nyctaper Recordings

[photo courtesy of Jack Crank at NGNV — more here]

Acidjack Reports:
“San Francisco’s Om bring a new aesthetic to what could traditionally be considered metal, though it can be hard to put a finger on exactly what to call it. With a steady, brooding cadence, Om’s music has little to nothing in common with the speed demon riffage that typifies the genre — which also explains why their record label and fan base seem to fall, for the most part, decidedly in the indie rock camp. They are playing ATP’s ten-year anniversary show this year, after all. For one, Om do not use standard guitars at all, relying instead of vocalist/bassist Al Cisneros’ bass as the only string instrument. As a result, the sound is heavy (at times overwhelmingly so) with the vocals intoned as much as sung. Some have called it “stoner metal,” but that feels reductionist (not to mention lazy). Om’s sound feels very intentional – their musical structure is said to be informed, in part, by Tibetan chanting, and incorporates some samples Eastern instrumentation – and however much THC may enhance the experience, it is hardly a necessity.

Europa – or Club Europa, as it is known on most nights, when it is “Brooklyn’s most popular Polish-American night club” – was at near-capacity for this show, and Om whipped that crowd into a frenzy despite it being an autumnal Sunday night. Europa’s sound team held nothing back, pushing the house system to capacity to reward the audience with a dense wall of sound. Enjoy!”

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Om
2009-10-11
Europa
Brooklyn, NY USA

An ACIDJACK master recording

Equipment: AKG ck91 carded capsules (Busman Active Mod)>custom battery box>R-09HR (24/48)
Position: Clamp to corner of raised soundboard cage, about 11′ above floor level
Mastering: WAV>Audacity (tracking, downsample, set fades)

1. Rays of the Sun/To the Shrinebuilder
2. Meditation Is the Practice of Death
3. Cremation Ghat I
4. Cremation Ghat II
5. Bhima’s Theme (short version)
6. Flight of the Eagle (encore)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Om, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Om official releases from the Holy Mountain website [HERE].

[photo from Thee Oh Sees MySpace page]

Acidjack reports:
“San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees are unmistakably Californian, with a fuzzed out garage/surf sound that gets the bodies moving and puts a smile on the faces of all. The band gave an energetic performance at Mercury Lounge to a packed crowd on Thursday night, showcasing some new material and a lot of the songs from their latest album Help in the process. Fans more familiar with bands like San Diego’s Wavves and Brooklyn’s Woods will find some similarities here — except these guys have been doing this (in some form or another) since 1997. Enjoy! Thanks to Thee Oh Sees for permitting this recording.”

Acidjack recorded from the standard location at this venue with his newly refurbished AKG’s and the sound quality is outstanding.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Thee Oh Sees
2009-10-08
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY

An ACIDJACK master recording

Equipment: AKG ck91 carded capsules (Busman Active Mod)>custom battery box>R-09HR (24/44.1)
Position: Clamp with pole to right of SBD cage, approx 10′ up, DIN
Mastering: WAV>Audacity (set fades, downsample to 16bit, slight EQ, tracking)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Setlist (courtesy of John Dwyer)
1) Enemy Destruct
2) Block of Ice
3) I Was Denied (from forthcoming album Warm Slime)
4) Meat Step Lively
5) Ghost in the Trees
6) Blood in Your Ear (from Warm Slime)
7) Mega-Feast (from Warm Slime)
8 ) Tidal Wave
9) Poison Finger
10) Quadrospazzed/Warm Slime medley
11) [crowd]
12) Destroyed Fortress Reappears

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Thee Oh Sees, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their album Help from In The Red Records [HERE].

