Posts Tagged ‘ schoeps mk5 ’

Ryley Walker: March 12, 2019 Union Pool

March 14, 2019
By
Photo by Drew Gardner

Listen to this recording for the in-between song comedy, if nothing else.

Huh? Oh, right, but this is Ryley Walker we’re talking about — the Very Serious Musician who writes Very Serious Songs and does Very Serious Things like 55 minute psych-improv blowouts with Steve Gunn and Ryan Jewell. This is Ryley Walker, who does a 2LP song-by-song cover of an unreleased Dave Matthews album as his second record of the year — a cover album so good that it convinces music snobs that yes, Dave Matthews is actually a pretty darn great musician. Come for comedy if you must, but become lifelong believer because of the music.

This was Ryley’s second of four residency shows this month at Union Pool. In addition to a truly hilarious extended riff about garage bands at SXSW circa 2009 (with a note-accurate parody song included) and Chicago bands who fail to get picked up by Touch N Go (with a note-accurate parody song based around the riff from June of 44’s “Dexterity of Luck”), Ryley and drummer Jewell delivered a new jam (title TBD), a very familiar cover (“If I Were A Carpenter”), songs from the exceptional 2018 LP Deafman Glance, and “Primrose Green,” from the 2015 album of the same name that seems like aeons ago musically. Whether or not certain naysayers at the time made lame Van Morrison comparisons (based as much on the album’s cover art as its sound), many of those songs are really good, and it’s a joy to see them coming back in the rotation.

As I’ve mentioned before, what feels like the biggest difference from the 2015-era shows is how Walker’s live renditions more closely match the album’s style. Sure, it’s still “sad acoustic guitar indie folk man” music in a sense (as Walker put it), but “Telluride Speed” and “Spoil With the Rest” were played here more or less in the style of the album versions, versus the 14-minute jam version of “Halfwit In Me” that’s long been a tour staple. I don’t know if it means that Walker feels more comfortable with the Deafman songs as the band played them in the studio, or if these songs are just waiting their turn for the extended treatment, but either way, it’s working.

This show also features a hilarious story about taking acid in relation to a King Crimson concert (listen to the story) and some self-deprecating musings about Primrose Green. This might be the first show I’ve witnessed by a serious musician that almost seemed to spawn a new genre: sort of a Yo La Tengo Hanukkah set with a comedian, except that the comedian appears during the set.

There are two more Tuesday nights this month where you can catch Ryley Walker at Union Pool, with more special guests promised. Based on the first two, it’s pretty clear that you shouldn’t come with any preconceived notion of what you’ll hear, but be prepared to enjoy yourself. Tickets for next week’s show are here.

Doug Graham once again outdid himself behind the board. Combined with my Schoeps MK5 mics, it’s yet another excellent recording for you to enjoy.

Download the recording from its Live Music Archive page

Ryley Walker
2019-03-12
Union Pool (Residency Night 2)
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard (Engineer: Doug Graham) + Schoeps MK5c (XY, at SBD, DFC)>KC5>CMC6>>Sound Devices MixPre 6>24/48 polyWAV>Adobe Audition CC>Izotope Ozone 5>Audacity 2.2.2>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:04:03]
01 [intro]
02 The Halfwit In Me
03 [diaper rap]
04 [new jam 1]
05 Spoil With the Rest
06 [garage rock and Thrill Jockey rap]
07 Telluride Speed
08 [King Crimson rap]
09 If I Were A Carpenter [Tim Hardin]
10 [primrose rap]
11 Primrose Green

PLEASE SUPPORT RYLEY WALKER: Bandcamp | Dead Oceans

Ryley Walker, Steve Gunn & Ryan Jewell Trio: March 5, 2019 Union Pool

March 7, 2019
By
Photo by Drew Gardner

Ryley Walker led off his March 2019 Union Pool residency with a shot of his usual self-deprecating humor, telling us he just got dumped and that this was his first show as a New Yorker (he’s lived here for months and performed quite a few sets here since). For those of us who’ve followed his career for the past five-plus years, we knew at least one thing to expect next: Ryley’s music is as serious as his stage persona is flippant.

