Did you make a mistake and miss Philly’s Long Hots at their two prior Three Lobed / WXDU day show appearances during Hopscotch? Might’ve been an easier ticket than getting into the door at the packed Slim’s this year, where the Hots brought the fire in this seven song set. This show was so slammed I couldn’t even get in the door, but our man Dave Schwentker had it covered with a fine setup. Don’t let that bookstore ad fool you into thinking that this was anything less than what it was: a no-BS guitar slammer that, for those who actually got in the door, was one of the highlights of the entire festival.
Dave recorded this set with Church Audio CA-1 mics mounted on the ceiling, into an Olympus LS-10. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!
What else to say about Ryley Walker? We first saw the champ at this festival, Hopscotch, way back in 2014. In that span of 5 years, he’s expanded his sound, produced definitive records (and the definitive Dave Matthews cover album), gotten wild, gotten sober, and hit stages all over the world. As much has changed, his essence hasn’t — a relentlessly searching, gifted musician who doesn’t pause his growth to keep his audience comfortable, but gives that audience his very best every night. If being the top card late at night at Nash Hall wouldn’t seem like the right opportunity for a wild 90-minute set, you need to know more about Ryley.
Beautifully recorded by our bud Randy Hoke, this set has all the elements — some inside-baseball music biz comedy, classic songs (“On the Banks of the Old Kishwaukee”), and of course, long-form improvisation, in particular, the closing “Primrose Green,” which Ryley seemed determined to push as far from its roots as possible. I think he agrees with us that among his many performances this year, this one was a particular winner. Have a listen and I think you’ll agree.
In a useful piece of Ryley news, he’s launched his own private press label, which includes a sold-out LP pressing of his Walker/Jewel/Gunn trio performance from Union Pool back in March. If you’re lucky, you might find a copy out on tour…
Randy recorded this set with a soundboard feed, AKG shotgun mics at the back of the room, and onstage AKG mics. Even though this room is a challenge, he made an outstanding recording. Enjoy!
Tracks [Total Time 1:24:06] 01 [intro banter] 02 Telluride Speed 03 [banter/tuning] 04 The Halfwit In Me 05 [banter2] 06 Spoil With the Rest 07 [banter3] 08 22 Days 09 [banter4] 10 On the Banks of the Old Kishwaukee 11 [banter5] 12 Opposite Middle 13 [banter6] 14 Primrose Green
On the final night of the Hopscotch Music Festival, our buds at Kings curated an eclectic show that featured two recordings we have already shared (Moon Duo and Boogarins), a superb set from “house” band Birds of Avalon, Kid Millions, and another very special international guest, Mdou Moctar. Hailing from a small village in Niger, Moctar has received international acclaim as one of the best-known Tuareg guitarists. If you’re not familiar with the Saharan brand of rock music, or you have no idea what that means, let me put it more simply: this guy shreds like Jimi Hendrix. His latest LP, Ilana, the Creator was recorded in Detroit, and is already making its way onto early “best of 2019” lists for obvious reasons. Moctar’s work is special not only for its technical virtuosity but for his willingness to expand upon the genre’s conventions, as well as focus on original music over standards and covers. These four songs will give you a taste of what Moctar is about, but really, do yourself a favor and head to Sahel Sounds to get educated not only about his work, but the variety of 21st century African artists they represent. (Jesse Jarnow wrote an excellent piece about the label here). And keep your eye on those “best of 2019” lists — I know Mdou Moctar is making mine.
I recorded this set with onstage Schoeps MK5 microphones, MBHO microphones back at the soundboard, and a soundboard feed. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!
Thanks to Mdou Moctar and his management team for letting us share the recording.
Fresh off a longstanding stint as the bassist in Bardo Pond, Clint Takeda has emerged with a new solo project, Double Wig. This show at the annual Three Lobed / WXDU Annual Ritual of Summoning during Hopscotch was most folks’ first introduction to the project, and Clint made sure to keep us all enthralled with an improvisational piece powered by a number of effects that rendered the sound of Clint’s bass almost unrecognizable as one. These are still early days for Double Wig, with only a few performances or even mentions out there in the wild, so we are excited to see what Clint does with the project.
