Blog Archives

Photo courtesy of Jonny Leather

ArpLine’s music fits well into the current musical moment, with rock and electronic elements combining to make a cohesive whole.  Some of their songs fall clearly into the radio-friendly camp (”Parts Unknown”), while others are more atmospheric, such as the Radiohead-referencing “Cap”.  While the focus of this excellent bill at Mercury Lounge was on headliners Bear In Heaven and second opener Oh No Ono, ArpLine started the night off extremely strong, giving a set that featured virtually all of their outstanding new album, “Travel Book”. Vocalist Sam Tyndall and the band were on point sound-wise, and made the case that their songs translate well in the live setting.  Expect to see this excellent Brooklyn band in a lot more places by the end of this year.

I recorded this set from the same location as the Bear In Heaven recording, but without the soundboard feed.  The quality is excellent and there is almost no crowd noise.  Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

ArpLine
2010-01-27
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Hosted at nyctaper.com

Equipment: DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: FOB, Center, mics at 8?
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (tracking, set fades, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

01 Parts Unknown
02 Game
03 Sound and Versions
04 Weekend in the Colonies
05 Cap
06 banter
07 Make It Rain
08 Rope
09 Amplify
10 Fold Up Like A Piece of Paper

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT ArpLine, visit their website, and purchase their excellent debut album (which is available on a “name your price” basis) from their bandcamp site [here].

[photos taken for nyctaper by Kate Ehle – more here]

Memory Tapes first concert ever in the U.S. was a tight thirty-minute set opening for Atlas Sound at Bell House that didn’t seem new at all. While Dayve Hawk’s recording project included an excellent drummer (Matt Maraldo) and a laptop as a live act, in addition to Dayve’s fluid guitar work, the performance was both extremely well played and also relaxed enough to include some extended instrumental play in the final number “Bicycle”. The ten-minute re-working of the web sensation was both welcome and somewhat unexpected for an artist whose primary influences encompass the precise rhythms of bands like Kraftwerk and New Order. The setlist drew exclusively from 2009’s “best new music” Seek Magic, contained literally no breaks between numbers, and it was all over much too soon. We will look for a longer set when they return to NYC after an extensive European tour and a trip to SXSW.

This set was recorded with the Neumann microphones positioned next to the soundboard and mixed with a soundboard feed. The sound quality is exceptional. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Memory Tapes
2010-02-03
Bell House
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 16bit 44.1kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2010-02-24

Setlist:
[Total Time 30:09]
01 Green Knight
02 Stop Talking
03 Plain Material
04 Graphics
05 Bicycle

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Memory Tapes, visit the MySpace page, visit Dayve’s blog, and purchase Seek Magic directly from the Acephale Records website (here) or Rough Trade (here).

[photo courtesy of Maryanne Ventrice and Prefix Magazine]

Acidjack reports:
Brooklyn’s Mon Khmer is comprised of founding members guitarist/vocalist Hammar and drummer Dave Cole, along with Matt Schenier (bass/synths) and Elias Meister (guitar/synths), and their sound reflects the members’ diverse influences, from the music of India to classical, jazz and country. By the time Mon Khmer took the stage, Glasslands was packed, and the crowd was treated to a fantastic set that showcased numerous songs from their forthcoming debut LP, including the excellent song “Anniversary.”

I recorded this set from the same location as the Bear In Heaven set and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Mon Khmer
2010-02-19
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Hosted at nyctaper.com

Equipment: DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to center of balcony floor, DIN
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks (setlist help needed)
01 Folk
02 Anniversary
03 banter
04 When to Let Go
05 banter
06 Golden Lights
07 Wolfgang
08 Birthplace
09 Passwords
10 Oslo

If you email nyctaper for access to these recordings, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Mon Khmer, visit their MySpace page, and keep a look out for the debut Mon Khmer LP due in the very near future.

