[photo courtesy of The Music Slut blog – more here]
There are second acts in music. On Friday night, the Antlers celebrated the re-release of their brilliant Hospice (on Frenchkiss Records) with a show at the Mercury Lounge. As the band’s fans and our faithful readers recall, the Antlers performed Hospice start to finish with a chorus and guests at Union Hall in March when the album was self-released. We captured that amazing event, but sadly missed this week’s second act as we’re still on vacation. Fortunately, acidjack was there to record the show. The band made another run through Hospice and were joined by Sharon Van Etten. In terms of the performance, after six months of nearly constant touring, The Antlers are tighter than ever, and it was a bit of a surprise to hear an excellent re-working (or “re-re-working” really) of “Two”. With a new video for “Two”, extensive tour plans, some more Pitchfork love, and all the momentum in the world, the days are numbered that NYC will be able to see The Antlers in venues this small (catch them at Maxwell’s on October 3). Sometimes its true that nice things happen to nice people.
Acidjack recorded from upfront and captured an outstanding recording, marred only slightly and intermittently by some crowd chatter. Enjoy!
This recording is now available to download in FLAC or MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].
The Antlers
2009-08-21
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA
An ACIDJACK master recording
Equipment: AKG ck91 cardiod capsules (Busman active mod)>custom battery box>R-09HR (24/48)
Placement: Clamp to right side of soundboard, ~11′ up, DIN
Mastering: raw WAV>Audacity (tracking, set fades, amplify each channel to -0.1dB, downsample to 44.1/16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )
Setlist
01 [crowd]
02 Prologue
03 Kettering
04 [crowd]
05 Sylvia
06 [crowd]
07 Two
08 Shiva
09 Atrophy
10 Bear
11 Thirteen* (with false start)
12 Wake
13 Wake (continued)
14 [encore break]
15 Epilogue
*with Sharon Van Etten
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].
Jonny Leather offers another benefit concert on Wednesday night August 12 at Bell House. This event is a charity show to benefit the Ronald McDonald House — specifically the funds raised by this concert will be used to purchase musical instruments for the children at the local McDonald House.
We will not be in NYC to record this event, as we had Jonny’s last benefit show with My Teenage Stride and The Drums. However, the band who we are most disappointed to miss at this show — Hooray For Earth — we hope to catch in September at Southpaw.
Along with their performance at this show, Hooray For Earth offers a new mp3 download for the cause:
Hooray For Earth – Surrounded By Your Friends (Miádis Remix)
“This is a brand new, never-before-heard track”
[photo courtesy of Jenn Barnett Photos – more here]
Blitzen Trapper announced earlier today a series of US tour dates that covers much of October. The tour will bring the band East for the first time since this past February, when they performed at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg on back to back nights. We recorded both of those shows.
On October 11, Blitzen Trapper returns to the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets go on sale for that show on Friday, August 14.
Last year we posted about Forest Fire’s excellent new self-released album. In the interim, the album was picked up and will be released by Infinite Best Recordings on August 18. There will be a release party this Monday night, August 10 at Union Hall hosted by our friends at the Chocolate Bobka music blog.
Here’s what Forest Fire has to say about the show:
Infinite Best Record Release Party
hey all,
we are hitting the road soon In honor of our record Survival out August 18th on the brand new Infinite Best label! we’ve got a few in the flesh dates lined up, the most important of which is our Chocolate Bobka presents record release party at Union Hall on August 10th which we are doing our best to make as crazy as possible. Apparently there will be cookies, Survival on Vinyl and an overall sense of danger in the air. Not to mention HOLOGRAM and Shilpa Ray. Be there or be square.
We have added this show as our last recording venture before the nyctaper vacation (August 11-25), so we will be there!
Last Wednesday, My Teenage Stride headlined the latest of Jonny Leather’s excellent charity concerts at Bell House. The band’s thirty minute set encapsulated what makes MTS such a compelling act to follow. The intelligent songs are influenced by garage pop, eighties underground, and a thousand other genres in between. While the band retains a sense of humor and looseness on stage, the precise songcraft of protagonist Jedediah Smith remains undeniable.
My Teenage Stride is in the midst of a short East coast tour in August that will culminate in their appearance on the first night of the After The Jump Fest at Littlefield on Friday August 28.
We recorded this set from the raised area next to the soundboard and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!
Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)
Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].
