Posts Tagged ‘ Alan Licht ’

Lee Ranaldo: January 22, 2017 Park Church Co-op

January 26, 2017

For all the reasons I need not repeat here, protest music is perhaps more vital now than at any other time in my lifetime if not everyone’s. Lee Ranaldo’s engagement with Occupy Wall Street has been well documented; and it was around that time that he started performing Neil Young’s classic “Revolution Blues” regularly at shows. Coming off inauguration weekend, I think we can safely call all of the songs Ranaldo performed last Sunday protest music, each song imploring us in its own language to “resist, resist, resist, resist.”

Wrapping up his two-week tour with Meg Baird and Steve Gunn (Steve’s set here, Meg’s set here), Ranaldo showed up at Park Church Co-op with a slew of new material (some of which we’ve heard before), plus covers of The Velvet Underground’s “Ocean” and the aforementioned Neil Young tune. Will the help of a few friends—left to right in the above photo that’s Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan, Lee, and Steve—the glorious crescendo of “Ocean” is as overwhelming as the lyrics’ crashing waves suggest. These days, we need art not only for protest but also to uplift, and this performance is nothing if not uplifting. Closing with “Revolution Blues,” Lee is joined by Steve Gunn and Meg Baird, both on guitar and vocals, Alan Licht on guitar, and Georgia Hubley on drums. We’ve heard Lee do this song a few times now, but trading verses with Meg the forty-year-old song and its lyrics feel refreshing as we listen with new ears.

I recorded this set from my improvised tapers section in front of board, combined with a feed from Park Church’s engineer Jasno Swarez. The sound is excellent. Enjoy—and resist!

Download: MP3/FLAC

Stream:

Lee Ranaldo
2017-01-22
Park Church Co-op
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for NYCTaper.com

Soundboard [engineer: Jasno Swarez] + AKG C480B/CK61 > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, compression, mixdown, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [1:03:44]
01. Moroccan Mountains
02. Let’s Start Again
03. Circular
04. Electric Trim
05. [Uncle Skeleton intro]
06. Uncle Skeleton
07. Thrown Over the Wall (w/Alan Licht)
08. Last Looks (w/Meg Baird)
09. [Ocean intro]
10. Ocean [The Velvet Underground] (w/Alan, Steve Gunn, Georgia Hubley, and Ira Kaplan)
11. [Revolution Blues intro]
12. Revolution Blues [Neil Young] (w/Meg, Alan, Steve, and Georgia)

• Website
• • Facebook
• • • Buy Lee Ranaldo and the Dust records from Matador

And then, please consider donating to local organizations that support freedom and fair treatment for all, such as the New York Civil Liberties Union and the New York Immigration Coalition.

Alan Licht: March 4, 2016 Saint Vitus

March 16, 2016

By EricPH

[photos by PSquared Photography]

Since 2011, Alan Licht has been playing guitar in Lee Ranaldo’s backing band, The Dust. For someone normally associated with the downtown No Wave and Minimalist set, The Dust has been an outlet for Licht to play song-oriented guitar rock. His recent album, Currents, splits the difference between experimental and rock music, blending minimalist and melodic solo guitar work into one of the most compelling solo-guitar records of the last few years.

Last week at Saint Vitus, opening for Rangda (that recording here), Licht devoted most of his set to tracks off Currents, adding a special cover that he has only recently begun playing solo. Openers “Riding on the S’s” and “First Love, Haleema” recall Licht’s guitar work with The Dust, and accomplish what even the most seasoned guitar players have difficulty doing: creating a narrative without words. Those tracks are followed by “Raw Deal” and the album-closer, “(Thems the) Breaks,” which despite their titles manage not to sound like downers.

For his closing piece, Licht looks back to his performance at the 2004 No Fun Fest (where he and band were billed as Alan Licht’s 1970), for a fifteen-minute explorative composition based on The Stooges’ “1970.” What begins as an earnest cover with that most-recognizable riff, wanders into a thematic meditation on that tune before returning back to the original. While I normally expect some audience chatter to seep in to a solo guitar set, in this recording you can almost feel the crowd’s collective breath held for the length of Licht’s set. The performance of this Stooges—and Licht—classic tops off an already excellent set.

