Posts Tagged ‘ dpa ’

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper: October 9, 2011 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

October 11, 2011
By

backyard_brunch-22
[Photo by Dominick Mastrangelo]

When I first heard Aly Spaltro, aka Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, I flat-out couldn’t believe a girl so small (the band’s Facebook page cheekily describes her as 6’2″) – and so young (early 20s) – could make such a large, mature sound. Her “band” is no more than her and her guitar, but Aly never sounded intimidated or lonely on that empty stage. She cold-opened with an a cappella number – “Up In the Rafters” – that gave me chills. Stripped bare, the song is a sustained cry of longing, at once sultry, dangerous and sweet, and it’s delivered fearlessly. She closes out “Rafters” and moves straight into “Mezzanine”, this time accompanied by her guitar. Her playing is the equal of that lovely gravel in her voice, taking abrupt and unexpected twists in time and tempo. Both songs appear on LLTB’s current release Mammoth Swoon, a collection of unreleased, rare, and bedroom tracks that Aly released at the end of last year. You may be asking yourself how a young artist like Aly manages to have a rarities comp already, and that would be a good question. But head to LLTB’s bandcamp page, and you’ll see that she is already three releases deep. This set of six songs was culled from several of her records other than Mammoth, and each song showcased her unique songwriting ability. It’s hard for the word “precocious” not to come to mind, but LLTB would be an act of striking talent and depth at any age.

Backyard Brunch Sessions work best with artists who have the confidence to let their music stand unadorned. In a simple East Village backyard surrounded by a garden, new friends (and some delicious French Toast Grilled Cheese Sandwiches), Aly Spaltro fit this show’s aesthetic perfectly. She’s been playing alone on that empty stage since day one.

I recorded this set with a combination of high-end microphones, including the DPA 4021 that you can see miking Aly’s vocals. The sound quality is excellent, other than a two-second spot during “Up In the Rafters” where her guitar hit the mic stand. Enjoy!

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper’s next show will be a Windish Agency CMJ Showcase at Rockwood Music Hall on October 21.  More info here.

Stream “Up in the Rafters”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/L1009LLTB0211/Rafters.mp3]

Stream “Southernfly”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/L1009LLTB0211/Southernfly.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter | visit the backyard brunch sessions homepage

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
2011-10-09
Backyard Brunch Sessions
New York, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

AKG C 414 B-XLS (cardiod pair, on guitar amp)+DPA 4021 (on vocals)>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)>Audition (studio effects, mixdown)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Up In the Rafters
03 Mezzanine
04 Between Two Trees
05 Florence Berlin
06 Southernfly
07 [banter]
08 Crane Your Neck
09 [outro]

PLEASE SUPPORT Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, like her on Facebook, visit her website, and purchase her releases from her bandcamp page.

Trans Am: October 8, 2011 Union Pool (playing “Futureworld”) – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

October 10, 2011
By

trans am
[Photo by acidjack. The photos are bad, but the recording is great.]

The band Trans Am reintroduced themselves in a big way with their seminal 1999 album, Futureworld nine years into their career. For the first time, the post-rock band introduced vocoder-enhanced vocals to their rock/krautrock hybrid. In many ways, this record, with its Atari graphics cover, augured the chiptunes genre, with its propulsive, fast-paced rock attack and robotic vocals. It also showcased a little bit of the band’s sense of humor, which you can get a dose of on their band page at Thrill Jockey. As is all the rage these days for classic bands, Trans Am did a two-night stand at one of my favorite venues, Union Pool, to close out their tour celebrating this classic record by playing it straight through.

With the smoke still clearing from The Psychic Paramount’s thunderous opening set, Trans Am kicked off the opening track “1999” to roars of approval from the crowd. By the time they hit the title track, “Futureworld,” the crowd was singing along to the vocoder-enhanced vocals, dancing, and sweating like hell – the show was completely sold out, and the room was packed. The band tore through the record with virtuosity and aggression; I can’t imagine this show being better in ’99 than it was today. The band even gave us an unexpected dose of (slightly) newer flavor when they ended the set with “I Want It All” and “Play in the Summer”, both from their 2000 record Red Line. Expect a followup to the band’s 2010 record, Thing, soon, and go see them live for an unforgettable experience.

