Blog Archives

Black Wine: February 11, 2012 Music Hall of Williamsburg – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

March 21, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Going on first is never easy, so I was pleasantly surprised to see such a crowd out for Black Wine.  Opening the Don Giovanni Records showcase last month at Music Hall of Williamsburg, the band played their opening slot with massive enthusiasm that was rewarded with a rapidly growing crowd.  They also had a bit of an advantage.  With a sometimes-melodic punk sound (an oxymoron people used to rationalize with the word “emo”, which I’ll opt not to) that suggests echoes of the members’ most recent engagements in the New Brunswick, NJ scene – For Science, the Ergs and Hunchback – these musicians each have a fan base that stretches back into the 1990s.  Composed of the husband and wife team of guitarist Jeff Schroeck and drummer Miranda Taylor, together with Jason Nixon on bass, this team of veterans handles the vocal duties democratically onstage, with the focus shifting among players onstage as each takes a turn at the mic.  While this means their songs vary a bit more between each other than those of some bands, it also keeps things interesting, as a Taylor song will tend to have a very different feel to it than one from one of the men.  Their songs have a focused, professional feel that befits long-time musicians, perhaps most notably for me on their leadoff track “Through the Foam”, which was an immediate crowd-pleaser.  As bands like the Screaming Females and Gaslight Anthem continue to raise their profile in NYC, other New Brunswick bands like Black Wine are likely to see an increased profile for the north/central Jersey scene.  And they ought to – they’re making very good music there.

We recorded this set with Neumann KM150 microphones into a Sound Devices preamp to provide maximum clarity to the guitars and vocals.  The sound is excellent.  Enjoy!

Stream “Through the Foam”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/B1122BlackWine1220/01 Through the Foam.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [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.

Black Wine
2012-02-11
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Neumann KM150 (balcony, DFC)>Sound Devices USBPre2>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Through The Foam
02 Favorites
03 End Of Days
04 [New Song]
05 Hand
06 Pick At Pieces
07 Chateau Of Ghosts
08 Haunted

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Black Wine, visit their page at Don Giovanni Records, and get their records from their bandcamp page.

Team Genius: February 22, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

March 17, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Here are some things I found out about Team Genius at their recent Glasslands show.  First, they really are a “team” – a seven-person, co-ed band with players handling a variety of instruments.  Second, they love party gags – from the Reagan masks available for sale at the merch table to the kazoos, confetti and other party staples in heavy use in the crowd.  Third, their crowd comes to party – you can’t miss the good-natured heckling on this record.  And finally, despite the evident sense of humor they have about the whole thing, they write some pretty damn good pop songs.

This show featured several bands from the Paper Garden Records family, and it’s a label/publicity firm that always keeps you guessing.  Rather than laser in on a particular genre, sound, or aesthetic, Paper Garden is willing to take risks with a wide spectrum of bands.  One thing their bands do have in common, though, is musical chops and pop sensibility, and Team Genius is no exception.  Their almost relentlessly upbeat sound and sense of humor belies some serious musicianship that is in evidence throughout this set, which began strong with “Chase You Down” and closed equally strongly with the band’s cover of Van Morrison’s “Gloria”.  Team Genius currently have a few releases to their name, but now that they have joined the Paper Garden fold, expect a new full-length soon.

hi and lo and I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod mics in our usual spot in the venue, plus a soundboard feed from Jeremy of Glasslands.  Other than a few instances of static from the band’s equipment, the sound quality is excellent, and the good natured heckling only adds to the experience.  Enjoy!

Stream “Chase You Down”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/T0222TeamGenius1220/01 Chase You Down.mp3]

Stream “Gloria [Van Morrison]”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/T0222TeamGenius1220/10 Gloria.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

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.

Team Genius
2012-02-22
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded by hi and lo and acidjack
Produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5c [DFC, DIN]>KC5>PFA + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Chase You Down
02 Dying Cow Sounds
03 Ronald Reagan’s Cousin
04 Who Farted
05 Lebron
06 Jesus Mary and Broseph
07 All Ours
08 Updawg
09 Hippies
10 Gloria [Van Morrison]

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Team Genius, visit their website, and purchase their records on iTunes or directly from the band [HERE].

