Posts Tagged ‘ Nicole Atkins ’

Nicole Atkins: September 9, 2017 Mercury Lounge

September 25, 2017
By


[photos by Will Oliver and We All Want Someone To Shout For blog]

Its hard to believe that the last time we checked in with Nicole Atkins, it was three years ago. Our extended review of her album Slow Phaser and the Bowery Ballroom show that we recorded concentrated mostly on the record’s clear 1970s AM radio influences. For that album, Nicole put her stamp on the diverse styles prevalent in that decade’s pop. Three years later, several major events in Nicole’s life have guided her approach to the new album Goodnight Rhonda Lee, including her move to Nashville, dedication to sobriety, and marriage.

Goodnight Rhonda Lee is clearly an album faithful to its surroundings — both in the existence of multiple regional session players, and in the distinct sound of the record. Similarly to Slow Phaser, Goodnight Rhonda Lee is clearly influenced by the 1970s, perhaps not AM radio but more from that unique time in Nashville when the permissiveness of the 60s finally seeped into the old music town and brought a freedom to the country music capital that it had never experienced before. For about three or four years, the long hairs finally reached the mainstream — perhaps personified best through the career of Kris Kristofferson. When legend Johnny Cash recorded Kristofferson’s “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” in 1970 and took the song to Number 1, it represented the triumph of the new. And on the other side of Tennessee, Elvis welcomed new bloods Eddie Rabbit and Ronnie Milsap in the recording of his 1970 hit “Kentucky Rain”. Both songs communicate a drop-out melancholy that seemed to permeate the best of the new country during this time frame. But the melancholy also represented a distinctively different feel to the sound in the studio itself. The newly available technologies offered greater multi-tracking and effects not standard to country music that permitted the use of rock-styled guitars, reverbed piano, horns, and strings. Its that identifiable early 70s new Nashville sound that Nicole Atkins captured with stunning authenticity on Goodnight Rhonda Lee. Sure, there’s the album opener co-penned with Chris Isaak that could have been written for Patsy Cline or the neo-soul of “Listen Up” that would sound great covered by Aretha. But for the most part, the album really feels like a Nashville record and the songs themselves — struggles with alcohol, love, and a life in the music world feel at home in the country capital. And ultimately though its remarkable that the album itself wasn’t even recorded in Nashville, but rather at Niles City Sound in Fort Worth Texas.

The tour in support of Goodnight Rhonda Lee finds Nicole Atkins fronting a five piece band performing stripped down versions of the album material. There are no horns or strings but the album’s piano is present and guitarist Steven Cooper fills up the rest of the sound with tremendous tone and technique. Cooper is a young Nashville guitar wiz who seems destined for a long and productive career. At a packed Mercury Lounge last week, Nicole and the band performed a 75-minute set with much of the Rhonda Lee material and a few surprises. The set opened with a nice tribute to the recently passed Holger Czukay as Nicole brought back her cover of Can’s “Vitamin C”. Another major moment came when guest Tommy Stinson joined the band to perform a world premiere of his duet with Nicole called “Too Late”. The song was actually released this week. And the Slow Phaser track “Who Killed The Moonlight” took a detour through the Rolling Stones “Miss You” (remember that 70s pop influence). But the focus of this show was the fantastic material from the new album and it was clear that not only the massive talent of the singer but also a crack band were able to pull off the songs live. This show was that good.

Nicole Atkins has one more show on this tour, Friday night in Virgina. But she’ll be back with a bunch of shows in November, all dates [here].

I recorded this set with the Schoeps cards mounted at the soundboard and mixed with a perfect feed from house FOH Alex. This recording is absolutely superb. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

Nicole Atkins
2017-09-09
Mercury Lounge
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard [engineer Alex] + 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 1:10:16]
01 Vitamin C [Can]
02 Darkness Falls so Quiet
03 Brokedown Luck
04 [banter – sinkhole]
05 A Little Crazy
06 Listen Up
07 Maybe Tonight
08 Cry Cry Cry
09 [banter – Louise Goffin]
10 If I Could
11 Goodnight Rhonda Lee
12 Who Killed The Moonlight/Miss You
13 [banter – Tommy intro]
14 Too Late [with Tommy Stinson]
15 [banter – so horny]
16 Sleepwalking
17 A Night Of Serious Drinking
18 A Dream Without Pain
19 [encore break]
20 The Way It Is

PLEASE SUPPORT Nicole Atkins: Website | Pledge Music | Single Lock Records

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead: May 9, 2015 Capitol Theatre – Flac/MP3/Streaming (Matrix)