Acidjack reports:
“The last time we saw Secret Machines back in December was a strange night, with guitarist Phil Karnats stranded in Chicago, leaving drummer Josh Garza and vocalist/bassist Brandon Curtis a two-man act.  There were no such difficulties during TSM’s set at Glasslands on Friday, where they closed out a five-band night with their monster sound. The setlist focused heavily on their latest self-released record, and veered from their heavy-hitting rockers to bluesier numbers like “The Walls Are Starting to Crack” and their slower numbers “I Never Thought to Ask” and “The Leaves are Gone” (both of which, unfortunately, proved a bit of a tough sell to a weary crowd at 1:30 a.m.).

I recorded this set with the DPA microphones clamped to the floor of the balcony, directly between the PA stacks.  The sound is excellent.  Enjoy!”

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

The Secret Machines
2010-02-19
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Hosted at nyctaper.com

Equipment: DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to center of balcony floor, DIN
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Setlist:
01 Like I Can
02 Atomic Heels
03 Terrible Light
04 I Never Thought To Ask
05 The Leaves Are Gone
06 Dreaming of Dreaming
07 The Walls Are Starting to Crack
08 The Road Leads Where It’s Led

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Secret Machines, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase the latest TSM self-released CD by visiting the links at their website [here].

[photo courtesy of Bill Holtzheimer]

Steve Wynn’s 50th birthday party was a Miracle 3 show before a packed crowd last night at the intimate Lakeside Lounge. Although the show was fairly low profile in terms of publicity, enough of the word got out to fill the place to capacity with friends and longtime fans. As Steve received many well wishes and congratulations, he gave back to the fans with an energetic ninety-minute set that featured a plethora of rare numbers, covers, and a special appearance from his Danny & Dusty partner Dan Stuart. Not content to complete the show after the traditional Lakeside hour, the band kept up the heat with a blistering trifecta finale of “Amphetamine” “Let it Rain” and “The Days of Wine and Roses”. Steve and the Miracle 3 are in the process of recording a new album, and will not perform again until May.

I recorded this set from the seated area ten feet from the stage. Although the modest sound system in the venue does not output much sonic power, the closeness of the microphones yielded a recording of great clarity and intimacy. Enjoy!

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

Steve Wynn and The Miracle 3
2010-02-19
Lakeside Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded Upfront
10 Feet from Stage

Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2010-02-20

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:22:15]
01 Some Kinda Itch
02 Sustain
03 Out Of This World
04 Older
05 Cindy, It Was Always You
06 [banter]
07 The Side I’ll Never Show
08 No Tomorrow
09 [banter]
10 Baby, We All Gotta Go Down (Dan Stuart)
11 Why
12 [Happy Birthday]
13 The Deep End
14 Melting In The Dark
15 Amphetamine
16 Let It Rain (Clapton)
17 The Days Of Wine And Roses

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Steve Wynn, visit his website, visit his MySpace page, and purchase his official releases from the Steve Wynn Store at his website.

[photo courtesy of Maryanne Ventrice and Prefix Magazine]

Acidjack reports:
Brooklyn’s Bear In Heaven are increasingly looking like a band that is going places. After their sold out show at Mercury Lounge in January it was starting to look like the Pitchfork-acclaimed band was on its way to being the next big thing. Watching the crowd swell well beyond fire-hazard capacity at Glasslands last night, it is safe to say that is true. Every inch of the venue was stuffed with partiers and fans waiting to see this band open for Secret Machines, even though it was clear that they could easily have been the headliner. As was the case at Mercury, the band’s bass-driven sound caused some sound problems early on, but once that cleared up, fans seemed to get the point. The band’s set drew entirely from their recent Beast Rest Forth Mouth, including a typically rousing rendition of “Lovesick Teenager” that got the crowd moving.

I recorded this set from a clamp to the floor of the balcony, directly in front of the stacks. Although the difficulties in the house mix are evident in the first few songs, I have cleaned the sound up to make an excellent mix. Enjoy!”