Laura Stevenson & the Cans: February 11, 2012 Music Hall of Williamsburg – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

March 15, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Laura Stevenson & the Cans do not have much in common with their Don Giovanni Records labelmates stylistically – the label skews, with bands like The Screaming Females, a heck of a lot noisier.  But their performance this night at Music Hall of Williamsburg – in between the Screaming Females and gritty punk outfit For Science – was, like the Females’ (posted here), one of uncompromising quality.  It should be noted that Stevenson is not without her punk credentials, either.  Prior to going out on her own with the Cans, she was best known as keyboardist for the Long Island punk collective Bomb the Music Industry!, who will be her tourmates for the next few months along with the Felice Brothers, Screaming Females, and others.  Her band’s own music is more of the confessional, folk-influenced  singer-songwriter variety, and Stevenson executes her vision with a clarity and poise the reminds me of many of the things that have impressed us about other rising songwriters like Sharon Van Etten.  Along with songs from her first two records, including last year’s Sit Resist, Stevenson played several new numbers that portend a strong third album in her future.  Playing before a weekend punk crowd is hardly an easy task for any musician, but Stevenson did a fairly easy job of winning this crowd over.  At age 27, it might not be accurate to say Stevenson is a punk who has “grown up” – but perhaps it’s fair to say hers is grown-up music that punks can appreciate.

We recorded this set in the same manner as the Screaming Females recording, and it is a similarly nicely-balanced recording.  Enjoy!

Stream “[new song]”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L1102LauraStevenson0212/newsong.mp3]

Stream “8:08”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L1102LauraStevenson0212/808.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download location of the FLAC files [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.

Laura Stevenson & the Cans
2012-02-11
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Neumann KM150>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Schoeps MK22>KCY>littlebox >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, EQ, amplify and balance, tracking, downsample, set fades)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 The Healthy One
02 8:08
03 Halloween Pts. 1 & 2
04 [new]
05 Caretaker
06 Peachy
07 [banter]
08 [new]
09 [new]
10 A Shine To It
11 Master of Art

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Laura Stevenson & the Cans, visit their website, and purchase Sit Resist from Don Giovanni Records [HERE]

Zambri: December 9, 2011 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

March 13, 2012
By


[Not very good photos in low light by acidjack. The recording is much better than the photos]

I first saw Zambri back in January of 2010 at Rock Shop (which predates their “first show” according to their Wikipedia page by about 8 months, but anyway), when sisters Cristi Jo and Jessica Zambri were still working out the kinks of their live act and presentation – though they were already pretty compelling.  By the time hi and lo and I caught them on this night at Glasslands nearly two years later, the group had just released their EP, Glossolalia, and polished the live versions of their songs – a difficult feat for songs constructed from layers of studio sounds.  Glossolalia is a thrilling EP for that reason, combining a scary and sexy vibe (see, for example, “Heather”).  While the album is a great headphone listen, the songs work in the live setting as well, not least because the sisters have developed ways to let them move around the stage and perform rather than being stuck behind consoles all show.  Of the many times I have seen Zambri in the past couple years (including backing Hooray for Earth, whose Noel Heroux has a mixing credit on Glossolalia), this was by far the best.  If the sisters’ forthcoming full-length, House of Baasa, has an album’s worth of tracks of Glossolalia’s quality, and keep performing like this, they should be finding themselves at the next level in no time.  We are streaming two of the best of the night’s tracks, “Heather” and “To Keep Back”, below.

Thanks to Kanine Records for permitting us to record and share this performance.  House of Baasa will be released on April 10.

hi and lo recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones, his rare analog preamp and a soundboard feed.  While you can hear some DI noise in the board feed during quiet segments, the sound quality of this recording is outstanding.  Enjoy!

Stream “Heather”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Z0812Zambri1102/06 Heather.mp3]

Stream “To Keep Back”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Z0812Zambri1102/07 To Keep Back.mp3] 

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

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.

Zambri
2011-12-09
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download offered at nyctaper.com
Recorded by hi and lo
Produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5c>CMR>PFA>EAA PSP2 + Soundboard>Tascam DR-680>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 On Call
02 [unknown]
03 Carry
04 ICBYS
05 From the Start
06 Heather
07 To Keep Back
08 On Call (Biddibiddi)

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Zambri, visit their website, like them on Facebook, and purchase Glossolalia directly from Kanine Records.

