nyctaper Recordings

[Photos courtesy of P Squared Photography]

Just before ripping into “Burroughs”, their first song, Thurston Moore opened this show by his new band Chelsea Light Moving with a quote from Mike Watt: “When you’re not playing, you’re paying.”

I had to remind myself at several points during this show that the exuberant, youthful guitarist and vocalist on the cozy Maxwell’s stage in his band’s own t-shirt was a 54-year-old member of rock royalty who I had seen perform in front of crowds hundreds of times this size. Sonic Youth may be on hiatus or it may be gone, but Thurston will keep playing – and keep playing well – for as long as he’s breathing. Chelsea Light Moving, as a band, isn’t Sonic Youth, but it isn’t just a dim facsimile of it, either. With Samara Lubelski (a well-known solo artist and member of Thurston’s solo band) on bass, John Moloney (Sunburned Hand of the Man) on drums and Keith Wood (Hush Arbors, Wooden Wand) on guitar, Chelsea Light Moving has an accomplished cast and its own personality. In some ways, CLM feels more like SST-era Sonic Youth – younger, hungrier, rawer. It seems fun to be in this band, in a way that’s almost impossible in a more established one.

Compared to an early performance back in September at 285 Kent (recording here), this time CLM felt more like a real band with real songs than a Moore & Friends jam session, with songs like “Alighted” more fully realized than their rough-sketch forms. There was also new material to be had, including the mid-tempo rocker “Sunday Stage”, which seemed like an homage to Wood’s other band, Hush Arbors. “Empires of Time” was dedicated to another rock n’ roll survivor, Roky Erickson, while “Staring Statues”, the set closer, gave us some Psychic Hearts-era Moore greatness. The entire show might have been worth the price of admission for the encore break alone, as Moore told stories, promised a fan he really would make some Feelies recordings he had said he would make fifteen years ago, and generally held court. He was calm, engaging, relaxed. Free of expectations. Chelsea Light Moving stands as a great band in its own right, and as a second act, it’s more than a worthy one.

We recorded this set from our usual spot in the venue with a flawless soundboard feed by longtime Maxwell’s engineer Carson Kopp and the band’s touring engineer Bentley. I used a pair of Schoeps MK5 microphones for my source while nyctaper tried out his new set of Neumann TLM-102 large-diaphragm cardiod microphones. We are offering both sources for your enjoyment, and both are outstanding. Enjoy!

Stream “Staring Statues” from Source 1 (Schoeps):

Stream “Empires of Time” from Source 2 (Neumann):

Download Source 1 (Schoeps): [MP3] | [FLAC]

Download Source 2 (Neumann): [MP3] | [FLAC]

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.

Chelsea Light Moving
2013-03-02
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ USA

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

Soundboard (engineers: Bentley & Carson Kopp)+Schoeps MK5 (PAS)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, tape effect exciter)>Audacity 3.0 (fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Burroughs
03 Sleeping Where I Fall
04 Alighted
05 Lip
06 [banter1]
07 Frank O’Hara Hit
08 [banter2]
09 Groovy + Linda
10 No Go
11 Sunday Stage
12 [banter3]
13 Empires of Time
14 [encore break]
15 Staring Statues

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Chelsea Light Moving, visit their website, and buy their debut LP from Matador Records [HERE]

Kung Fu: February 21, 2013 Highline Ballroom – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

March 1, 2013

New Haven-based funkmeisters Kung Fu co-headlined a mammoth show last week at the Highline Ballroom with up-and-coming jam band heroes Dopapod, with a set that proved the classic can be made new again. With both feet planted firmly in 70s funk-jazz fusion, Kung Fu’s high-energy, virtuosic set made us wonder how this music ever went out of style in the first place. Though still new on the scene as a band (their debut CD came out in 2011, the same year the band formed), the members of Kung Fu have a well-pedigreed history in jam circles with acts like The Breakfast, RAQ, Deep Banana Blackout and Jazz is Dead. As such, Kung Fu has already scored some high-profile opening act and festival gigs, including an appearance at this year’s Mountain Jam. Their modernized version of jazz funk has an eye toward today’s dance-friendly audiences; indeed, the glowstick twirlers seemed to dig this set without pining for Dopapod’s upcoming EDM flourishes. Kung Fu should have staying power in the scene for a long time.

I recorded this set with Schoeps microphones in a mid-side configuration from the center of the balcony. After a good bit of editing – much more than usual – I am finally happy with the sound of this, but still note that the crowd on the balcony can heard at points, along with the general level of audience noise in the room. With that caveat, enjoy!

This NYCTaper recording is being hosted on the Live Music Archive. You can stream the entire show by clicking the song titles below.