Still, that couldn’t quite prepare us for the trio set with Steve Gunn and Ryan Jewell that followed. This trio could have done any number of things well, but what we ended up with reminded me tonally of Gunn’s collaborations with the drummer John Truscinski — with a hundred percent more guitar. Over the course of this 50 minute improvisational piece (titled by yours truly given the lack of a given one), I was struck by how, in the right hands, an instrument can be a person’s voice. Take Walker at his word — or put yourselves in the shoes of almost anyone who first moves to NYC from their hometown — and you knew what kind of energy he was working with: frenetic, exuberant and relentless. He played like a person aching to be seen, announcing themselves in an unfamiliar place. It wasn’t his first show as a New Yorker, but it might be the first one with that alchemical mix of awe, anxiety and urgency that turns you into the kind of person who belongs here.

Gunn’s trademark guitar tone undergirds the entire piece, a beacon for what’s to come. There’s a sweetness and calm to even Gunn’s noisiest work that’s of a piece to his own stage persona: confident but laid-back about it, extraordinary without overreaching. Like his recent guest appearance with William Tyler, this collaboration with Walker made for an incredible combination of peer guitarists operating at their creative and artistic peaks (not to say they won’t enjoy more). Likewise the conservatory-trained Jewell, an almost-constant among Ryley’s touring bandmates, who comes in and out of the foreground of this extended improv at the right moments, adding drone-style percussion at critical ebbs in the volume.

From his noise roots to his folk-leaning earlier albums to his wholly-new current material, Walker proves over and over that he refuses not to stretch himself artistically. It was hard to take photos of this show. You could get a clear shot of Steve, eyeing Ryley from stage left. But Ryley Walker, he was a blur, especially at this piece’s final, ecstatic climax. Like a true New Yorker, he never stops moving.

I recorded this set with a flawless feed from Union Pool’s engineer Doug Graham, together with Schoeps MK5 microphones at the soundboard. The quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Thanks as always to the artists and the Union Pool team for having us.

Download the complete show from its Live Music Archive page.

Ryley Walker, Steve Gunn & Ryan Jewell Trio
2019-03-05
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY  USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard (engineer: Doug Graham) + Schoeps MK5 (XY, at SBD, DFC)>KC5>CMC6>>Sound Devices MixPre 6>24/48 polyWAV>Adobe Audition CC>Izotope Ozone 5>Audacity 2.2.2>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 51:41]
01 [Chicago rap]
02 Exodus 2 Brooklyn pt 1
03 Exodus 2 Brooklyn pt 2
04 Exodus 2 Brooklyn pt 3

Ryley Walker – guitar
Steve Gunn – guitar
Ryan Jewell – drums

Ryley Walker: April 29, 2018 The Bowery Ballroom

May 2, 2018
By

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

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

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

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

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

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

An nyctaper recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack

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

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

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

PLEASE SUPPORT RYLEY WALKER: Bandcamp | Dead Oceans

Bardo Pond: February 17, 2018 Union Pool

March 6, 2018
By

If Williamsburg venue Union Pool is better-known among the GenZ semi-grownups that populate the nabe’s bars these days, don’t tell the people who crowded the room for the Bardo Pond show on this snowy Saturday night — many of us grinning as the hookup-seeking set turned away from door not only by the “SOLD OUT” sign but also the deep noise emanating from behind it.

Bardo Pond is one of those bands that will always cast a deep but not wide net, nestling in the psyche of those able and open to embracing them. Their massive oeuvre — their latest and misleadingly titled Volume 8 is far from only their 8th record — attests to fans’ insatiable desire for what they’re into. Tonight’s set, short on number of songs but long on jams, was anchored by a sprawler from the new album, “And I Will” along with some recent tour favorites. The night capped with a longtime band classic, “Tommy Gun Angel,” putting an exclamation point on the idea that whatever other fleeting things might pass on that Saturday night in that room, this band always leaves echoes long after they’ve left the building.

I recorded this set with Lesley’s house PA feed together with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream and download the complete show (and donate to the band) from our bandcamp page:

Bardo Pond
2018-02-17
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY

Hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5c (at SBD, PAS)>KC5>CMC6 + Soundboard (engineer: Lesley)>>Sound Devices MixPre6>2×24/48 WAV>Adobe Audition CC (align, mix down, compression, limiter)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Kali Yuga Blues
02 Out of Reach
03 My Eyes Out
04 Under the Pines
05 And I Will
06 Tommy Gun Angel

SUPPORT BARDO POND: Website | Buy Volume 8

Clearance: October 13, 2017 Rough Trade NYC

October 20, 2017
By

The Chicago band Clearance have been at it for a few years now, having first gained broader notice with a track debut from their current full-length, Rapid Rewards, on Stereogum. Various corners of the Internet have compared them to Pavement, having more (to this listener) to do with their wry sense of humor than their exact musical style, which falls into the broad camp of “indie rock” or “alt-rock” or “garage-rock” or whatever you want to call guitar-driven music that isn’t made by meatheads these days, but is delivered, at this stage, with a certain professionalism that wasn’t Pavement’s stock-in-trade until career end.

