nyctaper Recordings

[Photo courtesy of Taylor Long / T-Sides.com]

Leeds-based Wild Beasts closed out their highly successful U.S. tour (and 2-night NYC run) with a sold-out performance at Music Hall of Williamsburg.   The band’s second album, Two Dancers, has been earning critical raves and increased notice from fans over the past year, and this tour represented the culmination of Wild Beasts’ efforts to break out stateside.   Although the band garnered a lot of initial attention for lead vocalist/guitarist Hayden Thorpe’s theatrical, otherworldly falsetto, these live shows accentuate the fact that bassist/vocalist Tom Fleming’s more rounded tenor is also key, providing the perfect compliment to Thorpe.  Wild Beasts make challenging music – with poetic, melodramatic lyrics and displays of vocal histrionics that could rival almost anyone in the rock pantheon, quick and dirty chillwave this music is not.  But like nyctaper favorites The Dirty Projectors, the Beasts’ live show rewards the listeners who do “get it.”  Although they did mention being shot at in Detroit(!), the Beasts clearly felt that this tour, and even this NYC run, won them a lot of converts.  Their tour schedule has moved on to the UK and Europe for the time being, but if this show was any indication, New York will gladly welcome them back on the next run.

I recorded this set using a four microphone rig from the usual spot in this venue.   The sound is excellent, with extra clarity and detail added through the use of hypercardiod microphones.   Thanks to the Wild Beasts organization for permitting this recording, and for their mastering suggestions.  Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE.

Download the Complete Show in FLAC [HERE].

Wild Beasts
2010-02-28
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY 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: Clamp to left side of SBD cage, mics at 8? (cardiods DIN/hypers pointed at stacks)
Mastering: 2×24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, smooth peaks, EQ, slight compression, adjust channels, set fades, tracking, normalize to 0dB)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Intro
02 The Fun Powder Plot
03 We Still Got the Taste Dancing On Our Tongues
04 Vigil for a Fuddy Duddy
05 This Is Our Lot
06 Two Dancers
07 His Grinning Skull
08 banter
09 Two Dancers II
10 Please Sir
11 Brave Bulging
12 All the King’s Men
13 Hooting and Howling
14
15 The Devil’s Crayon
16 Empty Nest
17 Cheerio Chaps, Cheerio Goodbye

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Wild Beasts, visit their web site, and purchase the excellent Two Dancers and their other releases from Domino Records here.

[Dinosaur Feathers at Public Assembly in 2009]
[Photos courtesy of Jessi Bautista]

Brooklyn’s own Dinosaur Feathers celebrated the release of their excellent new album Fantasy Memorial before a more eclectic crowd than usual when they played at The Studio at Webster Hall on a Friday night while the venue was also hosting Neon Indian’s DJ set upstairs, as well as its usual Friday night B&T revelers. The band rewarded both dedicated fans and casual passers-through with a solid run-through of almost every song on Fantasy Memorial as well as “Parallel July” from their Early Morning Risers EP. With a sound that defies categorization (is it surf-pop? Is it rock-a cappella?), and is also eminently catchy, the Feathers seem poised to capture the hearts of the college crowd (if there is a band that looks happier on stage than Dinosaur Feathers, I haven’t seen it) as well as the interest of the indie intelligentsia. We look forward to continuing to follow the development of this exciting young band.

I recorded this set up front in the room, near the right speaker stack, with high-end DPA mobile microphones. This recording gives you a realistic experience of “being there,” but as with any recording made in the crowd, it does contain more chatter than some nyctaper recordings. Give the sample a listen, and enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE). Listen to “Teenage Whore” (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Dinosaur Feathers
2010-03-05
Studio at Webster Hall
New York, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4061 (Coresound HEB)>Sony PCM-M10 (24bit/44.1kHz)
Position: FOB, about 10? from right stack
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify each channel, light compression of crowd noise, smooth peaks)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Intro
02 I Ni Sogoma
03 Crossing the Cannon
04 Know Your Own Strength
05 Family Waves
06 Sleeping In
07 Teenage Whore
08 crowd/banter
09 History Lessons
10 Vendela Vida
11 crowd/banter
12 Fantasy Memorial
13 Parallel July

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Dinosaur Feathers, visit their web page, and purchase the excellent “Fantasy Memorial” here.

Titus Andronicus played their album release show at Bowery Ballroom on Saturday night (March 6) to a sold out and very raucous crowd. Near the end of the night lead singer Patrick Stickles introduced the band and dedicated a solo performance of “Treatment Bound” by the Replacements to his band. We recorded the entire set and will be posting it tonight (edit: full show is now here), but I thought it would be a treat to post this little ditty now. Enjoy!