I recorded this set from the balcony with the DPA microphones split wide, and an excellent soundboard feed. The quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Futureworld”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/T0018TransAm2011/03 Futureworld.mp3]

Stream “Play In the Summer”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/T0018TransAm2011/13 Play in the Summer.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Trans Am
2011-10-08
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Soundboard + DPA 4021 (slightly LOC, ORTF)>Naiant littlebox>>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)>Audition (mixdown)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify and balance)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks
Futureworld
01 1999
02 Television Eyes
03 Futureworld
04 City in Flames
05 Am Rhein
06 Cocaine Computer
07 Runners Standing Still>Futureworld II
08 Positron
09 Sad and Young

Additional Songs from Red Line
10 [banter]
11 I Want It All
12 [encore break]
13 Play in the Summer

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Trans Am, visit their website, and purchase their official releases directly from Thrill Jockey.

Earth: October 2, 2011 ATP I’ll Be Your Mirror – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

October 6, 2011
By


[Photo courtesy of Jason Persse]

The revivified (as of 2005) Seattle band Earth is a behemoth of sound. Progenitors of an entire microgenre (“drone doom”), the band’s latest incarnation is a slightly more epic, and also more delicate outfit that combines elements of heavy grunge guitars, drone and americana. The band also has several ties to the band Nirvana, including lead guitarist and founding member Dylan Carlson’s well-documented friendship with Kurt Cobain, and current bandmember and cellist Lori Goldston’s role as touring cellist for Nirvana (and cellist on MTV Unplugged In New York).

But the band’s connections and history are only footnotes to one of the most powerful of the sets I have seen since I began attending the various New York-based All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals. This fourth year of the festival (awkwardly rechristened “ATP Presents I’ll Be Your Mirror”) was relocated from the quirky (and sketchy) holiday resort where it was held for the previous three years to the more welcoming environs of the Asbury Park, NJ – home of Bruce Springsteen and many other notable artists (including recent NYCTaper favorite Nicole Atkins, as we learned last week). Along with the relocation came new venues, including the weathered-but-still-standing Paramount Theater, which provided the ideal venue for Earth’s prettified slowcore.

The band played five longform compositions, each of which Carlson introduced by name, including the band’s first-ever song “Ouroboros Is Broken” as well as the title track from its latest record, Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light, a sequel to which is due soon. Each song was positively massive, cinematic in its sweep, with Carlson’s darkly-tuned guitar riffs threading in between Goldston’s somber cello, all backed by a focused but dense wall of bass and drums. Earth are one of many examples of the eclectic but brilliant programming of ATP – a modern classic of a band that may have been overlooked by some, but is a fixture for those who know them. Not only was theirs the best-sounding set of the festival, but one of the most inspired – reminding us of the critical essence of the early Seattle sound, and where it could have gone if it had the chance to grow up. Indeed, ATP festivals are always somewhere to be inspired, not only by outstanding music, but by the fans and sense of community they engender. It is my privilege to bring you but a small piece of this experience.

I recorded this set with the DPA 4021 microphones from the optimum spot in the venue. Especially given the use of a mobile rig, it is one of my finest captures of the year. Enjoy!

The other set by an ATP band that allows audio taping – Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra – will be posted to the site in the coming days as well.

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Stream the complete set:

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.

Earth
ATP I’ll Be Your Mirror
Paramount Theater
Asbury Park, NJ USA

An acidjack master recording

DPA 4021>PS/2>Sony PCM-M10 (24/44.1)>Audition (set fades, fix clapping, EQ, normalize)>Audacity (tracking)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Black Water Side>Old Black
02 Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull
03 Father Midnight
04 Ouroboros is Broken
05 Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Earth, visit their website, and purchase Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I directly from their site [HERE]

Mt. Eerie: September 21, 2011 285 Kent

September 29, 2011
By

mount-eerie-concert-photos_1
[photo by Juliet Eldred courtesy of Impose Magazine]

