Blog Archives

Lou Barlow: October 6, 2009 Mercury Lounge – Flac and MP3 Downloads

October 9, 2009
By


[photo by nyctaper]

Lou Barlow released his second proper album Goodnight Unknown on Tuesday. That night at Mercury Lounge, Lou celebrated the album’s release with the only headlining show on this current tour. The balance of the dates are opening slots for Lou’s other band, Dinosaur Jr. The result was a two-hour show that not only featured a set with his current backing band, The Missingmen, but also a complete hour of Lou solo, taking requests and playing a ton of rare material including eleven Sebadoh songs. This show was a fan’s delight, as Lou was his usual gregarious self but also took chances and played songs that he had not performed live in years, or in several cases, decades.

I recorded this show with a pair of microphones set up in the usual location next to the soundboard booth, supplemented with a stereo feed from the board. The major flaw in this recording was a persistent buzz or hum coming from stage. During the show, the crowd made reference to this noise on several occasions and Lou even acknowledged it (Track 39). If the listener can subconsciously filter the noise, this is a very enjoyable and listenable recording. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Lou Barlow
2009-10-06
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz 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
2009-10-09

Setlist:
[Total Time 2:00:11]
Tracks 01-24 Lou Barlow and The Missingmen
01 [introduction]
02 Sharing
03 Don’t Apologize
04 [banter]
05 Home
06 [banter]
07 Goodnight Unknown
08 Too Much Freedom
09 The One I Call
10 [banter]
11 Praise
12 Gravitate
13 One Machine, One Long Fight
14 [tuning/banter]
15 Caterpillar Girl (false start)
16 Caterpillar Girl
17 Faith Defies the Night
18 [banter]
19 On The Face II
20 [banter]
21 Take Advantage
22 [banter]
23 Sharing
24 [banter]
Tracks 25-43 Lou Barlow solo
25 Tree
26 Holding Back The Year
27 The Ballad of Daykitty
28 Too Pure
29 Magnet’s Coil
30 Think (Let Tomorrow Bee)
31 [banter]
32 Willing To Wait
33 [banter]
34 Vampire (one verse)
35 Soul and Fire
36 [banter]
37 Brand New Love
38 A Hit (Smog)
39 [banter about amp noise]
40 Royalty (one verse)
41 [banter]
42 Ride The Darker Wave
43 Skull

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Lou Barlow, visit his website, and purchase his official releases, including his excellent new album Goodnight Unknown from the Merge Records website [HERE].

Decemberists: September 19, 2009 Terminal 5 – Flac and MP3 Downloads

October 7, 2009
By


[photo courtesy of Diana Wong — more excellent shots here]

The Decemberists “lottery” show at Terminal 5 was nearly three weeks ago. Since its taken us quite a while to turn around this recording (more below), rather than review the show we suggest our readers read the following excellent coverage of this unique show from various sources: rockscope, Will You Miss Me When You’re Gone, and brooklynvegan.

The story of this recording involves a lot of frustration and a ton of work which has ultimately led to something we’re proud to offer our readers. Acidjack captured a fine recording of excellent clarity and depth which was marred by one major problem — an apparent ADHD case who spent much of the show rattling and drumming on the railing that held the microphones. The result on the raw wav file was a persistent unlistenable series of tapping noises. I spent hours trying to fix it, but ultimately gave up. Acidjack however, was not to be denied. He took the job and persisted — ultimately producing a recording that is not only quite excellent, but very listenable through even the “drumming” segments. To compare the raw files to the finished product is almost unbelieveable. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the FLAC files on the Live Music Archive [HERE]

The Decemberists
2009-09-19
Terminal 5
New York, NY

An ACIDJACK master recording

Equipment: AT U853 cardiods (low sens mod)>SPSB-10>R-09HR (24/44.1)
Position: 7′ pole clamped to 3rd floor balcony rail, 90 degree split
Mastering: WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, reduce clapping, EQ, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 intro banter
02 Yankee Bayonet
03 July, July!
04 crowd
05 The Raincoat Song
06 lottery banter
07 Bridges and Balloons (Joanna Newsom cover)
08 crowd
09 From My Own True Love
10 Bachelor and the Bride
11 lottery banter
12 Rake Song
13 crowd
14 Culling of the Fold
15 crowd surfing waltz
16 I Was Meant for the Stage
17 lottery banter
18 The Crane Wife #3
19 Island
20 Island (cont)
21 Annan Water
22 encore break
23 lottery banter
24 Miracle on the Hudson (impromptu song)
25 lottery banter
26 The Tain
27 The Tain (cont)
28 The Tain (cont)
29 The Tain (cont)
30 The Tain (final)
31 Perfect Crime #2
32 encore break
33 Mr. Blue Sky (ELO cover)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Decemberists, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the Decemberists Shop at their website [here].