Widowspeak: March 3, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

March 5, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Since we last checked in with Widowspeak at our CMJ Day Party, their star has only continued to rise.  It’s always a good sign when, months after a band’s initial record release (and therefore, the peak in the PR hype cycle) their shows are more crowded than they were then.  This Saturday night, Glasslands was completely packed-to-the-rafters sold out, which always gives this venue great energy.  Clearly, Widowspeak has been busy since the release of their eponymous debut album on Captured Tracks.  This show found the band leading off with a new song, “Camel” and playing a number of other new numbers, including some played for the first time.

While vocalist Molly Hamilton’s style has earned a few comparisons to artists like Cat Power, fortunately, her stage persona does not.  Since the first time I saw the band, Hamilton has gained scads of confidence and poise – she smiles quite a lot onstage now, and her playing and delivery benefit from her positive attitude. Widowspeak are what I think of as a winter band – their downbeat sound is practically a touchstone of several of the members’ roots in the Pacific Northwest – but it’s a sound that, paradoxically, makes me happy.  There’s the nostalgia aspect, sure, but there’s also the patient songcraft, the authenticity, and the strength of the band and its sound.  Pretty much everything about Widowspeak is something I can pull for.

The band played on this night with a second guitarist, which gave songs like “In the Pines” (perhaps my favorite of all the band’s songs) new density and heft.  Of the new material, the standout for me was “7 Minutes”, a slightly more upbeat guitar-driven track that is one of the most anthemic songs the band has attempted to date.  The set closed with the band’s biggest song to date, “Harsh Realm”, another excellent song that is always a crowd pleaser.

In a collaboration with the new management team at Glasslands (also the team behing PopGun Booking), I recorded this set with a newly-installed recording rig provided for the club by nyctaper.  Overall I am pleased with the results, with the caveat that you can hear some issues with one of the kick drum mics and one of the guitar amps at a few points in the recording.  Enjoy!

Stream “7 Minutes”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W3030Widowspeak0211/11 7 Minutes.mp3]

Stream “In the Pines”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W3030Widowspeak0211/10 In the Pines.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

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.

Widowspeak
2012-03-03
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard + Studio Projects LSD2 (XY cardiod, DFC)>Sound Devices USBPre2 >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (Izotope Ozone effects, balance, downsample)>Audacity (set fades, tracking)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Camel
02 Gun Shy
03 Hard Times
04 Burnout
05 Puritan
06 Fun
07 Half Awake
08 Nightcrawlers
09 In the Pines
10 7 Minutes
11 Harsh Realm

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, PLEASE SUPPORT Widowspeak, visit their Facebook page, visit their Bandcamp page, and purchase their newly-released eponymous LP from Captured Tracks.

Soulive: March 1, 2012 Brooklyn Bowl – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

March 4, 2012
By


[Photos by Jill at For the Love of Brooklyn]

In what has now become a tradition, Soulive are currently taking over Brooklyn Bowl for a series of shows filled with special guests and blow-the-doors-off playing.  Billed as “Bowlive III”, these shows highlight the band’s efforts to move forward with a jazz/funk genre that all too often seems content to rest on its laurels.  This show, for example, had almost nothing in common with the final night of Bowlive II that we covered last year.  While that show seemed to emphasize the soul elements of the band, this performance made the guitar skills of the band’s virtuosic regular Eric Krasno its focus.  The show opened with several extended numbers with just the trio before the band was joined by a rotating cast that included Karl Denson, regular guest Nigel Hall, and Sam Williams of Big Sam’s Funky Nation. While the guests added some range to the band’s sound, for this set, it was the trio numbers like “Aladdin” that kicked it off that I appreciated most – reminders that even with all the hoopla of the guests at these shows, this is one incredible band on its own.

After about 75 minutes of inspired playing, the band took a break during an appearance by special guest Rahzel, who gave a 25-minute beatbox performance that challenged the limits of the physically possible with his ability to essentially play, and sing, an entire song using only his mouth.  He joined the band for “I Am the Magnificent” before exiting the stage.  The crowd, already partying like madmen, was fully loaded for what was to come.