This set at Rough Trade NYC represents a solid eleven (with one additional that was aborted) song introduction to the band, including “You’ve Been Pre-Approved.” But among the set, I was most taken with the band’s latest single, “Are You Aware,” an upbeat burst of optimism that might fit less within the “ironic slacker” framework, but is just the dash of musical Prozac you want on a Friday after a wearying week. By the time the song downshifts in its final segment, you’re feeling the relaxation wash over you. We also got some new songs in the mix, including “Chances Are” and “Haven’t You Got the Time,” the latter of which has a bit more of a 90s Britpop feel than some of the band’s other songs. The band closed with the short-burst anthem “She’s A Peach,” which ended abruptly in under two minutes. At first it seemed like a mistake or a joke, but then it became clear — the song had said all it needed to say. Clearance are that kind of band.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the Widowspeak set, with Schoeps MK5 microphones and a soundboard feed from Jeremy. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

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

Clearance
2017-10-13
Rough Trade NYC
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com

Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard (engineer: Jeremy) + Schoeps MK5 (DFC, at SBD, PAS)>KC5>CMC6>>Sound Devices MixPre6 (24/48)>polyWAV file>Adobe
Audition CC (align, mix down, compression, limiter)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects, image)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, dither, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Had A Fantastic
02 The Prospect
03 Destination Wedding
04 Frozen Orange / No Wonder
05 Gallery Glare
06 Are You Aware
07 You’ve Been Pre-Approved
08 Owner/Operator
09 Chances Are
10 Haven’t You Got The Time?
11 Another Arrow [stops]
12 She’s A Peach

PLEASE SUPPORT CLEARANCE: bandcamp | Facebook 

The Mountain Movers: July 13, 2017 Union Pool

July 17, 2017
By

The Mountain Movers, of New Haven, CT, have been operating since the mid-2000s, but it feels like 2017 is their biggest moment yet. With the release of their self-titled LP on Chicago’s psychedelic mecca Trouble In Mind, the band have offered  a bold new statement of purpose. Compared to a decade ago, their sound is almost unrecognizable; even compared to the psychedelic-leaning but more folk-driven Apple Mountain, what you hear today is vastly different. Simply put, this band has entered the deep zone, and I hope they stay there. The material from the self-titled record is far and away the band’s heaviest yet, exploring deep grooves interspersed with approachable hooks.

That was on display at Union Pool this past Wednesday, where the band used its minutes to play only four songs, from a new(?) instrumental and the album’s sprawling opener “I Could Really See Things” to its most straightforward track, “Angels Don’t Worry.” After gigs with Chris Forsyth and Kikagaku Moyo, among others, earlier this spring, the band is in fighting shape, ready to take on the summer mini-tour that kicked off with this show.  It’s worth your time to get to know The Mountain Movers, who aren’t afraid to change course, or get weird, or get heavy. They’re at their very best when they do all three.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 microphones at the center of the balcony together with a soundboard feed from Union Pool engineer Doug. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

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

The Mountain Movers
2017-07-13
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5c (at SBD, DFC, X-Y)>KCY>Z-PFA + Soundboard (engineer: Doug)>Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, adjust levels)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 30:16]
01 [instrumental] [please provide track name if you have it]
02 Everyone Cares
03 [banter]
04 Angels Don’t Worry
05 [banter2]
06 I Could Really See Things

Support The Mountain Movers: bandcamp | Trouble In Mind

Chris Forsyth & the Solar Motel Band: April 6, 2017 Trans-Pecos

June 1, 2017
By

Chris Forsyth’s appearance at Trans-Pecos a couple months ago heralded that most important of musical happenings: the possibility of a new release. With their latest No Quarter release The Rarity of Experience a proven success win fans, Forsyth and the Solar Motel Band used this intimate stage to show off some of their latest attractions. After hitting the ground running with “High Castle Rock,” we heard three new numbers in a row, including “History and Science Fiction” and “Mistaken the Bottle” (which we first heard at Union Pool back in late 2016) plus a new as-yet-unnamed (to us, anyway) number. When you add in “Dreaming In the Non-Dream I-II,” you’ve got a set chock-full of new material that continues to expand on Forsyth’s unique guitar vision, which blends a rock fan’s appreciation for shredding (he named a song after “Cocksucker Blues,” after all) with a Deadhead’s appreciation for sonic exploration, thematic variation, and little details. It’s always a treat to see Chris and the band, and we’ll be sure to keep you posted on what’s next.

