Zs: September 8, 2015 Bowery Ballroom

October 26, 2015
By

zs_live_2012_hi-res
[photo from Zs website]

Our recent post of the great Greg Fox’s Hopscotch Festival duo set with Jefre Cantu-Ledesma reminded me that we had this Zs performance from September at Bowery Ballroom in the archives. The chance to go back and produce the recording gave me a second listen to what was at the time an excellent set but in retrospect is really one of the most astonishing shows we’ve seen all year. Zs opened this night for Thee Oh Sees (posted here), an odd pairing at first glance but one that gave band leader John Dwyer a chance to reunite with Zs founder Sam Hillmer after years playing in parallel music scenes. Sam founded Zs fifteen years ago, and while the band has been a fixture in the DIY scene since 2000, the personnel has morphed over the years. The current trio of Sam, Greg and guitar wizard Patrick Higgins has coalesced into a unique mix of noise, jazz, and avant to form a truly superb musical conglomeration. The band’s latest album Xe was released on the excellent local label Northern Spy in January to very strong reviews.

This performance at Bowery lasted less than an hour but kept the crowd transfixed for the entire set. For a 500-strong who came expecting some raging gararge rock, the powerful avant trio must have been a bit of a culture shock, but most picked up on the vibe pretty quickly. Zs worked through the new album in order, skipping only the opening track. The centerpiece of the set was the nearly nineteen-minute “Corps”, which gave each band member a chance to take center stage and showcase their immense talents.

Zs will be playing another local show at Palisades on November 20.

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request, and feel free to repost the Soundcloud links.

Zs
2015-09-08
Bowery Ballroom
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Schoeps CCM4u Cardioids > Sound Devices 744t > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 48:11]
01 [introduction]
02 Woolf Government
03 Corps
04 Weakling
05 Xe

If you Download this recording from nyctaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Zs, visit their website, and purchase their new album Xe from Northern Spy Records [HERE].

Protomartyr: October 17, 2015 Ad Hoc Car Wash

October 23, 2015
By

Protomartyr-11-edwina-hay
[photos courtesy of Edwina Hay as featured in Impose Magazine]

This was the week of the overwhelming, PR-driven quasi-festival known as the CMJ Music Marathon, meaning there were hordes of tired concertgoers and touring bands around by the time the week wrapped. Taking advantage of that, and perhaps bringing the vibes of our own scene back to earth were the already-legendary concert promoters/magazine Ad Hoc, who rented out a vacant car wash (and its adjoining parking lot) to put on a sprawling ten-band bill that boasted the best of local and touring acts. This event felt like an appropriate evolution for the neighborhood that once housed the best-known DIY venues of the prior decade: Here you had an unused commercial space converted to creative purposes, albeit this time with plenty of bathrooms, quality (and cheap and cold) beer by the can, and even a couple of food trucks.

If you went to a CMJ event this year, chances are you might have caught Protomartyr, who were all over the place at this year’s fest making the case for their recently-released third record The Agent Intellect. The Detroit band saw some heat from their last album, Under Color of Official Right, but consensus seems to be that it’s this new offering that is going to break them into wider consciousness. That’d be a more than fair outcome, as this thirty-minute, ten-song set showed off the best of their material, including “Scum, Rise!” from their previous record and a decent chunk of the new album. Frontman Joe Casey doesn’t exactly match the band’s sound or words, performing as he does in a weirdly-dapper dark blazer and sunglasses, but beneath that veneer boil bleak, personal tales set against the backdrop of the band’s hometown, such as the signature track “Pontiac ’87”. Though you could see the daylight streaming through behind the band (filtered only by the yellow car wash sign), they held the atmosphere where it needed to be, trapping the nervous energy within the stripped brick walls. Compared to some of their harder-edged peers who would share the stage throughout the day, Protomartyr were a bit more “musical” band than some of the other fare, and that’s part of what makes them special. If this CMJ was “their year,” then I say they’ve earned it.

I recorded this set with Audio Technica 4051 microphones and a soundboard feed from Ad Hoc’s staff. The sound quality reflects the “DIY” nature of the venue, but is still quite good. Enjoy!

Download the complete set: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete set: 

Protomartyr
2015-10-17
Ad Hoc Car Wash
Hand & Detail Car Wash Center
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Audio Technica 4051 (LOC, FOB, PAS) + Soundboard>Roland R-26>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, edit SBD)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects, image)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 30:45]
01 Devil In His Youth
02 Cowards Starve
03 I Forgive You
04 Ain’t So Simple
05 Want Remover
06 Scum, Rise!
07 Pontiac 87
08 The Hermit>
09 Clandestine Time
10 Why Does It Shake?

If you enjoyed this recording, please like Protomartyr on facebook and buy their records from Hardly Art.