May 27, 2015
By

JRAD Cap (2)

We’ve been with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead from their very first show at Brooklyn Bowl, so it was especially exciting to see the band in the big room at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Given the special historical relationship between The Cap and the Grateful Dead, this gig was a kind of affirmation for JRAD. And the fans agreed — this date sold out quickly and well in advance. So there was a palpable sense of excitement when the band took the stage and immediately burst into a ’76-77 era version of “Dancing In the Streets” filled with neat funky guitar fills and tons of energy from the rhythm section. JRAD is always full of surprises, but what happened next was especially nice for us here at NYCTaper — the entrance onto the stage of friend of the site Nicole Atkins. Nicole ostensibly performed the “Donna parts” throughout the night, except that she’s a significantly better vocalist than Donna Godchaux ever showed during her time in the Grateful Dead (check out Nicole’s solo verses on “Music”). And as expected, Nicole provided a series of breathtaking moments throughout the night, highlighted by her solo rendition of Pigpen’s late era classic ballad “The Stranger (Two Souls in Communion)”, which like all JRAD performances balanced the tender line between tribute and respectful original take on the music. It was an interesting choice of material to feature Nicole on lead vocals and the selection proved brilliant.

This night was also featured an abundance what we have come to expect from JRAD shows — inspired and collaborative improvisational work which imparts new life into well-worn material. The version of “Dancing” definitely took its flavor from the late 70s GD, but JRAD took it out deep, and when the song reached to the final chorus after nearly twenty-minutes, it returned from places the Dead never imagined. “Cassidy” is a track that became fairly static in the later years of GD performances, which was a shame because the composition offers a jam-ready mid-song interlude. As expected, JRAD took that offer and upped the ante considerably. The mid-“Cassidy” jam contained a Playing-like deep space that gradually reached a manic Caution-like climax that we didn’t expect would ever return to the song proper. But return it did, ever so briefly, before exploding into a ’69-style “St. Stephen” that nearly took the roof off the old place. The first set continued with an extended “Eyes” that teased “Loose Lucy” before it flowed into a celebratory “Not Fade Away” that closed the meaty set. The second set’s opener “Music Never Stopped” followed the same path as “Cassidy”, taking a fairly static GD song that offered space for improvisation and taking full advantage. This “Music” extended past fifteen minutes before it returned to the final refrain. The remainer of the show was notable for its continued intensity, imaginative song selections and the true dedication to the music exhibited by all. By the time the band reached the set’s final song, a sweet “Ripple” encore, it was clear that Joe Russo’s Almost Dead had truly done the historic Cap proud.

This recording is a special one for the site. We were granted access to a soundboard feed in order to mix a special “matrix” of this show. I set up the mics in the taper’s section at the front right corner of the soundboard cage. I utilized the Schoeps cards and added the Grace V3 as a pre-amp to sweeten the capture. The room sounded terrific and the crowd was fairly respectful. The board feed was impeccably mixed by JRAD FOH Pete Costello — a perfect stereo pan, complete separation and superb balance. The matrix mix is fairly even between board and audience. The result is one of the best recordings we’ve ever offered on this site. Enjoy!

This recording would not have been possible without the generosity and assistance of three separate entities — the outstanding staff at the Capitol Theatre, Pete Costello, and of course the members of JRAD.

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream “Dancing In The Streets”:

Stream “Cassidy”:

Stream “Music Never Stopped”:

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, and feel free to repost the Soundcloud links.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead
2015-05-09
Capitol Theatre
Port Chester NY

Digital Master Recording
FOB Audience + SBD Matrix

Soundboard [Engineer: Pete Costello] 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 One
[Total Time 1:31:44]
01 Dancing In The Streets
02 Dire Wolf
03 Cassidy
04 St. Stephen
05 The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion)
06 Eyes Of The World
07 Not Fade Away
Set Two
[Total Time 1:22:06]
08 Music Never Stopped
09 King Solomon’s Marbles
10 China Cat Sunflower
11 The Eleven
12 I Know You Rider
13 Morning Dew
14 One More Saturday Night
15 [encore break]
16 Ripple

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you’ll please support these artists, visit the JRAD website, visit the JRAD Facebook page, and visit their individual websites and purchase their official merchandise. Benevento-Russo Duo [HERE], Marco Benevento [HERE], Tom Hamilton [HERE], Scott Metzger [HERE], and Dave Dreiwitz [HERE].