I recorded this set from our usual location at Saint Vitus, the room mics combined with a board feed from FOH Nick. I mixed those two sources, favoring the room sound. The quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Alan Licht
2016-03-04
Saint Vitus
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

Soundboard (engineer: Nick) + AKG C480B/CK61 (PAS) > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, mixdown, compression, normalize, fades) > Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [35:57]
01. Riding on the S’s
02. First Love, Haleema
03. [banter]
04. Raw Deal
05. (Thems the) Breaks
06. 1970 [The Stooges]

Support Alan Licht: Buy Currents via VDSQ

Alan Licht: January 6, 2016 Union Pool

January 13, 2016

By acidjack

For my first recording of 2016, I got to witness the album debut of a New York music veteran, among a room of like-minded souls. We saw Alan Licht live debut many of the tracks that would make up his latest release, Currents, back in August, but he arrived at Union Pool this time with copies of the finished product in hand, and the ideas on it more tightly wound. Relative to some of his peers, Licht’s songs feel like they ride less on fingerpicking prowess (though that’s considerable) than on the strength of his melodies, which give the thrilling jolt of a good rock song even without the lyrics or band that typically accompanies such things. Like the previous show, this one began with the immediate appeal of “Riding On the S’s” followed by “First Lover, Haleema” from Currents, as well as serving up at least one track that didn’t make the record simply because it wouldn’t squeeze onto a side of vinyl. January shows are always a joy for the true music fan, as the cold weather tends to draw only those who really care, and that was evident in the pin-drop quiet room during these engaging, minimalist tunes. From the delicate “Uncertainty” to the melancholy and final “Seventh Song,” Licht showed off the strength of this latest cycle of creativity. Make a date for his next NYC visit, or wherever you might be able to see him.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed by Kevin Mazzarelli and Schoeps MK4V microphones. The sound quality is excellent, far superior to the previous recording. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show (minus banter tracks):

Alan Licht
2016-01-06
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard (engineer: Kevin Mazzarelli) + Schoeps MK4V>KC5>CMC6>>Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, compression, limiter)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 44:17]
01 [intro]
02 Riding on the S’s
03 First Love, Haleema
04 [untitled]
05 [banter]
06 Uncertainty
07 [untitled 2]
08 Currents
09 Raw Deal
10 Seventh Song

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Alan Licht by visiting VDSQ Records and buying Currents there.

Lee Ranaldo: November 13, 2015 Trans-Pecos

November 16, 2015

By EricPH

[photo by Fred Riedel]

Over the years, we’ve seen Lee Ranaldo and his backing band, The Dust, in a variety of settings. Most have been small clubs, but this Trans-Pecos performance is the most intimate of all not because of its setting but due to the intimate format of the acoustic set. Though billed as a solo gig from Ranaldo, it turned out he brought along Dust-bandmates Alan Licht (who we caught doing his own solo set over the summer) and Raul Fernandez. Nearly every song is accompanied by a contextualizing story that illustrates just how personal each of these songs is for Ranaldo. Four new songs join the well-known tracks off Between the Times & the Tides and Last Night on Earth, followed by a rousing cover of Neil Young’s “Revolution Blues” in celebration of Neil’s recent birthday. That cover underscores the similarities between Ranaldo and Young, both guitar-weilding storytellers who effortlessly pull off the roar and the quiet, sometimes simultaneously.

This show wraps up Lee’s U.S. tour, but he has some upcoming dates in Europe. Those are listed here.

I recorded this set with the AKG’s set up at the lip of the stage, combined with a board feed from Pecos FOH, Chris. The results are excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Lee Ranaldo
2015-11-13
Trans-Pecos
Queens, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

Soundboard (engineer: Chris) + AKG C480B/CK61 (stage lip) > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, compression, mixdown, normalize) > Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (fades, downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [1:30:58]
01. Let’s Start Again
02. Right as Rain
03. [tech break]
04. [new song]
05. Off the Wall
06. Key/Hole
07. [banter]
08. Skeleton
09. Xtina as I Knew Her
10. Home Chds
11. Ambulancer
12. The Rising Tide
13. Lecce, Leaving
14. Revolution Blues [Neil Young]

