar soundboard/audience matrix recording because they did not feel their performance was good enough. I respectfully disagree. Polvo’s return was one of many welcome developments this year. Their sound continues to evolve and expand (one buddy of mine even went so far as to call them a “jam band”), and this song, from their new record, In Prism is my favorite of all of their new material. We hope that Polvo will consider allowing nyctaper to actually record and post a future show!

5. The Mountain Goats, “1 Samuel 15:23” Webster Hall, New York 12/1/2009.
I had planned to record this show as well, but work intervened (funny how it can do that). Of course, my non-presence was totally irrelevant as nyctaper captured an amazing recording. Something about this song is really special to me as much as any Darnielle song can be, its a bit epic in its way, and this searing performance blows away the recorded version.

4. Maserati, “Show Me the Season”Bowery Ballroom, New York 9/28/2009.
By the third song in their opening set for Mono, I had come to grips with the fact that, holy s—, this band Maserati has a really fantastic drummer. That man, Jerry Fuchs, who also worked the kit for the Juan Maclean, died earlier this year in a highly publicized freak accident. His death is a great loss for the New York music scene. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

3. Dirty Projectors, “Stillness is the Move” Bowery Ballroom, New York, 11/22/2009.
I feel somewhat bad choosing the band’s “hit” for this rather than the night’s also-stellar closer of “Knotty Pine” with a surprise guest appearance by David Byrne. But, I think this live performance of this band’s best-known song sealed it for me as to why they will continue to be important for a long time — their musicality is simply unparalleled among current indie artists. Watching this difficult track performed so effortlessly at the band’s tour-closing show was a special moment.

2. Nine Inch Nails, “Pinion/Somewhat Damaged” Terminal 5, New York, 8/26/2009.
I will be the first to admit, I was basically done with NIN when The Fragile came out. As with so many projects during that era (see, e.g., Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness) the 2-disc album had too much filler and too many poorly directed ideas. Seeing NIN open two of their “farewell” NYC shows with this song, I became a believer again. It was hot and crowded as hell at T5 this night, and nyctaper and I were recording side by side. As soon as this song began, the crowd went nuts. At times, we weren’t sure if we were going to be crushed. For what its worth, the Bowery Ballroom performance was better, but to be honest, my recording of that show was not nearly up to the quality of this one. Here you can hear the fury, feel the energy, and get a reminder of why these guys were one of the most important bands of the past 20 years.

1. The Secret Machines, “The Road Leads Where Its Led” Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, 12/23/2009. I felt like I had to pick this song because it embodies so much of what 2009 was about. This was a very, very hard year for a lot of people, including many of our readers. This song closed out a show where a three-man band’s guitarist could not make the show due to inclement weather in Chicago. Rather than bail on the fans that came out to see them on a freezing night two days before Christmas, the remaining two members of TSM improvised, with bassist/vocalist Brandon Curtis taking on guitar duties, leaving Josh Garza, the drummer, as the entire backbeat. Not only did they not bitch and moan about it, but they treated it as an opportunity to rework new material and present it in a new way. Well, it worked. This type of attitud — of putting the people first and persevering despite setbacks — is exactly what I believe will bring this country and New York, a brighter, happier 2010.

Happy New Year to all,
acidjack

NYCTaper Upcoming Events – Fall into Winter (Including CMJ!)

October 3, 2009
By


[image by Songbirdnest]

This is a great time for nyctaper.com. We have had a very successful run of recording outings in the last month. Readership has doubled since this time last year. The addition of acidjack as a regular contributor has been a godsend. The site is now producing recordings at a much higher rate and with consistently higher quality. In fact, this week we did a first for NYCTaper — two shows recorded the same night and posted within hours!

The Fall and Winter continue along the same path — many excellent shows and many opportunities to bring outstanding music to our readers. CMJ is especially packed this year and we expect to record many shows during that week. We hope these salad days continue unabated!

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 me on the list and make sure everyone who needs to approve of the recording gives permission. Also, remember I’m doing this all for free — the recordings, the post-production, the reviews, the links, etc. — so treat me fairly.

The Antlers:
October 3, 2009 Maxwell’s Hoboken NJ

Lou Barlow:
October 6, 2009 Mercury Lounge NYC

Thee Oh Sees:
October 8, 2009 Mercury Lounge NYC
(correspondent recording)

Clem Snide:
October 13, 2009 Mercury Lounge NYC
(correspondent)

The Dodos:
October 13, 2009 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn

Built to Spill:
October 12 and 13, 2009 Webster Hall NYC
(correspondent recording)

Regina Spektor:
October 14, 2009 Radio City Music Hall NYC
(have perfect taping ticket — need correspondent!)

Built to Spill:
October 14 and 15, 2009 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn

David Bazan:
October 18, 2009 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Bob Weir and Ratdog:
October 19, 2009 Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom NYC

The Music Slut CMJ Day Show:
October 20, 2009 Pianos NYC

Pop Tarts Suck Toasted CMJ Day Show:
October 20, 2009 Cake Shop NYC

The Antlers (& others – brooklynvegan CMJ show):* (permission pending)
October 20, 2009 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn

Atlas Sound:
October 21, 2009 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn (CMJ)

NYCTaper CMJ Day Show:
October 22, 2009 Bruar Falls Brooklyn

After The Jump Fest Official CMJ Showcase:
October 22 Cake Shop NYC

The Bongos/Fleshtones:* (permission pending)
October 23, 2009 Hiro Ballroom NYC

O’Death:
October 31, 2009 Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom NYC

and/or:

Crystal Stilts/Vivian Girls:
October 31, 2009 171 Lombardy Brooklyn

Fiery Furnaces:
November 4, 2009 Maxwell’s Hoboken NJ

Ted Leo:
November 6, 2009 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Sharon Van Etten / Natureboy:
November 7, 2009 Union Pool Brooklyn

Alela Diane/Marissa Nadler:
November 14, 2009 Union Hall NYC

Big Star:* (permission pending)
November 18, 2009 Masonic Temple Brooklyn

Feelies:
November 21, 2009 Maxwell’s Hoboken NJ

Sonic Youth / Dinosaur Jr.:
November 21, 2009 Terminal 5 NYC
(correspondent recording)

Pixies:
November 23, 2009 Hammerstein Ballroom NYC

Meat Puppets:
November 25, 2009 Bowery Ballroom NYC

The Mountain Goats:
December 1, 2009 Webster Hall NYC
-and-
December 2, 2009 Bell House NYC

Oneida (with many others):
OneidaFest in December ToddP Venue TBA

Pavement:* (permission pending)
September 23, 2010 Central Park Summerstage NYC

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