Posts Tagged ‘ manhattan ’

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

Garcia Peoples: March 29, 2019 Nublu NYC (with Chris Forsyth)

April 1, 2019
By
photo courtesy of Jeff Conklin

This Nublu night was ostensibly organized as the release party for Garcia Peoples new album Natural Facts with good friend of the site Ryley Walker as special guest. When Ryley decided to take some time off for personal reasons, the band invited another friend of this site Chris Forsyth, and Chris came north from Philadelphia on very short notice. The result was one of the more memorable shows in recent memory. The first set was a solid run through GP material, but it was the second set where the magic was revealed in an incredible hour-long jam sequence that approached legendary status. With Forsyth surrounded by the GP guitar section, the band added percussionist Ryan Jewell, and the double-drummer attack propelled the action through a 32-minute jam on a new Forsyth composition “Techno Top”. What followed were two covers that took the jam-packed crowd into another stratosphere. Of particular note is the tasty 1968-style high-energy “The Other One” which started on a buzz that never wavered through 19 minutes of pure bliss.

If you live in the Philadelphia area, Garcia Peoples is returning the release show favor to Chris Forsyth, as the two will perform together at Jerry’s On Front on April 27 when Forsyth releases his new record All Time Present. Our sincere recommendation is that anyone within any reasonable distance of that show on that night should not miss another magic night.

Eric and I recorded this set from an upfront location in the venue directly behind the DJ booth. The positioning did not permit a board feed, but the fortuitously placed high-end mics have yielded recordings of superb quality. We offer both for your enjoyment!

Download the Complete Recording at Archive.org

NYCTaper version [HERE]

Eric PH version [HERE]

Stream the Complete Set:

Garcia Peoples
2019-03-29
Nublu
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
Upfront Audience

Schoeps CCM4u’s > Sound Devices 744t > 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
Set 1
[Total Time 40:07]
01 Rolling Tides
02 Feel So Great
03 Break Me Down
04 Total Yang
05 High Noon Violence
06 The Spiraling
Set 2
[Total Time 1:04:44]
07 Techno Top
08 The Calvary Cross [Richard Thompson]
09 The Other One [GD]

PLEASE SUPPORT These Artists: Garcia Peoples | Chris Forsyth

Pylon Reenactment Society: July 1, 2018 Mercury Lounge

July 18, 2018
By


[photos by Chris Sikich]

Pylon’s influence on their contemporaries is indisputable. Indeed, over the years REM has consistently cited Pylon for their positive impact on the 1980s Athens scene. What’s become more clear in the intervening years is that Pylon’s influence is more vast than their local time and place — their revolutionary sound can be heard in new bands even today. Pylon was enjoying a bit of a renaissance in their third reunion period of 2007-2008 when tragically guitarist Randy Bewley suffered a heart attack and passed away at the age of 53. At that point, the band was formally retired and it seemed as if Pylon’s music would only live on in recordings.

After a few one-off local performances, in 2014 lead singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay re-formed the band under the moniker Pylon Reenactment Society. With the blessing of her two former bandmates Michael Lachowski and Curtis Crowe, Vanessa compiled a group of performers from the Athens scene who were both intimately familiar with the music and personally known to the band. Guitarist Jason NeSmith and bassist Kay Stanton were not only members of Athens mainstays Casper & the Cookies, but were also bandmates with Vanessa in Supercluster. Drummer Joe Rowe was a founding member of Athens greats the Glands, who suffered their own deep loss with the 2016 death of leader Ross Shapiro. Vanessa also added a new touch with this new configuration, as her friend and University of Georgia music professor Damon Denton fortifies the sound of PRS with skillful keyboards. So with friendship, familiarity, and a common ethos, its easily understandable that Pylon Reenactment Society has generated universally positive reviews as both an tribute and a celebration of Pylon, and a contemporary band with its own story to write.

Pylon Reenactment Society doesn’t come North very often, but we were fortunate to catch this month’s appearance at Mercury Lounge, a venue where I captured the original band in 2007. With a full crowd there to party, PRS brought the goods — an animated set of old Pylon classics and two new numbers all performed with the precision the songs require but this a new touch from a different skilled set of performers, all fronted by the inimitable Vanessa Briscoe Hay. The set began with “Driving School” and “Volume” from the first Pylon record, 1980’s Gyrate. Indeed, the show would include almost all of the first album and the entirety of Side A of the band’s second album Chomp. The set even included uber-rare b-side “Altitude”, a song with which we were unfamiliar until the fantastic release in 2016 of Pylon Live (Chunklet). With a twenty-song, ninety-minute set, Pylon Reenactment Society gave the crowd of old and newer fans all that could have been asked for — a chance to relive the old classic material in a new configuration with plenty of heart. We hope they’ll be back North again soon.