NYCTaper Top 25 Moments of 2014

December 31, 2014
By

taper-larger

Here is our annual compilation of the 25 best “moments” of the entire year from our site to you. Its been another banner year at NYCTaper. We’ve managed to record and post nearly one show per day for the entire year and sometimes even more than one. Its a level of consistency for which we’ve striven for years and as the NYCTaper “team” has grown so has our ability to reach our goals. All of this would not be possible were it not for the bands — hundreds of amazingly talented artists who not only perform superb concerts but allow us to bring recordings of them to you, their fans. Thanks also of course to the venues who allow us to come into their locations and do what we do, the labels, managers, PR persons, photographers, fellow bloggers and countless other people whose assistance and cooperation help make this “NYCTaper” thing happen. Here’s to many more great years!

1. Jason Molina Tribute (mems. of Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co. w/ special guests) – January 11, 2014, Hideout, Chicago, IL

acidjack: For me, the most thrilling, moving concert moment came early in the year, and in another city, no less. Mike Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger guested with Magnolia Electric Co. on four special tribute shows around the country, including this one, but it was in Chicago that the majority of Molina’s former bands and supporters coalesced into an evolving unit that traded and vocalists and instrumentalists by the song. As I put it then:

The crowd’s largest response came to perhaps Molina’s best-known song (and inarguably one of his best), “Farewell Transmission”. In that song, Molina sings that the real truth about it is that no one gets it right, but we’re all supposed to try. Well, if Jason could have heard his former bandmates and friends on this night, I think he would agree that they got it right. And they proved another piece of truth from that great song, that he will be gone, but not forever. Because the real truth about it is, a great artist like Jason Molina doesn’t die, he just changes shape. In our hearts and minds, he is forever.

2. Wussy: October 11, 2014 Private House Larchmont NY

nyctaper: Lisa Walker’s voice is one of the most compelling in all of contemporary americana music in large part because as a person she’s real and unpretentious. Its a voice that can capture the longing and heartache of a beautifully sad song such as Lisa’s penned “Motorcycle”. The experience of watching the performance of that song from about ten feet away in a private house concert was moving and is undoubtedly my single “moment” of this year.

3. Hiss Golden Messenger – March 2, 2014 Mercury Lounge and September 18, 2014 Rough Trade

acidjack: Mike Taylor, aka Hiss Golden Messenger, broke in a big way in 2014, one of the most deserving artists in all the land to do so. In early 2014 Mike still toured alone, able to afford to do little more than sling a guitar over his back. By the time he hit Rough Trade in September, he had a record out on Durham, NC stalwart Merge, and a backing band replete with new and old collaborators. Not long after that, he and his new band were on Letterman. These two shows pretty much tell the story in miniature, of a band transformed, but an artist whose honesty and craft remain steadfast.

4. The War On Drugs – March 19 and March 20, 2014 Bowery Ballroom.

acidjack: We’ll probably have similar takes on this show, so I won’t waste words, but suffice it to say that Lost In the Dream was the album of the year, and this show, complete with a cover of John Lennon’s “Mind Games”, showed any doubters that the album’s greatness wasn’t just in the painstaking production.

nyctaper: At the time it was released, I called “Eyes To The Wind” a perfect song and I still believe that nearly a year later. It was the highlight of this show for me and will be a track to which I return for years.

5. Woods: November 6, 2014 Death By Audio

nyctaper: 2014 was also a year to say goodbye to some places that meant a lot to NYCTaper over the years. Death By Audio was one of those venues and our last show at the venue was a special one. We’ve attended many Woods shows, and invariably the song that is often the centerpiece of the night is “Bend Beyond” — a terrific song that also offers the band a chance to stretch out and improvise. At this DBA show, Woods was reunited for one night with former member G. Lucas Crane whose preceding set transitioned into a Woods jam that evolved into this song. It was a fairly dramatic moment and was musically right there. A definitely highlight of the year.

6. Ryley Walker – September 6, 2014 Hopscotch Music Festival, Raleigh, NC and October 24, 2014 Rough Trade

acidjack: Ryley Walker seems poised for a similar trajectory to Hiss Golden Messenger — he’s an incinerating songwriter whose ability to make an emotional connection should bring him to many larger places. In a bit of a reverse of this year’s HGM experience, I saw Walker for the first time at Hopscotch Music Festival, backed by a full band on the broad stage of the Fletcher Opera Theater. A little over a month later, he was back on the road in his natural state, a man with his guitar (with upright bassist in tow for a few songs before he left for another gig). In my book, this “Summer Dress” from Rough Trade during CMJ blows away the full-band version — and that’s saying something.