I recorded this set in the same manner as the other shows of the day, with Schoeps MK5c’s on stage, a soundboard feed, and MBHO mics and the Aerco preamp back at the board. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!
Among the bounty of riches at every Hopscotch Music Festival is the variety of punk shows that get put on, both throughout the day show circuit and during the official evening events. Out of a particularly good crop this year, one of my very favorite punk acts was the Atlanta band GG King, who played both this official evening set at Kings and then a day show set at Neptune’s (the downstairs room of the same club) the following day.
This set shows the band at its best, playing high-velocity, hardcore-inflected punk. Frontman Greg “GG” King hails from the defunct hometown favorite the Carbonas, who were at it from 2001 to 2009, and his eponymous band continues many of the things people loved about his last band. In particular, both had a certain pop sensibility that, without making either act cheesy or soft, give them appeal beyond their core audience. This night’s song selection should satisfy both the new fan and the veteran alike; you can hear many of the studio versions on these rehearsal demos streaming on their label’s bandcamp page. Once you’re done here, I recommend you stream your way over to Scavenger of Death Records and discover the rest of what GG King has to offer.
I recorded this set with MBHO microphones into the warm n’ fuzzy Aerco preamp. My man Dave Schwentker was kind enough to track this one out so we could present it to you. Enjoy!
Planting Moon, of Asheville, NC, didn’t quite debut at this year’s Three Lobed / WXDU Annual Ritual of Summoning, but it’s fair to say this was a key performance by a new band — one that landed the right way on these ears. This combo of guitarists Sarah Louise and Nathan Olson, together with drummer Thom Nguyen, takes full of advantage of these players’ improvisational talents, with Louise adding occasional vocals to her heady guitar interplay with Olson.
This was one of my favorite sets of this year’s Hopscotch — not only are Planting Moon excellent, but their gigs to date have been largely local affairs. Along with the marquee national and international acts (who all play New York eventually), this festival is a chance to see the best acts coming out of North Carolina, particularly the vibrant scenes in Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill and Asheville. Trust me, Planting Moon check that box in a big way.
I recorded this set with the same three-source setup I used throughout the day, with onstage Schoeps MK5s carrying the load, together with a soundboard feed and MBHO mics back at the soundboard to capture the room feel. This one sounds great, folks. Enjoy!
Sarah Louise (guitar/vox) Nathan Olson (guitar) Thom Nguyen (drums)
It’s too early for Planting Moon to have any recorded output, but you ought to support them by visiting their Facebook page.Don’t skip the members’ otherwork as well.
Lubelski and Nace both have extensive musical histories as solo artists, improvisers and collaborators, including with members of Sonic Youth (Lubelski with Thurston Moore in, among other formats, Chelsea Light Moving; Nace most recently in Body/Head with Kim Gordon, but also with Moore and Lubelski). This format — in which the duo have released a self-titled album and recently toured the U.S. — finds Lubelski on violin and Nace on guitar/effects. It’s clear from the cohesiveness of this 28-minute piece that the pair have a natural interplay with each other, as they weave together a piece that you’ll find thought provoking no matter how you choose to interpret it.
I recorded this set primarily with a feed from the soundboard, with the Schoeps MK5 onstage mics providing additional atmosphere. Enjoy!
