Posts Tagged ‘ experimental ’

Joshua Abrams Natural Information Society: October 4, 2019 Union Pool

October 29, 2019
By

It seems reductive to call Joshua Abrams Natural Information Society “jazz,” but language has limits that music does not. To quote our friend Eric PH in his own earlier review, “Mandatory Reality, the latest double-LP from Joshua Abrams Natural Information Society, sounds like a band erasing borders.” I couldn’t agree more — and this night’s single session, dubbed “Surveil Echo Analeptic” by Abrams, plumbs yet more deep territory, incorporating elements of drone, traditional North African music and, yes, jazz into a hypnotic moment. Joined on this night at Union Pool by the very special guest Jim White (Dirty Three, Xylouris White, etc.), Abrams (on the guimbri), Lisa Alvarado (harmonium), Jason Stein (bass clarinet) and White created a piece that felt free and otherworldly, but no less meticulous; Abrams is a master at creating an environment that elevates all players rather than restrain them.

In further good news, while Abrams’ catalog of releases on experimental Northampton, Mass. label Eremite Records are almost perpetually sold out, a second pressing of Mandatory Reality has appeared. Get it while you still can.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK22 “open cardiod” mics and a soundboard feed from Doug Graham. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Thanks to Joshua Abrams for permitting us to record and share the performance.

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC/ALAC]

Joshua Abrams Natural Information Society
2019-10-04
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard (engineer: Doug Graham) + Schoeps MK22>KCY>Z-PFA>>Sound Devices MixPre6>24/48 polyWAV>Adobe Audition CC>Izotope Ozone 5>Audacity 2.3.0>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Surveil Echo Analeptic

Natural Information Society on this night:
Joshua Abrams – guimbri, composition
Lisa Alvarado – harmonium
Jason Stein – bass clarinet
Jim White – drums

• Buy Mandatory RealityVinyl via Eremite Records / Digital via Bandcamp
• • 
NaturalInformationSociety.com

Bill Nace & Samara Lubelski: September 6, 2019 Three Lobed / WXDU Annual Ritual of Summoning (Raleigh, NC)

September 26, 2019
By

On the heels of a barnburning set by David Nance Group, Bill Nace and Samara Lubelski conjured up a different sort of vibe at the Three Lobed / WXDU Annual Ritual of Summoning at Kings.

Lubelski and Nace both have extensive musical histories as solo artists, improvisers and collaborators, including with members of Sonic Youth (Lubelski with Thurston Moore in, among other formats, Chelsea Light Moving; Nace most recently in Body/Head with Kim Gordon, but also with Moore and Lubelski). This format — in which the duo have released a self-titled album and recently toured the U.S. — finds Lubelski on violin and Nace on guitar/effects. It’s clear from the cohesiveness of this 28-minute piece that the pair have a natural interplay with each other, as they weave together a piece that you’ll find thought provoking no matter how you choose to interpret it.

I recorded this set primarily with a feed from the soundboard, with the Schoeps MK5 onstage mics providing additional atmosphere. Enjoy!

Download: [MP3/FLAC]

Bill Nace & Samara Lubelski
2019-09-06
Three Lobed / WXDU Annual Ritual of Summoning
Kings
Raleigh, NC USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard + Schoeps MK5c (onstage, XY, DFC)>KC5>CMC6>>Sound Devices MixPre6>24/48 polyWAV>Adobe Audition CC>Izotope Ozone 5>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 improvisation

Buy Samara and Bill’s self-titled record directly from Relative Pitch Records.

Ryley Walker feat. Garcia Peoples: June 20, 2019 Rocks Off Concert Cruise

June 21, 2019
By

When you’re already committed to playing a show on a low-ceilinged boat with stripper(?) poles and questionable stabilizers, you might as well take some risks musically, too. Last Saturday’s Rocks Off Concert Cruise with Garcia Peoples (recorded live by yours truly, natch) was a choppy-watered success, but I didn’t expect to be back on that boat quite so soon.

But the return of Ryley Walker to a New York stage (even if a floating one), coupled with the fact that his backing band would in fact be Garcia Peoples, was more than enough justification. If the weather outdoors was a bit more inconsistent this go round, the water presented fewer challenges and the vibes onstage were good as ever.

What we got here were two extended solo versions of “Summer Dress” (firmly back in the rotation, it seems) and “The Roundabout,” including an expanded take on Ryley’s hilarious Nick Drake imitation (practically daring him to turn this thing into an actual song). Walker looked strong and in command up there after a little time off, and in excellent spirits even when some rough water stumbled him away from the mic once or twice. After that set, the boat-tested crew from GP came and joined Walker for a thirty-five minute collab of psychedelia, drone, and other genres that Ryley’s Twitter will surely make jokes about this morning. The jam made an already-unusual show completely one of a kind, and yet another example of how with Ryley on center stage, you really don’t ever know quite what you’re gonna get.

