Posts Tagged ‘ mercury lounge ’

The Soft Moon: January 8, 2013 Mercury Lounge – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

January 9, 2013
By

softmoon2013-01-08-2
[Photos from the Glasslands show in September by acidjack]


If this Mercury Lounge show represents the new normal for The Soft Moon, this will be the last time I will be able to see them in a venue this size. After catching their sold out Glasslands show over in Brooklyn back in September, I knew they were on the way up.  Three months later in Manhattan, the San Francisco band showed that momentum is still going. This show kicks off a mini-tour for the band that will take them up to Boston, out to Chicago and Columbus, and down South before they wrap things up in Washington, DC later this month. The band’s live act seems at times like a note-perfect rendition of their two records, The Soft Moon, Zeros and the Total Decay EP, which makes sense for a band whose sound relies upon the dark, at-times cold vibe created by their electronics. The band comes across confident and polished, perhaps reveling in the semi-anonymity created by playing in total darkness, with only their window blind-like video projections lighting the room. If you happen to be in any of the cities listed here, you owe it to yourself to check them out in a small club while you can.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed by head FOH Kevin Mazzarelli and MBHO KA500N hypercardiod microphones. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC 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.

softmoon2013-01-08-3

The Soft Moon
2013-01-08
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Soundboard + MBHO KA500N>MBP603>Aerco MP-2>>Roland R-26>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, adjust levels, mix down)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter (tape effect)>Audacity 3.0 (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time: 50:46]
01 Die Life
02 Circles
03 Into the Depths
04 Dead Love
05 Zeros
06 [banter/false start]
07 Alive
08 Parallels
09 Insides
10 [unknown]
11 [“encore” break]
12 We Are We
13 Want

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT The Soft Moon, like them on Facebook, and purchase their releases, including Zeros, from Captured Tracks [HERE]

The Gourds: August 29, 2012 Mercury Lounge – FLAC / MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

December 3, 2012
By


[Photos courtesty of Mammacass4demsgudbeebles at We Are Cucurbs Wiki.]

Johnny reports:
“I don’t care what kind of mood you happen to be in, there’s something about going to see The Gourds that pretty much guarantees a good time. Between the upbeat vibe the band exudes and the raucous, fun-lovin’ fans they attract (no doubt infused with copious amounts of alcohol) it’s like being at a great party. The expert musicianship, great songcraft and interesting choice of covers they perform definitely help support that atmosphere. We caught our first Gourds concert last year, had a blast and were very happy to see them come back to town this summer. And, as expected, we sure weren’t disappointed with a show that may have surpassed the last one. We’ve become big fans of The Gourds ourselves and can’t recommend strongly enough that you get out and see them when you have the chance and need to put a big smile on your face.

At the great-sounding Mercury Lounge the audio was perfectly dialed in, as usual, on this night and the mix sounded sublime. With kudos going to the superbly combined efforts of The Gourds’ engineer, Mark, and the venue’s engineer, Kevin, the quality of hi and lo’s recording is excellent. Enjoy!”

Stream “Cracklins”: [audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/G1012Gourds0101/The_Gourds_-_Cracklins.mp3]

Stream “Werewolves of London”: [audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/G1012Gourds0101/The_Gourds_-_Werewolves_of_London.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.

The Gourds
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY
2012-08-29

Recordist : hi and lo
Source : MBHO KA200/603 > Custom Preamp + Soundboard >> Tascam DR-680 @ 24 bit / 48 kHz
Edit : WaveLab V6 (mixdown/eq/gain/fades/dither/resampling)
Encoding : FLAC v1.2.1 ( Level 8 ) with TLH v2.6.0 (Build 168)

Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. Everybody’s Missin’ the Sun [Grin / Nils Lofgren]
03. Pickles
04. Tomb of Nefertari
05. Lament
06. Pine Island Bayou
07. Illegal Oyster
08. Cracklins
09. Jenny Brown > I Can’t Stand It [Lou Reed]
10. Your Benefit
11. Blankets
12. Eyes of a Child
13. Honduras
14. All the Labor
15. Haunted
16. Drop What I’m Doing
17. Two Sparrows
18. All in the Pack > Sheena Is a Punk Rocker [Ramones]
19. Lower 48
20. (Encore Call)
21. Mister Betty
22. Pill Bug Blues
23. Caledonia
24. Werewolves of London [Warren Zevon]
25. Ants on the Melon
26. Maria
27. Michoacan [Atwood Allen / Kim Fowley / Doug Sahm / The Sir Douglas Quintet]
28. Take Me Back to Tulsa [Bob Wills / Tommy Duncan]
29. The Waxies’ Dargle [traditional]

Running Time: 2:15:49

If you download this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Gourds, visit their website, visit their Facebook and MySpace pages, and purchase their official releases and merchandise [HERE], at Amazon and at iTunes.