I recorded this set with the Schoeps cards set up next to the soundboard and mixed with an excellent feed and the sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

Pylon Reenactment Society
2018-07-01
Mercury Lounge
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Schoeps CCM4u Cardioids > Sound Devices 744t > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files >
Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:28:45]
01 Driving School
02 Volume
03 Look Alive
04 Cool
05 Messenger [new song]
06 Precaution
07 K
08 Italian Movie Theme
09 Human Body
10 [band introductions]
11 Working Is No Problem
12 Danger
13 Altitude
14 Buzz
15 Crazy
16 Try To Do That [new song]
17 Feast On My Heart
18 Beep
19 [encore break]
20 M Train
21 Dub
22 [banter – thanks]
23 Stop It

PLEASE SUPPORT Pylon Reenactment Society: Website | Bandcamp | Buy Pylon Live

Alejandro Escovedo and Richard Barone: May 23, 2018 Berlin NYC

May 28, 2018
By


[photo from Alejandro Escovedo Instagram Page]

Alejandro Escovedo is in the midst of a five-week NYC residency that has featured as guests some of the most renowned musicians in the history of New York music, including Sylvain Sylvain, Lenny Kaye, and Richard Barone. The residency was the brainchild of Escovedo, Jesse Malin, and Diane Gentile, and is a celebration of Alejandro’s long-time connection to NYC (with The Nuns he moved here in 1978), but is also a tribute to musical heroes Lou Reed and David Bowie, and is also in support of his latest album, the outstanding Burn Something Beautiful. We chose to capture the night at Malin’s club Berlin NYC with Richard Barone, a long-time favorite of this site. Oh, and what a show it was. Alejandro was as ever a gracious host, and the two headliners basically shared the lead microphone throughout the night, alternating between Escovedo material, Barone material, and a selection of classic covers of Velvet Underground and David Bowie. There were also heartfelt tributes, crowd interaction, and a guest spot from Barone’s partner in the Bongos James Mastro. Interestingly, the set also featured two songs from the great lost classic, the Barone/Mastro duo album Nuts & Bolts. Through it all, the old punks in the crowd were boisterous in their support (with a few over-served unfortunately) and the performers reflected back the love and support. Alejandro Escovedo has one show left in this residency, May 30 at Bowery Electric, attendance much recommended.

Many thanks to Alejandro Escovedo for permitting this show to be recorded and to Nancy Rankin Escovedo and Mike Thompson for making the arrangements!

I recorded this set with the Schoeps cards mounted to the back left of the soundboard booth, which is only about 15 feet from the stage in this intimate venue. The mics are mixed with an excellent feed from house sound tech Mike, and the resulting mix is quite excellent. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show (songs only – talking tracks via download):

Alejandro Escovedo and Richard Barone
2018-05-23
Berlin
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard [engineer Mike] + Schoeps CCM4u Cardioids > Sound Devices 744t > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:30:01]
01 [introduction]
02 Gravity – Falling Down Again
03 Street Hassle [Lou Reed]
04 The Bulrushes
05 Train Round The Bend [Velvets]
06 [Richard meets Lou Reed]
07 I’ll Be Your Mirror [Velvets]
08 Sensitive Boys
09 [Falcon introduction]
10 Flew A Falcon
11 Moonage Daydream [Bowie]
12 [band introductions]
13 Sister Lost Soul
14 [Candy introduction]
15 Candy Says [Velvets]
16 [James Mastro introduction]
17 I’ve Got a Secret
18 Number With Wings
19 Always a Friend
20 [thanks]
21 All the Young Dudes [Bowie – Mott the Hoople]
22 [encore break]
23 Rock and Roll [Velvets]
24 [outro]

PLEASE SUPPORT Alejandro Escovedo and Richard Barone: Website | Website | Buy Music | Buy Music

