[photo courtesy of Dese’Rae L. Stage] [more of Dese’Rae’s excellent photos here]

If there’s anything predictable about The Fiery Furnaces, its their unpredictability. The touring band continues to morph and the arrangements of the songs continue to evolve. We knew this would be another interesting Furnaces show when the nearly eight-minute opening “Navy Nurse” began with two minutes of Eleanor’s new improv lyrics, followed by a brief Mozart interlude from Annabelle, before proceeding to the song proper.

Annabelle’s multitude of melodic percussion added a nice touch to the band’s sound, perhaps a bit more appropriate than the strong presence of Kyle Hollingsworth’s brief time with the Furnaces. The other band changes were the return of Michael Goodman on percussion and Jason Loewentein‘s absence (he’s literally on summer vacation). Additionally, Matt played guitar on about half the songs — the first time he’s played guitar live in several years.

The renovated East River Park Bandshell had a great atmosphere, with an LES vibe mixed with the river surroundings. The acoustics of the shell were quite good and the amphitheatre seating offered a fine view for all in attendance. We recorded from the front rail next to the soundboard and captured an excellent recording, compromised only by the hum of the generator during quiet moments. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Fiery Furnaces
2008-07-17
East River Park Bandshell
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Dead Center
Front of Board — Front Railing at 50 Feet

Neumann KM-150s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Monster XLR cables > Edirol UA-5 (Oade digimod) > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge 8.0 (set fades, slight level boost, resample 16/44) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-07-19

Setlist:
[total time 1:25:27]
01 Navy Nurse
02 Up in the North
03 Duplexes of the Dead
04 Automatic Husband
05 Ex-Guru
06 Single Again
07 I’m In No Mood to Comb My Hair
08 Evergreen
09 Japanese Slippers
10 I’m Waiting To Know You
11 Chris Michaels
12 Straight Street
13 Slavin’ Away
14 Philadelphia Grand Jury
15 Tropical Ice-land
16 Pricked in the Heart
17 Blueberry Boat
18 In My Little Thatched Hut
19 [encore break]
20 Benton Harbor Blues

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Fiery Furnaces, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from The Fiery Furnaces Store.

[photo credit]

Olga Bell opened the After the Jump Fest in very appropriate fashion — starting a few minutes late because she was welcoming fans and friends with the donuts she brought to the show. Shortly thereafter, the sugar buzz was replaced by the buzz of a performer whose unique and entrancing songs captivated the daytime crowd. Bell’s self-released EP has received positive reviews in all the right places, including Spin Magazine, on the cover of Tripwire, and our friends at the Ear Farm blog — with more attention certain to follow.

This recording is from the Galapagos main stage matrix rig. The quality is superb. Enjoy!

After The Jump is a charitable organization of NYC music bloggers who donate all proceeds of their events to the advancement of music in NYC schools. nyctaper requests that if you download this recording, that you support this cause. Selected tracks from the recordings to be featured on this site from the ATJ Festival will be produced into a compilation, with all proceeds being donated to the music programs in NYC schools. When the compilation becomes available, all nyctaper readers who downloaded ATJ sets will be expected to purchase the release.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Bell
2008-06-21
Galapagos Main Stage
After The Jump Festival
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard/Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Front of Board Neumann KM-150s > Edirol UA-5 (Oade Digimod) > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 16bit 44.1kHz wav file > Soundforge (set fades, level adjustments) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-07-17

Setlist:
[total time 30:38]
01 Hero
02 Miner
03 Brown Bear
04 House Fire
05 Echinacea
06 Suerte Loca

Olga Bell performs again at Joe’s Pub on Friday July 25th.

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Olga Bell, visit her MySpace page, and purchase her EP directly from her website.

[photo by Bob Sanderson]

Pela‘s set at After the Jump Fest in June was inspirational for all the right reasons — perseverance, tenacity and positive energy — in a year when the band was in the news for all the wrong reasons. In March, vocalist/guitarist Billy McCarthy had a terrible accident at a show in Chicago that left him without use of his left hand and which required surgery. The medical bills were so overwhelming that a fund was set up to help out Billy.

On the main street stage in Williamsburg redemption was at hand. Pela performed the longest set of the Festival based primarily on songs from their excellent 2007 release Anytown Graffiti. After a rousing “Cavalry”, the standard set closer and the song during which he was injured in Chicago, Billy thanked the fans for their generous support and well-wishes. It was a moment of poignant sincerity that spoke well for the grassroots appeal of this superb band.

We recorded from in front of the soundboard booth at the outdoor stage. The location and sound were quite good, except for some wind noise, crowd noise and the humming sound of a generator behind the stage. Overall this is an excellent capture under the circumstances, and we’re happy with the results. Enjoy!

After The Jump is a charitable organization of NYC music bloggers who donate all proceeds of their events to the advancement of music in NYC schools. nyctaper requests that if you download this recording, that you support this cause. Selected tracks from the recordings to be featured on this site from the ATJ Festival will be produced into a compilation, with all proceeds being donated to the music programs in NYC schools. When the compilation becomes available, all nyctaper readers who downloaded ATJ sets will be expected to purchase the release.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Pela
2008-06-21
After the Jump Festival
Main Stage (on N. 6th Street)
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from in Front of Soundboard Booth

Neumann KM-150s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Monster XLR cables > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 16bit 44.1kHz wav file > Soundforge 8.0 (set fades, slight level adjustments) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-07-16

Setlist:
[Total time 1:03:52]
01 [soundcheck]
02 Waiting On The Stairs
03 Lost To The Lonesome
04 Drop Me Off
05 The Trouble With River Cities
06 Song Writes Itself
07 California’s Son
08 Your Desert’s Not a Desert at All
09 Philadelphia
10
11
12 Tenement Teeth
13 Cavalry
14 [banter]
15 Juarez

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Pela, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases from links at their website and MySpace page.