Gross Ghost: September 6, 2013 Hopscotch Music Festival Main Stage (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 26, 2013
By

grossghost-1
[Photo courtesy of Abby Nardo]

If you’ve been following our Hopscotch Music Festival posts, you could be forgiven for thinking the festival is geared heavily toward rather arty, possibly over-serious bands (since I happen to like them). Well, Gross Ghost are a more approachable kind of fun, bringing punk-inflected rock n’ roll to all comers. The band’s core duo are scene veterans Mike Dillon and Tre Acklen, who spawned the band name in the best way possible — that is, after partying hard late into the night a number of times. What a surprise, then, that Gross Ghost’s sound leans toward looser, rougher-hewn, garagey good-time music rather than the cerebral (also great) stuff hosted at some of the festival’s other stages.

The band had the honor of kicking off the main stage, the festival’s largest, and drew curious onlookers streaming into the City Plaza in the heart of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. One of the festival’s main missions is to highlight North Carolina acts (a fairly large percentage of the festival’s lineup), and Gross Ghost fall into that category. The Carrboro, NC band has been working on Public Housing, the follow-up to 2012’s Brer Rabbit, which should be hitting the streets at the end of October. Expect Public Housing to be their most musically focused and pop-driven yet, if the slew of new songs played here were any indication. From the show opener, which was the album’s kickoff track, Seeds” through the final number, the brand-new “Howlin'”, the Ghost showed off a knack for lyric-driven pop anthems that were the right way to start off the first weekend night of Hopscotch.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK4V microphones and a mono soundboard feed. Given the relatively long distance from the stage and the outdoor setting in particular, the sound quality is quite good. Enjoy!

Stream “Howlin'”

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

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.

DSC09001
[Photo courtesy of Ash Crowe]

Gross Ghost
2013-09-06
Hopscotch Music Festival Main Stage
Raleigh, NC USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Schoeps MK4V (at SBD, DFC)>KC5>CMC6 + Soundboard (mono)>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mix down, set fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.03 (tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Seeds
03 Other Side
04 You Will
05 [tuning]
06 They Say
07 Leslie
08 You Tell Me
09 Trying
10 Memory Screen
11 [banter]
11 Howlin

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Gross Ghost, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and buy their music from their bandcamp page.

grossghost-2
[Photo courtesy of Abby Nardo]

Desert Heat: September 6, 2013 Three Lobed Recordings/WXDU Day Show, King’s (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 26, 2013
By

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[Photo courtesy of Tim Bugbee at Tinnitus Photography]

You know it’s something very, very special when Steve Gunn and John Truscinski (who plays with Gunn in Gunn-Truscinski Duo and their new trio arrangement) team up with Irish guitar phenom Cian Nugent and Jason Meagher (of, among others, No Neck Blues Band and D. Charles Speer & the Helix) for the North American debut of their collaboration Desert Heat. Hopscotch Music Festival is always a special time, but what drew me back for a second year, and will again for a third, was the Three Lobed Recordings/WXDU day show, held again this year at King’s Barcade. Among several rare collaborations and one-time appearances, Desert Heat was one of the most hotly anticipated, and by the time these players took the stage, the medium-sized venue had a line out front. Give it one listen and you’ll hear why; Gunn and Nugent are among the most creative and exciting guitarists and songwriters of this era, and both were on fire for this special performance that showed off the A side from the new Cat Mask at Huggie Temple 12-inch, the band’s sole release, before delving into some unknown territory with a new long form jam currently titled “Desert Whythe”. To top it all off, the band tore through Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nuthin'” with their own special wall-of-guitars twists, with Gunn handling the vocal duties. On a day filled with outstanding performances (many of which will be shared here over time or released by Three Lobed), this was undeniably one of the highest of the highlights.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed that I customized for both this recording and the simulcast on Duke University’s radio station WXDU, plus Schoeps MK4V microphones right at the stage lip. The sound quality is outstanding; easily one of a handful of the best recordings I have ever shared on this site. Enjoy!

Stream and download MP3s of the full set: 

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

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.