Ryley Walker: April 29, 2018 The Bowery Ballroom

May 2, 2018
By

Ryley Walker arrived on The Bowery Ballroom stage as the opening act. For many bands, the opening 45 minutes means an opportunity to deliver a tight-but-denuded set that gives the untutored fan a reason to seek more. Well, Ryley and this night’s crack band — longtime compatriot Ryan Jewell, fellow guitarist Bill MacKay, and Calexico (the headliner) bassist Scott Colberg — did the latter but not the former. Which is to say, their version of a “short” set consisted of four songs, but one of them was 18 minutes long. And instead of “the hits,” as it were, those four were, save one, all tracks from his forthcoming album, Deafman Glance, which promises to extend Walker’s renown as a musician’s musician, who follows his instincts where they take him and isn’t afraid to challenge the listener.

If for years the understanding among Walker and his fans is that there’s about as little relationship between the reasonably straightforward sound of his records and his expansive, jazz-influenced live shows as there is between the seriousness of Walker’s music and the lightheartedness of his stage banter, the Deafman Glance material seems poised to narrow that gap. The proggy, dense, album sound carries over well into Walker’s chosen live milieu, making (for example) the “Telluride Speed” that closed this set a thrill but, unlike the eighteen-minute “Halfwit In Me” that opened it, not a totally radical departure from the album version.

Ryley’s stated goal was for Deafman Glance to be his anti-folk record, and indeed, this felt like the least folk-driven Ryley Walker show I’ve seen. With his vocals turned relatively low in the mix, and a song selection that was relatively short on opportunities for vocal pyrotechnics, Walker seemed intent on letting his electric guitar guide his sound (listen to that “Halfwit in Me” – it did). Walker’s full-band shows have always de-prioritized vocals to some degree in favor of extended jamming, but if I hadn’t seen Walker before and someone told me this was a guy who also does a mean cover of Van Morrison, I’m not sure I’d have believed them. That’s one of the joys of seeing this artist — by the time I see him again (expect a headlining tour in the U.S. in the fall), he’ll almost surely have evolved yet again.

I recorded this set with a beautiful stereo soundboard feed and Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete show from its page on the Live Music Archive: [FLAC] | [MP3]

Ryley Walker
2018-04-29
The Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

An nyctaper recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard + Schoeps MK5c (PAS, at SBD, slightly LOC)>KC5>CMC6>>Sound Devices MixPre 6>24/48 polyWAV>Adobe Audition CC (align, mix down, compression, fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro banter]
02 The Halfwit in Me
03 [banter2]
04 Spoil With the Rest
05 22 Days
06 [banter3]
07 Telluride Speed

Band:
Ryley Walker – guitar, vocals
Ryan Jewell – drums
Bill MacKay – guitar
Scott Colberg – bass

PLEASE SUPPORT RYLEY WALKER: Bandcamp | Dead Oceans

Phish: December 28, 2017 Madison Square Garden

December 30, 2017
By


[photos by LazyLightning55 and Jeff]

We had such a good time at the “Baker’s Dozen” shows this Summer at Madison Square Garden, so that when a taper’s ticket for the first night of the Phish four-show New Year’s run became available, I jumped at the chance to relive recent glory. Phish v3.0 is in a good place right now. They didn’t play as many shows in 2017 as in recent years, but what they did was quite memorable. The band themselves also seem to be personally doing well — clean and sober and enjoying each other’s company.

The first night of previous New Year’s runs of shows has been jokingly criticized as the “practice” night, a show used to work out the kinks and get back into the groove. But the current version of Phish isn’t playing by the old rules and this debut night was strong and confident from the outset. The band also is unencumbered by the mandate of playing different songs on every night of thirteen shows, so that the setlist was chock full of prime material. The abundant first set highlights included a solid “Wolfman’s Brother”, and extended “Roggae” and a peak version of “Back on the Train”. The second set started with the familiar, but the highlight of the set and perhaps the entire show was the twenty-four minute “No Men” which worked through a series of often melodic and thematic jams so that the extended length didn’t drag or seem indulgent. This was just the v3.0 of Phish playing to its strengths and operating on all cylinders. Far from “practice”, this night was a year-long highlight show and quite a cap to a perfect year for our experiences with Phish.

Thanks to Noah for the ticket and Walt for the clamp space!

