[Possibly the coolest photo of Willy T I have seen, courtesy of P Squared Photography]
William Tyler is a force. “That was a tragic song, in case you guys couldn’t pick up on that, because the lyrics are so clear” he laughed at Bowery Ballroom, where we caught him last week opening for Mikal Cronin. But Tyler might be wrong there. His playing is of such emotional heft that you can feel what he’s trying to say with his guitar, both wielded with grace and experimental verve. These two very different sets covered both some of the Lambchop guitarist’s newest solo material (the outstanding “Highway Anxiety”) along with tracks from his first solo outing, Deseret Canyon. That release saw its initial Merge reissue on Record Store Day show at Chaz’s Bull City Records, so it was appropriate that Tyler brought out two of its most treasured gems, “The Waltz of the Circassian Beauties” and “Crystal Palace, Sea of Glass” at that show. If you missed Deseret on Record Store Day, fear not: Merge will be bringing it out in wider release come early June.
It’s a testament to Tyler’s abilities as a player and storyteller that he kept the crowd whisper-quiet at Bowery, where the new track found itself nestled along nicely next to beloved songs from Impossible Truth and 2010’s Behold the Spirit. People may have been there to witness Cronin’s power-pop headlining affair, but they were smart enough to pay attention as Tyler played “Hotel Catatonia” — preceded by a typically Tyleresque introduction involving being locked in a TCBY freezer. (For the New Yorkers in the audience, that’d be The Country’s Best Yogurt). Likewise, the affair in North Carolina felt more like a gathering of friends that a proper concert, and that was just right for the afternoon vibe outside of Chaz’s. It was a great day to be outside, and a great day to be a music fan. It’s always a great day to see William Tyler, which is a good thing — Northeast crowds will get plenty of opportunities when he tours in June with Real Estate and Ty Segall.
I recorded the Bowery set with a soundboard feed from the legendary Kenny, together with Schoeps MK41V supercardiod microphones. The Bull City show was primarily a board feed from John Koelle, plus Schoeps MK4V microphones in front of the stage. The sound quality it outstanding. Enjoy!
Download the Bowery show: [MP3] | [FLAC]
Download the Bull City Records show: [MP3] | [FLAC]
Stream the NYC set:
Stream the Bull City Records set:
William Tyler
2015-05-05
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA
Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Soundboard (engineer: Kenny) + Schoeps MK41V (LOC, PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>Aerco MP-2>>Edirol R-44 [oCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )
Tracks
01 Missionary Ridge
02 [banter2]
03 A Portrait of Sarah
04 [banter2]
05 Highway Anxiety
06 [banter3]
07 Hotel Catatonia>
08 Tears and Saints
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William Tyler
2015-04-18
Chaz’s Bull City Records
Durham, NC USA
Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Soundboard (engineer: John Koelle) + Schoeps MK4V (stage lip)>KC5>CMC6>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8
Tracks [Total Time 35:17]
01 Tears and Saints
02 [banter1]
03 A Portrait of Sarah
04 Missionary Ridge
05 The Waltz of the Circassian Beauties
06 [banter2]
07 Crystal Palace, Sea of Glass
If you enjoyed these recordings, PLEASE SUPPORT William Tyler, visit his website, and grab his records from Merge.
photo by PJ Sykes
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