Phil Elverum is one of those elusive and otherworldly presences in music, who can take the simplest organ line or bell tone and build a surprising, hauntingly beautiful song around it. Best known for his work under the moniker The Microphones, Elverum rechristened the project Mt. Eerie in the middle of the last decade, but continues with many of The Microphones’ themes and sounds. This show at 285 Kent, presented by the legendary ToddP, had the type of intimate feel that echoed the very bedrooms where Elverum has made many of his compositions. This nine-song set showcased material new and old, and represented Elverum and the touring band’s triumph over what had been a very finicky PA system earlier in the evening. The band followed this show with a Monday performance at Le Poisson Rouge – another venue of considerable charm – but really, what better place to see a bedroom recordist than one of the Brooklyn scene’s coolest living rooms?

I recorded this set with the DPA microphones near the right stack, coupled with a soundboard feed. Other than some light noise from a fan near the mics during the first couple songs, the sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

 

Download the MP3 and FLAC files on the Live Music Archive [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Mt. Eerie
2011-09-21
285 Kent
Brooklyn, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Soundboard + DPA 4021 (X/Y on post 3ft from right stack, 8ft)>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)>Audition (effects, mix down, normalize)>Audacity (tracking)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 I Felt Your Shape
02 Between Two Mysteries
03 Ancient Questions
04 No Inside, No Out
05 [banter]
06 The Place I Live
07 Lone Bell
08 [unknown]
09 Stone’s Ode
10 [unknown]

If you enjoyed this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Mt. Eerie, visit their website, and purchase their records directly from them at their online store.

Wilco: September 23, 2011 Central Park Summerstage – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

September 27, 2011
By


[Photo courtesy of wagz2it]

Whereas the previous evening we saw the damp weather held at bay, for Wilco’s second night at Central Park’s Summerstage the band and attendees weren’t quite as lucky.  All parties took it in stride and the crowd, despite the rain or maybe because of it, seemed particularly enthusiastic.  Once again pulling a lion’s share of tracks from the new album, The Whole Love (which has its official release today), we were also treated to crowd-pleasers “Passenger Side”, “Impossible Germany” and “Heavy Metal Drummer”, and wonderful takes on live staples “Bull Black Nova”, “Misunderstood” and “Jesus, Etc.”, which Jeff Tweedy dedicated to us.  With all the good stuff going on stage, Wilco made it pretty easy to forget about the drizzle on our heads.

As with the night before, the entire NYCTaper crew made it out for the concert.  Paring down our rig considerably due to the inclement weather, we were still able to get an excellent recording and hope you like what you hear as much as we did.  Enjoy!

Stream “Bull Black Nova”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/W2238Wilco2297/Wilco_-_Bull_Black_Nova.mp3]

Stream “Dawned on Me”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/W2238Wilco2297/Wilco_-_Dawned_on_Me.mp3]

Direct download of the complete show in MP3 [HERE]

Direct download of the complete show in FLAC [HERE]

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper with a request for the download location of the FLAC files.

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.

Wilco
Friday, September 23, 2011
Rumsey Playfield
Central Park Summerstage
New York, NY, USA

Source: AUD > Audio-Technica AT3031’s + DPA 4061’s > Church Audio CA9200 > Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] >> Edirol R-44 (WAV @ 24-bit/48kHz)
Lineage: R-44 > USB > PC > Adobe Audition (mixdown, adjust levels, downsample, dither, tracking) > WAV (16-bit/44.1kHz) > Trader’s Little Helper (check/fix SBE’s, FLAC) > FLAC Level 8
Recorded by: acidjack and Johnny Fried Chicken Boy
Produced by: Johnny Fried Chicken Boy

SETLIST:
[Total time: 2:07:00]
01. One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend)
02. Art of Almost
03. I Might
04. Poor Places
05. Bull Black Nova
06. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
07. Pot Kettle Black
08. Impossible Germany
09. Black Moon
10. California Stars  [lyrics by Woody Guthrie]
11. Born Alone
12. Handshake Drugs
13. Heavy Metal Drummer
14. Whole Love
15. Standing O
16. Passenger Side
17. Dawned on Me
18. A Shot in the Arm
19. encore break
20. Misunderstood
21. banter / dedication
22. Jesus, Etc.
23. Walken
24. I’m the Man Who Loves You
25. Red-Eyed and Blue
26. I Got You (At the End of the Century)

If you download this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Wilco, visit their website, visit their Facebook and MySpace pages, and purchase their official releases (including new release, The Whole Love) and merchandise [HERE].

