nyctaper Recordings

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Chris Forsyth: August 4, 2021 Sultan Room

August 15, 2021
By
Photo by nyctaper

Chris Forsyth returned to live performance in the most exactly perfect way possible. Like most performers, he hasn’t played a proper show in more than a year, but for his two-show return last week, Chris compiled an incendiary quartet of top notch musicians, all of whom are quite familiar to these pages. Tom Malach is a founder and lead guitarist of site favorites Garcia Peoples, Ryan Jewell has appeared here about a dozen different formats, mainly with Ryley Walker, and Doug McCombs has appeared here with the seminal Tortoise and with his Brokeback project. Forsyth himself has appeared many times on this site, and always brings the goods. But this show was an entirely different animal.

If this performance was an indication, Chris Forsyth emerged from lockdown with well honed new material and having maintained the precision of his playing. The quartet that performed at Sultan Room last week (and Philly the following night) were tight, focused, and thoroughly in sync. The four new songs (and new cover) were presented in almost completed form (except for the working titles) and as if these four musicians had been playing the compositions regularly. That is to say that this show flowed from start to finish and left the boisterous and rapt crowd frankly stunned at the quality of the performance.

I recorded this set with the outdoor-friendly large diaphragm Neumann microphones set up front and center of the stage and mixed with a soundboard feed provided by the most excellent Imoni Cole Palmer. I’m extremely pleased with the quality of this recording and hope you enjoy as much as the sold out crowd and I did that night.

Chris Forsyth is returning to the West Coast for a show on October 9, 2021 at the Crystal Cavern in Oakland. The band will include Doug McCombs and Ryan Jewell. This is Chris’s first show in California since 2014. Tickets are available [here].

Download the Complete Show in MP3 and FLAC at Archive.org [HERE]

Stream the Complete Show:

Chris Forsyth
2021-08-04
Sultan Room
Brooklyn NY

Digital Master Recording
On Stage Audience + Soundboard

Neumann TLM-102 Large Diaphragm Cardioids + Soundboard > Sound Devices 744t > 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
Set 1
[Total Time 57:19]
01 You’re Going to Need Somebody [Richard Thompson]
02 Tomorrow Might as Well Be Today
03 Mystic Mountain
04 Blackbird Jungle*
05 Experimental Professional

Set 2
[Total Time 1:02:48]
06 Dreaming in the Non-Dream
07 [band introductions]
08 Dream Song
09 Evolution Here I Come*
10 Robot Energy Machine*

*working title

Band:
Chris Forsyth: guitar
Tom Malach: guitar
Doug McCombs: bass
Ryan Jewell: percussion

PLEASE SUPPORT This Artist: Chris Forsyth

Garcia Peoples: June 23, 2021 The Sultan Room at The Turk’s Inn

July 7, 2021
By

A few weeks ago Garcia Peoples began their summer stand at The Sultan Room, the rooftop performance space at The Turk’s Inn. The first of three, two-set performances features some new songs, unheard jams, and the highly anticipated return of “One Step Behind” to New York City—that one was last heard in these parts and subsequently immortalized on the Live at Nublu 10/10/19 tape. The outdoor sessions continue July 21st and August 18th. (Pro tip: Get a discounted ticket for both shows!) But you say: “I can’t wait a whole two weeks for live music!” Well never fear, because Garcia Peoples play Colony in Woodstock, NY this Saturday. The show starts at Noon with an opening set from Zachary Cale. Bound to be good times there. And hey, while we’re at it here’s a lovely tape from last month at the very same venue by friend-of-the-site, Mr. Kliked.

I recorded this show at the stage lip, combining my mics with a board feed courtesy of the audio engineer, Imoni Cole-Palmer. The sound is excellent—upfront, Legendary Guitar Amp Tapes-style. Enjoy!

