nyctaper Recordings

[Photos courtesy of Stephanie Keith]

The Heartless Bastards are one of those acts that are flat-out solid.  With a heavy dose of Midwestern charm (they’re from Cincinnati) and bluesy rock riffs, this is a band that can be counted on, show after show, to give a memorable performance.  Vocalist Erika Wennerstrom’s cigarettes-and-whiskey voice has never sounded better, and this surprisingly boozed up Wednesday night Music Hall of Williamsburg crowd knew it, too, whooping their appreciation for the full 90+ minutes of their set.  This newish lineup (as of 2008) rocks like a bar band made good, but they also have considerable chops.  The Bastards also joined with opening act Peter Wolf Crier (also recorded; coming soon) for a special rendition of “Be So Happy”.  Another highlight was “All This Time”, featuring an extended intro from drummer Dave Colvin.

At the request of the Music Hall staff, Johnny Fried Chicken Boy and I moved our gear to the balcony.  The sound up there tends to have more sound reflection than the floor, but with some further editing to reduce that characteristic, this recording using a four mic combination of Schoeps hypercardiods and the DPA 4021s is of excellent quality (and the crowd is much quieter, too!).

Stream “All This Time”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/HeartlessBastards-AllThisTime.mp3]

Stream “Be So Happy” with Peter Wolf Crier:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/HeartlessBastards-BeSoHappy.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Heartless Bastards
2010-07-14
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY  USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Equipment: Schoeps CMC641+DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: Balcony clamp, DFC, DPAs X/Y, Schoeps pointed down at stacks
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, EQ (trim bass frequencies/room resonances, slight bump at 10kHz), amplify and balance channels, compression on a couple of peaks)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks [Total Time 1:36:54]
01 Into the Open
02 Done Got Old
03 Out at Sea
04 Onions
05 Witchy Poo
06 [banter]
07 Blue Day
08 I Swallowed A Dragon Fly
09 [banter]
10 So Quiet
11 Had To Go
12 All This Time
13 The Mountain
14 Sway
15 Hold Your Head High
16 Swamp Song
17 Nothing Seems the Same
18 Early In the Morning
19 [encore break]
20 Be So Happy (with Peter Wolf Crier)
21 Gray
22 Runnin

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Heartless Bastards, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases and merch from the store at their website [HERE].

[photo courtesy of Ryan Muir]

For Diamond Rings, its only a matter of time. The deadly combination of talent, charisma, catchy songs, and friends in the right places virtually guarantees that by the next time he plays NYC, John O will be riding the buzz wave. Last night at Monster Island, a smallish but enthusiastic crowd saw Diamond Rings brief opening set that included several new songs from his anticipated full-length (September release) and three songs from a series of 12″ releases on One Big Silence Records. The quirky dance number “Show Me Your Stuff” does not in fact show the world all that Diamond Rings has to deliver. John O plays some mean guitar and the track streaming below (“All Yr Songs”) is a better indication of his talents.

We recorded this set with the Neumann microphones attached to the pole set feet from the stage and mixed the room mics with a soundboard feed. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “All Yr Songs”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D1807DiamondRings2211/12%20DiamondRings2010-07-18_nyctaper_t12.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Diamond Rings
2010-07-18
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
2010-07-19

Setlist:
[Total Time 33:30]
01 Play By Heart
02 [new song – All I Know?]
03 [banter]
04 Wait & See
05 [banter]
06 [new song]
07 [banter]
08 You and Me
09 [banter]
10 Show Me Your Stuff
11 [banter]
12 All Yr Songs

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Diamond Rings, visit the website, visit the MySpace page, and purchase his debut EP from the One Big Silence website [HERE].

[Photos courtesy of Jessica Amaya and BrooklynVegan]

With but one (excellent) record to their name, Memory Tapes have risen fast, thanks in part to Pitchfork’s love for their debut, but in larger part thanks to their unique, synth-driven sound and a surprisingly rocking live show.  The band had the honor of headlining BrooklynVegan’s showcase for the 2010 Northside Festival at Music Hall of Williamsburg, and they delivered with a free-flowing set backed by a killer light show.  Despite being a two-man act, frontman Dayve Hawk and drummer Matt Maraldo proved able to throw down for the Saturday night crowd.  As with their last show that we recorded back in February, the band drew out the length of several numbers with extended instrumental play.

I recorded this set from the same location as the Twin Sister recording and the sound is excellent.  Enjoy!