Support Lee Ranaldo: Website | Facebook | Buy Lee Ranaldo and the Dust records from Matador

Alan Licht: August 2, 2015 Union Pool – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

August 20, 2015

By acidjack

There are any number of ways that a fan of the New York underground scene might have run across the guitarist Alan Licht. Along with an extensive discography of his own, Licht has also played a key role in several bands, including the Blue Humans, Love Child, and Run On. Most recently, Licht has appeared as a member of Lee Ranaldo and the Dust. Now, he’s readying a new solo album, which he was kind enough to share a majority of with this group of fans at Union Pool. Compared to some of Licht’s more drone and minimalist work, these compositions, like leadoff track “Riding On the S’s” and “Raw Deal” in particular, show the influence of the recent work with Ranaldo. They have an urgent, narrative feel to them, to the point that you almost feel compelled to throw your own lyrics into them at points. This was the songs’ first exposure to a public audience, and it seems likely that they’ll see some further evolution before the final versions are laid down on the record (one of them, after all, still lacks a title). But even in these raw, new forms, Licht showed a clear vision for and command of them, leading me to believe that new record is going to be a must-have.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed from engineer Kevin Mazzarelli, combined with Schoeps MK41V microphones. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Thanks to Jeff Conklin for arranging the show and permission to record Alan’s set.

Download the complete set: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Stream the complete set:

Alan Licht
2015-08-02
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard (engineer: Kevin Mazzarelli) + Schoeps MK41V (PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>>Edirol R-44>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (fades, noise reduction on SBD)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects, imaging)>Audacity 2.0.3 (fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Riding on the S’s
02 First Love, Haleema
03 Raw Deal
04 Currents
05 Every Little Yacht
06 Untitled
07 (Them’s the) Breaks

If you enjoyed this recording, you can buy all of Alan Licht’s records through the links available on Discogs.

Lee Ranaldo and The Dust: January 11, 2014 Bell House – Flac/MP3/Streaming

January 16, 2014

By nyctaper

[photo by Kevin Bannon]

The last time we checked in with Lee Ranaldo, he played the penultimate show in the history of Maxwell’s. At that point, Lee had a series of new songs that would eventually appear on his second post-Sonic Youth album Last Night on Earth which was ultimately released in October. Like its predecessor 2102’s Between the Times and the Tides, Last Night is a mature, honest and straightforward rock album. For the new album and the tours of 2013, Lee has credited his band “The Dust” which currently consists of downtown guitar wiz Alan Licht, bassist Tim Lüntzel and Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley. At the Bell House on Saturday night, Lee and the band played a lengthy set to a energetic crowd. All nine tracks of the new album were performed in the set along with selected older tracks and three interesting covers. It was the last night of the tour and Lee referenced the difficulties of a broken amp and a series of broken strings. But the band persevered and produced 100 minutes of outstanding music that was both tight and also offered a chance for the band to stretch out and jam. Lee Ranaldo and The Dust will appear again in NYC at the Union Pool on February 13.

I recorded this set with the Sennheiser cards mounted in the raised VIP area and mixed with an excellent board engineered by Lee’s tour FOH Jay Eigenmann. The sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Stream “Lecce Leaving”:

Stream “Everybody’s Been Burned” (Byrds cover):

Download the Complete show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Lee Ranaldo and The Dust
2014-01-11
Bell House
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard (engineer Jay) + Sennheiser MKH-8040s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 > (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:37:49]
01 KeyHole
02 Last Night On Earth
03 Lecce Leaving
04 By the Window
05 Ambulancer
06 Home Chds
07 [The Rising Tide intro]
08 The Rising Tide
09 Off The Wall
10 Angles
11 Late Descent
12 Everybody’s Been Burned [Byrds]
13 [banter – thanks]
14 Xtina as I Knew Her
15 [encore break]
16 Fragile [Wire]
17 Mannequin [Wire]
18 Blackt Out

If you download this recording from NYCTaper we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Lee Ranaldo, visit his page at the Sonic Youth website, and purchase Last Night On Earth directly from the Matador Records website [HERE].

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