nyctaper Recordings

[photo by nyctaper]

Members of Crystal Stilts have finished recording an album, Cinema Red & Blue, on which several of the band members joined with David Feck of Comet Gain. This project is due for a Spring release. In the meantime, Slumberland Records recording artists Crystal Stilts continue to work on the band’s new record. Several of those new songs poised for inclusion on the new record are captured during this set opening at Maxwell’s a few weeks back.

Crystal Stilts play Bell House a week from today.

I recorded this set in the same location as the Love Is All recording and the sound is superb. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Crystal Stilts
2010-03-27
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
2010-04-09

Setlist:
[Total Time 39:10]
01 Invisible City
02 Sugar Baby
03 12 String
04 Graveyard Orbit
05 Sycamore Tree
06 Missing
07 Crippled Croon
08 [banter]
09 [untitled new song]
10 Departure
11 Love Is A Wave

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Crystal Stilts, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their latest album Alight of Night and other releases directly from Slumberland Records [HERE].

[photo courtesy of Alexis Maindrault]

You can tell much about the quality of a band by their ability to play different sizes of venues with equal success. Back in February, we saw Obits at the tiny basement-like Cake Shop — a show that featured much new material and a very intimate vibe. At Irving Plaza on Friday, Obits faced a more difficult task as the band performed middle-bill to a decidedly Jersey-centric weekend crowd there primarily to see Ted Leo’s homecoming. But there is something universal about Obits’ gritty garage guitar roots-rock, and when its delivered by four pros with impressive veteran resumes, its irresistible. And with the exception of one loud buffoon, Obits managed to convert the crowd with a set that steered mostly clear of the new material played in February and stuck to the bulk of their 2009 Subpop debut, I Blame You.

I recorded this same from the same location as the Ted Leo set and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Obits
2010-04-09
Irving Plaza
New York, NY USA

Digital Audience Four-Track Master Recording
Recorded from Center of the Floor

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
2010-04-13

Setlist:
[Total Time 44:11]
01 SUD
02 One Cross Apiece
03 New August
04 Put It In Writing
05 [Sohrab humiliates heckler]
06 Light Sweet Crude
07 Widow Of My Dreams
08 Run
09 [banter]
10 Two-Headed Coin
11 Back And Forth
12 Lilies In The Street

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Obits, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase I Blame You from the Subpop Records website [HERE].

[Not very good iPhone photo by acidjack]

In the Great Recession (or whatever you wish to call it), only a handful of states could claim to having taken the beating that Florida did. The Sunshine State, once a land of promise and (mostly) fulfilled retirement fantasies, was laid waste to by the crisis, its optimism shattered to its core. But, sometimes, turmoil is a boon to art. Call it coincidence, but it seems that around the time that Florida busted out, the state also started to crank out quality music. As we mentioned in our preview of this show, Lil Daggers are one of the bands that have emerged from the Sunshine State. At Glasslands on Sunday, Lil Daggers brought their garage-rock to NYC for the first time and showed why they have been hailed as the next big thing from Florida.

This show was recorded with a combination of DPA omnis and Beyer cards and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Download the MP3 files [HERE].

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Lil Daggers
2010-04-11
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4061 + Beyerdynamic MC950>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Balcony, center, MC950s clamped and pointed at stacks, 4061s in PZM mounts, 3′ split on balcony front
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, adjust levels, tracking, amplify each channel, downsample)

Tracks (please help to fill in the missing tracks)
01
02 Y Tu Sabe
03 Hungry
04 King Korpze
05 banter/tuning
06
07 U.S. Leather

Please Support Lil Daggers if you download this show, and visit their Bandcamp Page to purchase their official releases.

[photo by Alexis Maindrault – courtesy of The Music Slut]

Ted Leo has momentum. After two years of infrequent performances and no new releases, in December Ted played a powerful show at Bowery Ballroom that previewed many of the new songs that now appear on his outstanding new release Brutalist Bricks, released in March on Matador. The first tour in support of the album has been an unqualified success as each show features Ted’s unbridled energy, the tight backing of the Pharmacists, and Leo classics sprinkled liberally into a setlist heavy on the outstanding new material — 9 of the album’s 13 songs were played here. Last night at Irving Plaza was a homecoming of sorts, as Ted welcomed a large contingent of bridge and tunnel fans from New Jersey who came to support their Bloomfield boy. From the opening raging “The Mighty Sparrow” through the five-song encore segment, Ted never let go of the momentum and delivered one of the best performances we’ve seen this year.