To download, MP3s are [HERE], FLACs are [HERE] and FLACs via BitTorrent (faster) are [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 the original source, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Kung Fu
2013-02-21
Highline Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK41+MK8 (balcony, DFC, M-S)>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ side)>Voxengo MSED (decode)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (adjust levels)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter for “tube”)>Audacity 3.0 (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Thanks to Dave Pecoraro for the setlist

Tracks [Total Time 1:55:14]
01 The Hammer
02 Steppin’ In It
03 Chakrabarty Overdrive
04 Bopcorn
05 God Made Me Funky
06 Barometric Weather
07 Standing On the Verge of Getting It On
08 Do The Right Thing
09 S’All Good
10 Gung Ho
11 Hollywood Kisses
12 Bringin’ Up the Rear

Personnel:
Todd Stoops – keyboards
Rob Somerville – saxaphone
Tim Palmieri – guitar
Adrian Tramontano – drums
Chris DeAngelis – bass

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Kung Fu, visit their website, and purchase their debut record from Amazon or your favorite retailer.

Beach Fossils: February 23, 2013 Bowery Ballroom – Flac/MP3/Streaming

February 28, 2013

[photo by Jonathon Bernstein – courtesy of brooklynvegan]

The Beach Fossils self-titled first album was a refreshing debut from a band that had at that point been on our radar for a year. It was a well-received 80’s influenced indie-pop album that was fairly straightforward fun. But if you expected the band to make the same album over and over again, you’ll likely be disappointed in the new Beach Fossils album Clash The Truth. Dustin Payseur is a student of music — he’s both a collector of vast quantities of vintage vinyl and a sponge for knowledge. I’ve had both conversations about obscure 80’s music with Dustin and seen the incredible list of songs on his laptop. This is a performer who knows his craft and understands its history. So it should really come as no surprise that Clash is a more mature and focused album than its predecessor. And as with much of the early 80s Brit post-punk that influences this album, it also has a bit of sneer. Fortunately though, much of the band’s fan base seems to understand and accept the band’s admirable growth. On Saturday night, Beach Fossils sold out Bowery Ballroom and delivered a performance that featured much of Clash and a healthy dose of older material. Dustin has integrated two new members into the band and the new material is just gathering momentum live, but overall the band delivered a solid set with many highlights. Beach Fossils are on tour in the East but return to NYC for a show at 285 Kent this Sunday, March 3.

I recorded this set with my new Neumann TLM-102 large diaphragm cardioid microphones from our usual spot in this venue, and mixed with a fine board feed. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Daydream”:

Download the Complete show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Beach Fossils
2013-02-23
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann TLM-102s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper 2013-02-26

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:04:22]
01 Clash the Truth
02 Generational Synthetic
03 Youth
04 Shallow
05 Sometimes
06 The Horse
07 Vacation
08 Taking Off
09 Caustic Cross
10 Burn You Down
11 Birthday
12 Moments-What a Pleasure
13 Calyer
14 Twelve Roses
15 Careless
16 [encore break]
17 Sleep Apnea
18 Crashed Out
19 Daydream

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Beach Fossils, visit their Facebook page, and purchase Clash The Truth from Captured Tracks [HERE].

Deafheaven: February 22, 2013 Saint Vitus – Flac/MP3/Streaming

February 27, 2013

[screenshot from UnArtigNYC video]

I have attended thousands of concerts over the years, so its not very often when a performer literally takes my breath away. At Saint Vitus on Friday night, Deafheaven was one of the few bands that effected me this way. The band opened their set with the first song of their debut album Roads to Judah “Violet” which begins with a very un-Metal like dual-guitar melodic passage before it crashes into the song proper, and features the intense screaming vocals of lead singer George Clarke. From that point forward, it was hard to take my eyes off Clarke whose magnetic stage presence and breathtaking vocals demand awe-inspired attention. And when Deafheaven begins a song, it doesn’t end quickly. The nearly hour-long set contained five songs — the first 3 tracks from Judah, a Mogwai dual-cover (streaming below) and a new song from their forthcoming album Sunbather. Throughout the show, Clarke’s unrelenting energy never wavered, and at its conclusion it was likely the audience and not the singer who needed oxygen. Deafheaven is from San Francisco, but came all the way East for this one-off show in support of Sacrament and Sannhet. They will tour Europe in April, dates here.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the Sannhet set and the sound is equally superb. Enjoy!

Stream “Punk Rock / Cody” [Mogwai cover]:

Download the Complete show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Deafheaven
2013-02-22
St. Vitus
Brooklyn, NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Sennheiser 8040 Cardioids > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper 2013-02-24

Setlist:
[Total Time 51:04]
01 Violet
02 Language Games
03 Unrequited
04 Punk Rock/Cody [Mogwai]
05 Dream House

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Deafheaven, visit their website, and purchase their official release from Deathwish Inc. [HERE].