Wormburner: September 14, 2012 Mercury Lounge – Flac/MP3/Streaming

November 17, 2012
By


[photo courtesy of Bob Mason]

For geographical reasons, Wormburner only plays a handful of shows a year. And now having seen them six times, I’ve come to the conclusion that these semi-rare appearances are not to be missed. The musicianship is always solid, but its the live energy particularly from lead singer Steve “Hank” Henry that elevates the performance to “must see” level. Back in mid-September we saw another rousing Wormburner show at Mercury Lounge, which included solid numbers from their most recent album 2010’s Placed By The Gideons, several new numbers from an upcoming album, and some rare treats. Last week, Wormburner announced their annual Holiday show at Mercury Lounge with special guests. We recorded the holiday show in 2010 and if recent experience is any measure, it should be a heck of a party.

I recorded this set with the Sennheiser cards mixed with an excellent board feed from Mercury’s superb sound engineer Kevin. I relied mostly on the audience mics in order to accentuate the experience of the show. The result is some extra chatter which is very much compensated by the overall energy of the recording. Enjoy!

Stream “Pike City Proper”:

Download the Complete show in [MP3] / [FLAC]

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

Wormburner
2012-09-14
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Sennheiser MKH-8040s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 > (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2012-11-17

Setlist:
[Total Time 47:33]
01 Today Might Be Our Day
02 Two Kinds of People
03 Peekskill
04 Stolen Tags
05 Ghosts of the Confederacy
06 [untitled new song]
07 Delores If You Please
08 Hopscotch Gunner
09 Pike City Proper
10 The Interstate
11 [thanks]
12 Parliaments on Sundays

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Wormburner, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the Store at their website [HERE].

William Tyler: October 18, 2012 Merge Records CMJ Show, Mercury Lounge – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

November 14, 2012
By


[Photo by Jill Harrison at For the Love of Brooklyn]

After catching two solo sets, and several other appearances at Hopscotch Festival back in September, I’ve seen a lot of the Nashville guitar prodigy and Lambchop member William Tyler lately. Luckily, Willy T always has something new to share with his fans – be it songs, stories or both – and in this case, he came to the Merge Records CMJ Showcase at Mercury Lounge armed with new songs from his forthcoming 2013 record on Merge (his first for the label)  as well as some hilarious new tales from his life. Although he’s a young guy, Tyler has the easy, mannered onstage presence of someone who’s been doing this for decades, and it’s hard for audiences not to be won over by his charm. Dig, for example, is story of the inspiration drawn from the 70s film Heaven’s Gate as he introduces “Country of Illusion”, or his tale of his first job at TCBY (that’s The Country’s Best Yogurt, for those from non-TCBY parts of the country). Along with new songs such as “We Can’t Go Home Again” and “Country of Illusion” that are slated to be included on the new record, Tyler shared “A Portrait of Sarah”, available only on a 2011 split 7″ with Alistair Galbraith, as well as live staples like “Impossible Truth” and the set closer “Tears and Saints”. While Tyler is adept on both acoustic and electric, this set’s acoustic numbers, particularly “A Portrait of Sarah”, seemed to come across best of all.

As I barely had arrived at the venue in time to catch Willy T’s set, and did not have my mics ready yet, this recording is a straight soundboard feed from an excellent house mix by Mercury’s head engineer Kevin Mazzarelli.  Given that it is a solo guitar performance, pretty much nothing was lost from not having the mics, and Mercury’s high-end board sounded as good as ever for this show. Enjoy!

Stream “A Portrait of Sarah”

Download the MP3 files [HERE] | Download the FLAC files [HERE]

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC 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.