I recorded this set from the first row of the taper’s section on the right side. Due to our fortunate position next to the great Charlie Miller, we were able on this night to maneuver the stand onto a raised platform in the center area, and that advantageous position helped this recording to achieve its maximum potential. Its perhaps our best capture of this year’s MSG shows. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

Phish
2017-12-28
Madison Square Garden
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
First Row Tapers Section

Schoeps CCM4u Cardioids > Sound Devices 744t > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge (post production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
Set 1 [Total Time 1:16:01]
01 ACDC Bag
02 Wolfman’s Brother
03 Roggae
04 Tube
05 Bouncing Around the Room
06 Back on the Train
07 Your Pet Cat
08 Waking Up Dead
09 Theme From the Bottom

Set 2 [Total Time 1:40:57]
10 Wilson
11 No Men In No Man’s Land
12 Twist
13 Everything’s Right
14 Also Sprach Zarathustra
15 Harry Hood
16 [encore break]
17 The Wedge
18 Slave to the Traffic Light

SUPPORT Phish: Website | Store

Hiss Golden Messenger: December 8, 2017 The Bowery Ballroom

December 12, 2017
By


Hiss Golden Messenger’s second night at The Bowery Ballroom not only picked up where the first two-hour show left off, but gathered steam. If the first night–in front of a slew of friends and local musicians–felt like a more intimate, freewheeling affair, this show situated the current version of the band as the confident rock n’ roll outfit they are, playing about fifty percent different material from the first show, improving on several of the repeats, and delivering crowd-pleasing covers that are red meat to a weekend crowd. After opening with the contemplative “When the Wall Comes Down” from Hallelujah Anyhow, the tempo picked up and stayed hot through the first hour. I was moved by this version of “Blue Country Mystic,” which hewed closer in tempo and style to the Poor Moon original than some of the recent versions I’ve seen, and likewise, the “Red Rose Nantahala” we saw both tonight and the night before felt closer to the version from Haw than some of the recent versions we’ve heard. The new songs haven’t given the band as many chances at new arrangements, but it’s safe to say that “Like A Mirror Loves A Hammer,” shows great potential as a mid-set jam song.

After a heartfelt mid-set version of “Caledonia, My Love” — introduced by Phil Cook as his favorite HGM song — it was back to the rock, with the band letting loose with a fine cover of “I Won’t Back Down” followed by “Lost Out In the Darkness” and the party jam “I’m A Raven (Shake Children).” This is a band that knows their crowd, and the upbeat rockers matched the mood in the room, as the weekend warriors and the repeat customers from last night both had come ready to celebrate the weekend and the band’s success. Instead of last night’s heartfelt retelling of the band’s origin story, we got some hilarious riffs about the band’s long night out last night, including an encounter with some pretzel chips. But if they were physically running on fumes, HGM didn’t show it. If anything, I found most versions of what they played even sharper and more emphatic than the previous show. In lieu of an encore break, the band accepted some pretzel chips from a fan and passed them around the crowd, ending the night with Pops Staples’ “Friendship” followed by “Drum.” This wasn’t quite the end of HGM year — they headed to Philly the following night, and D.C. after that — but it felt valedictory nonetheless, an exclamation point on a year well spent.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the previous night, with a soundboard feed from the band’s engineer Tim and Schoeps MK22 microphones. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

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

Hiss Golden Messenger
2017-12-08
The Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK22 (at SBD, PAS bar)>KCY>Z-PFA + Soundboard (engineer: Tim)>Sound Devices MixPre 6>24/48 WAV>Adobe Audition CC (align, mix down, limiter)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 2:02:30]
01 When the Wall Comes Down
02 Saturday’s Song
03 Jenny of the Roses
04 [banter1]
05 Biloxi
06 Gulfport You’ve Been On My Mind
07 Blue Country Mystic
08 Mahogany Dread
09 Don’t Let Me Down [Beatles]
10 Like A Mirror Loves A Hammer
11 Red Rose Nantahala
12 [banter2]
13 Highland Grace
14 [banter3]
15 Caledonia, My Love
16 Domino
17 I Won’t Back Down [Tom Petty]
18 Lost Out In the Darkness
19 I’m A Raven (Shake Children)
20 I Am the Song
21 [banter4-band intros]
22 Southern Grammar
23 [banter5]
24 John the Gun
25 [pretzel break]
26 Friendship [Pops Staples]
27 Drum

