nyctaper Recordings

[photo courtesy of Jessi’s Blog]

The Loom are a band that can only benefit from exposure. At their midnight set at Pianos last Thursday, the late start and the time it took to set up the six-piece multi-instrumentalist band resulted in a thinned-out crowd after the Dead Confederate set. Fortunately for those who stayed for The Loom’s set, we were treated a loose but high-energy set of this band’s unique approach to americana music.

The Loom’s debut EP is due for release later this month, and they will celebrate with a CD release party:
What: The Loom’s CD Release Party
Where: Union Hall
702 Union Street Brooklyn [MAP]
When: Saturday June 21
Time: 8 p.m.

This recording is a better reflection of the full-stage sound of this superb unit than the nyctaper Anniversary concert recording we posted a couple of weeks ago. We set up at the ideal location for this venue. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Loom
2008-05-29
Pianos
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Board
30 Feet from Stage

Neumann KM-150s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Monster XLR cables > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge 8.0 (set fades, slight level boost, resample 16/44) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
nyctaper@nyctaper.com
2008-06-03

Setlist:
[total time 44:16]
01 New Blood for Old Hearts
02 Red Devil
03 Montreal
04 Vampires
05 Of Vegas and Vanity
06 Patience for Books
07 All Your Famous Friends
08 This Savage City
09 In The Wing
10 Song for the Winter Sun
11 True Believers All

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Loom, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase the new EP when it is released.

Bridges and Powerlines performed another excellent set last night at Cake Shop. Their set consisted of five tracks from the new CD Ghost Types, one from the debut EP, and two unreleased numbers. As the early slot in a four-band bill, the late start of the set exposed the band to new fans but also meant that some people who came to see other bands chatted throughout the set.

Some of that is evident on this recording — captured from the middle of the floor section of the venue. In the end, the crowd noise is less evident than we had feared and we feel that this recording represents Bridges and Powerlines in a better light than the dry soundboard recording from the nyctaper Anniversary Concert. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Bridges and Powerlines
2008-05-30
Cake Shop
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Board
30 Feet from Stage

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Monster XLR cables > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge 8.0 (set fades, slight level boost, resample 16/44) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
nyctaper@nyctaper.com
2008-05-31

Setlist:
[total time 32:08]
01 The Thieves They Are Everywhere
02 The Knave
03 Middle Child
04 The Cave-In
05 Carmen
06 The Great Fire
07 Uncalibrated
08 The Golden Age

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Bridges and Powerlines, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase the new CD Ghost Types directly from the Citybird records webpage.

[photo credit]

Athens Georgia is perhaps the smallest US city to generate the greatest collection of outstanding bands in the history of US music. In the late 70s, the Athens scene brought REM, Pylon, B-52s, Swimming Pool Q’s and Love Tractor, and in the 90s, of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel and the entire Elephant Six group of bands made their mark. These days, such bands as Drive-By Truckers, The Whigs and Dead Confederate rule the roost.

Last night Dead Confederate came to the big city and performed a smoldering set at a packed Pianos. The setlist included only two songs from the debut 2007 EP release, but as we learned at Ear Farm, the band has begun the recording of a new full-length album, and five of the tracks performed last night will appear on that release.

We recorded from our prime location at this venue, in front of the soundboard with our microphones pointed directly at the PA stacks from 30 feet. The volume at the venue was quite elevated, so that we saw some peaks but the Neumann/Apogee combination handled the driven levels with clarity and no distortion whatsoever. The result is a crystal clear recording of a superb band. Enjoy!

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

Dead Confederate
2008-05-29
Pianos
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Board
30 Feet from Stage

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Monster XLR cables > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge 8.0 (set fades, slight level boost, resample 16/44) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
nyctaper@nyctaper.com
2008-05-30

Setlist:
[total time 49:10]
01 The Rat
02 Yer Circus
03 Heavy Petting
04 It Was a Rose
05 Flesh
06 All the Angels
07 Tortured Artist Saint

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Dead Confederate, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their debut EP Dead Confederate by following the links from their page.

