Posts Tagged ‘ Dire Wolves ’

Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders: August 20, 2022 Deep in the Valley

August 23, 2022
By

Welcome to our coverage of the 2022 Deep in the Valley festival and special deep valley thanks to Raven Sings the Blues and From the Ground Brewery for hosting!

They didn’t kick off the festival but kicking off our coverage of Deep in the Valley is this astounding set from Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders. We’re big fans of course of his other band, Dire Wolves, but this is the first time we’ve gotten to see him with the Heavy Lidders. The group includes Elkhorn-ers Drew Gardner on guitar and Jesse Shepherd on bass, Scott Verrastro of Kohoutek on drums, and a guest appearance from Ashley Paul on saxophone. Opening with the loose, Tolkien-referencing “Bombadil Bop” couldn’t have been more appropriate for the pastoral setting as folks got up out of their chairs to boogie, while others sought umbrellas as the midday heat came out in full force. The band slides further into the literary references with “Beowulf’s Trip” from the ‘Lidders recent self-titled LP featuring the same lineup that we saw at Deep in the Valley. (Heads take note: that record also boasts appearances from Marissa Nadler on the Dead’s “Black Peter,” Rosali Middleman, PG Six, and Ryan Jewell. Wow!) After playing her own solo set, Ashley Paul joined in on saxophone for “Hidden Treasure.” She and Jeffrey Alexander collaborated remotely last year and released a super limited 7″—nice to see them jamming in person. Finally the band choogles into their deepest grooves of the day with Willie Dixon’s classic “Spoonful,” which they also put out on Elixer of Life. Their set was truly a physical manifestation of the good vibes and collaborative atmosphere at Deep in the Valley and I hope you enjoy this as much as we all did—get into it below!

Stream and download at the Live Music Archive

Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders
2022-08-20
Deep in the Valley
From the Ground Brewery
Red Hook, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard + MBHO KA200N/603A (DIN, stage lip) > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 3.0.2 > FLAC

Tracks [49:29]
01. Bombadil Bop
02. Beowulf's Trip
03. Hidden Treasure
04. Spoonful [Willie Dixon]

Jeffrey Alexander - guitar, vocal
Drew Gardner - guitar
Jesse Sheppard - bass
Scott Verrastro - drums
with - Ashley Paul - saxophone on 3

Dire Wolves: May 10, 2019 Nublu Classic

May 21, 2019
By
Photo by Jesse Jarnow

Dire Wolves have a new record coming on Beyond Beyond is Beyond next month. It’s called Grow Towards the Light (which you might remember as a song title from February’s Union Pool show) and it’s available for preorder now.

Their gig from Nublu Classic doesn’t directly feature any songs from the record, but as you’ll find with the ‘Wolves their live performances often weave in and out of album material. “Dire Spires” is a new song/improvisation we haven’t heard before, while “Enter Quietly” takes on the opening track from Excursions to Cloudland. The centerpiece of this show is their own chaotic version of Faust’s “It’s a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl” which takes the hypnotic song (from So Far) and swirls it into the type of frenzy Dire Wolves do best.

I recorded this set in good old tapers section fashion, which just a pair of mics flown beside the soundboard. The small Nublu Classic room sounds good for its size and this recording will take you right up front. Enjoy!

Downloads available at the Live Music Archive

Dire Wolves (Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band)
2019-05-10
Nublu Classic
New York, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com
Photo by Jesse Jarnow

MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (mixdown, compression, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, compression) > Audacity 2.0.5 (tracking, tagging) > FLAC (24/48, level 8)

Tracks [41:43]
01. Dire Spires
02. It’s a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl [Faust]
03. Enter Quietly

Preorder Grow Towards the Light from Beyond Beyond is Beyond

Dire Wolves: February 7, 2019 Union Pool

February 15, 2019
By
Photos by Drew Gardner

San Francisco’s Dire Wolves don’t come around too often, but when they do they bring the heat. This one features the Wolves’ Jeffrey Alexander backed by what he calls a “strange” version of the band: Jesse Sheppard (Elkhorn) on bass, Jeff Tobias (Sunwatchers) on sax, and Scott Verrastro (Bardo Pond) on drums. What results is the Wolves’ shaggy psych mixed with jazzy excursions.

Speaking of which, it’s Excursions to Cloudland, released on Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records, that hipped me to Dire Wolves. And then there’s also this fantastic split with Headroom that I’ve gravitated towards when looking for a fix. Dire Wolves will have another one out with BBiB sometime soon so stay tuned to find out what new lands they’ve got in store.

Thanks to Jeff Conklin for putting on this awesome bill. Tune in to The Avant Ghetto on WFMU for more of the goods!

I recorded this set with our usual setup for Union Pool: a board feed from FOH extraordinaire Doug combined with the MBHOs in DIN configuration at the board. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Downloads available at the Live Music Archive

Dire Wolves (Inspiration Family Band)
2019-02-07
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Doug) + MBHO KA200N/603A (DIN) > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (mixdown, compression, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, compression) > Audacity 2.0.5 (tracking, tagging) > FLAC (24/48, level 8)

Tracks [55:32]
01. Grow Towards The Light
02. Transmigrations
03. Enter Quietly > Take A Step Back
04. West Ellet Fadeaway

Buy Dire Wolves music via Bandcamp
• •
Buy Excursions to Cloudland via Beyond Beyond is Beyond

Dire Wolves: September 21, 2017 Union Pool

October 4, 2017
By

If one thing has felt consistent in the world in the past year, it’s been Beyond Is Beyond Is Beyond records and their roster of incredible acts. If you’ve got a predilection for all things psychedelic, you absolutely can’t miss one of their releases. In a crowded field of standouts this year, the label released Dire Wolves‘ Excursions to Cloudland, and I was hooked from the first note. The San Francisco band doesn’t make it out east all that often, and that made me even more pumped for this Union Pool show — their first NYC show in eight years. The three-song set (their songs are long) didn’t disappoint, with the band’s expansive jamming on full display on three songs I hadn’t heard before. Not only is Dire Wolves one of relatively few bands of their type with a string section, but the current lineup also features two vocalists (Georgia and Rachael) whose voices meld seamlessly into the sonic tapestry, more as additional instruments within the whole rather than the traditional rock vocal format. Don’t confuse the album title with the band’s vibe; there is a tension, a darkness even, that flows through these songs, particularly the set closer, “Absolutely Perfect Sisters.” Their music creates a journey, but it’s more saga than fairytale, with brooding and ecstasy in equal measures. In the end, though, seeing a band this good is always a pleasure trip, no matter what the exact themes. Get acquainted.

I recorded this set with MBHO microphones and the house mix by Doug. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

It’s very cool that this bandcamp release has already made a 2017 Uncut playlist. If you’re not familiar with Uncut, check it out.

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Dire Wolves
2017-09-21
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

MBHO MBP603/KA200N (at SBD, PAS) + Soundboard (engineer: Doug)>Sound Devices MixPre6 (24bit/48kHz WAV)>Adobe Audition CC (align, mix down, compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 I Control the Weather
02 Crone In the Mud
03 Absolutely Perfect Sisters

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