Band:
M.C. Taylor – vocals, guitar
Phil Cook – keyboards, harmonica
Mike Lewis – saxophone
Skylar Gudasz – vocals
James Wallace – organ, percussion
Ryan Gustafson – guitar
Michael Libramento – bass
Darren Jesse – drums

PLEASE SUPPORT Hiss Golden Messenger: Website | Twitter | Buy Hallelujah Anyhow

Dream Syndicate: December 2, 2017 Bowery Ballroom

December 7, 2017
By


[photo by Marcus Slade]

There was a point early during Saturday night’s Dream Syndicate show at Bowery Ballroom when I thought to myself, I can not believe that is only the second show of the band’s current tour. The amazement was based on the fact that the band was just so damned tight. Its true that Steve Wynn and guitarist Jason Victor have played together regularly for more than a decade, but Dream Syndicate was not that long ago a “reunion” band. A band coming back together after years apart isn’t supposed to sound this in-sync. But over the last couple of years the band started recording again, and the result was an excellent new album called How Did I Find Myself Here (Anti).

The Dream Syndicate is currently on an extensive tour to support the new record, and if the Bowery show is any indication, this tour is destined for legendary status. The set mixed in material old and new and was clearly high energy from the start. The band didn’t take many breaks between songs to banter, but just rolled on one ripping track after another. Its says a lot about the new record that the show-stopping number was a twelve-minute version of the title track that was absolutely shredded. But the classic material was also on display and an all-timer version of “Days Of Wine and Roses” ended the main set in furious fashion before the band returned for three encores. Don’t miss this tour. All dates are (here).

I recorded this set in our usual fashion in this venue mixing the strategically placed Schoeps with an excellent soundboard feed from the band’s touring FOH. Unfortunately, I inexplicably lost power for about thirty seconds during the second song, which now contains a noticeable splice. Otherwise, the quality is superb. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

Dream Syndicate
2017-12-02
Bowery Ballroom
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Schoeps CCM4u Cardioids > Sound Devices 744t > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:39:36]
01 [introduction]
02 Halloween
03 The Circle
04 80 West
05 Armed With An Empty Gun
06 Like Mary
07 Out of My Head
08 [banter – NYC]
09 Filter Me Through You
10 Burn
11 Whatever You Please
12 The Medicine Show
13 How Did I Find Myself Here
14 [band introductions]
15 Forest for the Trees
16 That’s What You Always Say
17 The Days of Wine and Roses
18 [encore break]
19 When You Smile
20 Tell Me When It’s Over
21 [banter – thanks]
22 Glide

SUPPORT The Dream Syndicate: Website | Anti Records Site | Buy How Did I Find Myself Here?

Creeper Lagoon: August 10, 2017 Mercury Lounge

August 15, 2017
By


[photo from Chris Quartly twitter]

The relative enjoyability quotient of a band reunion almost always depends upon the reason for the get together. When long-departed groups decide to get together and play shows for the simple fun of it, count us in. Creeper Lagoon had a brief but productive career that petered out in 2004. After being named Spin’s Best New Artist in 1998, the band went on to produce a couple of major label releases before splitting up after a difficult European tour. The 2001 release Take Back the Universe and Give Me Yesterday remains the peak of the Creeper Lagoon catalog and the music sounds as vibrant now as it did nearly two decades ago. After the split, all of the band members went on to successful careers and happy lives outside of the music industry. This excellent interview of band founder Sharky Laguana gives all the details, but suffice to say that all of the band member were in a good place when this reunion was contemplated and then announced late last year. After a couple of shows at the Noise Pop Fest’s 25th Anniversary in San Francisco in February, Creeper came to NYC for their first show in 16 years, a one-off at Mercury Lounge with no plans to return.

The excitement of the event was evident in the crowd from the outset as the band interactions will attest. Mercury was quite sold out and Creeper Lagoon’s energy reflected that fact throughout the night. The setlist was a lengthy run through the band’s back catalog with a nice cross-section of material. Universe was well represented as expected. The reality is that this night was exactly the reunion show you would have hoped for if you’re a Creeper Lagoon fan — fun, interactive, energetic, and well paced. If the reactions of the many fans who approached me after the show asking about the recording is any evidence, this document should also be exactly what the fans want.

I recorded this set with the Schoeps cards mounted in front of the Soundboard and mixed with a superb feed provided by the band’s FOH Kim Griess. This was a rambunctious and happy crowd, although there was a near-fight audible to my left during the encore break. Other than that and some other obvious chatter, the sound quality is quite excellent. Enjoy!