Tropical Fuck Storm is a band name you’re probably too old to be wearing on a t-shirt, but do anyway because the shirt’s hilarious in an 80’s-futurism kind of way, and because you’re pretty high on Tropical Fuck Storm after they play, and because the merch table is nearly picked clean after their tour and it’s nice to send a band home with nothing left, and because their post-apocalyptic music is a reason maybe to not believe the apocalypse is coming any moment now, and because they come from the same place as Mad Max, and Liars, and because Tropical Fuck Storm just don’t give a fuck, but no Tropical Fuck Storm do seem to give a fuck, and it’s so damn hard to give a fuck…
We were lucky enough to catch Tropical Fuck Storm twice this month: at Elsewhere on Friday for their last show of the tour, and previously at Hopscotch at the tiny, overflowing Neptune’s. Both shows feature songs from their most recent album Braindrops along with last year’s A Laughing Death in Meatspace, plus a couple covers and the usual Drones song, “Baby Squared.” There’s really no doing justice to seeing Tropical Fuck Storm in person, but you’ll have to close your eyes and pretend. The band is touring Australia and Europe soon and you can check those dates here. Do go see them and buy a t-shirt so people can ask you things like what the fuck is Tropical Fuck Storm? and aren’t you a little old to be wearing a shirt that says Tropical Fuck Storm?
I recorded the Elsewhere show from our usual location at the soundboard, with a feed provided by FOH Katie. Acidjack recorded the Hopscotch show on his mobile rig. Both shows sound excellent. Enjoy!
Tracks [1:07:00]
01. Lose the Baby [Lost Animal]
02. Chameleon Paint
03. Who’s My Eugene?
04. Soft Power
05. Braindrops
06. You Let My Tyres Down
07. Back to the Wall [The Divinyls]
08. Rubber Bullies
09. [fixing the amp]
10. Two Afternoons
11. Baby Squared [The Drones]
Tropical Fuck Storm
2019-09-07
Hopscotch Music Festival
Neptune’s
Raleigh, NC USA
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Church Audio CA-14c>Sony PCM-M10 (16/48)>Adobe Audition CC>Izotope Ozone 5>Audacity
Tracks [1:04:00]
01. Lose the Baby [Lost Animal]
02. Chameleon Paint
03. Who’s My Eugene?
04. Soft Power
05. You Let My Tyres Down
06. Back to the Wall [The Divinyls]
07. Rubber Bullies
08. Two Afternoons
09. Paradise
Sometimes the daytime action at Hopscotch can be even more intense than the evening, as showcases like the Merge/OCSC day party at King’s have a habit of bringing out top local talent to draw the local crowd. For my money, few local acts are more exciting right now than Carrboro, NC’s Object Hours, whose bandcamp helpfully promises to keep songs “under 25 minutes for your sake.” The band’s instrumental explorations, at least during this set, aren’t quite that long, but it’d be just fine if they were. The players — Nora Rogers, Jenny Waters and Harrison Haynes — are vets of a number of bands, and that experience and confidence shows in their improvisational style. For any fan of modern music for heads, add Object Hours to the top of your list — this is a band to watch.
Our man Dave Schwentker made this recording from an optimal spot in the venue using an Olympus LS-10 and its included mics. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!
I should possibly apologize to Rosali Middleman, one of the three Long Hots, for referring to her guitar playing as “feral” in last year’s review of this band’s Three Lobed / WXDU show, their third ever. If you’ve heard her other work, particularly her outstanding latest record Trouble Anyway, you wouldn’t necessarily know it was the same person as the one shredding on these scuzz-rock numbers. It was more a statement the style of her guitar playing for this band than the, you know, quality. But I digress. A year later, Long Hots continue to be one of Philadelphia’s best up and coming exports. The band’s gritty, garage-style approach recalls Philly brethren Spacin’ and Purling Hiss, and like those bands, the Long Hots can make it feel like a 3 a.m. rager in some hopped-up dirtball’s basement even if they’re actually playing a day show in a much-nicer-than-average local club. This five-song set almost doubled last year’s set in length and at least matched it in intensity, showing us new songs that (one day?) could fill out a full LP. As for now, Long Hots remain “Philadelphia’s most anticipated band” in that respect, as they continue to hone their live chops. You can catch another flavor of that on the band’s sole release, the Monday Night Raw cassette, which is exactly what it sounds like.
I recorded this set with a blend of onstage Schoeps microphones, a pair of mics in the audience, and a soundboard feed. It’s a fun recording. Enjoy!
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