We recorded this set with the four-microphone rig from the center of the floor and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

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

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
2010-04-09
Irving Plaza
New York, NY USA

Digital Audience Four-Track Master Recording
Recorded from Center of the Floor

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
2010-04-10

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:32:38]
01 [introduction]
02 The Mighty Sparrow
03 Heart Problems
04 Mourning In America
05 Me and Mia
06 Under The Hedge
07 Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone
08 Even Heroes Have To Die
09 Ativan Eyes
10 The Stick
11 [banter]
12 The High Party
13 One Polaroid A Day
14 Counting Down The Hours
15 Where Was My Brain?
16 Little Dawn
17 Bottled In Cork
18 Colleen
19 [banter]
20 A Bottle Of Buckie
21 Gimme The Wire
22 Biomusicology
23 [encore break/banter]
24 Bleeding Powers
25 Fisherman’s Blues (The Waterboys)
26 Timorous Me
27 Parallel Or Together?
28 Angelfuck (The Misfits)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, visit their website, and purchase Brutalist Bricks from the Matador Records website [HERE].

[Photo by acidjack]

This was my first time seeing Acid Mothers Temple in their fifteen-year history, so perhaps the other fans more familiar with the band knew a bit more what to expect than I did – an intoxicating sonic journey that blew minds and eardrums.  The already-legendary Japanese psych-rock band, led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto, has operated on-and-off for the last fifteen years as a collective, and only in more recent times as a tightly-knit, core band.  And their sound, believe you me, is heavy, a wall of music that crescendoes and, then, seemingly, crescendoes still further.  Most songs segue seamlessly from one another; the show is relentless and tight.  No wonder members of the crowd had been following the band across the U.S. – they are that kind of band, the type to inspire fanatics.  Count me in.

I recorded this set from the optimal spot in the venue with the DPA microphones.  The crowd was focused on the music and the recording is excellent.  I should note – as I said up top – that I am not familiar with the band’s music, and therefore I could use commenters’ help on the setlist.  There may also be some imperfect tracking, which is a combination of my inexperience with their music and the relatively seamless nature of the set.  As it is best experienced as a complete piece of music, I do not think that will detract from the listening experience.  Enjoy!

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

Acid Mothers Temple
2010-04-07
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY  USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4021>Naiant littlebox>Sony PCM-M10 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to right side of SBD cage, mics at 9?, ~NOS
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, slight EQ, amplify each channel, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks (thanks to the commenter for the setlist)
01 Opening jam
02 Improvisation > In O to Infinity
03 More Improvisation
04 Pink Lady Lemonade
05 The End Jam
06 Pink Lady Lemonade
07 Cometary Orbital Drive
08 encore break
09 Dark Stars in the Dazzling Sky

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Acid Mothers Temple, visit their website, and purchase their records here or at your favorite retailer.  Please note that certain releases can only be purchased directly from the band at their website.

[Photo courtesy of Jonny Leather.  More excellent shots here.]

Heavy rains and the first night of Passover may have deterred some of the Monday night crowd at the Bell House, but those who came out witnessed the critically-acclaimed Philadelphia based dreampop sextet A Sunny Day in Glasgow deliver a stellar set of songs in support of their latest EP, Nitetime Rainbows. While their records, and especially Nitetime Rainbows, have a bit more of an electronic sheen to them, ASDIG’s live show is a more organic experience, free from some of the editing room trickery.  Experiencing them as a bit more of a “rock” band (albeit, a still-very-shoegazy one) is a different but completely enjoyable experience from how they are on record.   This includes more of a focus on the vocal harmonies of singers Annie Fredrickson and Jen Goma, which were especially beautiful on the impromptu performance of “Another Diamond Day” by Vashti Bunyan.

I recorded this set with a combination of the DPA 4021 microphones and a stereo soundboard feed, which for this particular show consisted of mostly vocals.  Therefore, what you are hearing is predominantly the mics, with the vocals boosted a bit from the board feed.  The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE).