Downloads available at the Live Music Archive

Garcia Peoples
2021-06-23
The Sultan Room at The Turk’s Inn
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (audio engineer: Imoni Cole-Palmer) + MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 3.0.2 > FLAC

Total Time 2:12:23

Set 1:
01. Gliding Through
02. Eminor Jam >
03. Wasted Time
04. Crown of Thought
05. One at a Time
06. Fire of the Now
07. A Jam
08. Fill Your Cup

Set 2:
09. D Jam >
10. Dodging Dues Suite
11. One Step Behind
12. Feel So Great > Jam
13. World’s Illusion

Birds of Maya: June 24, 2021 Sunflower Philly

July 6, 2021
By

I guess like many of us, Birds of Maya were productive in the last year and a half. They finally released Valdez, the long lost album you never knew existed. Recorded way back in 2014, it picks up right where 2013’s raucous Celebration leaves off. Given the band’s long hiatus, I seized this opportunity to travel down to Philadelphia to catch their record release show at Sunflower Philly, a beautiful outdoor space in North Philadelphia. The band rips through some tunes from the new record and jams Celebration-style on a couple of song collages I’ve titled “Sunflower” and “Philly” here that have the band cycling through a few riffs that I swear sound familiar and slippery at the same time. A few blown fuses don’t stop these Birds as they cap things off with their take on The Stooges’ “TV Eye” with the legendary Harmonica Dan on, well, harmonica.

No future dates on the books for Birds of Maya but make sure to grab Valdez from Drag City and maybe encourage these guys to make some new recordings.

I recorded this with the MBHO’s up front. Once people got rocking I had to move a little bit and the sound can be slightly uneven in areas. Nonetheless this is an excellent capture of a really special show. Enjoy!

Download MP3/FLAC

nyctaper · Birds of Maya – Live at Sunflower Philly 2021

Birds of Maya
2021-06-24
Sunflower Philly
Philadelphia, PA

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 3.0.2 > FLAC

Tracks [48:32]
01. High Fly
02. Please Come In
03. Cosmic Honey Shaker
04. Porch Dude
05. Jam/TV Eye (false start)
06. TV Eye

Stuart Bogie, Ryley Walker, Spencer Zahn, Kevin Raczka: June 10, 2021 Nublu

June 25, 2021
By
Photos by Bryon Whitley

In the very few gigs I’ve been to since the return of live music, I’ve met a lot of new people. This is somewhat surprising since in the last year our worlds have become so much smaller, interacting only with those in our bubbles. But nature heals. Here we have long time friend-of-NYCTaper Ryley Walker meeting some new people for a jam session at Nublu: multi-instrumentalist Stuart Bogie, bassist Spencer Zahn, and drummer Kevin Raczka. The core quartet was augmented with an astounding group of musicians, including: Dave Scalia (drums), Chris Bullock (sax), Domenica Fossati (flute), Jake Pinto (keys), Eric Biondo (trumpet/keys), Raymond Mason (trombone), Jackie Coleman (trumpet), and Billy Austick (trumpet). Many of these folks are members of Antibalas, who by the way have a few gigs coming up including Central Park Summerstage and a couple nights at Brooklyn Bowl. I really can’t do justice to all these musicians in writing so I encourage you to listen for yourself to explore these new and exciting encounters.

I recorded this from our usual location at Nublu and the sound is excellent as we’ve come to expect. Shoutout to Nublu and Chris Tart for being such great hosts. Enjoy!

Stream and download the show at the Live Music Archive.

Stuart Bogie, Ryley Walker, Spencer Zahn, Kevin Raczka
2021-06-10
Nublu 151
New York, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

MBHO KA300/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 3.0.2 > FLAC

Tracks [2:39:34]
01. I
02. II
03. III
04. IV
05. V

Stuart Bogie (sax, etc.)
Ryley Walker (guitar)
Spencer Zahn (bass)
Dave Scalia (drums)
Kevin Raczka (drums)

With:
Chris Bullock (sax)
Domenica Fossati (flute)
Jake Pinto (keys)
Eric Biondo (trumpet/keys)
Raymond Mason (trombone)
Jackie Coleman (trumpet)
Billy Austick (trumpet)

Garcia Peoples: June 4, 2021 Industry City

June 16, 2021
By
photo by nyctaper

Welcome back! Its been a hellish 16 months for everyone we know. No one was spared, and many friends of the site went through trauma that no person should have to endure. But as far as we can tell, this existential nightmare seems to be coming to close. Today New York State celebrated a 70% vaccination rate, and much of the City is re-opening, including live performances.