[photo credit]

Bridges and Powerlines were the headliners and final band at the nyctaper Anniversary Concert. The new release Ghost Types has received a ton of positive press, from Pitchfork to Current TV to Paste Magazine. Stereo Subversion did a recent lengthy interview [here]. The positive reviews are well deserved, as Ghost Types is a superb collection of alt-synth-pop songs that seem to pull from a litany of influences and yet sound completely original. Their performance at Piano’s on May 11 was short and sweet, rushed by time constraints but long enough for this excellent band to exhibit their pop brilliance.

Bridges and Powerlines will perform again this coming week:
When: Friday May 30, 2008
Where: Cake Shop [MAP]
Time: Doors at 8 p.m.
Note Also: Spanish Prisoners are the 3rd band on the bill

This recording is the same raw soundboard feed as The Loom and Antlers recordings we have posted previously. The mix for B&P is too light on guitar and keys, and we hope to capture a better mix at the show later this week. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Bridges and Powerlines
2008-05-11
nyctaper Anniversary Concert
Pianos
New York, NY USA

Digital Soundboard Master

Soundboard > Edirol UA-5 (Oade Digimod) > digital coaxial >M-Audio Microtrack > 16bit 44.1 wav > Soundforge (level adjustments,set fades) > CD Wave (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2008-05-26

Setlist:
[Total Time 33:18]
01 Floods and Fields
02 Mumbles
03 Thieves Are Everywhere
04 Middle Child
05 The Cave-In
06 The Great Fire
07 Carmen
08 Uncalibrated

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Bridges and Powerlines, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase the new CD Ghost Types directly from the Citybird records webpage.

The Antlers were the third and most familiar band to perform at the nyctaper Anniversary Concert. This set was the third time we had seen the Antlers live, but the first time we heard some of the newer material that will appear on Hospice — the release planned for late 2008.

Hospice will be the first Antlers release to feature the complete band that has appeared at the live performances, rather than a recording produced entirely by Peter Silberman. The familiar faces of multi-instrumentalist Darby Cicci, bassist Justin Stivers and drummer Michael Lerner will add an ensemble feeling to the album, while such guests as the compelling vocalist Sharon Van Etten will round out this much-anticipated release. Check on Peter’s blog for updates.

See the Antlers Live in NYC at these upcoming performances:
Jun 16 2008 8:00 Cake Shop
Jun 21 2008 8:00 After The Jump Fest Brooklyn, New York
Jul 17 2008 8:00 Union Pool Brooklyn, New York

This recording is the same source as The Loom recording posted [here], a raw soundboard feed. We would have preferred to run microphones, but as we produced this event it was not possible. Enjoy!

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

The Antlers
2008-05-11
nyctaper Anniversary Concert
Pianos
New York, NY USA

Digital Soundboard Master

Soundboard > Edirol UA-5 (Oade Digimod) > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 16bit 44.1 wav > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades) > CD Wave (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2008-05-22

Setlist:
[Total Time 31:09]
01 Kettering
02 East River Berlin Wall
03 Cold War
04 When You Sleep
05 In The Attic / Look! / Stairs To The Attic

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 their latest official release In the Attic of the Universe directly from the Fall Records website.

[photo credit]

As the full moon rose over Hoboken last night, madness reigned. On the final night of their 3-month US tour in support of Do You Like Rock Music?, British Sea Power performed an energetic and alcohol-fueled show at the smallest venue of their entire tour — a late-added date at the classic Maxwell’s. Yan remarked that the gig was like an office party, and true to the cliched script of drunken officemate party-enders, the show’s finale was complete mayhem. “Rock in A” devolved from musical improv into a mass stage and crowd diving spectacle as audience members, crew, and band all lost all semblance of order. As British Sea Power has grown into an international success on the heels of three outstanding albums, its refreshing to witness the band truly enjoy themselves and give their fans a crazy night of fun and frenzy.