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Bear In Heaven
2010-02-19
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Exclusive download at nyctaper.com

Equipment: DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to center of balcony floor, DIN
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

01 Drug A Wheel
02 Fake Out
03 Ultimate Satisfaction
04 Wholehearted Mess
05 Lovesick Teenager
06 Beast In Peace
07 banter
08 Dust Cloud
09 You Do You
10 Casual Goodbye

If you email nyctaper for access to these recordings, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Bear in Heaven, visit their website, and purchase their official releases directly from the Hometapes Records site [HERE].

[photos courtesy of Drew Katchen]

Acidjack reports:
“Watching the mighty F*cked Up, you get the sense that lead singer Damian Abraham — such a student and fan of music that the band even has a song about collecting vinyl — studied everything he liked about punk rock shows, and decided to put it all into his own performances. Talk to the crowd — not too much, but just enough that they get to know you. Hell, take the mic and actually be in the crowd during some songs. Treat crowd surfers like your friends, instead of annoyances. Let fans sing into the mic, from time to time. If you talk to the crowd, be funny. Don’t be self conscious — at all. Oh–and be really, really good. F*cked Up do all of that, and all of that was on display this Thursday night. They treat their audience the way more bands ought to treat them — like friends, like part of the show (which in this band’s case, they often are). However, F*cked Up have earned their considerable “crossover” (read: Pitchfork instead of punk set) audience (and their 2009 Polaris Prize) ultimately on the strength of their musicianship, the intensity of the band’s delivery. This is the perfect band to see at Maxwell’s, which already can feel like your private indie rock living room filled with a few friends. This show featured the band doing some great covers of the Sex Pistols’ “Bodies” and Black Flag’s “Nervous Breakdown” as well as songs from their excellent The Chemistry of Common Life and their singles comp, Couple Tracks. I recorded this set from back at the soundboard with a stereo board feed plus Beyerdynamic hypercardioid mics. The band did not do a soundcheck, so the listener may find the guitar is a touch lower in the mix than normal due to not being run through the board or PA.

Thanks to F*cked Up, and in particular Sandy Miranda, for permitting this recording, and to Maxwell’s for the board feed. Also, as the band themselves asked the same, I encourage you in particular to purchase the band’s $.99 benefit single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas” which features several celebrity guests and benefits organizations working to bring an end to the epidemic of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada. The track can be purchased (as Matador suggests) from iTunes here.
Enjoy!”

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE]

F*cked Up
2010-02-18
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ

An acidjack master recording
recorded and produced by acidjack
hosted at nyctaper.com

Equipment: Stereo soundboard feed + Beyerdynamic MC950 hypercardiods>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to back right of SBD cage, 9′ of height
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify channels to -0.1dB>FLAC ( level 8 )

Setlist:
01 intro
02 Twice Born
03 David Comes to Life
04 banter
05 Hold It
06 Son the Father
07 Black Albino Bones
08 Crusades
09 banter
10 Mustaa Lunta
11 I Hate Summer
12 banter
13 Baiting the Public
14 No Epiphany
15 banter
16 David’s Plan
17 Bodies (Sex Pistols)
18 banter
19 Police
20 encore break
21 Circling the Drain
22 Nervous Breakdown

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT F*cked Up, visit their blog, and purchase their official releases directly from their page at the Matador Records website [here].

[photo courtesy of Jonny Leather]

Acidjack reports:
Cincinnati, OH’s Bad Veins, the duo of lead singer/songwriter Benjamin Davis and percussionist Sebastien Schultz, are probably the first band I have seen use an old rotary phone as a mic (in addition to a regular mic).  Davis’ songs are instantly catchy, all pop hooks and easily discernible vocals (the easier to hum that way). Long after I had left the Knit, I found “I’m Afraid” and “Gold and Warm” stuck in my head, in particular. That rotary phone is used appropriately and sparingly, giving Davis’s otherwise rich, clean voice the necessary indiepop fuzz. The band are presently on tour behind their excellent record, Bad Veins, released last year on Dangerbird Records.  This set, opening for We Were Promised Jetpacks (the recording which we hope will be authorized by the band and posted shortly), was a relatively short one, but it gave an excellent sense of the promise of this band.  The recording was made using a high-quality stereo soundboard feed and DPA microphones from the optimum spot in the venue, and the sound is superior.  Enjoy!