Stream the entire show:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/M0302Memory2101/mt2010-06-26mhow_acidjack.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE).

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Memory Tapes
2010-06-26
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY  USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Equipment: Schoeps CMC641+DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to left side of sound booth, mics at 8ft, DPAs ORTF, hypers DIN
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify and balance channels, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Bicycle
02 [unknown]
03 Graphics
04 Plain Material
05 Green Knight
06 Stop Talking>Bicycle
07 [unknown]
08 [unknown]

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 by nyctaper]

The Backyard Brunch Sessions were moved indoors for the weather last weekend, but the developing themes for the series remained. This past Saturday again featured two bands that had never played a live acoustic session before, and also featured immense talent that was breathtaking to behold up close. The Courtesy Tier is a duo whose standard live show features Omer Leibovitz’s intense bluesy guitar and the aggressive drum work of Layton Weedeman. Saturday’s acoustic set was worlds apart — as Omer played a nylon string classical style guitar and Layton beat a bongo and mini-maraca — but the duo’s talents made it seem as if it was their normal set-up. At just three songs, the show was more a teaser, but certainly bodes well for the flexibility and dynamics of this up and coming and growing band. The Courtesy Tier play this weekend (Saturday July 17) at Rockwood Music Hall, and then next Saturday (July 24) return to Spike Hill.

We recorded this set with four microphones placed strategically around the duo and the sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Stream “Friend”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C1070CourtesyTier2211/2%20CourtesyTier2010-07-10_nyctaper_t02.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Courtesy Tier
2010-07-10
Private Backyard Brunch
Brooklyn, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Onstage

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 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
2010-07-14

Setlist:
[Total Time 14:10]
01 [introduction]
02 Friend
03 [banter]
04 Calling Out
05 Cold

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Courtesy Tier, visit their website, and purchase their debut EP Map and a Marker from the links at the Music Section of their website [HERE].

[Photo courtesy of Nicole Wasilewicz at FREEwilliamsburg]

While a lot of the opening night crowd for the 2010 Northside Festival was busy speculating about/preemptively hating on the Wavves set that was about to happen later in the night, Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings came out without a lot of fanfare and straight up rocked it.  Cloud Nothings is the project of songwriter Dylan Baldi, whose sound was described on one blog as “bedroom punk”, which seems accurate enough.  Indeed, these guys could be kindred spirits of the earlier Wavves, albeit with a more upbeat and less weed-driven (at least lyrically) style.  Live, the band made for a perfect lead-in for the chaos to follow, delivering material from their LP, Turning On in rapid-fire style to amp up the crowd.  Some post-show reports called Cloud Nothings the best band of the night – and those accolades weren’t all from Wavves-haters, either.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed and the Schoeps mics, just like the Wavves set, and the sound is excellent.  Enjoy!

Stream “Exactly What I Want”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C4206CloudNothings0210/cloudnothings_nyctaper.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Cloud Nothings
2010-06-24
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY  USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Equipment: Schoeps CMC641+Stereo soundboard feed>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to right side of sbd booth, 8 ft up, DIN
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, slight EQ, adjust levels, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks
01 Didn’t You
02 Can’t Stay Awake
03 Morgan
04 Even If It Worked Out
05 Too Long
06 Exactly What I Want
07 Hey Cool Kid
08 Turning On

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Cloud Nothings, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Turning On from Bridgetown Records here.

[photo by mikeL]

Last week, The Feelies played their now regular July 4th shows at Maxwell’s and we missed them for the second year in a row due to a vacation. There are some decent photos of last week’s gigs here, and a review here. Although we caught one of the shows in 2008 (here), I guess we kind of feel like we let down the Feelies fans who come to nyctaper for recordings of their shows (we’ve done six). So, I’ve decided to dig into the vault for a little treat from last year. In September of 2009, The Feelies played a mini three-show “tour”, which included ATP, a show at the Bearsville Theatre, and a show at Southpaw (on nyctaper here). The ATP recording popped up on Dimeadozen, and we covered the Southpaw night, but until now no recording of the Woodstock show had appeared. A short while ago, the prolific East coast taper mikeL sent us this recording so that we could offer it to our readers.

Mike recorded the set with a pair of Audio Technica 825s set up fifteen feet from the stage and the result is a recording of great clarity and presence. Enjoy!