I recorded this set with onstage Schoeps MK5 microphones into a warm-sounding Aerco preamp, plus a soundboard feed. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream and download the complete set on our bandcamp page:

Chris Forsyth & the Solar Motel Band
2017-04-06
Trans-Pecos
Queens, NY USA

Hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5c (onstage, DFC, XY)>KCY>Aerco MP-2 + Soundboard >> Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CC>Izotope Ozone 5>Audacity 2.0.3>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 High Castle Rock
02 American History and Science Fiction
03 [new1]
04 Mistaken The Bottle
05 The First Ten Minutes of Cocksucker Blues
06 Dreaming In the Non-Dream I-II

Support Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band: Website | Facebook | Buy The Rarity of Experience from No Quarter

Tortoise: March 16, 2017 Hall at MP

March 22, 2017
By

Seeing Tortoise is one thing. Seeing them up close, watching the synchronous drumming, the members swapping instruments song to song, playing in perfect time, is really seeing Tortoise. This was far from my first time with them, but it was my first time at the distance you see above, and it was incredible. Still on a high from last year’s The Catastrophist, the band felt less bound this time around to showcase those songs, instead delving back particularly hard into their landmark album TNT, among other corners of their catalog.

The Hall at MP, a relatively new below-ground venue paired with a Michael Psilakis restaurant up top, proved a good venue for these guys, with a broad stage that could accommodate all those instrument changes. One notable change toward the end of the set was a guest appearance by Yo La Tengo’s Georgia Hubley, who joined the band for “Yonder Blue,” the song on which she provided vocals for The Catastrophist.

In terms of the rest of the set, what constituted a “highlight” probably had as much to do with your introduction to the band and the set list of the last show you saw than the actual quality of the music, all of which was high. As Eric noted in his review of the previous night’s show, this band has been a gateway drug of sorts for many of us who grew into independent music that went beyond verse-chorus-verse, guitar-and-vocal sounds. What’s so notable about Tortoise is that they’ve probably kept doing that for so, so many more over the ensuing years.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed of Tortoise engineer Elliott Dicks’ mix, coupled with Schoeps MK5 cardioid microphones in “X-Y” position onstage. The sound quality is truly outstanding. Enjoy!

Download the complete set via archive.org: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Stream the complete set:

Tortoise
2017-03-16
Hall at MP
Brooklyn, NY

Hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Tortoise live engineer: Elliot Dicks
Hall at MP engineer: Karl Schwarz

Soundboard + Schoeps MK5c (onstage, DFC, X-Y)>KCY>Z-PFA>>Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CC (align, mix down, compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (light EQ, effects, image)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:26:31]
01 The Catastrophist
02 Prepare Your Coffin
03 Monica
04 In Sarah, Mencken, Christ, And Beethoven There Where Women And Men
05 I Set My Face to the Hillside
06 The Clearing Fills
07 Eros
08 [tuning]
09 Tesseract
10 [banter]
11 Ten-Day Interval
12 Swung From the Gutters
13 The Suspension Bridge At Iguazú Falls
14 At Odds With Logic
15 [encore break 1]
16 Yonder Blue (w/ Georgia Hubley)
17 Gesceap
18 [encore break 2]
19 Salt the Skies

Support Tortoise: Website | Facebook | Buy The Catastrophist and more via Thrill Jockey

Dinosaur Jr.: August 5, 2016 Rough Trade NYC

August 9, 2016
By

IMG_1084

Any story about Dinosaur Jr. in New York really must start with the shows that didn’t appear on this site — the band’s singular string of seven shows at Bowery Ballroom back in December of 2015 (they’re going to be officially released in some form). There, the band celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of their debut album — an extraordinary feat for almost any act, even more of one for a band who some would argue didn’t hit their commercial potential even during the heyday of their style of music. Joined by an all-star roster of guests every night, J. Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph proved how much they’ve meant, and continued to mean, to the music that’s been made during their run. That old saw about being defined by the company you keep? There’s a reason for it.