Holly Miranda: October 3, 2009 Maxwell’s – Flac and MP3 Downloads

October 6, 2009
By


[photo by nyctaper]

Holly Miranda’s voice can be melodic and it can be percussive, but at her gig opening for The Antlers at Maxwell’s on Saturday she proved that it never lacks for passion and character. From the opening acappella number to the closing Floydian segue, the strength of Holly’s set proved why she is now regarded as one of hottest Brooklyn-based artists in circulation. This set was recorded with the exact same equipment and location as the Antlers recording, and the sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Holly Miranda
2009-10-03
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz 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
2009-10-05

Setlist (via):
[Total Time 35:31]
01 Pelican Rapids
02 Secret Identity
03 Joints
04 Sleep On Fire
05 [new song]
06 No One Just Is
07 Breathe / Time / Breathe Reprise (Pink Floyd)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Holly Miranda, visit her website, visit her MySpace page, and purchase her debut EP Sleep on Fire from her website [HERE].

Holly Miranda and The Antlers covered Pink Floyd – Flac and MP3 Downloads

October 4, 2009
By


[photo by nyctaper]

One of the special treats at last night’s Antlers show at Maxwell’s occurred during the end of Holly Miranda’s set. Holly and her guitarist Tim welcomed the three Antlers on stage for a cover of the Pink Floyd classic segue from Dark Side of the Moon — Breathe / Time / Breathe Reprise. Holly handled the lead vocals while Tim played David Gilmour’s slide guitar parts. For the Antlers, Peter provided the background vocals, Darby the Rick Wright-style keys, and Michael did his best Nick Mason impression.

Download the songs.
Holly Miranda and The Antlers:
Breathe/Time/Breathe FLAC
Breathe/Time/Breathe MP3

The balance of Holly set will be posted tomorrow.

The Antlers: October 3, 2009 Maxwell’s – Flac and MP3 Downloads

October 4, 2009
By


[photo by nyctaper]

On their return home after another extensive and triumphant tour, last night The Antlers continued their evolution at Maxwell’s. As a headline band, they packed the legendary Hoboken club and performed a sixty-five minute set of Hospice material — with several reworked numbers. Opening with a quiet rendition of “Bear”, the band immediately turned up the energy as the song growled to a intense conclusion. “Thirteen” followed, with Sharon Van Etten’s vocals from the album filled in admirably by set opener Holly Miranda. Holly and her guitarist Tim returned and contributed to the set’s highlight — a thoroughly entrancing version of “Wake”.

The Antlers have only one more local appearance this year — at the brooklynvegan opening night CMJ show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Tuesday October 20 — before they depart for an extensive tour on the West coast, and then a return trip to England.

We recorded this set with a stereo feed from the board mixed with two strategically placed room microphones and the sound is professional quality. Enjoy!

Holly Miranda’s set was also recorded and will be posted very soon.

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

Antlers
2009-10-03
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz 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
2009-10-04

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:03:59]
01 [introduction]
02 Bear
03 Thirteen
04 Sylvia
05 Atrophy
06 Shiva
07 Two
08 [banter]
09 Wake
10 Epilogue

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Antlers, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Hospice directly from Frenchkiss Records [HERE].

NYCTaper Upcoming Events – Fall into Winter (Including CMJ!)

October 3, 2009
By


[image by Songbirdnest]

This is a great time for nyctaper.com. We have had a very successful run of recording outings in the last month. Readership has doubled since this time last year. The addition of acidjack as a regular contributor has been a godsend. The site is now producing recordings at a much higher rate and with consistently higher quality. In fact, this week we did a first for NYCTaper — two shows recorded the same night and posted within hours!

The Fall and Winter continue along the same path — many excellent shows and many opportunities to bring outstanding music to our readers. CMJ is especially packed this year and we expect to record many shows during that week. We hope these salad days continue unabated!

If you want nyctaper to record your band, a band you represent, a show you’re promoting, or even your favorite band in the world, get me on the list and make sure everyone who needs to approve of the recording gives permission. Also, remember I’m doing this all for free — the recordings, the post-production, the reviews, the links, etc. — so treat me fairly.