Given the challenging acoustics of the boat, I recorded this set up close with Schoeps MK4V microphones in a mobile setup. That turned out to be a good decision — the sound quality is excellent. Hope you dig it!

Download the complete show from its page on the Live Music Archive

Ryley Walker feat. Garcia Peoples
2019-06-20
Rocks Off Concert Cruise
The Lucille
New York, NY USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Schoeps MK4V (FOB, DFC, DIN)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices MixPre6>24/48 WAV>Adobe Audition CC>Izotope Ozone 5>Audacity>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 57:40]
01 [intro]
02 Summer Dress
03 [banter-pirate band]
04 The Roundabout
05 Rocks Off Jam

PLEASE SUPPORT RYLEY WALKER: Bandcamp | Dead Oceans

Ryley Walker / David Grubbs / Ryan Jewell / C. Spencer Yeh: March 26, 2019 Union Pool

April 15, 2019
By

Ryley Walker’s March residency at Union Pool covered all the bases of Walker’s sound, from relatively “straight-ahead” song-based performances to instrumental blowouts with friends and colleagues like Ryan Jewell and Steve Gunn. Count this final night’s performance firmly in the latter camp, as Walker and residency mainstay Jewell were joined by David Grubbs (Gastr del Sol, others) and C. Spencer Yeh (Burning Star Core) for a full set of avant-garde experimentation that found Walker stepping away from the mic but fully present as guitarist and spiritual force.

Ryley Walker’s March residency at Union Pool covered all the bases of Walker’s sound, from relatively “straight-ahead” song-based performances to instrumental blowouts with friends and colleagues like Ryan Jewell and Steve Gunn. Count this final night’s performance firmly in the latter camp, as Walker and residency mainstay Jewell were joined by David Grubbs (Gastr del Sol, others) and C. Spencer Yeh (Burning Star Core) for a full set of avant-garde experimentation that found Walker stepping away from the mic but fully present as guitarist and spiritual force.

Over the course of these residency shows (plus bonus Queens show), I’ve said my piece about Ryley Walker and “who” he is musically, so I won’t belabor the point. Suffice it to say that even if you follow all things Walker, this unique collaboration is a standout, something not likely to be repeated. Walker made it known what an honor it was for him to play with these musicians. It was equally our honor to have heard it.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the other Union Pool shows, with Doug Graham’s outstanding house mix leading the way. Enjoy!

Thanks to Union Pool and Will S for continuing to book and host interesting and experimental music in north Brooklyn.

Download the complete show from its Live Music Archive page.

Ryley Walker/David Grubbs/Ryan Jewell/C. Spencer Yeh
2019-03-26 (Residency Night 4)
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY  USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard (engineer: Doug Graham) + Schoeps MK5c (XY, at SBD)>KC5>CMC6>>Sound Devices MixPre 6>24/48 polyWAV>Adobe Audition CC>Izotope Ozone 5>Audacity 2.3.0>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 UP Quartet Jam Pt 1
02 UP Quartet Jam Pt 2
03 UP Quartet Jam Pt 3
04 UP Quartet Jam Pt 4
05 UP Quartet Jam Pt 5

PLEASE SUPPORT RYLEY WALKER: Bandcamp | Dead Oceans

Oneida: July 14, 2017 Secret Project Robot

July 26, 2017
By

Since our last encounter with the band at the former Secret Project Robot space nearly a year ago, Oneida has released a stellar live album (of a different Secret Project Robot show), Secret Project Robot has become a slightly-less DIY, fully licensed, and even-more-enjoyable artist-run venue, drummer Kid Millions put out the best Man Forever release of … forever, and Oneida has nearly completed a brand-new album. Not a bad year’s work for guys who still have day jobs.

We’ve seen as many Oneida performances, collectively, as just about any band, so it’s hard to make a claim about one without offending one’s memory of another. So, I won’t throw inadvertent shade on those many other performances by saying this was the very best Oneida performance, but it was easily the very best I’ve seen in the recent past, made doubly exciting by the high volume of new tuneage (owing to that new album and all). The band has worked out many of these jams live at various other shows, but we haven’t been to one where they ripped through so many at once. Further, several of these were brand-new to us, including the one title-not-known-by-me song, “It Was Me,” “All In Due Time,” and “Lay of the Land.” A couple of those new songs offer a somewhat softer vibe than Oneida jams of recent past, with one of those unnamed numbers even billed as a “love song.” Just in case you thought they might go soft, Oneida made sure to play the storming “Cock Fight” next. By the time they made it to the final song, a nearly fifteen-minute “Cedars,” all I could think about was exactly how soon I could get my hands on that new record, and see Oneida next.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK4V microphones at the stage lip, together with a soundboard feed provided by our friends at punkcast. Other than a couple of occasional technical glitches in the vocal parts from the board feed, the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy! (By the way, if you want to hear an amazing, perfect-sounding Oneida live show, don’t be a cheapskate and go buy their live album. Trust us.)