William Tyler
2012-10-18
Merge Records CMJ Showcase
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Soundboard (engineer: Kevin Mazzarelli)>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity 3.0 (tracking, amplify, downsample, fades)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 We Can’t Go Home Again
02 [banter]
03 A Portrait of Sarah
04 [banter]
05 Country of Illusion
06 [banter]
07 Impossible Truth
08 [banter]
09 Tears and Saints

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT William Tyler, visit his website, and purchase Behold the Spirit from Amazon or your favorite retailer. Look out for his forthcoming album on Merge next year!

Mac McCaughan: October 18, 2012 Merge Records CMJ Showcase, Mercury Lounge – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

November 5, 2012
By


[Photo by Jill Harrison of For the Love of Brooklyn]

Merge Records co-founder and Superchunk and Portastatic frontman Mac McCaughan has more than earned his beloved status in the indie rock community. His contributions to the Chapel Hill and Durham, NC music scenes, and music in general, could have taken two lifetimes, and his confessional, direct songwriting continues to resonate and remain fresh more than two decades into his music career. As for Merge, the label has been one of those remarkable and rare successes in music, remaining staunchly independent and committed to promoting quality releases – and finally earning a Grammy for its current mega-artist, Arcade Fire. So, after we wrapped up our own CMJ showcase down the street at Cake Shop, the NYCTaper crew headed over to Mercury Lounge where McCaughan joined William Tyler, Mount Moriah, Reigning Sound, Eleanor Friedberger and Telekinesis for Merge’s CMJ Showcase.

McCaughan performed as a solo act, an uncommon treat to see in the New York area. As usual, this set combined new and old Superchunk songs with Portastatic classics like “Autumn Got Dark.”  The set also included a brand new number that McCaughan said should appear on a Superchunk release next year, which we are streaming below. Though the singer-songwriter format lacked some of the punch of a normal Superchunk gig, it gave McCaughan’s lyrics and voice the spotlight. McCaughan’s exuberant, earnest delivery still comes across like that of a brash, young artist, and the themes of his writing continue to prove their timelessness. On a night that in many ways celebrated McCaughan’s success, this set was another one.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed provided by house engineer Kevin Mazzarelli, with Schoeps MK5 microphones providing just a bit of room ambiance. The quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Autumn Got Dark”

Stream “[untitled new Superchunk song]”

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

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC 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.

Mac McCaughan
2012-10-18
Merge Records CMJ Showcase
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Soundboard (engineer: Kevin Mazzarelli) + Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, ROC, PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>> Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity 3.0 (mixdown, set fades, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Trash Heap
03 Good Dreams
04 Rope Light
05 Through With People
06 Autumn Got Dark
07 Home At Dawn
08 Driveway to Driveway
09 [banter]
10 A Small Definition
11 [new song 1]
12 Digging For Something
13 [banter]
14 I Wanna Know Girls
15 [banter]
16 San Andreas

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Mac McCaughan and Merge Records by visiting the Merge website and buying the many fine releases available there, including Superchunk and Portastatic’s albums.

Corin Tucker Band: September 27, 2012 Mercury Lounge – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

October 4, 2012
By


[Photo courtesy of Tom Choi. See his flickr stream HERE]

Corin Tucker is 39 years old. She spent most of the 90s and a solid chunk of the 2000s fronting Sleater-Kinney with co-frontwoman Carrie Brownstein, and she has also played in the bands Cadallaca, Heartless Martin and Heavens to Betsy. Corin may be (by rock standards) “getting older”, but she sure is making it look like fun with the Corin Tucker Band, now on their second LP.

“Groundhog Day”, one of the standout tracks on her band’s latest, Kill My Blues, tells her current story with its opening lines

Huh? Que pasa? I’ve just woken up / Like Rip Van Winkle in a denim mini skirt / Wait, you see, now, I took a rest  / I took some time to be a mom and have some kids

The rest of the song takes Tucker through some familiar territory for her – a disappointment with the state of modern feminism, a bewilderment at a cause that she feels is stagnating – “Instead of going forward, where the hell we going now?”.  So yes – Tucker is no longer 22, and yes, she is a mom. But take one listen to Kill My Blues, and take a look at the band that took the stage at Mercury Lounge on a recent Wednesday night, and tell me she doesn’t still have the fire. Corin’s first solo record, the critically-loved 1,000 Years, was touted as a more subdued “middle-aged mom record” in her words, Kill My Blues is a caffeinated, lacerating return to the form that made her contributions to Sleater-Kinney so memorable.

