Posts Tagged ‘ north carolina ’

Hiss Golden Messenger: September 7, 2012 Three Lobed/WXDU Day Show, Hopscotch Festival (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

October 9, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

This second day of this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival has to have been one of the best days of music I’ve had all year. Though there were many high points, the main reason was getting the chance to see the Durham, NC recording artist MC Taylor, aka Hiss Golden Messenger, for the first time – and twice in the same day, at that. The first of those was Taylor’s stripped-down acoustic set at the Three Lobed Recordings/WXDU Day Show at King’s Barcade, and it held a singular beauty that was the equal of, but distinct from, the full-band set that HGM played later that night (that recording [HERE]). Taylor began the set with the a cappella “Father Sky”, and it’s a beautiful, brief religious allegory. The next songs were two of my absolute favorites – the band’s most approachable number, “Call Him Daylight” and the new “Red Rose Nantahala”, with its simple refrain of “Oh Lord, let me be happy”. Sung in Taylor’s voice, such a simple line can strike a deep emotional chord; he delivers the line with a canny mix of resignation, pleading, and hope.

Joined at points by Nathan Bowles, Scott Hirsch and Terry Lonergan, who would play in the full band that night, Taylor’s arrangements were much simpler during this day show. Compared to the full band set later that night, this show necessarily placed the emphasis on Taylor’s vocals and, thus, his actual words, and it was absolutely riveting to listen to. Taylor followed “Red Rose Nantahala” with “A Working Man Can’t Make It No Way”, “Bad Debt” from his Bad Debt debut LP, and ended with another stellar country-blues number, “O Little Light”, from his critically acclaimed current album, Poor Moon. He will eventually be putting out a follow-up to Poor Moon that should include “Red Rose Nantahala” as well as “Brother, Do You Know the Road”, which was played at the night set. Until then, settle in with this recording, and let Tyalor bend your ear.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed provided by the King’s staff combined with Schoeps MK5 mics in the omnidirectional setting split wide onstage.  The results are excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Red Rose Nantahala”

Stream “Father Sky”

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.


Hiss Golden Messenger
2012-09-07
Three Lobed/WXDU Hopscotch Festival Day Show
Kings Barcade
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK5 (omni, onstage, 3ft split)>KC5>CMC6>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (tape effect exciter)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro – Cory Rayborn]
02 Father Sky
03 Call Him Daylight
04 Red Rose Nantahala
05 A Working Man Can’t Make It No Way
06 Bad Debt
07 O Little Light

Players:
MC Taylor (vocals, guitar)
Scott Hirsch (guitar)
Nathan Bowles (banjo)
Terry Lonergan (percussion)

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Hiss Golden Messenger, like him on Facebook, and purchase Poor Moon on digital or vinyl from Paradise of Bachelors [HERE] and all of his releases on vinyl [HERE].

Gunn-Truscinski Duo: September 7, 2012 Three Lobed/WXDU Day Show, Hopscotch Festival (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

October 2, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

The duo of the guitarist Steve Gunn and drummer John Truscinski, better known as Gunn-Truscinski Duo, was a perfect closer to the Three Lobed Recordings/WXDU Day Show during the Hopscotch Music Festival. The pair epitomizes some of the highlights of the Three Lobed aesthetic – rhythmically complex, guitar-based music with psychedelic overtones that occupies no obvious musical niche, that advances the state of its art while giving a subtle nod to its forebears. With no words sung during their set, it is still easy to locate Gunn-Truscinski as distinctly American; although he melds Eastern elements to his work, Gunn is nonetheless a successor to this country’s folk tradition. What we got at King’s Barcade on this fine Friday afternoon was a short barnstormer of a set consisting of three of the five songs from the duo’s latest release on Three Lobed, Ocean Parkway.  Gunn and Truscinski kicked off with perhaps that record’s best song, “Banh Mi Ringtones”, given some extended jamming treatment, followed by “Don’t Lean On Door” and “Ocean Parkway”. For those who would doubt that an instrumental guitar and drum duo can unrepentantly rock, I submit this recording as Exhibit A.

I recorded this set in the same manner as all of the other sets from this show, with Schoeps MK5 microphones onstage in the omnidirectional setting and a soundboard feed provided by the King’s staff. As I was able to get the mics closer to the performers for this set, this is one of the best quality-wise of the day. Enjoy!

Thanks to WXDU, Cory Rayborn and Three Lobed. Also check out our post of Gunn and Truscinski playing as a trio in support of Tom Carter, which is coming soon.

Stream “Banh Mi Ringtones”

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

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.

