As if further proof were needed, this first-time collaboration between Mary Lattimore and Bill Nace proves that she is easily the most versatile and dynamic harpist on the planet. As for Nace — perhaps best-known of late for his work in Body/Head but with a decades-long list of experimental guitar solo projects and collaborations under his belt — anyone who has seen him perform knows that you can never be sure what you’ll hear, but you can be assured it will be done with intention and skill.

This set, during the outdoor portion of the final day of the Three Lobed Recordings 21st anniversary festival, might have been the most special I’ve seen from either artist. Nace brought a rare (in the west) instrument, the taishogoto, to the table for the collaboration, and the combination with Lattimore’s harp proved extraordinary — something so delicate, rare and beautiful that the pairing of the two musicians almost felt obvious instead of new. Early word on the street is that the musicians agree: we may well see something committed to release at some point in the future.

Don’t take my word for it. Press play on the stream below, make sure your set and setting are smooth, and drift in.

I recorded this set with Wayne’s excellent house mix and Schoeps mics in the audience. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Download in FLAC, MP3 and Apple Lossless

Mary Lattimore and Bill Nace
April 16, 2022
Three Lobed Recordings 21st Anniversary
Karsh Alumni Center
Duke University
Durham, NC

Recorded and produced by acidjack
Live sound by Wayne

Soundboard + Schoeps MK4V>KC5>CMC6>>Sound Devices MixPre 6>24/44.1 WAV>Adobe Audition CC>Izotope Ozone 5>Audacity>FLAC

BUY MUSIC: Lattimore | Nace

Steve Gunn has been a key presence in the Three Lobed universe since the 2006 release of the Heavy Elements CD. His dynamic growth as an artist in the years since — including his current Matador-backed full band work — has been a thrill to watch, to the point that it’s hard to pick favorites among his work. That said, it’s hard not to consider his duo work with John Truscinski among the very best. As this set demonstrates, improvisation between these two is almost an unspoken language at this point. Fans of the band’s most recent LP, Soundkeeper, which includes one of my Union Pool recordings, can attest that the band’s live improvisations can be some of their best work. Tonight’s first song was one such moment — an untitled new number that already feels like a forthcoming GTD classic. As to the rest of the set, it consisted of exactly those — “Banh Mi Ringtones” and “Ocean Parkway,” both from Three Lobed’s second GTD LP, Ocean Parkway. These renditions were as inspired and electric as the entire evening, perhaps never more so that the climactic interplay around the eight-minute mark of “Banh Mi.” This whole night — the whole festival — celebrated all that’s right with independent music. John and Steve are certainly a big part of that.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK4V mics mounted on the center of the balcony, with a soundboard feed from Christopher Scully-Thurston’s mix. It sounds like it.

Download FLAC and MP3

Gunn-Truscinski Duo
2022-04-16
Von der Heyden Studio Theater
Rubenstein Arts Center
Duke University
Durham, NC USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack
Live mix by Christopher Scully-Thurston

Schoeps MK4V (DFC, PAS)>KC5>CMC6 + Soundboard>>Sound Devices MixPre6>24/44.1 WAV>Audition>Audacity>FLAC

Tracks
01 [Rayborn intro]
02 [untitled new song]
03 Banh Mi Ringtones
04 Ocean Parkway

BUY GUNN-TRUSCINSKI DUO RECORDS