Which is to say, Tucker has the kind of voice that’ll rattle your cage when in full throat, and she lets it rip on most of these new songs. While many of her contemporaries in like-minded bands could hold their own in terms of raw power, Tucker’s voice is notable for her control and unique tonality as well as its power. Songs like “I Don’t Wanna Go”, Tucker’s tribute to Olympia, WA punk scene fixture Natalie Cox, push those vocals to the max, and live, Tucker is even more visceral than on record. This night’s lineup of the Corin Tucker Band featured Portland journeyman Dave Depper on bass, Seth Lorinczi (of Golden Bears) on guitar and keys, and Sarah Lund (of Unwound) on the drums, and they proved to be a formidable rhythm section, so tight that the show sounded like a studio outing at points. But for fans who thought that 1,000 Years was too subdued, Tucker had an answer, too, as the band tore through “Doubt” to close out the main set with a squall of perfect Pacific Northwest-style noise. For an encore, the band served up two covers, including Blondie’s “Atomic” and “Three Minute Hero” by the UK ska greats The Selecter. Seeing Corin Tucker Band will certainly help sate your Sleater-Kinney craving; it might also kill your fear of getting “older”.

I recorded this set with a flawless soundboard feed of the house mix by Jeff Hylton Simmons, the band’s FOH, together with Schoeps MK41 supercardiod microphones in my usual location. This recording demonstrates how good the club’s new PA system is, and it could well be my personal best Mercury Lounge recording of this year. Enjoy!

Stream “Groundhog Day”

Stream “Doubt”

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

If the direct FLAC link has expired, email nyctaper for the FLAC 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.  

Corin Tucker Band
2012-09-27
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41 (PAS)>KC5>CMC6 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mix down, adjust levels)>Izotope Ozone 5 (light EQ, exciter)>Audacity 3.0 (tracking, set fades, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 59:05]
01 None Like You
02 Kill My Blues
03 No Bad News Tonight
04 Half A World Away
05 Tiptoe
06 Handed Love
07 Groundhog Day
08 Constance
09 Summer Jams
10 I Don’t Wanna Go
11 Joey
12 Neskowin
13 Doubt
14 [encore break]
15 Atomic [Blondie]
16 Three Minute Hero [The Selecter]

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Corin Tucker Band, visit their website, and buy their records directly from the band, in digital, LP or CD format [HERE]

Matthew E. White: September 6, 2012 Hopscotch Festival, Fletcher Opera Theater (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming (plus bonus Mercury Lounge track!)

September 28, 2012
By


[Photo by Agatha Donkar. Visit her website]

Matthew E. White has been one of the true musical sensations of 2012 so far. The Richmond, VA native has not only garnered praise from all quarters for his debut album Big Inner, a gumbo of 70s soul, rock, jazz, blues and roots influences (oh, and Randy Newman), but his live shows have already achieved cult status. Big Inner, released this year on the Hometapes imprint, is a lush, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink production that pairs White with a choir, strings, keyboards, baritone sax, and more, and White has proven equally willing to go for the big arrangements in the live setting, convenience and good sense be damned.

It is appropriate, then, that as one of the top artists to emerge from the southeastern U.S. this year, White garnered a prime slot at what I would argue has already risen to be the king of southeastern music festivals, the Hopscotch Music Festival. For this very special performance in Raleigh’s Fletcher Opera Theater, White showed up with a 30-person ensemble including many of the very musical ingredients that make Big Inner so special. From the mellow Otis Redding-style groove of “One of These Days” to the psychedelic jams on “Hot Toddies”, this over one hour show (longer than Big Inner‘s 40 minutes by a solid amount) was as varied and remarkable as Big Inner itself. Before wrapping up, White took special time to thank festival co-founder Grayson Currin, who booked this mammoth ensemble long before White became the toast of the blogosphere. As with so many things about this festival, this night with Matthew E. White was something Hopscotch got right.

This recording, by NC taper Larry Tucker, is a matrix mix of a soundboard feed and American-made Peluso microphones. While it suffers from some of the same room acoustics issues as the Lambchop recording, it is quite good. As a bonus, Hometapes and White’s management have also permitted us to release our recording of “Brazos” that nyctaper recorded at Mercury Lounge.

Thanks to Matthew E. White, Hopscotch Festival, Dan Schram, Larry Tucker, and Shore Fire Media.