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

A Sunny Day in Glasgow
2010-03-29
The Bell House
Brooklyn, NY  USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4021 + stereo soundboard feed>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position:  Clamp to right side of SBD cage, about 8? from floor, mics pointed at stacks
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, adjust levels, tracking, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks (thanks to the commenter below for the setlist fixes)
01 Nitetime Rainbows
02 Shy
03 The White Witch
04 Failure
05 Just Another Diamond Day [Vashti Bunyan]
06 So Bloody, So Tight
07 Passionate Introverts (Dinosaurs)
08 Sign Exhibitionist
09 Ashes Grammar/Ashes Maths
10 banter
11 Things Only I Can See

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT A Sunny Day in Glasgow, visit their website, and purchase Nitetime Rainbows and their other excellent records direct from the band here.

[Photos for nyctaper by Kate Ehle — many more here]

The Wellmont Theatre lies in the heart of Montclair, NJ, an upscale suburb of NYC that is so pretty it could even give a hardened Manhattanite a twinge of envy.  Despite not being a terribly rock-n-roll town, Montclair welcomed Wilco and its fans with open arms, and received a sprawling three-hour rock show in return.  In the land of Springsteen, Wilco seemed determined not to be outshined by the length or enthusiasm of the Boss’ mammoth performances, and indeed, they got it right.  The show broke down into three distinct segments – a fiery electric set that kicked off with the one-two punch of “Wilco (The Song)” and “Bull Black Nova”, followed by an acoustic set, and ending with another huge electric set, the highlight of which was the band’s tribute to Alex Chilton when they played Big Star’s “Thank You, Friends,” which we have provided as an individual download below.  The almost entirely crowd-sung “Jesus, Etc.” was also a fine moment of community in which – whether you came from nicest part of Jersey, the farthest corner of Brooklyn, or anywhere else – everyone was reminded why they wanted to spend this Friday night with this band.

I recorded this set dead front and center behind the band’s sound booth with the 4-mic rig, with the hypers lower down toward the crowd and the DPA mics higher up but still well below the overhang of the balcony.   Although the venue had a boomy sound due in part to an underpowered house PA, the mix, with a little help from computer magic, is now crystal-clear and of excellent quality.  Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE). Listen to “Thank You Friends” (HERE).

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Wilco
2010-04-02
Wellmont Theatre
Montclair, NJ  USA

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

Equipment: DPA 4021 + Beyerdynamic MC950>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: DFC, directly behind the board, DPA’s at 10?, Beyers at 6.5?
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, EQ, set fades, tracking, amplify channels)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
Disc One [1:19:16]
01 Intro
02 Wilco (the song)
03 Bull Black Nova
04 You Are My Face
05 I Am Trying to Break Your Heart>
06 One Wing
07 Via Chicago
08 Company In My Back
09 banter
10 Handshake Drugs
11 Side With the Seeds
12 Pot Kettle Black
13 Nothing’severgonnastandinmyway(again)
14 I’ll Fight
15 Impossible Germany
16 California Stars
17 Poor Places>

Disc Two [1:01:06]
::begin acoustic set::
18 Spiders (Kidsmoke)
19 More Like the Moon
20 banter
21 Forget the Flowers
22 Someday, Some Morning, Sometime
23 Laminated Cat
24 banter
25 War On War
26 Passenger Side
::end acoustic set::
27 banter
28 Airline to Heaven
29 A Shot In the Arm
30 Jesus, Etc.
31 You Never Know
32 Heavy Metal Drummer

Disc Three [1:06:30]
33 Red-Eyed and Blue
34 I Got You (At the End of the Century)
35 Broken Arrow [Buffalo Springfield]
36 Hate It Here
37 Theologians
38 I’m the Man Who Loves You
39 Monday
40 Thank You Friends [Big Star]
41 encore break
42 The Late Greats
43 I’m A Wheel

If you download this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Wilco, visit their website, and purchase their official releases directly from the band here.

[Photo courtesy of bumpershine]

John Roderick is the distinctive voice of The Long Winters, as well as a good friend of Nada Surf.  Nada Surf had promised that their three-night run of NYC full-album performances would feature “special guests,” and Roderick’s appearance at The Bell House for the second of these gigs (which we also recorded) was the most welcome of all.  Although the rest of his band did not make the trip out from the Pacific Northwest, Roderick performed many of The Long Winters’ most beloved songs as well as a new number, “Not Moving to Portland.”  The acoustic setting highlighted Roderick’s unique voice and his talents as a lyricist, as well as his great sense of humor!  Roderick closed out his set with Nada Surf as his backing band on “The Commander Thinks Aloud.”