[photo by nyctaper]

Holly Miranda’s voice can be melodic and it can be percussive, but at her gig opening for The Antlers at Maxwell’s on Saturday she proved that it never lacks for passion and character. From the opening acappella number to the closing Floydian segue, the strength of Holly’s set proved why she is now regarded as one of hottest Brooklyn-based artists in circulation. This set was recorded with the exact same equipment and location as the Antlers recording, and the sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Holly Miranda
2009-10-03
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
2009-10-05

Setlist (via):
[Total Time 35:31]
01 Pelican Rapids
02 Secret Identity
03 Joints
04 Sleep On Fire
05 [new song]
06 No One Just Is
07 Breathe / Time / Breathe Reprise (Pink Floyd)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Holly Miranda, visit her website, visit her MySpace page, and purchase her debut EP Sleep on Fire from her website [HERE].

[photo by nyctaper]

One of the special treats at last night’s Antlers show at Maxwell’s occurred during the end of Holly Miranda’s set. Holly and her guitarist Tim welcomed the three Antlers on stage for a cover of the Pink Floyd classic segue from Dark Side of the Moon — Breathe / Time / Breathe Reprise. Holly handled the lead vocals while Tim played David Gilmour’s slide guitar parts. For the Antlers, Peter provided the background vocals, Darby the Rick Wright-style keys, and Michael did his best Nick Mason impression.

Download the songs.
Holly Miranda and The Antlers:
Breathe/Time/Breathe FLAC
Breathe/Time/Breathe MP3

The balance of Holly set will be posted tomorrow.

[photo by nyctaper]

On their return home after another extensive and triumphant tour, last night The Antlers continued their evolution at Maxwell’s. As a headline band, they packed the legendary Hoboken club and performed a sixty-five minute set of Hospice material — with several reworked numbers. Opening with a quiet rendition of “Bear”, the band immediately turned up the energy as the song growled to a intense conclusion. “Thirteen” followed, with Sharon Van Etten’s vocals from the album filled in admirably by set opener Holly Miranda. Holly and her guitarist Tim returned and contributed to the set’s highlight — a thoroughly entrancing version of “Wake”.

The Antlers have only one more local appearance this year — at the brooklynvegan opening night CMJ show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Tuesday October 20 — before they depart for an extensive tour on the West coast, and then a return trip to England.

We recorded this set with a stereo feed from the board mixed with two strategically placed room microphones and the sound is professional quality. Enjoy!

Holly Miranda’s set was also recorded and will be posted very soon.

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

Antlers
2009-10-03
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
2009-10-04

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:03:59]
01 [introduction]
02 Bear
03 Thirteen
04 Sylvia
05 Atrophy
06 Shiva
07 Two
08 [banter]
09 Wake
10 Epilogue

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Antlers, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Hospice directly from Frenchkiss Records [HERE].

[photo courtesy of Konstantin Sergeyev – more here]

If there was a ideal career trajectory for an “underground” or “cult” band, New Model Army would be the perfect example. In their nearly 30 years of existence, NMA have been noteworthy for their “artist control” approach to management, the adaptation and growth of their personnel, and the consistently excellent recorded output. Last night at Mercury Lounge, New Model Army performed a superb and energetic ninety-minute set to a rowdy and packed house. In what has quickly been described among fans as the show of the tour, NMA worked through a set which truly encapsulated their entire career, from their best known number “Vagabonds”, to selected tracks from their thirteen albums, to a half-dozen tracks from the excellent new release Today Is A Good Day. Justin Sullivan was engaging, focused and intense and the band was tight. We were particularly impressed with the guitar work of Marshall Gill, who shined bright in “Chosen” and “States Radio” and the three-song segue that closed the show.

We recorded this set with the four-microphone rig next to the soundboard. The recording has excellent depth and clarity but despite maximum lift of the mic pole, is unfortunately marred slightly by the chatter on our left. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

New Model Army
2009-10-01
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Audience Master Recording
Recorded from Soundboard Area

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
2009-10-02

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:33:14]
01 Here Comes The War
02 Stranger
03 Mambo Queen Of The Sandstone City
04 Peace Is Only
05 Today Is A Good Day
06 Disappeared
07 High
08 One Of The Chosen
09 La Push
10 States Radio
11 Autumn
12 White Coats
13 Vagabonds
14 Wired
15 Wonderful Way To Go
16 [encore break]
17 Purity
18 Green And Grey
19 225

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT New Model Army, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the New Model Army Shop at their website [HERE].