The Antlers:
October 3, 2009 Maxwell’s Hoboken NJ

Lou Barlow:
October 6, 2009 Mercury Lounge NYC

Thee Oh Sees:
October 8, 2009 Mercury Lounge NYC
(correspondent recording)

Clem Snide:
October 13, 2009 Mercury Lounge NYC
(correspondent)

The Dodos:
October 13, 2009 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn

Built to Spill:
October 12 and 13, 2009 Webster Hall NYC
(correspondent recording)

Regina Spektor:
October 14, 2009 Radio City Music Hall NYC
(have perfect taping ticket — need correspondent!)

Built to Spill:
October 14 and 15, 2009 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn

David Bazan:
October 18, 2009 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Bob Weir and Ratdog:
October 19, 2009 Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom NYC

The Music Slut CMJ Day Show:
October 20, 2009 Pianos NYC

Pop Tarts Suck Toasted CMJ Day Show:
October 20, 2009 Cake Shop NYC

The Antlers (& others – brooklynvegan CMJ show):* (permission pending)
October 20, 2009 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn

Atlas Sound:
October 21, 2009 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn (CMJ)

NYCTaper CMJ Day Show:
October 22, 2009 Bruar Falls Brooklyn

After The Jump Fest Official CMJ Showcase:
October 22 Cake Shop NYC

The Bongos/Fleshtones:* (permission pending)
October 23, 2009 Hiro Ballroom NYC

O’Death:
October 31, 2009 Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom NYC

and/or:

Crystal Stilts/Vivian Girls:
October 31, 2009 171 Lombardy Brooklyn

Fiery Furnaces:
November 4, 2009 Maxwell’s Hoboken NJ

Ted Leo:
November 6, 2009 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Sharon Van Etten / Natureboy:
November 7, 2009 Union Pool Brooklyn

Alela Diane/Marissa Nadler:
November 14, 2009 Union Hall NYC

Big Star:* (permission pending)
November 18, 2009 Masonic Temple Brooklyn

Feelies:
November 21, 2009 Maxwell’s Hoboken NJ

Sonic Youth / Dinosaur Jr.:
November 21, 2009 Terminal 5 NYC
(correspondent recording)

Pixies:
November 23, 2009 Hammerstein Ballroom NYC

Meat Puppets:
November 25, 2009 Bowery Ballroom NYC

The Mountain Goats:
December 1, 2009 Webster Hall NYC
-and-
December 2, 2009 Bell House NYC

Oneida (with many others):
OneidaFest in December ToddP Venue TBA

Pavement:* (permission pending)
September 23, 2010 Central Park Summerstage NYC

New Model Army: October 1, 2009 Mercury Lounge – Flac and MP3 Downloads

October 2, 2009
By


[photo courtesy of Konstantin Sergeyev – more here]

If there was a ideal career trajectory for an “underground” or “cult” band, New Model Army would be the perfect example. In their nearly 30 years of existence, NMA have been noteworthy for their “artist control” approach to management, the adaptation and growth of their personnel, and the consistently excellent recorded output. Last night at Mercury Lounge, New Model Army performed a superb and energetic ninety-minute set to a rowdy and packed house. In what has quickly been described among fans as the show of the tour, NMA worked through a set which truly encapsulated their entire career, from their best known number “Vagabonds”, to selected tracks from their thirteen albums, to a half-dozen tracks from the excellent new release Today Is A Good Day. Justin Sullivan was engaging, focused and intense and the band was tight. We were particularly impressed with the guitar work of Marshall Gill, who shined bright in “Chosen” and “States Radio” and the three-song segue that closed the show.

We recorded this set with the four-microphone rig next to the soundboard. The recording has excellent depth and clarity but despite maximum lift of the mic pole, is unfortunately marred slightly by the chatter on our left. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

New Model Army
2009-10-01
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Audience Master Recording
Recorded from Soundboard Area

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz 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
2009-10-02

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:33:14]
01 Here Comes The War
02 Stranger
03 Mambo Queen Of The Sandstone City
04 Peace Is Only
05 Today Is A Good Day
06 Disappeared
07 High
08 One Of The Chosen
09 La Push
10 States Radio
11 Autumn
12 White Coats
13 Vagabonds
14 Wired
15 Wonderful Way To Go
16 [encore break]
17 Purity
18 Green And Grey
19 225

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT New Model Army, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the New Model Army Shop at their website [HERE].