Funky Meters: September 14, 2011 Brooklyn Bowl – FLAC / MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

September 23, 2011
By

funky meters
[Photo by Jill for fortheloveofbrooklyn]

NOLA’s legendary Funky Meters, the successor to the even-more-legendary Meters, put on one of their now-regular multi-night stands at Brooklyn Bowl earlier this month, and this Wednesday night show was a standout.  While the band’s shows back in February faced some hiccups, the band was fully on point this night as they delivered an almost two-hour set of nearly-continuous music.  Along with NOLA classics from themselves, the Meters, Allen Touissant and others, the band showed their virtuosity with rock n’ roll as well, with numbers like the opening “Down By the River” (Neil Young) and the Dylan classic “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35”, stretched into a 7-minute funk number.  “Just Kissed My Baby,” which we had seen covered by Soulive at this very venue earlier this year, was positively on fire, but with apologies to that fine band, the (almost) original blew the newcomers out of the water.  As the best shows at this venue tend to, this one got the dance floor packed and the brews and good times flowing.  Sure, we were a long way from the Treme – but at least the Funky Meters could make us feel a little closer.

hi and lo, Johnny Fried Chicken Boy and I recorded this set with six high-end microphones and preamps from a close-up spot in the venue. The sound is excellent.  Enjoy!

Stream “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 [Bob Dylan]”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/F1904FunkyMeters2101/funkymeters2011-09-14t04.mp3]

Stream  “Fire On the Bayou”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/F1904FunkyMeters2101/funkymeters2011-09-14t10.mp3]

Direct download of the complete show in MP3 [HERE]
Direct download of the complete show in FLAC [HERE]

If either of the links are no longer working, email nyctaper with a request for the download location of the files.

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Funky Meters
2011-09-14
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded by hi and lo, Johnny Fried Chicken Boy and acidjack for nyctaper.com
Produced by acidjack and Johnny Fried Chicken Boy

Schoeps MK5>littlebox + DPA 4021>Sound Devices MixPre + Schoeps MK41>CMC6>Sound Devices USBpre2 >> Tascam DR-680 > 3x24bit/48kHz WAV > Audition (mixdown, normalize) > FLAC > Audition (tracking) > FLAC ( level 8 )

Position: ROC, miss at 15ft, DPAs and MK41s PAS, MK5 DIN

Tracks
[Total time: 1:53:23]
01. intro
02. Down by the River [Neil Young]
03. Sing a Simple Song [Sly Stone]
04. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 [Bob Dylan]
05. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl [Sonny Boy Williamson]
06. Iko Iko [James “Sugar Boy” Crawford / The Dixie Cups]
07. No More Okey Doke
08. Just Kissed My Baby
09. He Bite Me
10. Fire on the Bayou
11. I Walk on Guilded Splinters [Dr. John]
12. Marie Laveau [Bobby Bare]
13. Hoochie Coo
14. Africa
15. Africa outro / Cissy Strut intro
16. Cissy Strut
17. Get Out of My Life, Woman [Allen Toussaint]
18. Big Chief [Earl King / Wardell Quezergue]
19. Big Chief Got a Golden Crown [George Landry / The Wild Tchoupitoulas]
20. Ride Yu Donkey [The Tennors] (> Shake, Rattle and Roll tease [Charles E. Calhoun])

If you enjoy this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT The Funky Meters, visit their website, and purchase their records from their online store [HERE]

Vetiver: September 13, 2011 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

September 21, 2011
By

Vetiver-010
[Photos courtesy of JC McIlwaine.  Check out his photography page here.  More of his Fruit Bats concert photos, and a review of the show, are available at Bowery Ballroom’s “House List” site here]