Last weekend we experienced our first real “concert” event in forever, and it could not have been a more spiritually and emotionally fulfilling night. Garcia Peoples are obviously one of the site’s favorite bands, and most importantly a favorite set of people, so it was quite appropriate that this would be the NYCTaper coming out party. In the open air at Industry City, and with GP as a soundtrack, we grooved while smiling at friends we haven’t seen in months and months, shook hands, hugged, and generally felt true enjoyment. For their part, the band debuted a bunch of outstanding new material, jammed on some classics, and sounded tight and focused. They are truly back and we couldn’t be happier.

Garcia Peoples are adding new shows to their touring schedule on a regular basis. At this point, they are playing 3 dates in consecutive months at Turk’s Inn (Sultan Room roof) in Brooklyn, beginning with a show next week (June 23) and then appearances at the Treefort Festival and Lockn Fest. Dates are being added, check out their bandcamp page for updates.

This show was recorded with Schoeps cards set up at the soundboard tent, and mixed with a board feed. There were issues with the elements and a humming noise from a generator, but overall we’re pretty pleased with the sound quality. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Industry City Show from Archive.org [HERE]

Stream the Complete Industry City Show:

Garcia Peoples
2021-06-04
Industry City
Brooklyn NY

Digital Master Recording
Audience + Soundboard

Schoeps CCM4u’s + Soundboard > Sound Devices 744t > 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:15:01]
01 False Company
02 Cold Dice
03 Tough Freaks
04 Stray Cats
05 Painting A Vision That Carries
06 Heart and Soul
07 A Reckoning
08 Fire of The Now
09 Cassandra
10 Fill Your Cup
11 World’s Illusion

PLEASE SUPPORT GARCIA PEOPLES: bandcamp | Facebook

Ryley Walker: June 5, 2021 Private Backyard, Flushing, NY

June 7, 2021
By

“I don’t think Steve Gunn forgets his lyrics,” Ryley Walker wondered aloud midway though “The Roundabout” this past Saturday. He was performing in front of a small backyard audience in Flushing, Queens. We’re all a little rusty, performers and audiences alike, as live music returns to New York. But as we experienced this weekend, everyone’s quick to rediscover the well-worn grooves. In this hour and a half set, Ryley touches on his entire catalog, from Primrose Green to his outstanding new album, Course in Fable. A few covers complete the afternoon, including a lovely take on “There’s Hell in Hello, But More in Goodbye” from Jim O’Rourke’s Bad Timing record.

I recorded this show with a pair of MBHO omnidirectional mics positioned up front and overhead. Despite the windy day, the sound is superb. Enjoy!

Thanks to Ryley Walker for playing; and to Mark and Kim for hosting. You can purchase all of Ryley Walker’s albums, including Course in Fable, at Bandcamp. He’ll be on tour this fall with a full band opening for Dinosaur Jr. That tour wraps up November 20 at Brooklyn Steel. More immediately, Ryley will be joined by Stuart Bogie, Spencer Zahn, and Kevin Raczka for a sesh at Nublu 151 this coming Thursday, June 10. See you there!

Stream and download the show at the Live Music Archive.

Ryley Walker
2021-06-05
Private Backyard
Flushing, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

MBHO KA100DK/603A (on stage) > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 3.0.2 > FLAC

Tracks [1:34:05]
01. On the Banks of the Old Kishwaukee
02. The Roundabout
03. Rang Dizzy
04. Promise Me
05. Telluride Speed
06. Shaking Like the Others
07. The Halfwit in Me
08. If I Were a Carpenter [Tim Hardin]
09. Improvisation
10. Primrose Green
11. Summer Dress
12. Over the Hill [John Martyn]
13. There’s Hell in Hello, But More in Goodbye [Jim O’Rourke]
14. Fair Play [Van Morrison]
15. The Grand Old Trout [Bill MacKay]

Jonathan Kane and Jim McHugh: October 11, 2020 Richards Street Brooklyn

October 19, 2020
By

I read somewhere recently that your talent is your salve. That by doing the things you do best, you can help heal the psychic damage from this awful year. After an aborted attempt to capture a “drive-in” show last month, I had the wonderful opportunity to experience and record a pop-up outdoor event last weekend and it was as glorious as the pedigree of the two musicians who performed. Jim McHugh will be quite familiar to readers of this site as the founder and lead guitarist of Sunwatchers, while Jonathan Kane is a downtown music scene fixture for decades who is perhaps best known as the founding drummer of Swans.