Download and Stream the Complete Show from our Bandcamp Page:

Creeper Lagoon
2017-08-10
Mercury Lounge
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard [engineer Kim Griess] + Schoeps CCM4u Cardioids > Sound Devices 744t > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:32:34]
01 Chance of a Lifetime
02 Claustrophobia
03 Under the Tracks
04 Dead Man Saloon
05 Second Chance
06 [Tracy false start]
07 Tracy
08 [Patrick intro]
09 Dreaming Again
10 Sylvia
11 Empty Ships
12 Motor Away [Guided By Voices]
13 [banter – lawyer shit]
14 Hey Sister
15 Roman Hearts
16 Wrecking Ball
17 Bloodbuzz Ohio [National]
18 Sunfair
19 Keep from Moving
20 [encore break]
21 [Tonight long intro]
22 Tonight Was Fun
23 Wonderful Love
24 Dear Deadly

SUPPORT Creeper Lagoon: Website | Facebook

Phish: August 4, 2017 Madison Square Garden

August 5, 2017
By

Phish did it again last night. On the 11th night of the historic Baker’s Dozen shows at Madison Square Garden, this one themed on a Lemon donut, the band again delivered a unique set of breakouts, first-time covers, and surprisingly placed jams. You could excuse Phish for maybe missing the mark once on this run, but its clear that every single show has been an all-timer and this is why we continue to insist that this a bellwether stand for the band.

Last night’s set opened with a first-time cover of the blues standard “See That My Grave is Kept Clean” or “One Kind Favor”, performed by a litany of artists but first attributed to Blind Lemon (get it?) Jefferson. The set also featured stand-out performances of not-classics “Ocelot” and “Winterqueen”, two songs of recent vintage that got the full jam treatment at this show. The set finale of “First Tube” was truly remarkable, an intensely jammed version that ended with Trey literally waving his guitar around above his head in some sort of feedback devotional ritual.

The second set started off slowly with a puzzling silly acapella “Dem Bones” but quickly moved into jam mode. “No Man’s Land” is another new-y that got some peak extended play, before unfinished it quietly segued into a song that had some heads scratching and phones clicking. Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place” fit the theme (“sucking a lemon”) but certainly seemed like “worlds colliding” of musical genres. But the band did a bang-up job on the number — if a bit spacier than the original. Moving forward, a sample of the “sucking a lemon” vocals would continue to pop up during the set. Phish continued this strong set with a “Scent and Subtle Sounds” which not only reached jammy peaks but also contained a neatly interposed reprise of “No Man’s Land” tucked into the jam. The set ended with crowd-favorites “Prince Caspian” and a now-infrequent visit with “Fluffhead” before the band returned with a non-unfamiliar cover of the Edgar Winter Group’s classic “Frankenstein”.

This was my own personal final show of this run — acidjack is scheduled to capture tonight’s show — but I have to remark that this was all-in-all clearly the highlight of my lengthy but limited relationship with Phish. I suspect its also a highlight of the long-time and truly dedicated Phishheads, and that’s saying something.

I recorded this show from the dead center area of the taper’s section on the rail behind the video cage. The sound in the venue was extraordinary this night and our centered position was advantageous. As a result, the sound quality is superb and I believe this is my best sounding recording of the three shows I attended. Enjoy!

Download The Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

Phish
2017-08-04
Madison Square Garden
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
Sixth Row Center Tapers Section

Schoeps CCM4u Cardioids > Sound Devices 744t > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge (post production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
Set 1
[Total Time 1:09:49]
01 See That My Grave Is Kept Clean [Blind Lemon Jefferson]
02 Punch You in the Eye
03 Party Time
04 Big Black Furry Creature From Mars
05 Dinner and a Movie
06 Ocelot
07 Poor Heart
08 Winterqueen
09 Bold as Love [Hendrix]
10 First Tube

Set 2:
[Total Time 1:24:19]
11 Dem Bones
12 No Men in No Man’s Land
13 Everything in Its Right Place [Radiohead]
14 What’s the Use
15 Scents and Subtle Sounds*
16 Prince Caspian
17 Fluffhead
18 [encore break]
19 Frankenstein [Edgar Winter]

*with No Man’s Land Reprise

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