Stream “Hot Toddies”

Stream and download “Brazos” from the Mercury Lounge show (click the “Download” button in the window below to download):

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

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC files

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.


[Photo copyright 2012 by Abby Nardo]

Matthew E. White
2012-09-06
Hopscotch Festival
Lincoln Theater
Raleigh, NC USA

Recorded by Larry Tucker
Produced by Dan Schram

Soundboard>unknown deck + Peluso CEMC6-CK21>Fostex FR-2LE>>mixdown>>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ)>Audacity 3.0 (tracking, fades, amplify, balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Will You Love Me
02 One of These Days
03 Steady Pace
04 Hot Toddies
05 [unknown1]
06 [banter]
07 Big Love
08 [unknown2]
09 Gone Away
10 [band intros]
11 Brazos
12 [encore break]
13 [unknown3]

____________________
Matthew E. White
2012-08-20
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY  USA

Soundboard + Sennheiser MKH-8040s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files >
Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 > (tracking) > TLH >
flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Tracks
[rest of set omitted at artist request]
08 Brazos

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Matthew E White, visit his website, and purchase Big Inner from Hometapes [HERE]

Magic Trick: August 16, 2012 Mercury Lounge – FLAC / MP3 / Streaming

September 9, 2012
By


[Photos courtesy of Bleary Eyed Brooklyn]]

As avowed fans of The Fresh & Onlys, we were thrilled to get a chance to see their frontman Tim Cohen’s bedroom project, Magic Trick, come to life as a full band for a set at Mercury Lounge. While Cohen’s lo-fi solo efforts have their charms, the songs feel more fully-realized with a real band, outshining even the latest official release, Ruler of the Night. Cohen and the band took a rapidly-filling room through many of Ruler’s new numbers, as well as a few from his older catalog (all of which can be heard on his bandcamp page). Compared to the Onlys, Cohen’s Magic Trick material is a bit more subdued and has less over psychedelic overtones; these songs veer much closer to confessional singer-songwriting than Nuggets-era jams. What hasn’t changed is Cohen’s knack for hooks and compelling songwriting. “Same People” is one of those songs that will stick in your head for days, while “Weird Memory” has a similar appeal to Real Estate’s blissfully diffident stylings. The Onlys have a tour and new record on the way shortly, but Magic Trick deserves a look on its own.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 microphones and an excellent soundboard feed by Kevin of the Mercury Lounge.  The quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Same People”

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.

Magic Trick
2012-08-16
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41>KC5>CMC6>Aerco MP-2 + Soundboard>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, additional EQ, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Torture
02 I Am Never Going to Die
03 Sunny
04 Ruby
05 Same People
06 Tunnel of Love
07 Weird Memory
08 Invisible at Midnight
09 I Say Your Name

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Magic Trick, like them on Facebook, and buy Ruler of the Night directly from Hardly Art [HERE]

Sonny and the Sunsets: August 16, 2012 Mercury Lounge – FLAC / MP3 / Streaming

September 4, 2012
By


[Photos courtesy of Bleary Eyed Brooklyn]

Sonny & the Sunsets don’t make it entirely clear whether they want you to take them seriously. In the “yes” column you’ve got frontman Sonny Smith’s lifelong musicanhood and decade-long history of releasing records, many of which are of estimable quality. Smith’s latest, the aptly-titled Longtime Companion, arrives on 180-gram yellow vinyl and sounds like a well-worn LP you’ve had in your collection for years. An instant old friend, of sorts.

But then, you have to take into account a freewheeling show like their recent visit to Mercury Lounge, where a Smith, calling himself “El Borracho” (“the drunkard”), played a loose, at-times shambling set that offered up antics and anecdotes aplenty. Sonny comes off like a damaged Dylan, married to equal parts Robert Earl Keen and Todd Snider.  Country-rootsy on acid and Jameson, Sonny seemed thrilled to spend a significant chunk of the playing in the crowd, looking at his bemused band members onstage. Smith covered material from the three Sunsets albums, including the standouts “Dried Blood”, “My Mind Messed Up” and “Too Young To Burn”. Smith plays with the fearlessness of someone whose musical career hasn’t always gone easy; much like his music itself, he is raw and compelling. After about an hour of the band’s regular set, Sonny decided to take things into stranger territory, including a lengthy beat-esque piece about aliens. The set closed out with “Love Among Social Animals” and “Planet of Women”. Sonny may have his tongue planted firmly in cheek at times, but that’s ultimately part of his charm. As with his much-talked-about art piece “100 Records” where Sonny made, yes, 100 45s paired with various images, he is willing to take risks, and more often than not, they succeed.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 microphones and a flawless soundboard feed from Kevin, the club’s head engineer.  The sound is excellent, though you will notice the emphasis on the soundboard increasing toward the end as the crowd gets chattier (read: more drunk).  Enjoy!