7. Nicole Atkins: June 18, 2014 Madison Square Park

nyctaper: She put out one of the best records of the year, Slow Phaser, and by the time she and her new band returned to NYC, Nicole Atkins had found her live groove. This show at Madison Square Park was a strange one, with families on blankets, roaming kids, and what seemed like a never ending parade of police sirens. But for this one magical song, “Its Only Chemistry”, Nicole Atkins was the brightest light in this huge city park.

8. The Coup – March 13, 2014 South By Southwest

acidjack: Despite that SXSW has outstayed both its literal and cultural welcome, this day show, put on by our friend Steve, hearkened back to what it ought to be about. The bill had huge range, free tacos and beer were to be had, and people were there for music, not scenemaking. Boots Riley and his crew of left-leaning, hard-swinging, hip-shaking funk geniuses stormed the joint and never looked back.

9. Smashing Pumpkins: December 8, 2014 Webster Hall

nyctaper: A Smashing Pumpkins concert at a venue the size of Webster Hall is a special event in and of itself. But this year has been a productive one for Billy Corgan and his band. Their new album is Monuments to an Elegy is really quite excellent and the new touring band is a superb collection of pros. But the most memorable moment from this show for me was the finale — “Burnt Orange-Black” a powerful dirge that will appear on next year’s album. Its already a stunner and one of the best new songs we heard all year.

10. The Growlers: September 18, 2014 Bowery Ballroom

nyctaper: This show was fairly epic at two hours and it included nearly thirty distinct songs. But the highlight was the truly surreal mid-show appearance of two huge Chinese New Year’s styled dragons and a drum parade that entered through the back of the Bowery and worked through the packed crowd to the stage. The parade drumming transitioned into the titled track from The Growlers excellent new album Chinese Fountain, in what was an odd but very memorable moment.

11. Marah: July 12, 2014 Bowery Electric

nyctaper: A band with a ten year old prodigy that plays fiddle like a man five times his age would have to be a yearly highlight, but really Marah is much more than that. This show at Bowery Electric was a revelation and this performance of an old Marah song (when it was a completely different band) was one of the best things we saw all year particularly the sweet fiddle solo by Gus Tritsch and that moment when band leader David Bielanko realized in his mid-song monologue just exactly how special this band has become.

12. Yellow Ostrich – December 8, 2014 Glasslands

acidjack: This was one of those end-of-an-era shows in two ways — both the last by a beloved band, and in the final month of a venue where I spent a lot of time, Glasslands. We were sorry to see Yellow Ostrich go, but we’re glad they didn’t overstay their welcome. Alex Schaaf and his band exited at the top of their game, and we were honored to be part of it.

13. Dream Syndicate: November 16, 2014 Rough Trade

nyctaper: We’ve chronicled the solo career of Steve Wynn pretty regularly on this site, but I had personally not seen The Dream Syndicate in more than thirty years. The band’s reunion finally made it to NYC this Fall and it was certainly worth the wait. The last time I saw them, Dream Syndicate opened with “Tell Me When Its Over” and this past month it was the second song of the set and just as sweet.

14. Tweedy – June 7, 2014 Mountain Jam, Hunter, NY

acidjack: I had minimal hopes for this father-son band; nothing about nepotism tends to go well. But the Tweedy team proved doubters totally wrong, with a record that, if anything, exceeded Wilco’s recent output. The “band” debuted their entire new album for us on the Mountain Jam stage. Even if everyone wasn’t paying attention during that mid-afternoon set, the ones that mattered were.

15. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: October 13, 2014 Baby’s All Right

nyctaper: When I hear music scene veterans claim that there’s just nothing new that exciting, I happily point to bands like King Gizzard. The band came all the way from Australia to perform some shows this Summer, and we caught one of those shows, but it wasn’t until this night at Baby’s All Right that the lure of the Gizz fully clicked for us. A youthful and energetic take on neo-psych, this band’s new album is extraordinarily good and for this night at Baby’s they opened the show with the five-song segue that opens the album — after which there was a lot of affirmative head-shaking in the crowd. The Gizz had arrived and we can’t wait until they grace our shores again.