Titus Andronicus – Treatment Bound (The Replacements)
MP3 [here]
FLAC [here]

[photos taken for nyctaper by Kate Ehle – more here]

The fan who shouted a request for “Dark Star” received a smirk from guitarist Seth Olinsky, but the fan was quite perceptive. On Wednesday at Music Hall, Akron/Family performed a series of new songs, one of which “Light Emerges” sounded distinctly like the kinetically charged psychedelic energy of 1968-era Grateful Dead, almost as if an outtake from Anthem Of The Sun. The song led into a jam and then a drums segment before evolving into “Ed Is a Portal”. The entire segment spanned a Dead-like twenty five minutes. While A/F has never shied away from its early GD roots — the flag on stage is a dead giveaway — perhaps the echoes have never been this explicit. Other aspects of the night were vintage A/F, including the group-energy, audience participation, and even a segment where Seth led a meditation session. As the band was called back for multiple encores, they brought up a large contingent of fans who joined the “Woody Guthrie’s America” singalong, before the the set ended in an appropriate fashion with a quiet version of “I Know You Rider”.

I recorded this set with the four microphone rig from the prime location in this venue and sound is outstanding. Enjoy!

This recording is now available for download as FLAC or MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Akron/Family
2010-03-03
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

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
2010-03-05

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:57:44]
01 Creator
02 River
03 Island
04 So It Goes
05 Another Sky
06 Pygmy Jam
07 Say What You Want
08 Phenomena
09 Light Emerges
10 Drums/Ed Is a Portal
11 Bulldozer
12 Silly Bear
13 Guided Meditation
14 Happy Birthday Shinju TNT
15 [encore break]
16 Woody Guthrie’s America
17 Everyone Is Guilty
18 Raising The Sparks
19 I Know You Rider

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].

[photo by nyctaper]

Rogue Wave released Permalight on Tuesday — their first album in two and half years. That night’s show at Music Hall took on a celebratory air, and the feeling was much deserved. Last year, Zach Rogue suffered through two debilitating slipped vertebrae, and that injury was just the latest of the calamities that have struck this band in its eight years of existence. Drummer Pat Spurgeon’s struggles with kidney disease were chronicled in the 2009 PBS documentary “D Tour“, and friend and former bassist Evan Farrell died in a house fire in 2007. Any band that prevails over that kind of tragedy could be excused for writing a “survival” record, but Permalight offers much more — its described as a “fun” record and perhaps the band’s most “danceable” release. On Tuesday the band showcased the new songs, opening the set with six consecutive numbers from the album. Earlier era Rogue Wave hits like “Harmonium” and “Lake Michigan” were reserved as set closers, but when the band returned for its final encore, the title track “Permalight” was chosen as the number where Zach invited much of the crowd to join him on stage. As the catchy new song was joined in by a chorus of many fans, the band’s smiles of joy and triumph were unmistakable.

I recorded this set from the front of the soundboard booth with the four microphone rig. The sound quality in the venue was outstanding and this recording reflects it. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Rogue Wave
2010-03-02
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

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
2010-03-03

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:26:29]
01 Stars and Stripes
02 Good Morning (The Future)
03 Per Anger
04 Solitary Gun
05 Sleepwalker
06 I’ll Never Leave You
07 Publish My Love
08 Like I Needed
09 We Will Make A Song Destroy
10 Bird On A Wire
11 Eyes
12 Love’s Lost Guarantee
13 Lake Michigan
14 Harmonium
15 [encore break]
16 Cheaper Than Therapy
17 Kicking The Heart Out
18 Medicine Ball
19 Permalight

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Rogue Wave, visit their website, and purchase their excellent new release Permalight from Brushfire Records [HERE].

[photo courtesy of Nick Fitanides]

Last Friday night, I realized early that I was experiencing some “bests”. North Mississippi Allstars feature Luther Dickinson, who is perhaps the best working guitarist playing live today. Highline Ballroom is the NYC venue with perhaps the best sound system. The two combined were outstanding. This particular NMAS show was clearly Luther’s night, and the venue’s sound provided an excellent platform. From the outset the lead guitarist shined, as the second number “Mean Ol’ Wind Died Down” was a nine-minute exhibition of pure slide guitar excellence. Other highlights included the Allmans-like “Going Home”, the remarkable mid-show three-song segue of acoustic blues numbers that featured a duet of Luther and bassist Chris Chew, and the night-closing “Horseshoe”, the last of the four encores that stretched the show to nearly two and half hours.

I recorded this set from the center balcony rail and experienced the truly outstanding quality of the Highline’s system. I positioned the Neumann microphones toward the main PA and the DPA microphones were spread to meet the balcony speakers, and the four combined give this recording great depth and a quad-like feel. Enjoy!