[Jay at Stuyesant Town in July]
[photo courtesy of Pat at Pop Tarts Suck Toasted blog]

Acidjack reports:
“Jay Reatard led a group of like-minded bands from his Shattered Records imprint to Le Poisson Rouge for a late-night show that kicked off at 11:30pm and continued the relentless energy until the early hours of the morning. As expected, Jay’s set included highlights from his classic Blood Visions, his latest, Watch Me Fall and some of his older singles. Much of the Watch Me Fall material which, on record, seemed to be a drastic, poppy departure from Reatard’s earlier work, was better realized in the live context when placed alongside earlier rockers. Regardless of one’s feelings about the record (and particularly, the production), this set showed those songs to be as much classic Reatard as anything in his catalog. While not riot-crowded, Le Poisson Rouge was comfortably packed with fans who didn’t mind the late start time and threw themselves into the music, sometimes literally. You will hear Jay, during “Watching You,” heckle a fan down in the pit who got a little too enthusiastic (and apparently, was waving a really gross sweater over his head). The set may have only been 35 minutes long, but this was another 35 minutes (and 15 songs!) of pure southern punk gold.”

Read the brooklynvegan interview with Jay Reatard [HERE].

Thanks to Jay Reatard for permitting this recording, and thank you to Le Poisson Rouge for their continued support of NYCTaper and their diverse and excellent programming.

This set was recorded with cardioid microphones attached to a pole close to the stage and the sound quality is exceptional. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Jay Reatard
2009-10-01
Le Poisson Rouge
New York, NY USA

An ACIDJACK master recording

Equipment: Audio Technica U853 hypercardiods (low sens mod)>SPSB-10>R-09HR (24/48)
Position: Mics mounted 10′ up on center pole, 90 degree angle
Mastering: WAV>Audacity (set fades, tracking, downsample, slight EQ)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Setlist:
01 An Ugly Death
02 Nightmares
03 Fading All Away
04 Drop Dead
05 Greed, Money, Useless Children
06 All Over Again
07 I’m Watching You
08 You Mean Nothing To Me
09 Not A Substitute
10 My Shadow
11 Oh It’s Such A Shame
12 See/Saw
13 Faking It
14 There Is No Sun
15 Let It All Go

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Jay Reatard, visit his website, visit his MySpace page, and purchase his official releases from the Shattered Records links at Jay’s website [here].

[photo from The Rest MySpace page]

When we last saw Ontario’s The Rest, they were blowing our minds at the NYCTaper Presents show at Monster Island in June. Three months later, the band is hot and things are happening rapidly. The Rest have signed with British label SIC, and their brilliant release Everyone All at Once is being distributed in Great Britain by Rough Trade. Later this month, The Rest will head over to England for a week-long tour. Before all the excitement overseas takes place, the excellent boutique label that has signed The Rest brought them back to NYC for a night at the Cameo in Williamsburg. The On Another Note showcase saw The Rest perform a tight forty-minute set of their best material, noteworthy for their new cover version of Robyn’s “With Every Heartbeat”.

We recorded this set with a stereo feed from the soundboard mixed with two microphones at the stage. The mix accentuates the positives of both mixes — strong vocals on the board and strong instruments on the mics to create an excellent listening experience. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Rest
2009-09-26
Cameo Gallery
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + On Stage Microphones

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
2009-09-30

Setlist:
[Total Time 37:01]
01 …Blossom Babies
02 The Close Western
03 Apples & Allergies
04 Coughing Blood
05 Modern Time Travel
06 [banter]
07 Sheep In Wolves’ Clothing
08 With Every Heartbeat (Robyn)
09 Walk on Water

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Rest, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Everyone All At Once directly from the Auteur Records website [HERE] or digitally from Amie Street [HERE] or Preorder from Rough Trade [HERE].