The band’s most recent recorded output is a record of Beatles covers called Rubber Soulive that highlights the shared heritage of jazz and rock n’ roll, so it came as no surprise when the band performed a mini-Beatles set of “Come Together,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”.  While the heavily-covered “Come Together” (you may have heard the Aerosmith version) was probably the biggest crowd-pleaser, I was most impressed with the extended jamming on “Eleanor Rigby”, which turned that two-minute gem of a vocal performance into an extended guitar meditation.  Rather than being a real “cover” version, the original was merely a starting point for what followed.  “Too Much”, one of few repeats from the show we saw last year, came next, before Brooklyn Bowl regular Questlove took the stage with Hall, Williams and Lenesha Randolph for a series of songs, including Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”.   With four more Bowlive shows on the way next week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday), Soulive are sure to have more tricks up their sleeves.  Don’t miss out.

Thanks to the Brooklyn Bowl staff for their hospitality to us at this show, and to the band for continuing to allow fan audio taping.  

hi and lo and I recorded this set with Schoeps MK21 wide cardiod microphones onstage, combined with Schoeps MK22 open cardiod microphones on the left side near one of the speakers to pick up some vocals and room ambiance.  The result is an incredible recording that truly feels like you are watching the band from the stage lip – which is an amazing experience.  There may be some tracking errors here and there – feel free to send corrections.

Stream “Eleanor Rigby [Beatles]”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1302Soulive1021/14 Eleanor Rigby.mp3]

Stream “Aladdin”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1302Soulive1021/04 Aladdin.mp3]

Download the FLAC and MP3 files and stream the entire show at the Live Music Archive [HERE]

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.

Soulive
2012-03-01
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

Download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded by hi and lo and acidjack
Produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK21 (onstage, NOS)>KC5>PFA>SD USBPre2 + Schoeps MK22 (A-B, 3ft split, 15 ft back, left stack)>CMC6 >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (Izotope Ozone limiter, EQ), resample to 44.1kHz>Audacity (tracking, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Set I [1:13:26]
01 [intro]
02 Steppin’
03 Uncle Junior
04 Aladdin
05 The Swamp
06 [banter]
07 Shaheed^
08 Rudy’s Way
09 [banter]
10 Leave Me Alone #

Rahzel [26:36]
11 improv

Set II [1:25:12]
12 I Am the Magnificent %
13 Come Together [Beatles]
14 Eleanor Rigby [Beatles]
15 I Want You (She’s So Heavy) [Beatles]
16 Too Much $
17 [banter]
18 Signed, Sealed, Delivered [Stevie Wonder] $&
19 [banter]
20 Tuesday Night Squad> $
21 Bewildered #
22 Tuesday Night Squad
23 [farewell]

^ with Karl Denson
# with Nigel Hall and Sam Williams
% with Rahzel
$ with Karl Denson, Nigel Hall, Sam Williams and Lenesha Randolph
& with Questlove

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Soulive, visit their website, and purchase their official releases and merchandise directly from the band’s online store [HERE].  You can also stream these shows live on iClips [HERE].  It’s also not too late to get tickets to the last four nights from Brooklyn Bowl.

Snowmine: February 16, 2012 Pianos – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 29, 2012
By


[photo by acidjack]

For those who like melodic, somewhat anthemic, approachable rock music, it probably hasn’t been a great last few years for you.  Making fun of the banality of bands like Coldplay isn’t even fun anymore; sure you’ve got your Bon Iver types out there, but they won’t exactly whip crowds into a frenzy. Younger bands are doing a whole range of things, but it seems too often that gimmickry, rather than greatness, wins the day.  Surely there’s a place for good music in this style that doesn’t sound like it’s trying too hard, or bored with itself.

Enter Snowmine to cure what ails you.  With their style of music – lush soundscapes, soaring vocal runs, atmospheric samples – words like “beautiful” or “pleasant” don’t have negative or ironic connotations.  Frontman Grayson Sanders has a sweet voice with range to spare, and he puts it to good use on songs like “Rome”, which has a similarly uplifting vibe to some of the better stuff in the Yeasayer catalog. Sanders lends the band’s songs some lovely vocal runs, but without the bombast that afflicts some of his peers.  Snowmine are still a young band, and this show was part of that rite of passage any New York band is familiar with, the Pianos residency.  The band took over the incubator-style room with a level of effort that suggests they have a real shot, bringing to bear a full-on stage setup with video projections, and even playing an (gasp!) encore.  Their fully-realized sound seems more than up to the task of taking down venues ten or a hundred times this size.  My money’s on that they make it.

hi and lo and I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardioid microphones and a stereo soundboard feed.  While Pianos crowds are notoriously chatty, the soundboard feed’s excellent balance allowed the mics to remain in the background, and as a result, we have an excellent recording.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Teen Wolf Management for inviting us to the show!