This recording is now available as a Direct Download in Flac or MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

North Mississippi Allstars
2010-02-26
Highline Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Balcony Rail — 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
2010-02-28

Setlist:
[Total Time 2:18:34]
01 Shake ‘Em On Down
02 Mean Ol’ Wind Died Down
03 Circle In The Sky
04 Shake
05 All Night Long
06 I’d Love To Be A Hippy
07 Po Black Maddie/Boogie/Po Black Maddie/Skinny Woman
08 Drums/Eyes
09 Storm
10 Psychedelic Sex Machine
11 Goin’ Home
12 The Ghetto
13 [banter – Flying V]
14 Boomer’s Story
15 Arkabutla
16 Capricorn Briarpatch
17 Sugartown
18 Mark On The Bus
19 Moonshine
20 Just Like A Bird Without A Feather
21 Goin’ Down South
22 Keep The Devil Down
23 [encore break]
24 Let It Roll
25 Preachin’ Blues
26 61 Highway
27 Horseshoe

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT North Mississippi AllStars, visit their website, and purchase their available releases through The Store at their website [HERE].

[photo by Ken Grand-Pierre – courtesy of The Tripwire]

“when did surfer blood blow up?” leiaj 11:18 PM Feb 27th via twitter

Good question. Back in October, Surfer Blood played in front of handfuls of people at CMJ. Even at the huge Market Hotel show curated by Pitchfork, the crowd was no more than thirty people during their afternoon set. However, in the months that followed the band released their anticipated debut album Astro Coast, Pitchfork gave it an 8.2 and “Best New Music” status, and things seem to be really taking off for the band. At their return to Market Hotel on Saturday night, Surfer Blood headlined an excellent bill and the place was absolutely packed to wall to wall. Somehow in the intervening four months, Surfer Blood seems older and wiser and definitely more relaxed. Their set on Saturday was all material from the debut album, but what set it apart was the fun the band was having with the crowd — enough so that a Weezer guitar tease gave way to an audience-led run through “Sweater Song”. The band persisted through some technical problems to end the show with a crazy stage and audience jumping version of “Swim” where most of the vocals were sang while John was held aloft by the crowd.

We recorded this set with the Neumann microphones set up 20 feet from the far right PA. The board feed was mono signal that is very conservatively mixed with the audience recording. The technical problems during this night included some static in the bass guitar during the first song and quite a bit of vocal microphone distortion throughout. What results is a recording that very accurately reflects a show that was more about the fun than the sonic issues. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Surfer Blood
2010-02-27
Market Hotel
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 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
2010-03-01

Setlist:
[Total Time 48:18]
01 Floating Vibes
02 [banter]
03 Take It Easy
04 [banter]
05 Harmonix
06 Twin Peaks
07 [banter – technical problems]
08 Fast Jabroni
09 [banter]
10 Anchorage
11 [banter]
12 Sweater Song [partial w/audience] (Weezer)
13 Catholic Pagans
14 [technical problems]
15 Swim

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Surfer Blood, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their debut release Astro Coast on Kanine Records (here).

[Conrad Keely of Trail of Dead at Bowery Ballroom, 11/23/2009. Photo courtesy of Paul Bachmann at Rockographer]

…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead (let’s just call them “Trail of Dead”) and Midnight Masses don’t share a common musical style, but they do share current and former band members. Masses bassist Daniel Wood did a stint in Trail of Dead, and guitarist Jason Reece is a founding and current member of the band. This night was billed as the band’s “original lineup,” which is not exactly, as that lineup was a two-man act comprised of Reece and fellow founder Conrad Keely sharing all of the vox/drums/guitar duties.   Joined with Wood on this night, this not-quite-original version of Trail of Dead was still much stripped down from its current six-man incarnation, and as a result, the band members returned to Trail of Dead’s original punk roots both in sound and in setlist.  The boys ripped through six songs (about all they had time to rehearse), including some of their earliest material (including leading off with “Richter Scale Madness,” the opening track from their first album).  While some of the performance was rough around the edges in a way that befitted this uncommon setup for the band, the band members delivered the set with the raw, head-banging ferocity that has made them a fixture since 1994.

I recorded this set from the same location and with the same setup as the Midnight Masses recording and the sound is excellent.  Enjoy!

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

And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
2010-02-24
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Hosted at nyctaper.com

Lineup:
Conrad Keely (guitar/vox/drums)
Jason Reece (guitar/vox/drums)
Daniel Wood (bass)

Equipment: Stereo Soundboard feed + Beyerdynamic MC950>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to left of SBD on balcony rail
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, smooth peaks, set fades, tracking, amplify each channel, downsample)>FLAC (level 8)

Tracks
01 Richter Scale Madness
02 Gargoyle Waiting
03 Another Morning Stoner
04 banter
05 Crowning of a Heart
06 banter
07 A Perfect Teenhood
08 banter
09 Totally Natural