We recorded from our standard location at Maxwell’s, and mixed the prime Neumann’s with a feed from the board for an outstanding matrix mix. This is well-balanced recording with extraordinary clarity — perhaps the best British Sea Power unofficial live recording that a fan will ever hear. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

British Sea Power
2008-05-19
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard/Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Front of Board Neumann KM-150s > Edirol UA-5 (Oade Digimod) > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 16bit 44.1kHz wav file > Soundforge (set fades, slight level boost, no EQ) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2008-05-20

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:29:56]
01 [introduction]
02 Atom
03 Carrion
04 Oh Larsen B
05 Down on the Ground
06 Open The Door
07 Waving Flags
08 The Great Skua
09 Canvey Island
10 Lights Out For Darker Skies
11 Trip Out
12 No Lucifer
13 Remember Me
14 The Spirit of St. Louis
15 Rock in A

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT British Sea Power, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their new release Do You Like Rock Music? directly from their website.

[photo credit]

The Mountain Goats stepped back in time last night at the Masonic Temple in Brooklyn. In 90s fashion, John Darnielle performed solo as bassist Peter Hughes and drummer Jon Wurster did not make the trip to NYC for this Aids Walk Benefit. John performed no songs from the Mountain Goats 2008 release Heretic Pride, dipping into the older catalog for such early chestnuts as “Young Caesar 2000”, “Going to Scotland” “The Last Day of Jimi Hendrix’s Life” and “Baboon”. The result was an extraordinary and unique Mountain Goats concert for the year 2008.

We recorded from literally 10 feet in front of the right PA stacks with the hyper-directional DPA microphones. The recording is very clear and contains almost no crowd noise during songs. The only “flaws” are the two songs where John sang in the front of the crowd and away from the vocal microphone and we were able to capture very little vocal audio. Other than those two numbers, this is a recording of outstanding clarity and balance. Enjoy!

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

Mountain Goats
2008-05-16
Brooklyn Masonic Temple
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded 10 Feet from Right PA Stacks

DPA 4021’s > Edirol UA-5 (Oade Digimod) > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge (level boost, set fades, resample) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-05-17

Setlist
[Total Time 1:10:10]
01 [introduction]
02 Transjordanian Blues
03 Dinu Lipatti’s Bones
04 Up The Wolves*
05 Balance
06 [banter]
07 Wizard Buys a Hat
08 Cotton
09 Young Caesar 2000
10 The Last Day of Jimi Hendrix’s Life
11 [banter]
12 Alibi
13 Song For an Old Friend
14 Wild Sage**
15 Going to Scotland
16 Song for Dennis Brown**
17 Baboon
18 Best Ever Death Metal Band
19 [encore break]
20 This Year

*Including “the thing where he forgets the first line”
**Vocals off microphone

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Mountain Goats, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Mountain Goats official releases from their website.

[photo credit]

Of the four bands who performed at the nyctaper Anniversary Concert last Sunday, The Loom was the band with whom we were the least familiar. To say that The Loom’s performance was a revelation would be to understate the significance of this unit. They combine musical talent, strong writing, and an abundant amount of band camaraderie into an intense amalgam of folk, americana, bluegrass and alt-country. The Loom are releasing their debut EP in the next month, and as we told vocalist/guitarist John Fanning after show the not-yet-finished recordings on their site do not do them justice. We hope that the final product captures the spirit we experienced on Sunday.