Gunn-Truscinski Duo
2012-09-07
Three Lobed/WXDU Day Show
Kings Barcade
Raleigh, NC USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard + Schoeps MK5 (omni, onstage, split)>KC5>CMC6>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (light EQ and tube effects)>Audacity 3.0 (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Banh Mi Ringtones
03 Don’t Lean On Door
04 [banter]
05 Ocean Parkway

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Gunn-Truscinski Duo, visit Steve Gunn’s website, and purchase Ocean Parkway and their other releases directly from Three Lobed [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]

Oren Ambarchi: September 8, 2012 Hopscotch Festival, Memorial Auditorium (Raleigh, NC) – Streaming Full Set

September 27, 2012
By


[Photo by Jeremy D Larson. See his Flickr stream [HERE]]

Oren Ambarchi was a very special pickup for this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival. The world-renowned electronic guitarist and percussionist not only doesn’t spend a ton of time touring stateside, but is an especially rare sight in North Carolina. A frequent collaborator with the band sunn O))), Ambarchi’s work stretches the limits of music and the guitar as conventionally understood, with stretched-out song structures that are more dissonant soundscapes than proper songs. Coming on at Memorial Auditorium just before sunn O)))’s festival-closing set was an appropriate slot for Ambarchi and a logical move in terms of fan base; most who showed up in the hall knew what to expect (as much as anything that Ambarchi does is “expected”).  This 32-minute improvisation is classic Ambarchi, and an excellent introduction to his work for those hearing him for the first time.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 microphones in the cardiod setting from the optimal position in the venue. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream the entire set:

Please note, at the artist’s request, no downloading of this set is permitted.

Follow acidjack on twitter

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.

Oren Ambarchi
Hopscotch Music Festival
Memorial Auditorium
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, DFC, 10ft, DIN)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (light eq, set fades, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC

Tracks
01 improvisation

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Oren Ambarchi, visit his website, and buy his releases from Touch music [HERE]

Lambchop: September 8, 2012 Hopscotch Festival, Fletcher Opera Theater (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 21, 2012
By


[Photo courtesy of Kevin Norris at Triangle Music Blog.  Many other Hopscotch Festival photos can be found there]

While Sunn O))) were blowing minds and eardrums next door in Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium, the Nashville band Lambchop gave this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival a more quiet but no less satisfying valedictory. Responsible for what is widely hailed as a career-defining record this year (Mr. M) Lambchop have little left to prove after a 20-year career, but clearly much left to give. Frontman Kurt Wagner and the band kept the volume in this moderately-sized opera house low for almost their entire set, and a rapt and respectful crowd set the tone for a performance that leaned heavily on Mr. M.  Subtlety and grace are Lambchop’s calling cards, and that was no different on this night, as Wagner and the band gave a classic performance. Having missed their NYC show at the Bell House this spring, I for one am thrilled to have this document as an introduction to the new material in the live setting.

This set was recorded by the North Carolina taper “bryonsos” with 3 Zigma CHI custom American-made microphones. While the low volume in the house and a low-end-heavy mix presented some challenges, after careful editing, this is an excellent recording. Enjoy!

Stream “2B2”

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

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.

Lambchop
2012-09-08
Hopscotch Festival
Fletcher Opera Theater
Raleigh, NC USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded by bryonsos
Produced by acidjack

3 Zigma CHI microphones (cardiod, DFC, DIN)>Sound Devices MixPre>Sony PCM-M10>24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, tube effects)>Audacity 3.0 (set fades, envelope crowd noise, light DR compression, adjust volume, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:17:29]
01 Betty’s Overture
02 Gone Tomorrow
03 Sharing A Gibson With Martin Luther King
04 If Not I’ll Just Die
05 The New Cobweb
06 Mr. Met
07 Nashville Parent
08 [banter]
09 The Book I Haven’t Read (Fearless)
10 Prepared
11 The Good Life (Is Wasted)
12 Women Help to Create the Kind of Men They Despise
13 [banter]
14 Nice Without Mercy
15 New Cobweb Summer
16 [banter]
17 2B2
18 Never My Love

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Lambchop, visit their website, and buy their official releases directly from Merge Records [HERE]

Six Organs of Admittance: September 6, 2012 Hopscotch Festival, Berkeley Cafe (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 19, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

The guitarist Ben Chasny, who performs with various combinations of players as Six Organs of Admittance, was a late add to this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival lineup, and a welcome one. Chasny, a veteran of the psych rock behemoth Comets On Fire, plays with a variety of approaches on the guitar; though he has been branded “new folk” in some quarters, that label hardly encompasses the wide range shown on Chasny’s Six Organs output. His latest, Ascent, finds Chasny reunited with his Comets on Fire compatriots, with the heavier sound to go with the personnel. This set at Raleigh’s Berkeley Cafe barely touched on the new material, represented only by the propulsive “A Thousand Birds”, which gave way to a lovely rendition of the mellow “Light of the Light” from 2011’s Asleep On the Floodplain. The set’s highlight came at the end, when improviser-in-residence Chris Corsano joined Chasny for an extended take on “Above A Desert I’ve Never Seen” from Asleep on the Floodplain. (Thanks to the commenter below for that information).