Which brings us to this much more intimate show at Rough Trade NYC, on the heels of the band’s latest tour with fellow late 80s/90s stalwarts Jane’s Addiction. These homecoming nights are always fun, giving a band a chance to unwind in front of friends after a touring slog. The band rewarded us with some first-time playings of their just-released new record, Give A Glimpse of What Yer Not, which could as easily be the mantra of a band whose consistency and quality has been remarkable through lineup changes and a hiatus. If their first shot at “Goin’ Down” was a little rough (in Barlow’s opinion, anyway), the crowd wasn’t bugged by it, as the band showed off the new album tracks alongside many of their best-loved favorites, including their biggest commercial hit, “Feel the Pain.” Of course, the diehards were there for the older classics like “Freak Scene,” “Gargoyle” and “The Lung,” as well as my personal favorite, the night’s closer of “Out There.” If it wasn’t a two-plus hour bonanza of rare tracks and guest stars, this show was closer to what any band really wants to be about — enduring classics played to enduring fans, in a set that proves that their new material is just as vital as the old. After some much-needed rest, I’m sure we’ll see them back at it to tour the new record in full. We’ll be there.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones in our usual spot in the venue with an Aeta PSP3 preamp for extra clarity. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Thanks to Dinosaur Jr.’s management team and the Rough Trade staff for helping to make this happen.

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

Stream the complete show:

Dinosaur Jr.
2016-08-05
Rough Trade NYC
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (FOB, DFC, PAS)>KC5>CMC6>Aeta PSP3>Zoom F8>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (compression, fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time: 1:17:19]
01 The Lung
02 Goin’ Down
03 Love Is…
04 [banter1]
05 I Told Everyone
06 Pieces
07 Tiny
08 Feel the Pain
09 In A Jar
10 I Walk for Miles
11 Start Choppin
12 Freak Scene
13 Gargoyle
14 [encore break]
15 The Wagon
16 Out There

SUPPORT Dinosaur Jr.: Facebook | Website | Buy Their Records

Ought: May 8, 2016 Rough Trade NYC

June 2, 2016
By

ought
[photos by Jill Harrison]

Today, more than any other day. It’s effective as a song, even more effective as a mantra. The Montreal band Ought seem to be living by it well, unafraid to release precocious, ambitious music into the wild without precondition or posturing. Their new album, Sun Coming Down, starts off with a nearly eight-minute song, and that should tell you something about where this band’s collective head is at in terms of what their priorities are. Proudly off-kilter in some respects, but never veering from straight-up playing a good song, Ought are that band you wish your geek friend had managed to actually achieve — something smart, interesting, and also engaging. When singer-guitarist Tim Darcy makes his voice warble in that oh so strange way that he does on “The Combo” and elsewhere, it’s as if he’s making the joke you’re in on. People much older than him might look askance at acting a little silly, but he’s all-in. If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to leave, but there’s no reason for that, really.

This set at Rough Trade focused on Sun Coming Down, and if that album lacks a bit of the exuberance of the debut, it makes up for it with even more ambition. The band’s years on the road have further tightened up the sound of an act that was once a lark among roommates; like many of their hometown brethren, Ought sound like they give a fuck, and whether or not the word “punk” falls into your label for them says a lot about what you think that word means. Darcy’s sing-speak, likened at times to Mark E. Smith, is neither spontaneous nor lazy, calculated to deliver the maximum impact of what he has to say. This Sunday night crowd knew it, too, and the band delivered. By the time their first album’s title track rolled around as the first encore, even the people who had to go to work the next day knew they’d made the right decision. In the end, there’s only today, and you might as well make the most of it.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones in our optimal spot in the venue, together with a soundboard feed from veteran engineer Kevin Mazzrelli. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Ought
2016-05-08
Rough Trade NYC
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5c (at SBD, DFC)>KCY>Z-PFA>Aeta PSP-3 + Soundboard (engineer: Kevin Mazzarelli)>Zoom F8 (2x24bit/49kHz WAV)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5

(align, mix down, light compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects, imaging)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:08:57]
01 Sun’s Coming Down
02 The Combo
03 Passionate Turn
04 Men For Miles
05 Beautiful Blue Sky
06 The Weather Song
07 On the Line
08 Habit
09 Never Better
10 [encore break]
11 Today, More Than Any Other Day
12 Pill

Support Ought: bandcamp | Constellation Records | facebook

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