In the Northeast section of Red Hook, a couple of hundred yards from the Battery Tunnel, there’s a few blocks of old industrial buildings that have been transformed into studios. At the corner of Commerce and Richards, there’s an art studio that has hosted these pop-up outdoor events while the weather cooperated. Last weekend, the Kane McHugh duo played a 30-minute set of two distinct improvisational pieces. The first number had a psych-blues vibe with Kane’s looped guitar providing a base for the two to work over, with McHugh’s rock guitar and Kane’s ubiquitous percussion hitting several peaks. The second piece began quietly with some tasty slide guitar licks before the two took it out into a full swampy meltdown — a truly magical climax to a short but truly sweet collaborative set.

I recorded this set with the outdoor-friendly large diaphragm Neumann’s set up immediately in front of the band, and the sound quality is quite superb. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

nyctaper · Jonathan Kane and Jim McHugh Live on Richards Oct 11 2020

Kane McHugh
2020-10-11
Richards Street
Brooklyn NY

Digital Master Recording
On Stage

Neumann KLM-102s > Sound Devices 744t > 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 27:17]
01 Improvisation 1
02 Improvisation 2

Jonathan Kane – drums, percussion, guitar loop
Jim McHugh – guitar, slide guitar

PLEASE SUPPORT These amazing artists: Kane Facebook and Sunwatchers Bandcamp

Pylon Reenactment Society: January 5, 2019 Market Hotel

September 20, 2020
By
Photo Courtesy of Chris Sikich

Last week, it was announced that legendary Athens GA post-punk band Pylon will be releasing a comprehensive box set which will include all of their official releases, many unreleased tracks, and a 200-page book documenting the history of this incredibly influential group. Pylon Box will be available through New West Records on November 6, 2020.

For a band with such a lasting legacy, it was truly a blessing to have recorded the original band, including what was ultimately the last show the band played before the sad and untimely death of guitarist Randy Bewley in 2009. In 2014, lead singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay formed the Pylon Reenactment Society. At a gig we recorded at Mercury Lounge in July of 2018, it was clear that this new band was not just a tribute to the late great Pylon, but was a natural and organic continuation of the legacy of the band with top notch musicians who were friends with the original members. Our experiences motivated me to invite Pylon Reenactment Society to return to NYC in January of 2019 to perform at Market Hotel.

The Market Hotel show was yet another confirmation that although the original Pylon is a perfect subject for retrospective box sets, the current band is still a terrific outfit and a pure pleasure to experience live. This set included not only all of the classic numbers you’d hope to hear, but some extremely promising new material. In this current involuntary “break” from seeing shows, its great to remember the types of events that keep us coming back to see bands like Pylon.

I recorded this set with the installed AT mics mixed with an excellent soundboard feed from Eric. The sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

nyctaper · Pylon Reenactment Society – Live at Market Hotel Jan 5 2019

Pylon Reenactment Society
2019-01-05
Market Hotel
Brooklyn NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard [engineer Eric Lemke] + Audio Technica 4051 > Sound Devices 744t > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:23:30]
01 Driving School
02 Working Is No Problem
03 Volume
04 Cool
05 Gravity
06 Cliff Notes
07 Danger
08 Look Alive
09 Flowers From Everywhere
10 Crazy
11 Feast On My Heart
12 [thanks]
13 Beep
14 [band introductions]
15 Compression
16 Messenger
17 Precaution
18 Stop It
19 [encore break]
20 M Train
21 K
22 Buzz

PLEASE SUPPORT Pylon Reenactment Society: Website | Bandcamp | Buy Pylon Box

Jeff Rosenstock: December 23, 2019 Trans-Pecos

April 10, 2020
By

Its honestly hard for me to be objective about this concert for some pretty obvious reasons — including my involvement with the venue. But the real reason is because Jeff Rosenstock is truly one of the best people in music today. Jeff played four consecutive Monday nights at Trans-Pecos in December, and each night benefitted a different charitable organization. Each night also was a collection of coats for the homeless. There was no set admission price to the shows, but a suggested donation. And Jeff and his fans really came through, as over $10,000 was raised over the four shows and the funds were sent to Safe Horizon, Willie Mae Rock Camp, Educated Little Monsters, and Black Lives Matter.