The Dead Tongues: September 23, 2015 Rough Trade NYC

October 22, 2015
By

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There’s plenty of heat coming out of Triangle music scene in North Carolina these days, as seems to be the case every half-decade or so. The reasons are several — the region’s overall economic and social diversification and success; the rise, congruent with that, of Durham as the region’s cultural third pillar as it already was a research, medical and education anchor with Raleigh and Chapel Hill; a stellar music festival to highlight the region’s best acts. But with the rise of an insular scene — fueled by a relatively condensed list of publications, social networks, venues and bands, where shows are a place where everybody knows your name, there’s a danger, too. Sometimes it’s hard for friends to be honest about the quality of their friends’ work; there’s a tendency [DUCKS] to promote at least some material that may not reach the heights promised by the homegrown hype.

Which is a long way of saying how refreshing it was to come across Ryan Gustafson, who plays both solo and as a band as The Dead Tongues. Because, even in a crowded field, Gustafson shines as a songwriter of exceptional merit. I first saw his band at Hopscotch, one of many that had been recommended to me as “really good” by various folks I know in the area (sadly, that recording is lost). I’ll beg Ryan’s forgiveness for taking that recommendation with a grain of salt, one which washed away quickly as I watched he and his full band perform.

On the road with Phil Cook as part of his “Guitarheels” band, Ryan opened that show at Rough Trade NYC with his own solo set consisting of entirely unreleased material, played by Ryan on banjo, guitar and harmonica. It’s almost unfair to compare him to the people who come to mind, so I won’t drop names, but suffice it to say Gustafson’s maturity and storytelling ability approach that of big names you’ve heard of. I’m especially partial to “The Broken Side of People,” “A Pair of Stained Glass Eyes” and “Wildflower Perfume,” but it’s hard to play favorites with Gustafson’s work. What’s for sure is that his forthcoming album (details TBD) is something that I’ll await, eagerly.

I recorded this set primarily with Rough Trade engineer Danielle DePalma’s soundboard mix, together with Schoeps MK4V microphones. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Stream the complete show: 

The Dead Tongues
2015-06-26
Rough Trade NYC
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard (engineer: Danielle DePalma) + Schoeps MK4V (FOB, DFC, PAS)>KC5>CMC6>Edirol R-44>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mix down, fades, compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, dither, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Lost in Baton Rouge
02 [banter]
03 Graveyard Fields
04 My Companion
05 The Gold is Deep
06 The Broken Side of People Everywhere
07 A Pair Of Stained Glass Eyes
08 Embers of Midnight
09 Wildflower Perfume
10 Black Flower Blooming
11 Empire Builder

Musicians:
Ryan Gustafson (solo)

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT The Dead Tongues by buying their music at their bandcamp page.

 

Spray Paint: October 16, 2015 Union Pool (R.I.P. SVT CMJ Party)

October 22, 2015
By

Spray Paint

It’s been a mere six-ish months since we last caught Spray Paint. And in that time, the band has released not one but two new albums: Punters on a Barge and most recently, Dopers. Each album finds the band exploring new sounds and textures, but don’t think that they’ve abandoned their minimalist sound—these new tunes are still unequivocally Spray Paint. Dopers especially is darker than any material they’ve released previously, working up unsettling themes and making music you might use to soundtrack a Troma film. If you’ve heard Spray Paint before, these albums are more of what you love. And if you haven’t: meet your new favorite band.

In contrast to April’s show, which featured many of the bands earliest songs like “Spock Fingers,” “Squaw,” and “Pink Pus,” this one leans more heavily on the newer material. “Polar Beer” is one of the (many) highlights off Punters on a Barge so I was very pleased to hear that one live. “Thrash Master,” “Signal Master,” and “Bad Times” are off Dopers and my appreciation for them has only increased as I’ve absorbed the record. At their current pace I’m sure they’ll have some new music out soon—in the meantime, I’ve got some heavy listening to do.

Spray Paint wrap up their short tour with a record release show tonight (Oct. 22) at Hotel Vegas in Austin. Be sure and catch that if you find yourself out that way.

I recorded this set from our usual location in Union Pool with a board feed from FOH Robert. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Spray Paint
2015-10-16
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

Soundboard (engineer: Robert) + AKG C480B/CK63 > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, mixdown, normalize, fades) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [32:07]
01. Bring Dumpster Back
02. Ian’s Theme
03. Polar Beer
04. Middle Relief
05. Thrash Master
06. Canadian Trash
07. Signal Master
08. Bad Times
09. Ultimate Umpire
10. Rest Versus Rust
11. Cussin’

Support Spray Paint: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Buy Dopers and other Spray Paint records from Monofonus

Blaxxx: September 11, 2015 Slim’s, Raleigh, NC (Hopscotch Music Festival)

October 21, 2015
By

Blaxxx

David Schwentker tapes and reports:

Because Lamont ‘Bim’ Thomas is not prolific enough with his main project, Obnox, last year during SXSW he decided to hit the studio with half of the OBN IIIs (Orville Neely and Tom Triplett) to bash out some Ohio-meets-Texas blues punk. Lucky for us, 12XU Records released the recordings of this garage super-group on a 12″ earlier this year, under the name Blaxxx. As an added bonus, the trio is still getting together to play shows here and there, and for a good selection of Hopscotch Music Festival fans, their headlining slot at Slim’s on the festival’s middle night was a set circled in permanent ink.