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[Photo courtesy of Mark Johnson via the Three Lobed Facebook Page]

Desert Heat
2013-09-06
Three Lobed / WXDU Day Show
King’s
Raleigh, NC USA

Schoeps MK4V (onstage)>KC5>CMC6 + Soundboard (custom stereo mix)>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mix down, adjustments)>Izotope Ozone 5 (tube effect, EQ)>Audacity 2.03 (tracking, fades, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Cat Mask at Huggie Temple
03 [tuning]
04 Desert Whythe
05 Oh! Sweet Nuthin!

Players: 

Steve Gunn – Guitar, Vocals
Cian Nugent – Guitar
Jason Meagher – Bass
John Truscinski – Drums

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT THESE ARTISTS by visiting their websites and purchasing the new very limited edition Cat Mask At Huggie Temple 12″ directly [HERE]. For U.S. orders, you can also try contacting your local record store or e-mailing Bull City Records in Durham, NC. You can also buy Gunn-Truscinski and Steve Gunn records from Three Lobed and Gunn’s latest from Paradise of Bachelors. Support WXDU by donating and listening to their station!

White Fence: September 18, 2013 Glasslands – Flac/MP3/Streaming

September 25, 2013
By

White-Fence-#1
[photos by PSquared Photography]

Its hard to believe that it had been since early 2012 since we had last seen White Fence live. We were so impressed with the band’s high-energy authentic mid-60s styled psychedelia at a gig opening for Woods at Bowery, and then again at the NYCTaper 2011 CMJ show. I was also lucky to catch them at SXSW 2012. Last Wednesday at Glasslands, it was encouraging to see that eighteen months later, White Fence continues to churn out kinetic proto-psych with confidence and abundant energy. Tim Presley’s supporting band seems to be the same group that he had at SXSW ’12, and at Glasslands they were tight and in perfect sync — certainly necessary to keep up with the quick chord and tempo changes in the music. For instance, we’re streaming “Baxter Corner”, a song that is two minutes on record but live is stretched out to almost seven — a lengthy high-tempo jam that features the talents of each member of the quartet. The setlist contained quite a number of older songs, but also featured a heavy dose of the newest White Fence album Cyclops Reap (Castle Face Records). After this outstanding show, we hope it won’t be another eighteen months before we see White Fence again.

I recorded this set with the installed NYCTaper rig at Glasslands, and the sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Stream “Baxter Corner”:

Download the Complete show [MP3] / [FLAC]

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.

White-Fence-#89

White Fence
2013-09-18
Glasslands Gallery
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Naiant X-R Cardioid > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper 2013-09-21

Setlist
[Total Time 54:11]
01 Ring Around a Square
02 Mr Adams
03 Who Feels Right
04 Pink Gorilla
05 Tildas
06 Baxter Corner
07 [tuning]
08 The Pool
09 And By Always
10 She Relief
11 To the Boy I Jumped in the Hemlock Alley
12 White Cat
13 Chairs in the Dark
14 Swagger Vets and Double Moon
15 Breathe Again
16 Got That Heart
17 Harness

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT White Fence, visit the White Fence blog, the White Fence Facebook page, and purchase the latest record Cyclops Reapdirectly from Castle Face Records [HERE].

White-Fence-#99

Villages: September 6, 2013 Hopscotch Music Festival, Kennedy Theater (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 24, 2013
By

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[Photo by acidjack]

One of the best things about festivals like Hopscotch Music Festival is being exposed not just to artists you know you want to see, but ones you didn’t know you wanted to see. I wasn’t aware of Asheville, NC based Ross Gentry, who records as Villages, before he took the stage at Kennedy Theater on the second night. But as soon as Gentry began creating his custom-made soundscape, I was grateful to be in the right place to hear the work of this brilliant emerging artist in the world of ambient and drone music. After a frantic day of day shows and main stage recording, sitting in the cool, dark Kennedy Theater for this Villages set felt like a reset button on the whole day. During this piece, you can hear the wash of running water, keyboards, guitars, found sounds and more combine to create an organic whole that is as soothing as it is thought-provoking.

At times it’s difficult with this kind of music to actually understand what the artist is doing, so I asked Ross to explain. Here is how this set was constructed:

All of the sounds I use are created using organic instruments and field recordings. My sets basically consists of a series of tape loops, which were present on stage, as well as electric guitar which was running through a series of effects pedals. The laptop itself it basically a means of triggering field recordings and various atmospheres, and recording and looping my guitar and tapes to further process and expand the sounds. It’s a very open and evolving process. It certainly leaves a lot of room to really feel out a space and develop pieces naturally.

