nyctaper Recordings

[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

[Midnight Masses at Glasslands. Photo courtesy of Impose Magazine]

Midnight Masses closed out a monthlong rotation at Union Pool with a special night that featured two of their members reuniting with their old band, …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead (which should be posted later this week). This band continues to get stronger and stronger – frontman Autry Fulbright’s vocals have never sounded better or more heartfelt, and the band’s multilayered sound, including what seems to be almost the Brooklyn standard now of multiple drummers (including, at times, Fulbright) is epic. Several of the songs in this set were spine-tingling moments (including a beautiful duet with Sara Lucas of openers Callers), and could not have been framed better than by the intimate and welcoming Union Pool concert room. Fulbright makes no secret of the source of the music’s often-dark subject matter, but that shouldn’t fool you – Midnight Masses are a fantastic time live.

I recorded this set with a combination of a stereo soundboard feed and the Beyerdynamic supercardiod microphones clamped to the left side of the soundboard on the balcony rail. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE).

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Midnight Masses
2010-02-24
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY

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

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

Tracks
01
02
03
04 The Sound of Silence
05 banter
06 Preacher’s Son
07 There Goes Our Man
08 banter
09 Heaven
10 banter
11
12

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Midnight Masses, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their new EPs directly from the Team Love Records website (here).  You can also download the band’s “Red Ribbon Song (For Those Who’ve Gone)” which benefits the National AIDS Fund and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) from Bandcamp (here).

Photo courtesy of Jonny Leather

ArpLine’s music fits well into the current musical moment, with rock and electronic elements combining to make a cohesive whole.  Some of their songs fall clearly into the radio-friendly camp (”Parts Unknown”), while others are more atmospheric, such as the Radiohead-referencing “Cap”.  While the focus of this excellent bill at Mercury Lounge was on headliners Bear In Heaven and second opener Oh No Ono, ArpLine started the night off extremely strong, giving a set that featured virtually all of their outstanding new album, “Travel Book”. Vocalist Sam Tyndall and the band were on point sound-wise, and made the case that their songs translate well in the live setting.  Expect to see this excellent Brooklyn band in a lot more places by the end of this year.

I recorded this set from the same location as the Bear In Heaven recording, but without the soundboard feed.  The quality is excellent and there is almost no crowd noise.  Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

ArpLine
2010-01-27
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: FOB, Center, mics at 8?
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (tracking, set fades, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

01 Parts Unknown
02 Game
03 Sound and Versions
04 Weekend in the Colonies
05 Cap
06 banter
07 Make It Rain
08 Rope
09 Amplify
10 Fold Up Like A Piece of Paper

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT ArpLine, visit their website, and purchase their excellent debut album (which is available on a “name your price” basis) from their bandcamp site [here].

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

Memory Tapes first concert ever in the U.S. was a tight thirty-minute set opening for Atlas Sound at Bell House that didn’t seem new at all. While Dayve Hawk’s recording project included an excellent drummer (Matt Maraldo) and a laptop as a live act, in addition to Dayve’s fluid guitar work, the performance was both extremely well played and also relaxed enough to include some extended instrumental play in the final number “Bicycle”. The ten-minute re-working of the web sensation was both welcome and somewhat unexpected for an artist whose primary influences encompass the precise rhythms of bands like Kraftwerk and New Order. The setlist drew exclusively from 2009’s “best new music” Seek Magic, contained literally no breaks between numbers, and it was all over much too soon. We will look for a longer set when they return to NYC after an extensive European tour and a trip to SXSW.

This set was recorded with the Neumann microphones positioned next to the soundboard and mixed with a soundboard feed. The sound quality is exceptional. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Memory Tapes
2010-02-03
Bell House
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
2010-02-24

Setlist:
[Total Time 30:09]
01 Green Knight
02 Stop Talking
03 Plain Material
04 Graphics
05 Bicycle

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 courtesy of Maryanne Ventrice and Prefix Magazine]

Acidjack reports:
Brooklyn’s Mon Khmer is comprised of founding members guitarist/vocalist Hammar and drummer Dave Cole, along with Matt Schenier (bass/synths) and Elias Meister (guitar/synths), and their sound reflects the members’ diverse influences, from the music of India to classical, jazz and country. By the time Mon Khmer took the stage, Glasslands was packed, and the crowd was treated to a fantastic set that showcased numerous songs from their forthcoming debut LP, including the excellent song “Anniversary.”

I recorded this set from the same location as the Bear In Heaven set and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Mon Khmer
2010-02-19
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to center of balcony floor, DIN
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks (setlist help needed)
01 Folk
02 Anniversary
03 banter
04 When to Let Go
05 banter
06 Golden Lights
07 Wolfgang
08 Birthplace
09 Passwords
10 Oslo

If you email nyctaper for access to these recordings, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Mon Khmer, visit their MySpace page, and keep a look out for the debut Mon Khmer LP due in the very near future.

Acidjack reports:
“The last time we saw Secret Machines back in December was a strange night, with guitarist Phil Karnats stranded in Chicago, leaving drummer Josh Garza and vocalist/bassist Brandon Curtis a two-man act.  There were no such difficulties during TSM’s set at Glasslands on Friday, where they closed out a five-band night with their monster sound. The setlist focused heavily on their latest self-released record, and veered from their heavy-hitting rockers to bluesier numbers like “The Walls Are Starting to Crack” and their slower numbers “I Never Thought to Ask” and “The Leaves are Gone” (both of which, unfortunately, proved a bit of a tough sell to a weary crowd at 1:30 a.m.).

I recorded this set with the DPA microphones clamped to the floor of the balcony, directly between the PA stacks.  The sound is excellent.  Enjoy!”

Download the MP3 and FLAC files and stream the entire show on the Live Music Archive [HERE]

The Secret Machines
2010-02-19
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY

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

Equipment: DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp to center of balcony floor, DIN
Mastering: 24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, EQ, amplify each channel)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Setlist:
01 Like I Can
02 Atomic Heels
03 Terrible Light
04 I Never Thought To Ask
05 The Leaves Are Gone
06 Dreaming of Dreaming
07 The Walls Are Starting to Crack
08 The Road Leads Where It’s Led

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Secret Machines, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase the latest TSM self-released CD by visiting the links at their website [here].