Thomas is no stranger to the festival, as Obnox played the exact same 12:00 slot at Slim’s on the festival’s Friday night last year. By midnight on Friday, Neely and Thomas were festival vets too, having headlined a different club on Thursday night with the OBN IIIs. In fact, both Obnox and OBN IIIs played day party shows on Friday this year as well, and if you ran across town like me, you were able to catch almost all of both of those sets.

Thanks to a blistering, sub-twenty minute set from Raleigh punks No Love, Blaxxx had plenty of time to set up their gear. Hopscotch Music Festival runs remarkably on time at every venue every year, but this was the first time I’d seen the fourth band of the night ready to play 15 minutes before their specified time. With their mics not going live until midnight, the band could have elected to go spend their time hanging out. Instead, they just started playing anyway, treating the fans that were already assembled to an impromptu 11 minute instrumental jam. When the mics came on at midnight, Thomas told a story of encountering Iron Maiden one day in 1988, while working at Cedar Point Amusement Park and having them sign the only piece of paper he could find, his Social Security card. From there, the band was off, playing extended versions of 3 tracks from their “For No Apparent Reason” 12″.

Hopefully we’ll see more tunes from this band in the future, but until then, this recording is a great companion to the debut vinyl release. Slim’s is a small club where not all of the instruments are even mic’d, so this recording was captured by a pair of Church Audio omni directional mics mounted in the ceiling above the crowd. While this recording may be a little less polished than much of what is offered on this site, it’s a great representation of what it was like to be standing at the lip of the tiny stage, right in front of the band.

Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Blaxxx
2015-09-11
Hopscotch Music Festival
Slim’s
Raleigh, NC USA

Recorded and produced by David Schwentker

Church Audio CA-1 (omni) > Olympus LS-10 > WAV > Audacity (track, mixing) > Trader’s Little Helper (conversions) > FLAC (level 8) > foobar2000 (tagging)

Tracks:
01 [intro]
02 [pre-set jam]
03 [banter]
04 Cut Em Down
05 Let Me Hold Your Hand
06 Get A Hold Of Your Life

Support Blaxxx: Buy the For No Apparent Reason EP from 12XU

NYCTaper Upcoming Schedule: Fall 2015/Winter 2016

October 21, 2015
By

taper-larger

With the close of another hectic CMJ, its time to update the Schedule for the remainder of 2015 and into early 2016. Our journey continues with some old friends, some new and some nice surprises.

Caveat: Below is the updated schedule. We expect to attend and record these events. However, circumstances will prevent some of these from being done, and others will be added in the meantime. Feel free to make suggestions or point out shows we missed or invite us to your shows!

Schedule:

Oneida:
October 23, 2015 Cake Shop NYC

Steve Gunn:
October 24, 2015 Union Pool BK

The Hum [various artists]:
October 26, 2015 Manhattan Inn BK

Yvette:
October 29, 2015 Trans Pecos Queens

Deer Tick / Felice Brothers:
October 30, 2015 Cannons Blackthorn Rockville Centre NY

DVA / Christopher Tignor:
November 1, 2015 Trans Pecos Queens (NYCTaper Presents)

Courtesy Tier:
November 3, 2015 Rough Trade BK

Greys:
November 5, 2015 Aviv BK

Elisa Ambrogio:
November 6, 2015 Union Pool BK

She Keeps Bees:
November 8, 2015 Rough Trade BK

WAND:
November 13, 2015 Mercury Lounge NYC

WAND:
November 14, 2015 Rough Trade NYC

Hiss Golden Messenger:
November 19, 2015 Baby’s All Right Brooklyn

Pearl and The Beard:
November 19, 2015 Bowery Ballroom NYC (permission pending)

My Morning Jacket / Woods:
November 24, 25, 2015 Beacon Theatre NYC

Ground Control Touring 15th Anniversary (many bands):
December 2, 2015 Webster Hall NYC (permission pending)

Landlady:
December 6, 2015 Bell House Brooklyn

Lucero:
December 8, 2015 Music Farm Charleston, SC

Parquet Courts:
December 11, 2015 Warsaw Brooklyn

Kevin Devine:
December 11, 2015 Bell House Brooklyn

Chris Forsyth and Solar Motel Band:
December 12, 2015 Trans Pecos Queens (NYCTaper Presents)

Sleater-Kinney:
December 16 2015 Market Hotel Brooklyn

Royal Trux:
December 19, 2015 Webster Hall NYC (permission pending)

craw:
December 19, 2015 Saint Vitus BK

METZ:
January 13, 2015 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Alejandro Escovedo:
January 23, 2016 City Winery NYC

Wilco:
February 2 and 3, 2016 Capital Theatre Port Chester NY

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