Stream “Rome”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1602Snowmine1202/Rome.mp3]

Stream “Let Me In”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1602Snowmine1202/Let Me In.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE) |  Direct Download location of the FLAC files [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.

Snowmine
2012-02-16
Pianos
New York, NY, USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by hi and lo

Source : Soundboard + Schoeps MK5c > Nbox Cables > Naiant PFA > EAA PSP-2 >> Tascam DR-680 @ 24 bit / 48 kHz
Edit : WaveLab V5.01b (fades/gain/eq/dither/resmpaling)
Encoding : FLAC v1.2.1 (Level 8) with TLH v2.6.0 (Build 168)

Tracklist (total time 43:38)
01 Plans
02 Rome
03 Curfews
04 [Banter]
05 Further Along, Further Away
06 Let Me In
07 Silver Sieve
08 Cutting Canyons
09 Beast in Air, Beast in Water
10 The Hill

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Snowmine, like them on Facebook, and purchase their music on their bandcamp page on a “pay what you will” basis.

Heartless Bastards: February 24, 2012 Webster Hall – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 27, 2012
By


[photos by acidjack]

When their debut album Stairs and Elevators dropped seven years ago, Rolling Stone described the Heartless Bastards, accurately, as a small town (well, Cincinnati, anyway) band that was ready for the big time.  In 2012, with three more records under their belt, and their latest release, Arrow garnering solid-to-great reviews (The Onion’s A.V. Club called it the band’s best to date), I think it’s safe to say that the big time has been hit.  This show at Webster Hall sold out handily, and even this Friday night crowd was mostly hanging on every word.  Brooklyn-based Partisan Records is no doubt proud of their latest signing and the album they’ve put out for them, which was produced by Spoon drummer Jim Eno in Austin.

Arrow, like the band’s previous efforts, is a work of direct, honest American rock n’ roll songcraft, but it is also a more focused one, stripped of some of the production flourishes of The Mountain and letting lyricist and frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom’s voice and songwriting carry the load once again.  Arrow is obviously the product of a working, touring songwriter, and that gives it some instantly appealing thematic material to work with.  Also, as with a lot of the Bastards’ work, the songs are just good.  The melancholy “Skin and Bone” was a favorite of mine when the band debuted it for New York audiences in two semi-acoustic shows last July at Mercury Lounge, and I’m pleased to say that the final album version was equally fantastic as a full-band number at Webster Hall.  As it deserved to, most of Arrow received some attention during the show, with songs like “Parted Ways,  “Only For You” and “Down In the Canyon” standing shoulder to shoulder with band classics like “Sway” and “All This Time” (whose live version always gets an extended drum intro from the band’s underrated drummer Dave Colvin).  As Erika so aptly sings on “Low Low Low”, “my future is bright”.  We certainly agree.

I recorded this set with a soundboard mix provided by the band’s engineer, Jack, and Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones mounted at the corner of the soundboard booth in the balcony.  The results are truly outstanding.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Heartless Bastards, Partisan Records, and Bowery Presents for their hospitality.

Stream “Only For You”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/07 Only For You.mp3]

Stream “Sway”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/13 Sway.mp3]

Stream “Low Low Low”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/11 Low Low Low.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]
If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper directly.

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.

Heartless Bastards
2012-02-24
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5c>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (various effects, EQ, resample to 44.1kHz)>Audacity (tracking, amplify and balance, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:35:20]
01 Marathon
02 Out At Sea
03 Parted Ways
04 Got To Have Rock N’ Roll
05 [banter – intro Heidi Johnson]
06 Blue Day*
07 Only For You
08 Skin and Bone
09 Simple Feeling
10 The Arrow Killed the Beast
11 Low Low Low
12 The Mountain
13 Sway
14 Hold Your Head High*
15 Late In the Night
16 Down In the Canyon
17 [encore break]
18 All This Time
19 Nothing Seems the Same

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Heartless Bastards, visit their website, and purchase Arrow from Partisan Records [HERE]