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 microphones and a soundboard feed from the accommodating Berkeley house staff – particularly so since the venue had been flooded a few hours earlier!  The results are excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Above A Desert I’ve Never Seen”:

Complete Show: 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

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.

Six Organs of Admittance
2012-09-06
Hopscotch Festival
Berkeley Cafe
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK41>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Audacity 3.0 (set fades, tracking, light DR compression, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Journey Through Sankuan Pass>Shelter From the Ash
02 Bless Your Blood>Wolves’ Pup
03 Elk River
04 A Thousand Birds
05 Light of the Light
06 [tuning]
07 Khidr and the Fountain
08 Lisboa
09 [banter/Corsano intro]
10 Above A Desert I’ve Never Seen [with Chris Corsano]

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Six Organs of Admittance, visit their website, and purchase Ascent and their other official releases from Drag City [HERE]

The Human Eyes: September 6, 2012 DiggUp Tapes Day Show at Hopscotch Festival (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC / MP3 / Streaming

September 18, 2012
By


[Photo by Ross Grady]

One of the many pleasures of heading down to Raleigh, NC for this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival was the chance to see regional bands that aren’t as readily available to see in New York. The Human Eyes were touted to me early on as a local favorite, and I can see why. At this DiggUp tapes day show at King’s in downtown Raleigh, the band gave a crowd of current fans and newcomers like me a 40-minute set consisting of much of their still-fresh May 2012 debut release, Guiding Eyes for the Blind.  With shimmering guitars and a dream pop  sensibility to their sound, the band was instantly approachable. After leading off with the uptempo “Born To Die”, I appreciated the band’s willingness to slow the pace a few songs later with the lovestruck “I Am Gone”. Similarly, the melancholy “Let Me In” was the right way to cue up the biggest, catchiest rocker of the set, “It’s Not the Same Without You”. This Chapel Hill, NC band is still in its infancy, but based on the enthusiasm I heard from local fans, I think we may be seeing more of them outside of their home region.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed from the excellent King’s staff and a pair of AKG 460 cardiod microphones installed by the local taper Bryon S. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “It’s Not the Same Without You”

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.

The Human Eyes
2012-09-06
Hopscotch Festival Day Show
King’s
Raleigh, NC USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack
Microphones courtesy of Bryon S

Soundboard + AKG 460/ck61>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (adjust levels, mix down)>Audacity 3.0 (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Born To Die [fades in]
02 Locked In the Mall
03 Another World
04 I Am Gone
05 Forever Sleep
06 [banter]
07 Human Eyes
08 Let Me In
09 It’s Not the Same Without You
10 Call Me Back

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT The Human Eyes by liking them on Facebook and visiting their bandcamp page, where you can buy Guiding Eyes for the Blind for $5 on digital or cassette (+ download code)

sunn O))): September 8, 2012 Hopscotch Festival (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC / MP3 / Streaming

September 18, 2012
By


[Photos by Josh Sisk]

It makes sense that sunn O))) are named after Sunn amps, because the many Sunn amps onstage with them get a punishing workout during their sets. Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium proved to be one of the most challenging rooms for bands at this year’s Hopscotch Music Festival; its size and cavernous design threatened to swallow the sound of several of the acts who played there. But for the doom metal pioneers and their slow, hypnotic wall of sound, the mid-sized auditorium was child’s play. As they prefer it, sunn O))) took the stage shrouded in a wall of smoke, the silhouettes of the black robed players barely visible. sunn O))) doesn’t need to give you much to see, though, as their music communicates on a more visceral level – that is, by rattling your guts with their bass-driven, low-tuned guitars and periodic paganistic chants. For this set, there was no percussion involved, and for the uninitiated, there were no obvious discernible songs – again, as the masters prefer it. A sunn O))) show is not so much as a “concert” as a holistic experience, as if you’ve joined the band in a dark ritual that will give them, for an hour and a half or so, your undivided attention and near-catatonic rapture. A scan of tweets during the show revealed a mixture of awe and fear among the show’s participants; sunn O))) is not for the faint of heart. The Hopscotch Festival was meant to reflect the impeccable and unique musical tastes of its co-founders, and I think it’s safe to say that co-founder Grayson Currin‘s predilection for “heaviest music” was satisfied by having sunn O))) close out the third successful run of this festival.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones in the optimal location in the venue. This is an outstanding recording and perhaps my favorite quality-wise of the entire festival. Enjoy!