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals: February 23, 2013 Capitol Theatre (Port Chester, NY) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

February 25, 2013

[photos by acidjack]

The Grateful Dead graced the stage of the Capitol Theatre on the 23rd of February exactly forty two years before this Grace Potter & the Nocturnals show. They may not be the Dead, but Grace Potter & the Nocturnals have clearly been sprinkled with some of that early 70s pixie dust. The band, formed in 2002, has come into their own over the last few years as their reputation as a live juggernaut spreads, but they could as easily be from ’71. How they got their reputation isn’t hard to figure out; listen to Potter start belting the opening lines of “The Lion the Beast the Beat” from their 2012 record of the same name, and then pick your jaw up off the floor. If Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, Ann and Nancy Wilson, and Chrissie Hynde each took a turn at the mic, they might not be better than Potter. This woman has rare, powerful, lead singer pipes, the kind that are too often misspent winning reality singing competitions these days, rather than actually rocking.

GPN do plenty of rocking, mostly of the big-riff, huge chorus, blues-inflected variety. For a band that cut its chops for years in small venues as an “indie” band, everything about the Nocturnals’ sound circa-2013 is as big as Potter’s Hammond B-3. While other time-machine acts have risen more quickly (e.g., Alabama Shakes, the Lumineers), GPN has the most polish, and arguably the most staying power. Potter’s ability to put on a big rock show, while sounding and looking every inch the Big Time Rock Star, is the key ingredient, sure, but her crack band similarly looks and plays the part.

On this Saturday night, Potter and the Nocturnals positively owned the stage and the room for a full two hour-plus performance, including a particularly on-fire rendition of “Medicine” to close out the main set. We saw the band tear through old and new songs from their catalog, as well as choice covers of “Paint It Black” and “House of the Rising Sun”. But perhaps the most memorable moment of the night came at the end, when GPN gave a direct tribute to their forebears in the form of their first-ever Dead cover, a faithful version of “Casey Jones”. The howls of this crowd could probably be heard through the streets of Port Chester by the time Grace thanked us and walked off. Who says there aren’t any rock heroes anymore?

I recorded this set with Schoeps microphones in a Mid-Side configuration to allow optimal stereo separation without unnecessary “room boom”. This was a noisy Saturday night crowd, which is painfully evident at points on the recording. Otherwise, the sound quality is excellent. Thanks also to the excellent staff of the Capitol. We wish you all continued success. Enjoy!

This NYCTaper recording is being hosted on the Live Music Archive. You can stream the entire show by clicking the song titles below.

To download, MP3s are [HERE], FLACs are [HERE] and FLACs via BitTorrent (faster) are [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 the original source, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
2013-02-23
Capitol Theatre
Port Chester, NY USA

Hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5c+MK8 (M-S, DFC, BOB)>KC5>CMC6>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition CS5.5 (decode, adjust levels)>Izotope Ozone 5 (light EQ and exciter)>Audacity 3.0 (tracking, fades, amplify, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time: 2:16:18]
01 The Lion, the Beast, the Beat
02 Some Kind of Ride
03 One Short Night
04 Never Go Back
05 Keepsake
06 Goodbye Kiss
07 Low Road
08 Apologies
09 Oasis
10 [banter1]
11 House of the Rising Sun [The Animals]
12 Watching You
13 [banter2]
14 Stop The Bus>
15 Paint It Black [Rolling Stones]
16 Nothing but the Water (I)
17 Nothing but the Water (II)
18 Paris (Ooh La La)
19 Medicine
20 [encore break]
21 Stars
22 The Divide
23 Big White Gate
24 Casey Jones [Grateful Dead]

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, visit their website, and buy their records, including The Lion The Beast the Beat from their online store [HERE]

Sannhet: February 22, 2013 Saint Vitus – Flac/MP3/Streaming

February 24, 2013

I made my second ever trip to Saint Vitus on Friday night. It was an unqualified success in large part because the people who know these things were one hundred percent correct that Sannhet is a band not to be missed. This was the release party for their new record Known Flood, which also happens to be the first release from the new record label Sacrament, established by the folks from Saint Vitus. And what an auspicious debut. At the Friday show, Sannhet played virtually the entire new album in set that was stunning for both its instrumental precision and the crowd’s ultimate response — a chorus of breathless “wows” when the set was over. Sannhet’s music certainly has some resemblance to black metal, but with the projector videos accompanying the music and its dramatic effect, I was reminded not so much of anything metal but of bands such as Godspeed and their post-rock ilk. Ultimately Sannhet is “post-metal”, but regardless of the label, this is powerful music worth seeing as often as possible.