Jay Reatard: October 1, 2009 Le Poisson Rouge – Flac and MP3 Downloads

October 2, 2009
By


[Jay at Stuyesant Town in July]
[photo courtesy of Pat at Pop Tarts Suck Toasted blog]

Acidjack reports:
Jay Reatard led a group of like-minded bands from his Shattered Records imprint to Le Poisson Rouge for a late-night show that kicked off at 11:30pm and continued the relentless energy until the early hours of the morning. As expected, Jay’s set included highlights from his classic Blood Visions, his latest, Watch Me Fall and some of his older singles. Much of the Watch Me Fall material which, on record, seemed to be a drastic, poppy departure from Reatard’s earlier work, was better realized in the live context when placed alongside earlier rockers. Regardless of one’s feelings about the record (and particularly, the production), this set showed those songs to be as much classic Reatard as anything in his catalog. While not riot-crowded, Le Poisson Rouge was comfortably packed with fans who didn’t mind the late start time and threw themselves into the music, sometimes literally. You will hear Jay, during “Watching You,” heckle a fan down in the pit who got a little too enthusiastic (and apparently, was waving a really gross sweater over his head). The set may have only been 35 minutes long, but this was another 35 minutes (and 15 songs!) of pure southern punk gold.”

Read the brooklynvegan interview with Jay Reatard [HERE].

Thanks to Jay Reatard for permitting this recording, and thank you to Le Poisson Rouge for their continued support of NYCTaper and their diverse and excellent programming.

This set was recorded with cardioid microphones attached to a pole close to the stage and the sound quality is exceptional. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Jay Reatard
2009-10-01
Le Poisson Rouge
New York, NY USA

An ACIDJACK master recording

Equipment: Audio Technica U853 hypercardiods (low sens mod)>SPSB-10>R-09HR (24/48)
Position: Mics mounted 10′ up on center pole, 90 degree angle
Mastering: WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, downsample, slight EQ)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Setlist:
01 An Ugly Death
02 Nightmares
03 Fading All Away
04 Drop Dead
05 Greed, Money, Useless Children
06 All Over Again
07 I’m Watching You
08 You Mean Nothing To Me
09 Not A Substitute
10 My Shadow
11 Oh It’s Such A Shame
12 See/Saw
13 Faking It
14 There Is No Sun
15 Let It All Go

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Jay Reatard, visit his website, visit his MySpace page, and purchase his official releases from the Shattered Records links at Jay’s website [here].

The Rest: September 26, 2009 Cameo Gallery – Flac and MP3 Downloads

October 1, 2009
By


[photo from The Rest MySpace page]

When we last saw Ontario’s The Rest, they were blowing our minds at the NYCTaper Presents show at Monster Island in June. Three months later, the band is hot and things are happening rapidly. The Rest have signed with British label SIC, and their brilliant release Everyone All at Once is being distributed in Great Britain by Rough Trade. Later this month, The Rest will head over to England for a week-long tour. Before all the excitement overseas takes place, the excellent boutique label that has signed The Rest brought them back to NYC for a night at the Cameo in Williamsburg. The On Another Note showcase saw The Rest perform a tight forty-minute set of their best material, noteworthy for their new cover version of Robyn’s “With Every Heartbeat”.

We recorded this set with a stereo feed from the soundboard mixed with two microphones at the stage. The mix accentuates the positives of both mixes — strong vocals on the board and strong instruments on the mics to create an excellent listening experience. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Rest
2009-09-26
Cameo Gallery
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + On Stage Microphones

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz 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
2009-09-30

Setlist:
[Total Time 37:01]
01 …Blossom Babies
02 The Close Western
03 Apples & Allergies
04 Coughing Blood
05 Modern Time Travel
06 [banter]
07 Sheep In Wolves’ Clothing
08 With Every Heartbeat (Robyn)
09 Walk on Water

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Rest, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Everyone All At Once directly from the Auteur Records website [HERE] or digitally from Amie Street [HERE] or Preorder from Rough Trade [HERE].

Unicycle Loves You: Venus Zine Band of the Month + Playing CMJ

September 30, 2009
By

Unicycle Loves You is an eclectic psychedelic pop band from Chicago. Their self-titled debut on Highwheel Records gained the band quite a bit of buzz and resulted in gigs opening for the likes of Fiery Furnaces, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and Awesome Color. This week Unicycle Loves You was awarded Venus Zine’s Band of The Month with a neat cover story and band bio.

We are extremely happy to have Unicycle Loves You as the opening band for the NYCTaper 2009 CMJ Day Party at Bruar Falls on Thursday Oct 22. They will start the show with a set at 12:30pm. Get out early and don’t miss this outstanding band.

The new video for their song “Justine”:

SUPPORT NYCTaper




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