Stream “Boxcars” [REM cover]:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/F7001Feelies8800/24%20feelies2009-09-12at825d2t14.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Feelies
2009-09-12 Bearsville Theater Bearsville NY
aud-1 : AT825 > D-7 (line in) > DATM >> RMR-D110 > D7 > DAT-1 (added track IDs on DAT-1) >> RMR-D100 > optical > HHB830 > CDRM > iTunes> AIFF > xACT > FLAC
recorded 15ft stage left center (between left stack and left of stage), 6ft stand

first set/disc 1 (35:51)
01. when company comes
02. bluer skies
03. egyptian reggae [richman]
04. the undertow
05. sunday morning
06. invitation
07. nobody knows
08. the high road
09. on the roof
10. lets go
second set/disc 2 (1:18:06)
01. barstool blues (neil young)
02. deep fascination
03. higher ground
04. the final word
05. slipping (into something)
06. time is right
07. away
08. original love
09. too far gone
10. raised eyebrows
11. crazy rhythms
12. – crowd
13. doin’ it again
14. boxcars (carnival of sorts) [buck/stipe/mills/berry]
15. i wanna sleep in your arms [richman]
16. – crowd
17. take it easy baby [morrison]
18. sooner or later
19. – crowd
20. outdoor miner [wire]
21. paint it black [jagger/richard/jones]
22. – crowd
23. she said she said [lennon]
24. fa ce-la
25. – outro
recording and post-production by mL

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Feelies, visit their MySpace page, and purchase the new reissues of Crazy Rhythms and The Good Earth directly from the Bar None website [HERE].

[Photo courtesy of Erica Sackin for FREEwilliamsburg]

Since we last saw Twin Sister at Mercury Lounge in April, lead vocalist Andrea Estella has made a stark change in her look – instantly changing her stage presence from a slightly aloof, cool Euro crooner to the stage-stalking glamstress we saw at Brooklynvegan’s Northside Festival showcase this past Saturday at Music Hall of Williamsburg.  The visual change was a smart one, as it takes a “bigger” band all around to fill out Brooklyn’s largest and fanciest music venue.  Capitalizing both on a roster filled with mostly like-minded bands and the goodwill generated by their positive coverage in Pitchfork, Twin Sister lit up the stage with their bouncy-but-chill songs, including one new one whose title I do not know, which you can stream below, as well as songs from their two EPs.

This set was recorded in the same manner as the ZaZa performance, and the quality is excellent.  Thanks again to BrooklynVegan for the high-quality showcase and their support of NYCTaper, and to the organizers of the Northside Festival.  Enjoy!

Stream the new song:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/T8240TwinSis2100/twinsis_new.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE).

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Twin Sister
2010-06-26
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY  USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Equipment: Schoeps CMC641+DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to left side of sound booth, mics at 8ft, DPAs ORTF, hypers DIN
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify and balance channels, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks [Total Time 40:18]
01 Eastern Green
02 Daniel
03 I Want A House
04 The Other Side of Your Face
05 [banter]
06 Ginger
07 Lady Daydream
08 [unknown]
09 All Around and Away We Go

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Twin Sister, visit their website, and order Color Your Life direct from Infinite Best Recordings here.

[Photo by acidjack]

I had made a mistake in not seeing Hooray For Earth sooner than I did.  I knew they had played with our friends in ArpLine (a like-minded band, in a loose sense) but somehow (well, I know how – it’s called “regular job”) I had managed not to make it to one of their shows.  FREEwilliamsburg fixed that issue with a Northside Festival showcase that had no wrong calls, with Hooray For Earth in the 2nd opener slot behind Keepaway (posted here).   Hooray For Earth have a dense, anthemic, approachable sound, bridging the gap between hard dance beats and rock emotion.  Their style is exemplified by the closer of their Momo EP, “Rolling/Nectarine”, a song rich with the baggy beats and infinitely hummable lyrics that many songs today lack or ignore.  Hooray For Earth’s songs serve up head-bobbing beats as well as quality songcraft – music huge enough for an arena, sure, but easily compelling enough for a Sunday night Northside Festival showcase.  As their booming sound washes over you, even though it’s Sunday night, you feel yourself waking up.

I recorded this set from the same location as the Keepaway recording – against the right stack.  In my opinion, it does not quite do this band’s expansive sound justice – listen to their studio tracks for proof – but it is still a solid recording after significant editing to compensate for the heavy bass and unusual microphone placement.  Hooray For Earth plays all over this city, so please, do the right thing and see them for yourself.   Enjoy!