Like the Nada Surf recording, this recording was made with a combination of the DPA microphones and a stereo soundboard feed, for excellent sound quality.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE). Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Stream the complete show:

The Long Winters (John Roderick solo)
2010-03-26
The Bell House
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Equipment: Stereo soundboard feed + DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: ROC, mics at approx 11? from floor height, pointed at stacks
Mastering: 2×24bit WAV>Audacity (mixdown, adjust levels, slight compression, set fades, tracking, amplify each channel, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Stupid
02 banter/false start
03 Honest
04 Seven
05 Pushover
06 banter
07 Not Moving to Portland [new]
08 banter
09 The Worst You Can Do Is Harm
10 banter
11 Cinnamon
12 banter
13 Ultimatum
14 banter
15 The Commander Thinks Aloud

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Long Winters, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from Barsuk records here.

[Photo courtesy of David Andrako]

Nada Surf’s first single, “Popular,” was released in 1996.  It made the rounds on “alternative” radio pretty heavily, along with the hits of a number of contemporaries who are long forgotten.  Nada Surf’s trajectory could have been the same – permanent one-hit wonder status, forever relegated to “Remember the 90s” comps and theme party shout outs.  But after being dropped by their label before their second record could even be released in the U.S., Nada Surf took a different tack, recommitted to their music, and continued on.  That turned out to be a good decision, as their third and fourth records, Let Go and The Weight is a Gift were, if not commercial blockbusters, critical successes, stocked with well-crafted, timeless pop-rock instant classics like “Blonde on Blonde” and “In the Mirror.”  Rather than crumple into the rock n’ roll scrap heap, Nada Surf have aged and succeeded gracefully.

This night’s show at The Bell House was the second in a series of NYC-area concerts celebrating one of the band’s 2000s-era albums, with Let Go being played the previous night at Bowery Ballroom, and Lucky being performed in full the following night at Music Hall of Williamsburg.  This show (the only one of the three that nyctaper was able to get tickets to, unfortunately) celebrated The Weight is a Gift, the 2005 follow-up to the successful Let Go.  After playing the album straight through, the band returned to play an even longer second set that combined other classics from their repertoire like “Whose Authority” with new covers that are set to appear on the forthcoming covers album, if i had a hi-fi.  Guests included John Roderick of The Long Winters, who also gave a fantastic solo set that we hope to post in the future will post very soon.  This included a rendition of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” that, true to Nada Surf’s aesthetic, turned that band’s dark, brooding classic into a more upbeat pop number, along with covers of Kate Bush, the Go-Betweens, Dwight Twilley, and the Clash.   Today’s Nada Surf is a mature, fully realized rock band, but this night proved that they haven’t lost any of the youthful exuberance that attracted fans in the first place (and as the picture below shows, apparently neither have their fans!).

This recording combines the DPA microphones with an excellent house mix by the Bell House staff, and the sound quality is outstanding.  Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE).

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Nada Surf
2010-03-26
The Bell House
Brooklyn, NY  USA

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

Equipment: Stereo soundboard feed + DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: ROC, mics at approx 11? from floor height, pointed at stacks
Mastering: 2×24bit WAV>Audacity (mixdown, adjust levels, slight compression, set fades, tracking, amplify each channel, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
Set 1 [The Weight Is A Gift – 44min]
01 intro
02 Concrete Bed
03 Do It Again
04 banter
05 Always Love
06 banter
07 What Is Your Secret?
08 Your Legs Grow
09 All Is A Game
10 Blankest Year
11 Comes A Time
12 In the Mirror
13 Armies Walk
14 Imaginary Friends

Set 2 [60min]
15 set break/intro
16 Weightless
17 Whose Authority
18 Enjoy the Silence [Depeche Mode]
19 Love Goes On [The Go-Betweens]
20 80 Windows
21 banter
22 Electrocution
23 banter
24 Bad Best Friend
25 banter
26 You Were So Warm [Dwight Twilley]
27 Love and Anger [Kate Bush]
28 The Plan
29 See These Bones
30 Hyperspace
31 encore break
32 I Fought the Law [The Clash]

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Nada Surf, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the band’s official store here.