Stream a 5-minute sample of the set:

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] (Single click to play; right-click and “Save As” to download) | 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.

sunn O)))
2012-09-08
Hopscotch Festival
Memorial Auditorium
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (FOB, DFC, DIN, 9ft)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Izotope Ozone 5 (light EQ and tube effects)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (set fades, adjust levels, downsample)>xAct (tag and convert to FLAC)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [untitled]

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT sunn O))), visit their page at Southern Lord Records, and purchase their music there.


[Photo by acidjack]

Megafaun: September 8, 2012 Hopscotch Festival Day Show (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC / MP3 / Streaming

September 14, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Megafaun are one of several Triangle-area bands that have gone national recently, and they are also one of our personal favorites. Since being introduced to the band when they opened for fellow Triangle-area band The Mountain Goats, and our own Sharon Van Etten, we have followed their progress to becoming a headliner and national act in their own right with pleasure. But on their home turf, Megafaun aren’t just an up-and-coming act from out of town; they are stars in their own right. The Americana-driven band was the centerpiece and part sponsor of this outdoor day show on the final day of the Hopscotch Festival, and they brought with them several other bands we’ve been longtime fans of: Oneida, Mount Moriah, and the db’s. Coming on last, Megafaun arrived to a teeming and rowdy crowd that was as thrilled as I was to see them joined by not only the improvisational drummer Chris Corsano, the Nashville-based guitarist and Lambchop member William Tyler and Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs. Clearly feeding off of the energy of the crowd, the band gave us a rollicking hour-plus set that didn’t shut down until the band said so. We have watched the band move from a trio to a touring foursome already, but with the additional players rotating in and out of the cast, Megafaun became a Southern juggernaut. With Graduciel onstage, the band performed a “cover” of the The War on Drugs’ “Brothers” with Graduciel on vocals. Lighting up the streets of Raleigh with their all-American charm and good humor, Megafaun ruled this day, and inaugurated the final day of the Hopscotch Festival as no other band could.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed provided by the extremely professional and high quality staff of North State Sound, together with Schoeps MK5 mics in the omnidirectional setting to provide a live feel. This show is, as the band says themselves, mixed on the fly, and you will hear some occasional fluctuations in levels and instructions from the stage, but it is a very strong recording and document of this day. Enjoy!

Stream “Kaufman’s Ballad”

Stream “Brothers” [The War On Drugs]

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

Follow acidjack on twitter

Check out all of NYCTaper’s Hopscotch Festival recordings

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.


Megafaun
2012-09-08
Hopscotch Music Festival Day Party
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK5 (omni, 3ft split, slightly ROC)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 65:54]
01 [intro]
02 Scorned>
03 Heretofore
04 [banter]
05 Kaufman’s Ballad
06 The Fade
07 [banter]
08 Second Friend
09 His Robe
10 [banter – intro Chris Corsano and Adam Granduciel]
11 Get Right
12 I Was There [The War on Drugs]
13 [banter]
14 Real Slow

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Megafaun, visit their website, and purchase their official releases including their latest album Megafaun from Hometapes Records [HERE].

Hiss Golden Messenger: September 7, 2012 Hopscotch Festival (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC / MP3 / Streaming

September 11, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

It’s a fitting coincidence that as the third annual Hopscotch Music Festival took place in venues across downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, the Democratic Party gathered for its annual convention in Charlotte a few hours south to officially re-nominate the nation’s first black President. People unfamiliar with North Carolina have a habit of lumping it in with places that have little to do with it; witness the epithets thrown at the state following the passage of the state’s anti-gay marriage amendment. Like every state in this Union (including New York, where gay marriage didn’t exactly pass by overwhelming margins), North Carolina is a complicated jumble of old and new, and the negative things I saw people saying on social media and elsewhere didn’t square with the place I lived in eleven years ago. What I saw during this past weekend bested my highest expectations for the area’s future; more than ever, the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area (the “Triangle”, as it’s known) is a place of big, positive things. Hopscotch – of, by and for the vibrant music scene of the Triangle – in many ways is a microcosm of modern North Carolina. And if one single artist could encapsulate all that was good about Hopscotch, I would submit that it’s the Durham, NC based songwriter MC Taylor, aka Hiss Golden Messenger.