Thanks to the Knitting Factory for the high-quality board feed, and to Bad Veins and Dangerbird Records for inviting nyctaper to record this performance.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Bad Veins
2010-02-15
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY

An acidjack master recording
recorded and produced by acidjack

Equipment: Stereo soundboard feed + DPA 4021 microphones>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to soundboard cage, mics at 9′, DIN
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify channel to -0.1dB)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Setlist:
01 Found
02 Gold and Warm
03 Crosseyed
04 Afraid
05 Dry Out
06 Falling Tide
07 The Lie

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Bad Veins, visit their website, and purchase their debut album directly from the Dangerbird Records website [here].

[photo by Victoria Renard]

Acidjack reports:
“Compared to some bands I have seen lately (like the totally unrelated Dinowalrus and Dinosaur Feathers, for example), The Vandelles have a readily classifiable sound. Their feedback-drenched, fuzzed-out surf-rock will be instantly recognizable to fans of bands like the Raveonettes, Singapore Sling, and recent tourmates Serena-Maneesh. That is not to say they are generic or uninteresting, however, as their songwriting and performance, including an all-female rhythm section, rises above their influences. At Littlefield last week, the band played with the lights off with only abstract video projections providing light, tearing through older material and songs from their self-titled EP, including their obvious bid for stardom, the soundtrack-ready (as in, easy to imagine in some sort of noir chase or murder scene) “Lovely Weather”. Even though, like Dinowalrus, the band had a few instances of equipment/sound desk trouble, their set was a strong end to another night of the Sounds Like Brooklyn festival.”

This set was recorded under the same conditions as the Dinowalrus recording and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

The Vandelles are playing again this coming week on Friday February 26 at Cake Shop on an excellent bill that includes nyctaper favorites MiniBoone and El Jezel.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Vandelles
2010-02-04
Littlefield
Brooklyn, NY

an acidjack master recording

recorded and produced by acidjack
hosted by nyctaper.com

Equipment: DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Center, micas at 8′, DIN
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify each channel, light EQ)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Setlist:
01 Get Down
02
03 banter/tuning
04 Bomb the Surf
05 banter/tuning
06 California Killer
07 banter/tuning
08 Lovely Weather
09 Swell to Heaven
10
11 Dash N’ Dive
12 Bad Volcano

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Vandelles, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases directly from the SVC Records [here].

[photo by nyctaper]

The last time we saw Frankie Rose and The Outs, they performed a too-brief seventeen minute set at the Slumberland Anniversary show. My vantage point at Bell House did not give me much of a feel for the band, but the recording captures the particular qualities of this group. Frankie’s experience with garage rock, Spector-style girl groups, and lo-fi all seemed to coalesce with the Outs into a harmony-rich guitar driven quintet with grit. At Monster Island on Saturday, we stood a couple of feet from the band and took in a real appreciation of the group in what would be an eight-song and fortunately longer set than in November. At this point, the band has only released one 7 inch (“Thee Only One” on Slumberland Records), but all the songs still seem vaguely familiar and some were played at Bell House. I expect when all the songs are compiled into an anticipated full length album, it will be a fine collection and a critical success. The quality of the performances bear that out.

Frankie and The Outs have several local gigs upcoming, including this Friday night at Europa, this Sunday night at Mercury Lounge, and an May date at Bell House opening for the Primitives.

We recorded this set with the same equipment and location as the So Cow recording and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Frankie Rose And The Outs
2010-02-13
Monster Island Basement
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 16bit 44.1kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2010-02-16

Setlist:
[Total Time 24:41]
01 Little Brown Hair
02 That’s What People Told Me
03 Save Me
04 [new song false start]
05 [new song]
06 Thee Only One
07 Must Be Nice
08 Don’t Tread on Me
09 Girlfriend

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Frankie Rose, visit her MySpace page, and purchase her new single “Thee Only One” from the Slumberland Records website [here].