It’s hard to have a truly great time at a concert without a headliner that kills it.  But an almost-equal treat is catching an opener that you haven’t seen on tour before, whose music you don’t really know, and who equals or even surpasses the headliner.  Such was the case with this nearly co-headlining (in terms of length) set by the San Francisco band Vetiver, who opened the Bowery Ballroom for the Fruit Bats (that recording here). In fairness, the bands aren’t entirely separate entities; Fruit Bats frontman Eric Johnson has also played in Vetiver, and joined them during this show for “I Must Be In A Good Place Now.”  But despite the range of collaborators (which also include Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newson, Hope Sandoval and Johnson), Vetiver is first and foremost the brainchild of songwriter Andy Cabic, who has been performing with this band since 2004. Utilizing elements of the breezy, 60s-inspired sound big these days among the likes of Kurt Vile and the War on Drugs (and tagged, like anything even vaguely so, with the prefix “psych-“), and more traditional Americana and roots music (“Wishing Well” could just about be the Grateful Dead), Cabic’s songs are well-crafted and timeless in the best of ways. “Can’t You Tell”, from the band’s latest, The Errant Charm, is beautifully paced, riding a bouncy organ riff and head-bobbing backbeat.  I was also instantly charmed by “It’s Beyond Me”, another track from the new record, a slow-burner that manages to have a deliciously anthemic feel despite never cranking the volume to 11.  You can imagine Vetiver fitting in well in a lot of different settings – with various permutations of the indie set, with the folk crowd, with the Wilco fans – but this combo with the Fruit Bats was a particularly strong one, making for a perfect night of music.  The Fruit Bats closed it out strong, but it wouldn’t have been possible without Vetiver.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed and the DPA microphones, and the resulting pull is even better than the Fruit Bats recording. Enjoy!

Stream “It’s Beyond Me”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/V0913Vetiver0211/vetiver2011-09-13bowery_acidjack-07.mp3]

Stream “Can’t You Tell”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/V0913Vetiver0211/vetiver2011-09-13bowery_acidjack-13.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Vetiver
2011-09-13
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Soundboard + DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (EQ, effects, mixdown, smooth peaks, amplify and balance, downsample to 44.1kHz)>Audacity (tracking)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Wonder Why
02 Streets of Your Town [Go-Betweens]
03 Strictly Rule
04 Hard to Break
05 Right Away
06 Everyday
07 It’s Beyond Me
08 You May Be Blue
09 I Must Be In A Good Place Now*
10 [banter]
11 Rolling Sea
12 Wishing Well
13 Can’t You Tell
14 More of This

* w/ Eric Johnson from Fruit Bats

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Vetiver, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from Sub Pop Records at its online store [HERE]

Fruit Bats: September 13, 2011 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

September 20, 2011
By


[Photos courtesy of JC McIlwaine. Check out his photography page here. More of his Fruit Bats concert photos, and a review of the show, are available at Bowery Ballroom’s “House List” site here]

What a pleasure it is to see a band that knows what it wants, does it well, and draws a wide audience while doing it.  The Fruit Bats, another of several Chicago bands to be on the site of late, manage the difficult feat of making upbeat, canny music that is familiar but wholly their own.  “That was like a little bit of Bowie, a little bit of David Byrne and I think like a little bit of Dave Matthews… and a whole lot me” band founder, frontman and leading light Eric Johnson says as the finish the song “Dolly” early in this Bowery Ballroom set.  And while he’s being a bit self-effacing (as Johnson often is), the kernel of truth there is apparent in the band’s live show.  Johnson’s sweet voice and Midwestern affability, combined with his natural ear for the pop hook, make the Fruit Bats a very approachable band, one that reminds you of the good things you like about your favorites, and maybe music in general.

The band was back at Bowery touring behind their new release, Tripper, which follows 2009’s The Ruminant Band.   TRB was considered a high watermark for the band, with some outstanding songs that were represented on this night like “Feather Bed” (which recalls a young Elton John as much as anything I’ve seen in awhile), “Joy To the World” (performed this night as a solo number), and “Flamingo.”  But based on their live renditions, it is to early to sell the new record short, either – witness “Tangle and Ray” or “Heart Like An Orange” for example, which hold their own with anything in the band’s catalog.  Although the Fruit Bats are essentially a Johnson solo project in terms of the recorded output, his touring outfit plays together like a veteran band, with the casual competence that comes from years of working together.  Johnson’s good-natured crowd banter, and the introduction (for many of us) of the new songs made for an excellent night.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed provided by the Fruit Bats’ sound engineer, together with DPA microphones.   The results are, as usual with Bowery, excellent.  Enjoy!