16. Three Lobed / WXDU Day Show – September 5, 2014 Hopscotch Music Festival

acidjack: I might as well just put this on my list for every year — this showcase, jointly produced by Three Lobed Recordings and the Durham, NC radio station WXDU, produces the most consistently incredible lineup of challenging music that I see. This year’s lineup boasted The Little Black Egg Big Band (featuring Steve Gunn, William Tyler and members of Yo La Tengo), MV & EE, Rose Cross North Carolina, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Thurston Moore/Mary Lattimore/Ryan Sawyer, and Daniel Bachman/Nathaniel Bowles. Beyond the quality of the music, the show always brings its own special crowd, the die-hards and the heads whose lack of strength is numbers is more than made up for in passion.

17. Yo La Tengo: December 6, 2014 Trocadero Philly

nyctaper: I traveled to Philly to catch my only Yo La Tengo show this year, and of course it was infinitely worth it. But what separated this show from the “standard” YLT show was the ferocious and simply awe-inspiring version of “Story” that closed the set. The guitar-crushing noise jam that concludes the song stretched the entire number to twenty-two minutes and elevated this to epic proportions. The was the band’s last show of their 30th anniversary tour and they ended it in very appropriate fashion.

18. Steve Gunn – October 12, 2014 Rough Trade

acidjack: Steve Gunn’s name always comes up among the biggest names in current American guitar music. What he accomplished with this year’s “Wildwood” took him beyond those confines, as the wider world began to view him as equal in his songwriting to what he had been recognized for on the guitar. This show at Rough Trade put that all on display, as Gunn and his band didn’t let a grueling slog up the East Coast keep them from giving a signature performance.

19. The Kickback: June 10, 2014 Pianos

nyctaper: There are very few times when I can confess to literally gasping at a live performance. The Kickback came to town for the New Music Festival and Jeff from the Syndicate recommended that I check them out. The band was quite good but it was the last number of their set that took this show to entire other level. Billy Yost’s intensity during “Rob Our House” was as breathtaking as it was simply pure rock excellence. Based on this show we invited the band to play our CMJ show where they again played one of the best sets we saw all year.

20. Strand of Oaks – December 4, 2014 Bowery Ballroom

acidjack: Tim Showalter is one of those almost comically earnest musicians, a man whose heart is as big as his sound. Strand of Oaks isn’t a new band, but it might as well be, given how meteoric Showalter’s rise has been this year. He started the year at Mercury Lounge and ended it at Bowery Ballroom, and the ceiling is far from there. Strand of Oaks has that mainstream approachability and big tent emotion that serves rock colossuses like U2 so well, but Showalter actually believes what’s coming out of his mouth.

21. PUP: February 21, 2014 Cameo Gallery

nyctaper: A long time ago, I was suspended for a week from the college radio station where I worked for playing the Dead Kennedys’ “Too Drunk To Fuck” on the air. Given the times and my position, it was a fair cop. I’m happy to still be around when the song is now a quaint old punk novelty and can be played by a band with a sense of humor and a sense of history with no repercussions whatsoever. PUP’s performance gave me a big smile to cap off an excellent night.

22. Spacin’/Purling Hiss – September 5, 2014 Hopscotch Music Festival

acidjack: Two of our favorite Philly bands formed an impromptu whole to replace someone I’ve already forgotten about on the end of this bill. While Mark Kozelek was being a dick over in the Lincoln Theatre on this night, those in the know caught this juggernaut (joined, just for good measure, by Steve Gunn and Mary Lattimore on the last song) playing real rock n’ roll that no crowd noise could keep down.

23. Hurray For The Riff Raff: July 26, 2014 XPonential Fest

nyctaper: acidjack and I went down to Camden for the Saturday of XPonential Fest and it was one of the best days we had all year. Its a great event and we’re hoping to do multiple days of XPN’s Fest in 2015. One of the reasons we made the trip was to see NYCTaper faves Hurray For The Riff Raff. The band continues to grow in stature and its fun to follow their ascent. “The Body Electric” is a song Alynda wrote as an “anti” murder ballad — the shaming of the idea that in traditional folk songs the protagonist is always the man killing a woman. The song was particularly poignant in a year when domestic violence was in the forefront of the news. The song’s powerful message earned it significant media attention including year end awards from the likes of NPR.

24. Herbcraft – January 24, 2014 Mercury Lounge

acidjack: I had no idea who Herbcraft even were when I arrived at this show, and barely got my recording equipment set up in time. They weren’t even the headliner. But what came next was no afterthought — this Woodsist band owned the stage, proving the real power of live music to expose you to new music in a way that clicking around on Spotify will never be able to top. Perhaps most notably, this post got several comments from people who felt the same way — that they couldn’t believe this band had slipped underneath their radar.