Stream “Rolling/Nectarine”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H7206HFE0201/hfe_rolling.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Hooray for Earth
2010-06-27
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Equipment: Schoeps CMC641>Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) (24/44.1)
Position: ~12ft from right stack, 12ft up, pointed at stacks
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, heavy EQ, amplify/balance channels, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC Level 8

Tracks
01 Intro
02 Form
03 Comfortable, Comparable
04 Get Home
05 Surrounded by Your Friends
06 [unknown]
07 Scaling
08 Rolling/Nectarine

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Hooray for Earth, visit their website, and purchase Momo from Dovecote Records [HERE].

[photo by nyctaper]

The night after Akron/Family played as a fifteen-piece ensemble at Le Poisson Rouge, they returned to their roots and played a “secret show” at tiny Monster Island Basement — the center of Brooklyn’s DIY scene. The band was once again a three-piece, but similar to the LPR show (also recorded, coming soon quality not sufficient for posting), the songs were stretched out sometimes beyond recognition. “River”, which was a compact seven-minute package at their last NYC show (Music Hall in March), added a neat guitar jam and went beyond twelve minutes. The highlight of the show was clearly the tribal-beat-infused crowd-participation monster of a “Ed Is A Portal” that lasted a full twenty-two sweaty minutes. But it was more than the numeric length of the songs. Akron/Family were relaxed and were playing in front of friends — this show was more of a party than a concert and the band’s performance reflected that energy.

I recorded this set with the Neumann microphones mounted to a pole about ten feet from the stage, and mixed with a feed from the soundboard. The basic sound system and basement setting does limit the sonic quality, but overall this is an outstanding recording which captures the energy of the room. Enjoy!

Stream Entire Show:

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

Akron/Family
2010-07-01
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
2010-07-05

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:16:20]
01 Meek Warrior
02 River / Jam
03 So It Goes
04 [banter]
05 Another Sky
06 [new song – Seth]
07 [banter]
08 Lake Song / New Ceremonial Music For Moms
09 Ed Is A Portal
10 Silly Bear

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Akron/Family, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from Dead Oceans Records [HERE].

[Woods at Music Hall on March 12, 2010.  Photos courtesy of Frank Siringo]

Each time we see Woods (and it’s been quite a few lately) we are struck by the evolution of the band.  Despite not being a particularly longstanding act (though I suppose they are by the scene’s current standards), they already feel, in a sense, like godfathers of the scene.  Part of that is that comes from their status as the foundation of Woodsist Records, a label that has spawned groundbreaking acts coast to coast (the West Coast feel of many of their offerings is undeniable).  But it also comes from their music itself, which evolved from the typical 3-4 minute rock format into sprawling, layered psychedelic compositions. I cannot call what they are doing “jamming”, for one because it is so anathema to the local aesthetic, and also because it feels pejorative and limiting.  What Woods are doing is gradually expanding their sound and sharing their virtuosity on their instruments with us – not aimlessly noodling for a bunch of wookies.  Being part of the Woodsist showcase at the 2010 Northside Festival, this performance at Music Hall of Williamsburg did not boast anything as massive as the 16-minute “Bend Beyond” we witnessed at the Abrons Arts Center performance, but it did feature a stretched out “I Was Gone,” “Blood Dries Darker,” “The Hold” and a still-respectable 9-minute “Bend Beyond.”  The show was packed, and the audience was treated to another can’t miss performance that cued up another fantastic set from Real Estate to close out the night.

The NYCTaper team recorded this show from our usual spot at the soundboard booth using two separate recorders and a combination of six mics.  The results are exceptional and even better than the Real Estate recording.  Enjoy!

Stream “To Clean”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W2206Woods2990/Woods2010-06-25_nyctacid_t03.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Woods
2010-06-25
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY  USA

Six-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Soundboard Booth

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s + Schoeps CMC641s > 2xEdirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 3 x 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 and acidjack
2010-07-02

Setlist:
[Total Time 48:02]
01  I Was Gone
02  Blood Dries Darker
03  To Clean
04  [banter]
05  Suffering Season
06  Down This Road
07  The Hold
08  Rain On
09  Bend Beyond

If you email nyctaper for access to these recordings, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Woods, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their official releases, including their latest, At Echo Lake, from Woodsist Records.