The Vetiver set was also recorded and will be posted soon.

Stream “Heart Like An Orange”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/F9310FruitBats0211/fruitbats2011-09-13bowery_acidjack-04.mp3]

Stream “Flamingo”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/F9310FruitBats0211/fruitbats2011-09-13bowery_acidjack-13.mp3]

This recording is now available for download in FLAC or MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Follow acidjack on twitter

Fruit Bats
2011-09-13
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Soundboard + DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (EQ, effects, mixdown, smooth peaks, amplify and balance, downsample to 44.1kHz)>Audacity (tracking)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 The Blessed Breeze
03 Tony the Tripper
04 Heart Like An Orange
05 [banter]
06 Dolly
07 [banter]
08 Lives of Crime
09 Feather Bed
10 Tangle and Ray
11 Being On Our Own
12 Singing Joy to the World
13 Flamingo
14 Legs of Bees
15 Primitive Man
16 Tegucigalpa
17 When You Love Somebody
18 [encore break]
19 You’re Too Weird
20 The Ruminant Band

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Fruit Bats, visit their website, and purchase their records from their online store [HERE]

Umphrey’s McGee: September 9, 2011 Brooklyn Bowl – FLAC / MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

September 12, 2011
By

Umphreys BBowl
[still from this video]

If you look at the bands I generally post about on this site, most of them tend to fall pretty far from the “jam band” category.  But you can’t really be in the hobby of taping without being aware of this rich, diverse and somewhat pejoratively-titled genre, and the Chicago band Umphrey’s McGee are one of the rising stars of the scene.  So, three of us – hi and lo, Johnny Fried Chicken Boy, and myself – hit up UM’s final show at Brooklyn Bowl, the culmination of a five-night stand at the venue that has rapidly become a staple for improvisationally-minded bands when they come through the NYC area (a trend even picked up on by the review of Thursday’s show in The New York Times).  It being a Friday night, fans came ready to party, and UM rewarded with two full sets of their staple extended numbers as well as their usual offerings of fun covers like Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher”, all backed by an outstanding light show.

The vibes from the band and crowd were all good, although the Brooklyn Bowl PA was oddly not very loud (good for conversation, bad for music).  Still, you couldn’t deny the virtuosity of the band, whose dense musical explorations often turned in unexpected directions, led by their dueling guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger.  UM are known for a heavier sound that references prog-metal acts like King Crimson, Yes, Pink Floyd and Iron Maiden (and if you closed your eyes during a few parts, Metallica) that sets them in a unique position between the traditional funk/bluegrass/folk sound of some of the older bands in the scene and the “rocktronica” sound that has gained popularity of late.  Heady instrumentals like “Push the Pig” demonstrate that intersection of prog and “jam” music perfectly, combining a funky groove with a proggy guitar sound.  And, it should be mentioned, as a live experience, these guys just throw a hell of a party.  The three of us stumbled out of the show happy, for sure.

The band’s recent blitz of NYC was to promote their new record, Death By Stereo. Although it was largely ignored at this show, there are some amazing packages available if you buy DBS online, including the opportunity to tune into all-request webcasts where the band will play fan requests, band favorites, and acoustic and solo material.

Three of us recorded this show from one of the usual taping spots in the venue with our mic stand as high as it would go (about 15′) to avoid crowd chatter, using three sets of high-end mics and a variety of similarly high-end pre-amps.  Although the somewhat low PA volume meant a few chatterers here and there weren’t completely drowned out, and the venue’s layout presents certain sonic limitaitons, hi and lo’s outstanding post-production mix of these three sources has produced a recording that captures the sound and feel of the show perfectly.

Stream “Nemo”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/U8709Umphreys1192/um2011-09-09.nemo.mp3]

Download the FLAC/MP3 files and stream this entire show on the Live Music Archive [HERE]

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.