As this was an nyctaper-produced event, we were not in a position to run microphones for this recording. We patched out of the soundboard into a digital pre-amp and captured the raw board feed. The soundboard mixes in small clubs tend to be quite heavy in vocals and kick drum, and this recording tends towards that mix but also contains acceptable amounts of the other instruments in this six-piece band. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Loom
2008-05-11
nyctaper Anniversary Concert
Pianos
New York, NY USA

Digital Soundboard Master

Soundboard > Edirol UA-5 (Oade Digimod) > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 16bit 44.1 wav > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades) > CD Wave (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2008-05-11

Setlist:
[Total Time 46:06]
01 Patience for Books
02 Red Devil
03 Vampires
04 Montreal
05 This Savage City
06 Of Vegas and Vanity
07 True Believers All
08 All Your Famous Friends
09 Song for the Winter Sun
10 New Blood for Old Hearts

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Loom, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase the new EP when it is released.

[photo credit]

On some level, it has to be quite disconcerting to play a room the size of Maxwell’s and have literally every single person in the room singing along with every classic song. At Maxwell’s Tuesday night, Chris Difford seemed relaxed and slightly amused at the fan participation, and indeed borrowed the crowd to help him through some of the harder Squeeze vocals normally assigned to Glen Tilbrook’s tenor. Difford’s new album The Last Temptation of Chris features several strong numbers that were performed, including the poignant “Battersea Boys”, but the intimate setting was most powerful during the crowd’s many singalongs.

There is a story behind my permission to record this show. My initial email to Chris was during the Squeeze tour last year, and he wondered whether I meant taping “like the deadhead way”. Later, when I explained the interactive and promotional aspects of the site, he was for the idea. So thanks to Mr. Difford and to the Maxwell’s crew. The recording is a fine mix of the very boisterous audience and the very well-mixed soundboard. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Chris Difford
2008-05-13
Maxwell’s
Hoboken, NJ USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard/Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Front of Board Neumann KM-150s > Edirol UA-5 (Oade Digimod) > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 16bit 44.1kHz wav file > Soundforge (set fades, slight level boost, no EQ) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2008-05-14

Setlist:
[total time 1:06:04]
01 [introduction]
02 Slap and Tickle
03 Cool For Cats
04 Fat As A Fiddle
05 Battersea Boys
06 My Mother’s Handbag
07 Take Me I’m Yours
08 Lamas Fayre
09 Tempted
10 Cowboys are My Weakness
11 Never Coming Back
12 Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken
13 Up The Junction
14 Is That Love?
15 Black Coffee in Bed
16 Goodbye Girl

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Chris Difford, visit his website, visit his MySpace page, and purchase The Last Temptation of Chris directly from the links at his website.

[photo credit]

British Sea Power are currently on tour in support of their excellent new release Do You Like Rock Music?. Last night’s show at Bowery Ballroom was a tight and straightforward set of primarily new material (9 of 15 songs), which while it lacked the classic BSP histrionics, more than compensated with outstanding performances. The band let loose on the final number — the traditional improvised Rock in A — and ended the show with a flood of feedback, sans encore.

We were pleased to learn that BSP management informed fans at both the Seattle and Chicago shows that the band was fine with tapers. We recorded this concert from the perfect location in this venue, which has perhaps the most outstanding sound system of any venue in NYC. The location was identical to our superb Richard Hawley recording, except that the volume of this set drowned out any crowd chatter and provides excellent clarity. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

British Sea Power
2008-05-10
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from FOB
Dead Center 30 Feet from PA

DPA 4021’s > Marantz PMD-660 (Oade BCM) > 16bit 44.1 wav > Soundforge (set fades, level boost, slight eq) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by
nyctaper
2008-05-11

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:20:20]
01 [introduction]
02 Lights Out For Darker Skies
03 Atom
04 Remember Me
05 Down on the Ground
06 Leaving Here
07 A Trip Out
08 Canvey Island
09 Waving Flags
10 The Great Skua
11 Oh Larsen B
12 No Lucifer
13 True Adventures
14 The Spirit of St. Louis
15 Carrion
16 Rock in A (“Rokend” on written setlist)

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT British Sea Power, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their new release Do You Like Rock Music? directly from their website.