My Teenage Stride
2009-07-22
The Bell House
Brooklyn, 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
2009-08-05
Setlist:
[Total Time 29:56]
01 That Should Stand For Something
02 Creep Academy
03 They Are Alone In Their Principles
04 Ears Like Golden Bats
05 [banter – band introductions]
06 Heart Shackles
07 Red Nurse
08 Reversal
09 XO Freedom Rider
10 Cast Your Own Shadow
11 Live And Die in the Airport Lounge
If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT My Teenage Stride, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases from the links at the Music page on their website [HERE].
Last Saturday at Bowery Poetry Club, the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Minutemen’s masterpiece Double Nickels on the Dime was a mixed affair of music, spoken word and storytelling. The highlights of the evening were the three excellent bands, all of whom offered their own versions of Minutemen songs with musical dexterity and enthusiasm, and the special guest finale — the appearance of Mike Watt who was genuinely profoundly moved by the spirit of the event.
Watt performed three solo numbers on bass and vocals, and then spoke for approximately twenty minutes. While he read portions of Minutemen lyrics, the complex mix of humor, passion and enthusiasm in the words often overwhelmed him. Although its been nearly 25 years since the tragic death of his best friend D. Boon, the event must have brought back vivid memories. Watt’s hesitant and sometimes-overwhelmed manner during his spoken word indicated the depth and poignancy of the moment. Nevertheless, when the event was over Watt sat on a bench outside the venue and met and greeted fans for a lengthy period of time. His unselfish and gregarious approach towards the fans speaks well for the legacy of the Minutemen and their 25-years-removed masterpiece Double Nickels on the Dime.
The existence of three bands, one each from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey, prepared to travel these distances to perform brief sets of Minutemen music in tribute at this event also speaks well for the influence of the Minutemen. Corndogs offered an energetic and authentic approach to the material, while Tweede Kamer provided intelligence and musical proficiency — particularly the outstanding fret work of their talented bass player. The last of the three bands, Pillow Man from Worcester MA, were striking in their resemblance to the Minutemen, as each member of the band actually looked like their counterpart and the song performances were quite faithful to the original material.
We recorded from very close to the main PA, about 15 feet from the stage. As Bowery Poetry is a small venue with a bar, we attempted to avoid the ambient noise — the bar, its patrons, the air ducts and the sound of a club upstairs. During the musical performance, we were completely successful, but during the spoken word pieces (particularly during off-mic moments) the venue noise is quite distracting. As a result, this post offers only the musical performances, each of which is an absolutely outstanding capture. Enjoy!
Direct download of the Sets from this Show:
Mike Watt [MP3] [FLAC]
Pillowman [MP3] [FLAC]
Tweede Kamer [MP3] [FLAC]
Corndogs [MP3] [FLAC]
Double Nickels on the Dime 25th Anniversary Celebration
2009-07-25
Bowery Poetry Club
New York, NY USA
Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded from Upfront – 15 Feet from the Stage
Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > 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
2009-08-01
Mike Watt Setlist:
[Total Time 7:15]
01 Anxious Mofo
02 Themselves
03 Do You Want New Wave Or Do You Want The Truth
Corndogs Setlist:
[Total Time 4:41]
01 Party With Me Punker
02 #1 Hit Song
03 Cut
Tweede Kamer Setlist:
[Total Time 16:24]
01 Its Expected I’m Gone
02 Maybe Partying Will Help
03 Toadies
04 Corona
05 The Glory of Man
06 Jesus and Tequila
07 West Germany
Pillow Man Setlist:
[Total Time 14:20]
01 [introduction]
02 No Exchange
03 I Felt Like a Gringo
04 Ack Ack Ack Ack (The Urinals)
05 The Anchor
06 Joe McCarthy’s Ghost
07 This Ain’t No Picnic
08 Little Man With A Gun In His Hand
If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT these bands, visit their websites, Mike Watt, Tweede Kamer, Pillow Man, and Corndogs, and purchase their official releases where available.
A few minutes ago, the Mountain Goats posted the complete dates for their extensive Fall tour. Some of these had leaked earlier, but this is the full roster of shows including a mini-tour of Europe in mid-October, and a full month of U.S. shows in November. The NYC dates are December 1 at Webster Hall and December 2 at Bell House.
Readers will recall that last November we recorded the Mountain Goats in Williamsburg and at Webster Hall.