25. Dva – January 9, 2014 Trans Pecos

nyctaper: I attended this concert on the recommendation of Adam from Northern Spy and I’ll admit that I had no idea what to expect. At the end of the event, I was thanking Adam for inviting me because Dva is an amazing act and their live show has to be seen to be truly experienced. “Mulatu” was the first single from this Czech duo’s first US release and it encapsulates everything that’s great and interesting about Dva.

Nicole Atkins: June 18, 2014 Madison Square Park – Flac/MP3/Streaming

July 1, 2014
By

13
[photo by Chris La Putt – complete set at brooklynvegan]

The last time we connected with Nicole Atkins her brilliant new album Slow Phaser had just been released and her tour was literally just beginning — it was the tour’s first show. That night at Bowery Ballroom there was a palpable excitement in the room and despite a huge winter storm the venue was quite filled. This album is a career-defining accomplishment and we were more than pleased when her new crack band brought the songs to life. Now with six months of shows behind them, we caught Nicole and her band earlier this month at Madison Square Park. This show was the first night of the Park’s concert series, run impeccably by the Madison Square Park Conservancy. On a beautiful summer-like night the crowd was a mix of fans, families on blankets, curious locals and park supporters but from the outset Nicole had their attention and kept it for the entire full-length show — even with the lively city noise behind us (including persistent police and ambulance sirens). There was been one change in the band which now contains one guitarist but has added a keyboardist who provided much color to the music. Nicole played much of Slow Phaser but also added a few older tracks. We’re streaming “Its Only Chemistry”, which ended the main set and contains a particularly strong vocal performance. In July, Nicole goes on a national tour in support of Nick Cave with two NYC dates, July 26 at Celebrate Brooklyn/Prospect Park and July 27 at Hammerstein Ballroom.

I recorded this show with the Neumann large diaphragm mics set up at the soundboard tent and mixed with a fine board feed. The Neumann LD’s are especially warm and wide in the outdoor setting and the mix is quite well balanced resulting in a superb recording. Enjoy!

Stream “Its Only Chemistry”:

This Recording is now Available to Download in FLAC and MP3 and to Stream the Entire Show via Archive.org [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.

Nicole Atkins
2014-06-18
Madison Square Park
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Front of Board Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann TLM-102s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:12:19]
01 Who Killed The Moonlight
02 What Do You Know
03 Cool People
04 Gasoline Bride
05 The Way It Is
06 Maybe Tonight
07 Girl You Look Amazing
08 We Wait Too Long
09 Vultures
10 Red Ropes
11 The Worst Hangover
12 Party’s Over
13 Cool Enough
14 [banter – Oh Mercy]
15 Its Only Chemistry
16 [thanks]
17 The Tower

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Nicole Atkins, visit her website, and purchase Slow Phaser through her Pledge Music Campaign [HERE]

Nicole Atkins: February 13, 2014 Bowery Ballroom – Flac/MP3/Streaming

February 17, 2014
By

Nicole Bowery Will Oliver
[photo by Will Oliver – courtesy of We All Want Someone to Shout For]

Large swaths of my childhood were spent in the backseat of a late model Chrysler listening to WABC AM radio on long roadtrips. Top Forty music in the 1970s was a lot different than today’s popular music — that is to say that it was far more diverse and significantly less predictable. WABC played only the current hits, which in any given year in the 1970s could have included funk, disco, folk, laurel canyon, psychedelia, brit pop, soul, and countless other styles. You could hear Janis Ian “At Seventeen” followed by “Do The Hustle” followed by solo Paul Simon. You could hear KC and the Sunshine Band segue into Marvin Gaye and then directly into the Eagles. It was an era of sexual and racial liberation and the music reflected that reality. But in all that diversity were some consistent sounds. The advent and growth in the technology of synthesized and electric keyboards meant that every band played with the new toys often to excess. And if the 70s pop is known for any particular instrument other than the Fender Rhoades, its the pronounced bass guitar in many memorable tracks. Growing up listening to this music on the AM radio was an education that endures today — my musical interests are diverse and unpredictable.