I recorded this set with the Sennheiser cards mounted in front of the soundboard and mixed with a mono board feed. The sound is superb, enjoy!

Deafheaven was also recorded and will be posted in the next few days.

Stream “Still Breathing”:

Download the Complete show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Sannhet
2013-02-22
St. Vitus
Brooklyn, NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper 2013-02-24

Setlist:
[Total Time 37:46]
01 [intro]
02 Moral
03 Lionseye
04 Absecon Isle
05 Invisible Wounds
06 Safe Passage
07 Slow Ruin
08 Haunches
09 Flatlands
10 Still Breathing

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Sannhet, visit their website, and purchase Known Flood from the Sacrament Records store [HERE].

Shellshag: February 9, 2013 Music Hall of Williamsburg – Flac/MP3/Streaming

February 22, 2013

[photo by Rafe Baron courtesy of Impose Magazine]

Shellshag have a modest but very loyal following and on this recording from a couple of weeks ago at the second night of the Don Giovanni Records showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg, you can hear them chant the band’s name in between songs. One of the reasons for this kind of support is that Shellshag is authentic — the duo have worked the DIY scene in multiple cities over the last fifteen years. Their recent partnership with Don Giovanni has worked well for both, as their appearances as the annual showcases have been highlight, and their last album Rumors in Disguise is perhaps their best yet. The relationship fortunately continues this year as Shellshag is poised to release a new album Shellshag Forever on DGR in April. The band revealed a new track this week, “Face to Face” (the live version is streaming below), which seems not only autobiographical but also describes the live layout of the duo on stage. While we wish greater exposure for a band that truly deserves it, and this new album could very well be that spark, like their vocal fans at Music Hall, sometimes we’re happy Shellshag remains our little secret.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the Screaming Females set and the sound is superb. Enjoy!

Stream “Face to Face”:

Download the Complete show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Shellshag
2013-02-09
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2013-02-21

Setlist:
[Total Time 36:15]
01 [intro]
02 Face to Face
03 Crashing Rockets
04 Kiss Me Harder
05 Little Birdy
06 Carry On
07 Happiness
08 Means That Much to Me
09 Medley
10 Sweet Hoody
11 Magnet
12 Resilient Bastard
13 Just Like Heaven [Cure]

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Shellshag, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the Don Giovanni Records store [HERE] and the Starcleaner Records website [HERE].

Arbouretum: February 15, 2013 Cameo Gallery – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

February 21, 2013

[Photos courtesy of P Squared Photography]

One of the first things you notice at an Arbouretum show is how clearly you can hear frontman and lyricist Dave Heumann’s vocals. He enunciates, he articulates each word carefully, in a way that suggests he wants you to actually hear what he’s singing. And if you don’t pay attention to that, you’re missing out. This is, after all, a band that wrote an entire album (The Gathering) inspired by Karl Jung’s The Red Book. You could be forgiven, though, since along with those literary-inspired vocals, you’ll get a deep, Southern rock-inflected groove punctuated by Heumann’s own searing guitar solos. This show, which we helped to present, at Cameo Gallery proved a worthy sequel to their set at Glasslands back in 2011 when we last saw them. This set introduced us to new material from their excellent Thrill Jockey release, Coming Out of the Fog, plus some choice back catalog including one of my favorites, “St. Anthony’s Fire” from their split EP with Hush Arbors. Also not to be missed among the older material was the mighty set closer, “The Gathering”, while “World Split Open” was a highlight of the new material, which is some of the band’s most concise in years. Helped by an outstanding mix from Josh of the Cameo Gallery, the band put out a flawless set before the packed house that surpassed the 2011 show in intensity, though not quite in length. The band is spending the rest of this month and March in the UK and Europe, so for our readers across the pond, now is your chance.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 microphones and a soundboard feed from house engineer Josh. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Direct download of the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC files

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.

Arbouretum
2013-02-15
Cameo Gallery
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, DFC, DINa)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard (engineer: Josh)>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (set fades, mix down)>Izotope Ozone 5 (light EQ, exciter)>Audacity 3.0 (tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 46:03]
01 All At Once, the Turning Weather
02 World Split Open
03 [banter]
04 The Promise
05 Oceans Don’t Sing
06 [banter2]
07 St. Anthony’s Fire
08 The Gathering Song

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Arbouretum, visit their website, and buy Coming Out of the Fog and their other releases directly from Thrill Jockey [HERE]

Lemuria: February 8, 2013 Music Hall of Williamsburg – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

February 20, 2013