Complete dates below:
August
21 – 2nd annual Durham, Be Easy, Durham, NC *
September
18 – Ithaca College Ithaca, NY *
October
9 – Paradiso, Amsterdam, NL *
10 – QEH, London, England *
11 – Ruby Lounge, Manchester, England *
13 – Point Ephemere, Paris, France *
15 – Magnet, Berlin, Germany *
November
4 – Ladies Literary Club (Calvin College), Grand Rapids, MI #
5 – the Metro, Chicago, IL #
6 – High Noon Saloon, Madison, WI #
7 – Cedar Cultural Centre, Minneapolis, MN #
10 – the Showbox, Seattle, WA #
11 – Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR #
14 – the Fillmore, San Francisco, CA #
15 – Henry Fonda Theater, Los Angeles, CA #
18 – Antones, Austin, TX #
19 – Granada Theater, Dallas TX #
20 – Mercy Lounge, Nashville TN #
21 – the Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA #
23 – the Social, Orlando, FL #
24 – Cafe 11, St. Augustine, FL #
27 – 9:30 Club, Washington, DC #
28 – Theater of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA #
29 – Wilbur Theatre, Boston MA #
December
1 – Webster Hall, New York, NY #
2 – Bell House, Brooklyn, NY #
* JD solo
# full band, with Final Fantasy
Mekons also played Bell House on Friday – click for full size
[photo courtesy of Alexis Maindrault – more excellent shots here]
The Mekons returned to NYC this weekend after a nearly two year absence and proved that while the band and the fans are older and a little more grey, the sense of humor and musical spirit have not changed. At Mercury Lounge last night, for nearly two hours the between-song banter between Sally Timms and Jon Langford was nearly as entertaining as the multi-decade span of the 24 song setlist. Although the absence of Tom Greenhalgh was noted, his stage presence was compensated by the emergence of multi-talented Lu Edmonds. While the setlist leaned heavily towards 2007’s Natural, the band also reached back for three songs from the classic 1985 release Fear and Whiskey.
I arrived late to the venue without a ticket but was able to get in at the last minute and set up the microphones eight feet up on the wall next to the soundboard. The sound quality in the venue was excellent, but the very vocal and boisterous crowd adds some “local color” to the recording. Enjoy!
This recording is now available to download in FLAC and MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].
The Mekons
2009-08-01
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA
Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded at Soundboard
40 Feet from the Stage
DPA 4021s > 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
2009-08-02
Setlist:
[Total Time 1:52:48]
01 [introduction]
02 Beaten and Broken
03 Club Mekon
04 Give Me Wine or Money
05 [banter]
06 Tina
07 [banter]
08 Corporal Chalkie
09 [banter]
10 Tempted to Believe
11 Perfect Mirror
12 Fantastic Voyage
13 [banter]
14 Abernant 1984/85
15 [banter]
16 Dickie, Chalkie, and Nobby
17 Diamonds
18 Thee Olde Trip to Jerusalem
19 Cockermouth
20 Ghosts of American Astronauts
21 Heaven and Back
22 [banter]
23 Big Zombie
24 Memphis, Egypt
25 [encore break]
26 The Hole in the Elephant’s Bottom
27 The Last Dance
28 Oblivion
29 Hole in the Ground
30 [banter]
31 Powers and Horrors
32 Hard to Be Human
33 Where Were You?
If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Mekons, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases through the links at their discography or by visiting the Touch and Go Records site [HERE].
We will leave the review of this show to the professionals — Rob Harvilla did a piece on the new Oneida album Rated O and this performance in today’s Village Voice. What the article did not mention was the serious upgrades to the Market Hotel and the pro-quality sound system that ToddP rented for this particular night. We were pleased with the vast improvement in sound quality, as was the band to whom we spoke after the show. The system had a significant bass presence which can be felt in this recording, and a clarity not heard at this venue before.
We recorded from the center of the floor with the four microphones and we are extremely pleased with the quality of this recording. Enjoy!
Oneida Exclusive: There will be another OneidaFest this year, most likely in December and it will be at a ToddP venue that we are not at liberty to name. We recorded last year’s OneidaFest [here].
Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)
Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].
Oneida
2009-07-24
Market Hotel
Brooklyn, NY USA
Digital Master Four-Track Audience Recording
Recorded from Center of the Room
25 Feet from the Stage – Dead Center
Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > 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
2009-07-28
Setlist:
[Total Time 1:00:12]
01 What’s Up, Jackal?
02 Ghost in the Room
03 Saturday
04 Kaddenium
05 I Will Haunt You
06 Now Stoned Jam
07 Up With People
If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Oneida, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, visit their page at Jagjaguwar Records, and purchase the new CD Rated O at the Jagjaguwar site [HERE].
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