While Nicole Atkins wasn’t actually born until the tail end of that decade, her music has always shown an influence from classic 70s pop. As she grew up near the Jersey coast, perhaps her influences were in part fashioned from hearing countless transistor radios blasting on the beach in Summer. And while the 70s sound has always bubbled under the surface of her contemporary pop, Nicole’s brilliant new album Slow Phaser isn’t as much influenced by, but is in fact an homage to the 70s AM radio represented so well by WABC on those long summer drives. There are moments in the album — whether its the prominent Donna Summer influence in the break in “Who Killed the Moonlight?”, or the disco-era bass line of “Girl You Look Amazing”, or the 70s-era harmonies in “Cool People” (streaming below), or the synthesizer rush in the middle of “What Do You Know?” or the “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” guitar strum in “Sin Song” or the reference to an “operator” in “The Worst Hangover” — where the homage is clear as day. But Slow Phaser is much more than the sum of its influences. It is the master work of an artist who has a clear understanding of who she is and how she arrived at the point where she can successfully crowd-source her album, choose her band, and dictate the production. Gone are the early career times of the major-label albatross. Slow Phaser is Nicole Atkins finally realizing her identity, in full control, and its truly glorious.

At Bowery Ballroom on Thursday night, the Slow Phaser Tour began with a show that combined all of these aspects. Nicole took the stage in a 70s-style kimono and played the role of the chanteuse. She’s ditched the guitar and left the music to a band of ringers and these guys can really play — check out the dual guitar solos in “The Tower”. The entire new album sans one track was played along with only three older numbers. But this show was all about Slow Phaser and the live versions were as kinetic as the studio album. The band nailed all of the special parts of the album so expertly and when I closed my eyes I swear I could hear WABC all over again.

I recorded this set in the usual manner — Sennheiser cards mounted in the balcony and combined with an expertly mixed board feed. There is some minor static in the left channel in first two songs from what sounds like a faulty guitar amp. But it was fixed. Otherwise, the sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Stream “Cool People”:

This Recording is now available to Download in FLAC and MP3 and to Stream the Entire Show at Archive.org [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.

Nicole Atkins
2014-02-13
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

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

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:08:22]
01 Vultures
02 Who Killed the Moonlight
03 Cool People
04 Girl You Look Amazing
05 We Wait Too long
06 What Do You Know
07 Gasoline Bride
08 Red Ropes
09 The Way It Is
10 [band intro]
11 Cool Enough
12 The Worst Hangover
13 Sin Song
14 [thanks]
15 Its Only Chemistry
16 [encore break]
17 The Tower

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Nicole Atkins, visit her website, and purchase Slow Phaser through her Pledge Music Campaign [HERE]

Nicole Atkins: September 29, 2011 Webster Hall – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

October 3, 2011
By


[photo courtesy of JC McIlwaine and Bowery Houselist]

After several near misses, we were fortunate to finally catch Nicole Atkins live for the first time since March at Maxwell’s. As she is currently on tour in support of The Felice Brothers (recording coming soon), Nicole’s set was an abbreviated version of her recent performances. While we pined for her mid-set solo segment, her Webster Hall show on Friday was full of peak moments — her band The Black Sea continues to impress, particularly guitarist Irina Yalkowsky whose aggressive slide guitar work shined in several numbers. As Nicole continues to tour behind Mondo Amore, that album’s songs predominated the setlist. The Leadbelly cover “In The Pines” was dedicated to Kurt Cobain (Nirvana also covered the song), and it was perhaps the most powerful song of the set. We are streaming it below. Nicole Atkins has several more local dates coming up this month, including the Petty Fest, a City Winery show, and the O Positive Festival in Kingston NY.

I recorded this set with the Neumann microphones mounted in the soundboard booth at the front and center of the balcony and mixed with a soundboard feed. There is some interference from a digital interface on stage that is noticeable at quieter moments of the show, but overall the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “In The Pines”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/N1906NicoleAtkins1020/11.%20In%20The%20Pines.mp3]

This Recording is now available to Download in FLAC and MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Nicole Atkins
2011-09-29
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, downsample set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper and acidjack
2011-10-01

Setlist:
[Total Time 47:46]
01 Heavy Boots
02 Party’s Over
03 This Is For Love
04 [banter]
05 The Way It Is
06 Cry Cry Cry
07 You Come To Me
08 Brooklyn’s On Fire
09 My Baby Don’t Lie
10 Vultures
11 In The Pines
12 The Tower

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Nicole Atkins, visit her website, and purchase her new album Mondo Amore from her website [HERE].