Umphrey’s McGee
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY, US
2011-09-09

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded and produced for nyctaper.com

Recordist : hi and lo, acidjack, and Johnny Fried Chicken Boy
Location : Right side on-stand, ~ 30 yds
Source : Schoeps MK5 > CMR > PFA > PSP-2 + Schoeps MK41 > CMC6 > Oade M248 + DPA 4021 > Sound Devices MixPre >> Tascam DR-680 @ 24 bit / 48 kHz
Edit : WaveLab v5 (fades/dither/+11dB gain), Izotope SRC/Dither
Final Format : 16 bit, 44.1 kHz
Tracking : CD-Wave v1.98
Encoding : FLAC v1.2.1 ( level 8 ) with TLH v2.6.0 (Build 168)

Tracklist:

Set I

01. Jazz Odyssey
02. Prowler
03. Words
04. All In Time
05. Push the Pig
06. Nemo
07. Pay the Snucka
08. Hot For Teacher [Van Halen]
09. Wizard Burial Ground

Set II

10. Divisions > “Jimmy Stewart” > Divisions
11. Bridgeless
12. Eminence Front [Townshend]
13. Hurt Bird Bath
14. America the Beautiful [Bates/Ward]
15. Soul Food I
16. 1348
17. (Encore Call 1)
18. Front Porch
19. (Encore Call 2)
20. All In Time

Running Time: 2:44:13

We expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Umphrey’s McGee, visit their website, go see them on tour, and purchase Death By Stereo directly from their online store [HERE]

Skeletons: August 25, 2011 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

September 9, 2011
By

skeleteons2011-08-25best
[photo by acidjack]

Originally a solo project of Chicago native Matt Mehlan, Skeletons‘ lineups change frequently, but their commitment to challenging, engaging post-rock does not. Skeletons are reflexively described as “experimental”, but that tag ignores Mehlan’s proclivity for making music that can be as catchy as it is complex. This show at Glasslands, courtesy of PopGun Booking, kicked off with “More Than The One Thing,” a feel-good tune whose combination of tribal, global sounds with pop songcraft brings to mind acts like Vampire Weekend and Here We Go Magic, and followed, as it does on the band’s latest record, with the similarly catchy “Wal-Mart and the Ghost of Jimmy Damour.”

But in case anyone was worried that Skeletons were bowing to the college-rock set, Mehlan took the show in a radically different direction, with a combined 22-plus minute combination of the free jazz referencing “Paint Over It” which segued directly into “Grandma”, with its engaging lead guitar and propulsive beat. “Thank you for making it through that,” Mehlan joked at the end of that mini-epic, but he needn’t have apologized for what was, in my view, the highlight of the set.  One of Mehlan’s greatest strengths is his ability to change directions rapidly and weave disparate elements into a cohesive whole, and this combination spoke to that fusion element perfectly.

I found some songs, in particular the first two, slightly more accessible (meaning, poppy) than their versions on the band’s latest record, People, which is released on the Oberlin-based Shinkoyo.  That may also owe to the fact that this show was played by the band’s leanest lineup – Mehlan also enjoys playing shows as the “Skeletons Big Band”, which gives him a much more expansive sonic palette to play with.  While People was well represented at this show, it is worth delving into Skeletons’ back catalog as well, including the excellent Lucas, which was released on Ghostly International in 2007 (and represented at this show by the melancholy slow-burner “Push ‘im Out”).  I’ll be looking forward to Skeletons’ next show – hopefully with the big band!

I recorded this set with a perfect soundboard feed combined with the DPA microphones and an analog preamp.  The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Stream “Grandma”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/S2508Skeletons2011/05 Grandma.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

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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.

Skeletons
2011-08-25
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

DPA 4021>Oade M248 + Soundboard>>Edirol R-44>2x24bit 48kHz WAV>Audition (mix down, effects)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 More Than The One Thing
02 Wal-Mart and the Ghost of Jimmy Damour
03 Paint Over It
04 Grandma
05 [banter]
06 No
07 Push ‘im Out
08 [encore break]
09 Lil’ Rich

We hope you enjoy this recording. We also hope that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Skeletons by buying People and their other excellent releases from Shinkoyo [HERE]

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