Download the complete set: [MP3/Apple Lossless/FLAC]

Oneida
2017-07-14
Secret Project Robot
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Onstage recording by acidjack
Soundboard recording courtesy of punkcast
Produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK4V (Stage lip, DFC)>KCY>Z-PFA + SBD (engineer: Eric)>>Zoom F8>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CC (fades, align, mix down, compression, limiter)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 You Get Brighter
02 Economy Travel
03 All In Due Time
04 Bad Habit
05 Reputation
06 [tuning]
07 [new1 – “love song”]
08 Cock Fight
09 It Was Me
10 Lay of the Land
11 Cedars

SUPPORT Oneida: bandcamp | Buy Live at Secret Project Robot | Man Forever

Herbcraft: November 13, 2016 Trans-Pecos

November 30, 2016
By

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The first time I saw Herbcraft, I had no idea who they were, had barely gotten set up, and had no idea what to expect. Two years later, I can say that that show by the Portland, Maine band remains one of the true gems of my entire recording “career,” and one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve ever come across from a live band period, let alone an opener. The band’s fluid, almost entirely improvisational sets are a thing of cosmic beauty, taking you to that comfortable yet foreign place where your mind and music unite. This set at Trans-Pecos, opening for MV & EE, continued in that vein, as the band played an extended thirty minute improv that even they couldn’t give a name to. This afternoon set required neither fancy lights nor the cover of darkness to take us back to that place, to open our minds and our imaginations to a better world that is not quite our own. Dig in.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK4V microphones in the audience and Naiant X-X omnidirectional microphones split onstage. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream the complete set below. You can download it on a “Pay What You Will” basis from our bandcamp site if you click through.

Herbcraft
2016-11-13
Trans-Pecos
Queens, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK4V (FOB, DFC)>KCY>Z-PFA + Naiant X-X (split onstage)>>Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CC (compression, fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects, image)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Live at Trans-Pecos

PLEASE SUPPORT Herbcraft: Bandcamp | Facebook | Woodsist

Joan of Arc: October 7, 2016 Knitting Factory

October 31, 2016
By

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The last time we recorded Joan of Arc, I noted that they could be a bit of an acquired taste; that they are a band that rewards listeners who want to be challenged, not who show up for something typical. At this Knitting Factory performance, their first in New York in quite some time, they doubled down on that statement, as they played a set of songs that was alternately fascinating and head-scratching, but consistently expectation-defying. The current band includes Tim Kinsella on guitar and vocals, regulars Bobby Burg and Theo Katsaounis on bass and drums, Jeremy Boyle and the artist Melina Ausikaitis, who performed both an a cappella number mid-set and joined Kinsella on vocals at points in addition to playing some custom instruments.

This set was meant to showcase the band’s forthcoming album, He’s Got the Whole This Land Is Your Land In His Hands, which you can pre-order here, and which is of a piece with the band’s general perspective. The record contains a heavier emphasis on electronic instruments than one might expect from a member of the legendary Cap’n Jazz and the much-vaunted (or maligned, depending on your perspective) “emo” scene, which was a term that never really meant much of anything, but means even less when considered in light of this band. Songs like “This Must Be the Placenta” (the album’s first single) and “Stranged That Egg Yolk” are sure to stretch boundaries for some fans, and if their reception tonight was to be believed, Joan of Arc’s fans are ready for them. Things got weirder after we hit the halfway point, with Ausikaitis’ pseudo-Appalachian a cappella number followed by “The Hands” from the band’s first album, which then led into a lengthy aside by Kinsella about seeing the Misfits in a hockey arena, followed by two mostly-instrumental songs that I found to be the most compelling in the set (if these have names, please help me out), which made up a combined twenty minutes of the just-over-an-hour total.

In total, then, this show felt reminiscent of that show back in 2011: depending on one’s perspective, some things may have “worked” better than others, but you have to applaud the whole of it for its willingness to take risks, to let things go to uncomfortable places. Based on the preview tracks floating around on the Internet, the new album should be a more than worthy entry into the band’s canon, and represent some of the best of those experiments. Nearly twenty years after their first album was released, Joan of Arc know who they want to reach and how they want to reach them, and that has continued to make their story one worth following.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK4V microphones next to the soundboard with a feed from house engineer Rob. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete set: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete set:

Joan of Arc
2016-10-07
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard (engineer: Rob) + Schoeps MK4V>KCY>Z-PFA>>Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (fades, align, compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:07:10]
01 Explain Yourselves #2>instrumental
02 Stemingway and Heinbeck
03 Flowers
04 This Must Be The Placenta
05 Stranged That Egg Yolk
06 Staying Alive and Lovelessness
07 Shown and Told
08 “Red Headed Girl”
09 The Hands
10 [banter]
11 [new]>
12 [new2]

PLEASE SUPPORT Joan of Arc: Website | Pre-Order the new album

Bill Nace: September 9, 2016 Three Lobed / WXDU Day Show, King’s (Raleigh, NC)

October 14, 2016
By

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Bill Nace‘s reputation among noise aficionados is a well-deserved one, with him having collaborated with the likes of Okkyung Lee, Chris Corsano, Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, and Paul Flaherty. If his work with Gordon in Body/Head is his best known, that still means Nace’s experimental guitar work still resonates with a relatively specific (but dedicated) portion of the music-loving population. Among a diverse bill, perhaps Nace’s appearance most drove home what sets Three Lobed Recordings apart even from its brethren among small labels.  On a day that spanned Watery Love’s scuzzy hardcore to Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore’s delicate folk, Nace’s set nonetheless stood out as a testament to music’s outer boundaries. The abstract, hypnotic and deeply felt composition that Nace wove on this afternoon was one of those things that leaves each listener open to interpret it how they wish; for me, a reward of this type of music is the way that it forces the listener to decide what it is, rather than interpret more direct expressions like lyrics. While sometimes a recording cannot fully capture what it meant to experience something live at the time, I submit that this is almost the reverse — on headphones, in a car or some other enclosed, personal space, this set is even better to engage with.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK4V microphones onstage and Brad Womack’s house mix. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC/ALAC]

Stream the complete show:

Bill Nace
2016-09-09
Three Lobed / WXDU Day Show
King’s
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Soundboard (engineer: Brad Womack) + Schoeps MK4V (stage lip, DFC, PAS)>KC5>CMC6>Zoom F8>3x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (compression, fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 improvisation

PLEASE SUPPORT BILL NACE — Buy his other records here and get Body/Head material here.

Nick Millevoi’s Desertion Trio: September 15, 2016 Silent Barn

September 21, 2016
By

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Since we sung the praises of guitarist Nick Millevoi and his Desertion Quartet after a show at Palisades earlier this year, Millevoi has not only been hitting the pavement with Chris Forsyth’s Solar Motel Band, but he’s been developing more of his own work as well. This show at Silent Barn (which has never looked or sounded better) gave us a taste of that new material as well as some of the songs we love from his current album, including the noise freakout “The Fire That Damaged City Hall.” This show was played as a trio, with Kevin Shea on drums and Johnny DeBlase helming the other guitar. Millevoi’s unique style is a joy to watch live, as it shifts effortlessly between choogling rock to free jazz, and it’s something that sets him apart in a more-than-worthy field of contemporaries. Being able to see Nick is still a too-rare treat, so we’re especially grateful to him for inviting us. We’re sure you’ll agree.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 microphones split wide onstage (as you can see above) in the omnidirectional pattern. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete set: [MP3/FLAC/ALAC]

Stream the complete set:

Nick Millevoi’s Desertion Trio
2016-09-15
Silent Barn
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5o (stage lip, DFC, 3’ split A-B)>KC5>CMC6>Zoom F8>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (compression, fades, normalize)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Desertion and the Arsonist’s Match
02 [banter]
03 [new]
04 [new2]
05 The Big Moment Is Always Out There Waiting
06 The Fire That Partially Damaged City Hall

Band
Nick Millevoi – Guitar
Johnny DeBlase – Bass
Kevin Shea – Drums

Support Nick Millevoi’s Desertion Quartet: Website | Order Desertion via Bandcamp

People of the North: August 10, 2016 Secret Project Robot

September 1, 2016
By

IMG_1155

Our lovefest with all things Oneida and Oneida-related continued earlier this month when, on the heels of the final Oneida set at Secret Project Robot, we caught People of the North in the same venue. While POTN shares personnel with Oneida (regulars Kid Millions and Bobby Matador, plus Barry London for this set), the band’s vibe is distinct, with an even-more fluid and keyboard-driven approach. The band has a new album, The Caul, on its way from Thrill Jockey, but who knows whether this material is reflective of that, or just the bandmembers’ mind-state at showtime. Whatever the reason, this 45-minute improv was yet another reminder that with this group of musicians, you can always count on an interesting trip.

I recorded this set with a pair of Schoeps MK4V microphones at the stage lip. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Download the complete set: [MP3/FLAC/ALAC]

Stream the complete set:

People of the North
2016-08-10
Secret Project Robot
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK4V (stage lip, DFC, PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>Zoom F8>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (compression, fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 improvisation

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT People of the North by buying their records from Thrill Jockey.

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