Taylor took the Fletcher Opera Theater stage in the dark, the room so quiet we could hear his footsteps.

“Hey now, brother, don’t you know the road?” he called out, voice as sweet as that tea they like to drink down here.

And as they walked on, his current bandmates responded back: “Yes, my brother, I know”.

The classic blues call-and-response builds for a few minutes, as Taylor’s fellow players (an all-star cast consisting of, among others, the Nashville guitarist William Tyler and Phil and Brad Cook of Megafaun) take the stage behind him.

“I was no good and I was all alone,” Taylor sings, that sweetness rent with heartbreak.

“Yes, my brother, I know”.

The verses of “Brother, Do You Know the Road” continue until they build to an extended instrumental bridge, Tyler wailing a mournful line on his Telecaster, and ending, as it began, with that call-and-response. And that’s only the first few minutes of an hour-long set so beautiful it brought me to tears a couple of times. Taylor’s voice is spine-tingling good, with the songs to match.

This show never slowed from those first verses of “Brother”, as the band – who had never played together as a complete unit before this show – jelled into a formidable seven-piece that added a wealth of new texture to Taylor’s compositions. Along with “Brother,” Taylor played the as-yet unreleased “Red Rose Nantahala”, a bluegrass-tinged number in which Nathaniel Bowles’ (of the Black Twig Pickers) banjo lead melded with Tyler’s electric guitar. “Jesus Shot Me In the Head” was treated to a meditative, extended intro that accentuated its psychedelic leanings. Rather than a new band, this one sounded like a group of longtime collaborators; it couldn’t hurt that many of them are friends, and some had played on Taylor’s latest record, Poor Moon.  But really, even with a crack band, the centerpiece of Hiss Golden Messenger is always Taylor and his voice, and this intimate theater proved to be the perfect venue to showcase Taylor’s abilities. The band closed with “Super Blue (Two Days Clean)”, a rocking song about an addict’s welcome of a relapse. Charley Patton might have found a lot to like in Taylor’s lyrics, and he’d probably have been jealous of the quality of the players behind it.

Despite a much-deserved spate of recent positive press, Taylor still doesn’t play out much other than in North Carolina, where his legend is spreading. He has released a few records, including the hard-to-find Bad Debt LP of roughshod motel blues, the pop-veering Country Hai East Cotton, and the aforementioned current masterpiece, Poor MoonPoor Moon, consisting partly of filled-out versions of the Bad Debt material, saw limited release on North Carolina’s Paradise of Bachelors imprint in 2011 before being re-released more widely by the Tompkins Square label (and re-pressed by Paradise of Bachelors) in 2012. Drenched in the blues, gospel, bluegrass and Appalachian folk, Poor Moon is an almost flawless work of songwriting in which Taylor melds those classic styles into a new form that is distinctly his. A lecturer on folklore, it is no surprise that Taylor is an expert on this area’s rich past.

This was my favorite by far, but this set from Taylor is one of many, many magical moments at this year’s Hopscotch. Co-founders Grayson Currin (a Pitchfork contributor) and Greg Lowenhagen and their team have created something truly special down in North Carolina. At this rate, it won’t be long before the Triangle is joining or even replacing the Austins of the world near the top of the U.S. musical conversation. Brother, now you know.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 microphones from the center of the balcony. Due to a battery failure, the last few minutes of the last song are patched from an inferior backup source, but other than this small flaw, the recording is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Jesus Shot Me In the Head”

Stream “Call Him Daylight”

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Hiss Golden Messenger
2012-09-07
Hopscotch Music Festival
Fletcher Opera Theater
Raleigh, NC USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, balcony, DFC, DIN)>KC5>CMC6>Edirol R-44 [OCM] + (last few minutes of last track only) Tascam DR-40 internal mics (X/Y)>>Audacity (set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )
Tracks
01 Brother, Do You Know the Road?
02 [band intros]
03 Call Him Daylight
04 Red Rose Nantahala
05 A Working Man Can’t Make It No Way
06 Jesus Shot Me In the Head
07 [banter]
08 Drummer Down
09 O Nathaniel
10 Westering
11 O Little Light
12 Super Blue (Two Days Clean)

Musicians:
MC Taylor (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar)
Scott Hirsch (Bass Guitar)
William Tyler (Guitar)
Nathaniel Bowles (Banjo)
Terry Lonergan (Drums)
Phil Cook (Keyboards, Guitar)
Brad Cook (Electric Guitar)

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Hiss Golden Messenger, like him on Facebook, and purchase Poor Moon on digital or vinyl from Paradise of Bachelors [HERE] and all of his releases on vinyl [HERE].

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