We talked and the final night was Jeff’s favorite of the shows. It also happens to feature the most excellent Laura Stevenson (congrats on the baby!) in a guest spot for a couple of songs. Jeff and Laura are long time friends who also played together in Bomb The Music Industry! and the energy between the two was obvious. As Jeff moved to LA at the end of 2019, this show was also a goodbye of sorts, so the emotions are palpable. All in all, a tremendous night for a variety of reasons, and a show we’re happy to offer as a glimmer of hope in these tragic times.

This set was mixed by Manny and recorded in the thumb drive of the soundboard and the quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO THE GOFUNDME FOR TRANS-PECOS SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO PAY OUR STAFF WHILE THE ENTIRE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS CLOSED DUE TO COVID-19. THE LINK IS [HERE].

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

Jeff Rosenstock
2019-12-23
Trans-Pecos
Ridgewood NY

Digital Master Soundboard Recording

Soundboard [Engineer: Manny] > 16bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar

Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:28:25]
01 [introduction]
02 Perfect Sound Whatever
03 Hey Allison
04 Pash Rash
05 [banter – less garbage]
06 Powerlessness
07 To Be a Ghost
08 Wave Goodnight To Me
09 The Lows
10 The Shit That You Hate
11 Festival Song
12 Rewards Zone
13 While You’re Alive
14 Staring Out the Window at Your Old Apartment
15 [banter – Black Lives Matter]
16 Let Them Win
17 Eighties Through The Fifties
18 [banter – requests]
19 Rainbow
20 Saddr Weirdr
21 [Laura Stevenson intro]
22 Nine Out of Ten (9/10)
23 Sort of Like Being Pumped
24 [banter – Trans-Pecos]
25 Stand There Until You’re Sober
26 Snow Charges
27 Nausea
28 [banter – broken string]
29 You in Weird Cities
30 [banter – thanks]
31 Future 86

SUPPORT Jeff Rosenstock: Bandcamp | Tumblr | Buy WORRY at SideOneDummy Records

Wilco: January 18, 2020 – Riviera Maya, Mexico

March 30, 2020
By
Photo by gr8fulpete

The first Wilco International Festival “Sky Blue Sky” was a celebratory communal event held at a beach resort in Mexico in January. And like their Solid Sound Fest, the event in Mexico combined community action, charity, fun, sun, and music. Teaming with Positive Legacy, Wilco and fans offered a litany of community-helping tasks to give back to the local community so that the Fest would leave a positive footprint in its wake.

Musically, Wilco committed to performing no song twice in their three shows. This naturally led to some rare nuggets making their way back into the setlist for this special event. On this first night, that included three tracks from the debut album (with personal favorite “Passenger Side”) and rarely performed “Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway(again)” from Summerteeth.

Its hard to say when Wilco (or any other band) will be able to perform again, as their Spring Tour was canceled, but as of now there are tour dates beginning in June still scheduled. Hopefully, those shows can happen.

Pete recorded this set with his trusty Neumann cards from an advantageous position and other than the windy conditions, the sound quality is quite excellent. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

Wilco
2020-01-18
Hard Rock Hotel
Riveria Maya Mexico

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded at Soundboard Cage

Neumann KM-185s > Sound Devices 702 > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded by gr8fulpete
Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:54:24]
01 Bright Leaves
02 Either Way
03 Handshake Drugs
04 Side With the Seeds
05 One and a Half Stars
06 I Must Be High
07 The Joke Explained
08 I’ll Fight
09 Too Far Apart
10 Someone to Lose
11 Secret of the Sea
12 Hotel Arizona
13 Ashes of American Flags
14 Hummingbird
15 Passenger Side
16 Nothingsevergonnastandinmyway
17 Someday Soon
18 I’m Always in Love
19 Hold Me Anyway
20 Red-Eyed and Blue
21 I Got You
22 Hate It Here
23 Heavy Metal Drummer
24 I’m the Man Who Loves You
25 [encore break]
26 Spiders (Kidsmoke)

PLEASE SUPPORT Wilco, visit their website, and purchase their Ode To Joy and their other releases from their website [HERE]

SUPPORT NYCTaper




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