Fantasmas: February 1, 2012 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 23, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Fantasmas are the Brooklyn-based brainchild of Kam Tambini, who along with Austin Formica (guitar), Avi Bajpai (drums) and Adam Glaser (bass/vox) craft aggressive post-punk that adds a melodic element to their distortion-soaked sound.  Tambini hails from Peru, so the band’s set at Glasslands opening for Grandfather appropriately kicked off with a Spanish-language track, “La Maga” before drilling the inspired “Dead Days”, that gave me fond memories of many mid- to late-80s U.S. and British post-punkers.  The band also did an inspired cover of Thurston Moore’s “Hang Out” that left no doubt where their allegiances lay.  Fantasmas have a 7″ available on bandcamp for now, but be on the lookout for their future releases and shows in the area.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the Grandfather recording, but had a bit more to work with in terms of the board feed.  The results are excellent.  Enjoy!

Stream “Dead Days”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/F0012Fantasmas2012/02 Dead Days.mp3]

Stream “Hang Out [Thurston Moore]” 
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/F0012Fantasmas2012/05 Hang Out.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

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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.

Fantasmas
2012-02-01
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

AKG C 414 B-XLS (wide cardiod, DFC) + Soundboard>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (mixdown, EQ, mastering, downsample to 44.1kHz)>Audacity (tracking, amplify and balance, set fades, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 La Maga
02 Dead Days
03 Static
04 Burn Out
05 Hang Out [Thurston Moore]
06 Panic Girl
07 Blind Children (Shake)
08 No Soul

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Fantasmas, check out their 7″ on bandcamp, like them on Facebook and go to their shows!

D. Charles Speer & the Helix: February 8, 2012 Brooklyn Bowl – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 22, 2012
By


[Live at Glasslands in April 2011. Photo courtesy of EardrumNYC]

Warming us up for Howlin’ Rain’s set of modern classic rock two Wednesdays ago at Brooklyn Bowl was another band led by a musician of varied talents that draws its inspiration from an earlier time.  D. Charles Speer & the Helix frontman Dave Shuford is also a player in No Neck Blues Band, the avant-garde New York-based improvisational collective that traffics in free jazz, experimental folk and noise rock, but the Speer clan travels the seemingly more familiar territory of country and Americana, albeit with their own dynamic style.  Don’t call it alt-country – a term that now connotes suburban rock more than serious musical development.  What Shuford and Co. are serving up is something else, incorporating Shuford’s experimental background, Southern roots (he is from Atlanta) and literary talent.  If you don’t listen carefully, you could miss the shifting time signatures in one number, or that someone is using a Greek bouzouki to carve out an Appalachian riff in another, or that canny biblical reference. If you do listen carefully, you will discover a band that is anything but conventional, taking traditional Americana and making it weird again.  This set at Brooklyn Bowl was hardly the best attended Speer set I’ve seen, nor is this venue the proper setting – a giant multipurpose bowling alley/restaurant/bar/music venue is kind of the opposite of a place to focus on music’s subtleties – but the band did a bang-up job anyway, with an eight-song set that jumped around the band’s catalog, including their 2011 release, Leaving the Commonwealth on Thrill Jockey.  They are the type of band whose live and recorded experiences are very similar; Shuford’s deep, slightly mournful baritone (think David Berman, but deeper) isn’t the sort of thing you augment with studio trickery, and the band’s chemistry onstage is natural and deeply satisfying.  This recording leans fairly heavily on the nicely-balanced soundboard feed provided by the Brooklyn Bowl house team, both in order to minimize the sounds of bowling and to give the listener an almost album-like experience of this band.

hi and lo and I recorded this set with the aforementioned soundboard feed and Schoeps MK41 supercardioid microphones. The results are excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Furze”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D0028DCharlesSpeer2012/speer2012-02-08bbowl_acidjack-05.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

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.

D. Charles Speer & the Helix
2012-02-08
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download offered at nyctaper.com
Recorded by hi and lo and acidjack
Produced by acidjack

Soundboard + Schoeps MK41>KCY>littlebox>Tascam DR0680>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Razorbacked
02 [new]
03 Days in the Kitchen
04 Le Grand Cochon
05 Furze
06 Gravedigger
07 Freddie’s Lapels
08 Leaving the Commonwealth

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT D Charles Speer & the Helix, visit their website, and purchase their records directly from Thrill Jockey [HERE]

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