Stream “Dried Blood”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/S8016Sonny2012/12 Dried Blood.mp3]

Stream “Too Young to Burn”
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/S8016Sonny2012/20 Too Young to Burn.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.

Sonny & the Sunsets
2012-08-16
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41>KC5>CMC6>Aerco MP-2 + Soundboard>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown, parallel compression)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, additional EQ, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:18:05]
01 [Intro banter]
02 I See the Void
03 [banter1]
04 Bad Vibes and Evil Thoughts
05 [unknown1 “Shivers Down My Spine”]
06 Death Cream
07 [banter2]
08 Reflections On Youth
09 [banter3]
10 Sea of Darkness
11 [banter4]
12 Dried Blood *
13 [banter5]
14 My Mind Messed Up
15 [banter6]
16 Teenage Thugs (Cabezas Cortades)
17 [banter7]
18 [unknown2]
19 Heart of Sadness
20 Too Young to Burn *
21 [banter8]
22 [Martian Poem]
23 Love Among Social Animals
24 [banter9]
25 Planet of Women

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Sonny and the Sunsets, visit their website, and purchase Longtime Companion and their other releases directly from Polyvinyl [HERE]

Hurray For The Riff Raff: August 26, 2012 Mercury Lounge – Flac/MP3/Streaming

August 28, 2012
By


[photo courtesy of Joshua Brasted]

I’m thinking a lot about New Orleans right now. Hurricane Isaac has landed just west of the City on literally the 7th anniversary of Katrina. As New Orleans braces for the worst and all of us hope that the pumps and levees hold in their first major test, its comforting to listen to one of the best young bands the city has to offer. Hurray For The Riff Raff are surging on the momentum of their new album (Look Out Mama), a string of superb shows and some pretty heady media attention. On Sunday, the band returned to Mercury Lounge as the headliner and very impressively packed the joint on a Sunday night late show in late August. While they’ve always impressed us, going all the way back to 2008, its fair to say that HFTRR has never been better. Alynda is singing with strength and confidence and the musicians are incredibly tight. The set was heavy on Mama material but also featured four new songs, a couple of older numbers, and some really neat covers. We are streaming the Jimmie Dale Gilmore (via Flatlanders) classic “Dallas” which not only cemented the band’s alt-country bona fides but also featured vocals with Alynda showing great range and passion. With our thoughts and hopes for the safety of New Orleans on this night, we’re also streaming Hurray For The Riff Raff’s tribute to the city, “St. Roch Blues”. HFTRR will return to do more shows in Europe this Fall before returning to NYC for a special show in mid-October. More details to follow on the NYC date!

I recorded this set with the Sennheiser cards positioned in front of the soundboard and mixed with an excellent board feed. The large crowd on this night was extremely into the band and there’s almost no chatter that isn’t part of the show. We mixed the mics and the board at 50/50 leading to a really nice room feel to an otherwise outstanding recording. Enjoy!

Stream “Dallas [Flatlanders cover]”:

Stream “St. Roch Blues”:

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Direct download location of the FLAC files [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.

Hurray For The Riff Raff
2012-08-26
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Sennheiser MKH-8040s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 > (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2012-08-27

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:07:37]
01 [introduction]
02 Little Black Star
03 Never Never Knew [new song]
04 Look Out Mama
05 Slow Walk
06 Dallas [Flatlanders]
07 End Of The Line
08 Junebug Waltz
09 Ode to John and Yoko
10 Small Town Heroes
11 What’s Wrong With Me
12 Lake Of Fire
13 Be My Baby [Ronettes]
14 Time Is On My Side (Irma Thomas)
15 [encore break]
16 The St. Roch Blues
17 Born To Win

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Hurray For The Riff Raff, visit their website, and purchase Look Out Mama from the Euclid Records website [HERE].

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