Nicole Atkins: March 11, 2011 Maxwell’s – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

March 13, 2011
By


[photo by nyctaper]

On the final night of her current tour, Nicole Atkins came home to a sold out Maxwell’s on Friday night. The tour in support of the heralded new album Mondo Amore (Razor & Tie) began at Bowery Ballroom more than a month ago and swung cross-country before its triumphant return. The band at Maxwell’s was the core group — not the orchestra-sized outfit at Bowery — and the set’s full throttle energy reflected it. From the opening notes of “Heavy Boots” the band was tight and focused and nicely complimented the main instrument — Nicole’s powerful voice. And she was in fine voice all evening in all modes, whether folk (“Monterey Honey”), ballad (“Hotel Plaster”), honky tonk (“Cry Cry Cry”) or a classic soul cover (“See And Don’t See”, streaming below). Nicole will play several SXSW shows before returning to dates in the Spring, which include Bonnaroo Festival and several dates with the Avett Brothers.

I recorded this set from our usual location and setup in this venue and the sound is outstanding. Nicole’s sound engineer Jeff mixed her vocals prominently and to perfection and the result is a recording that truly reflects of the strengths of this artist. Enjoy!

Stream “See And Don’t See”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/N1906NicoleAtkins1020/23.%20See%20and%20Don%27t%20See%20%5bMarie%20Queenie%20Lyons%5d.mp3]

This Recording is now available to Download in FLAC and MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Nicole Atkins
2011-03-11
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ USA

Digital Master Recording
Four Channel Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2011-03-12

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:16:18]
01 Heavy Boots
02 Maybe Tonight
03 This Is For Love
04 You Come To Me
05 [banter]
06 Party’s Over
07 [band introductions]
08 Cry Cry Cry
09 Vitamin C [Can]
10 [banter2]
11 The Way It Is
12 Brooklyn’s On Fire
13 [banter3]
14 Hotel Plaster
15 [banter4]
16 Monterey Honey
17 My Baby Don’t Lie
18 Vultures
19 [banter5]
20 War Is Hell
21 The Tower
22 [encore break]
23 See and Don’t See [Marie Queenie Lyons]

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Nicole Atkins, visit her website, and purchase her new album Mondo Amore from her website [HERE].

Nicole Atkins: February 9, 2011 Bowery Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 10, 2011
By


[photo courtesy of Chris from Music Snobbery]

Redemption is sweet, especially when it follows several years of intense struggle. On Tuesday, the New York Times published an article and interview with Nicole Atkins called “Musical Survivor Hustles for a Second Chance“, which describes her travails since she separated from Columbia Records. But the title is misleading. Nicole is not seeking a “second chance”, but rather with the release of Mondo Amore (Razor & Tie) this week, the ability to make the albums she envisions and to control her own fate. At the sold-out and breakout Bowery Ballroom show last night, Nicole Atkins proved that she is indeed up to the task and very much in control. As the nine-piece band bounded on stage, Nicole’s delayed entrance wasn’t so much for dramatic effect as to indicate who was in charge. As she led the band through a set that consisted of every track on the new album, a few songs from her first album, and some eclectic covers, Nicole proved that ultimately it all boils down to that voice — a magical instrument that bursts forth in every song with abundant character and melody. The highlights of the set included the set-closing thoroughly powerful “The Tower” in which her voice soared, and which is an early contender for performance of the year. The show concluded with a quiet and soulful performance of 2007’s “Neptune City”, a song which likely feels as if it was recorded in a different lifetime for Nicole, but which carries so much more redemptive meaning now.

I recorded this set with the four microphone rig from the balcony rail and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “The Tower”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/N1906NicoleAtkins1020/23.%20The%20Tower.mp3]

Stream “Neptune City”:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/N1906NicoleAtkins1020/26.%20Neptune%20City.mp3]

This Recording is now available for Download in FLAC and MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Nicole Atkins
2011-02-09
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded Balcony Railing

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2011-02-10

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:27:56]
01 Introduction
02 Heavy Boots
03 Maybe Tonight
04 Brooklyn’s on Fire!
05 The Way It Is
06 Cry Cry Cry
07 [banter]
08 My Baby Don’t Lie
09 [banter2]
10 You Were The Devil
11 You Come To Me
12 Hotel Plaster
13 Monterey Honey
14 Vultures
15 [banter3]
16 Vitamin C [Can]
17 Party’s Over
18 [banter4]
19 War Is Hell
20 This Is For Love
21 [band introductions]
22 Oh Well [Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac]
23 The Tower
24 [encore break]
25 See and Don’t See [Marie Queenie Lyons]
26 Neptune City

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Nicole Atkins, visit her website, and purchase her new album Mondo Amore from her website [HERE].

SUPPORT NYCTaper




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