The result on this night was a piece I felt was a beautiful meditation on the human experience, an oasis of calm in the midst of a frantic (but fun) festival. Gentry’s work was some of the most moving and powerful that I experienced at the entire festival and I hope more fans have a chance to experience his work. Please check out Villages’ extensive discography on his bandcamp page, where you can buy his releases on vinyl and cassette as well.

This recording was made with Schoeps MK41 microphones from an ideal spot in the venue. The recording captures the feel of the room very well and makes for a particularly good listen on headphones. Enjoy!

Stream and download the full set:

(To download the MP3, click the “Download” link in the upper right corner of the stream)

Download as FLAC

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.

Villages
2013-09-06
Hopscotch Music Festival
Kennedy Theatre
Raleigh, NC USA

Schoeps MK41 (DINa)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2>Sony PCM-D50>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (trim)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ)>Audacity 2.03 (tracking, amplify, balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 improvisation

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Villages by liking him on Facebook, visiting his bandcamp page and purchasing his releases there.

Speedy Ortiz: September 6, 2013 Hopscotch Music Festival, Kennedy Theater (Raleigh, NC) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 24, 2013
By

speedy
[Screen capture courtesy of Dan Schram]

Speedy Ortiz is the aptly-named recording project of Sadie Dupuis, formerly vocalist/guitarist of the Brooklyn band (and NYCTaper Northside showcase vets) Quilty. This year’s very-well-received full-length debut on Carpark Records, Major Arcana, shows the full potential of Dupuis’ sound when joined to a band, who first recorded with her on 2012’s Sports EP. If Quilty echoed the heavy-tinged sound of Veruca Salt almost to a tee at points, Speedy Ortiz draws from a broader palette of influences, including Tuscadero, Slant 6 and Archers of Loaf to name a few. But not only can Dupuis write a hell of a catchy song, but she stands out both for having a singing voice that she can throttle up from sweet to scream at a moment’s notice. While her contemporaries’ lyrics often tend to word salad to fill space between riffs, Dupuis’ confessional style gives you something to think about — which led Pitchfork to make a favorable comparison to Liz Phair in their review of Major Arcana.

This Hopscotch Music Festival set by the band was one of the more hotly-anticipated of the festival for me, having missed several of the Northampton, MA band’s local shows. To the surprise of no one, the band’s live show brought out the harder element of their sound, while more surprisingly still giving Dupuis’ vocals plenty of room to shine in the mix. The band didn’t spend much time on chitchat during a short-but-sweet set that covered many of Major Arcana‘s best tracks plus some more obscure releases like the 7″ release “Taylor Swift” and two tracks from Sports, including one of my favorites, “Silver Spring”. Dupuis has always had a knack for songwriting, and with this unit cohering around that skill, I’d expect Speedy Ortiz to see a lot more positive press in their future.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 microphones from an ideal location in the venue. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

New York fans can catch the band at the newly-refurbished Silent Barn on October 19th.

Stream “No Below”

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

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.

Speedy Ortiz
2013-09-06
Hopscotch Music Festival
Kennedy Theater
Raleigh, NC USA

Schoeps MK41 (DINa)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2>Sony PCM-D50>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (trim)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ)>Audacity 2.03 (tracking, amplify, balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Taylor Swift
02 Tiger Tank
03 Hitch
04 Fun
05 Casper
06 Cash Cab
07 No Below
08 Silver Springs
09 Plough
10 Gary
11 Indoor Soccer

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Speedy Ortiz, visit their bandcamp page, and buy Major Arcana from Carpark Records.

NYCTaper CMJ Day Party – October 17 at Cake Shop

September 22, 2013
By

NYCTaperCMJ(1)

For the sixth year in a row with the fine folks at Cake Shop, we’ll be presenting a Thursday Day party during CMJ week. And much like our past efforts, this year’s roster of bands is a great one. Our previous shows have featured up and coming performers who have gone on to significant success such as Savoir Adore, Sharon Van Etten, White Fence, Diamond Rings, Widowspeak, Heliotropes, Mount Moriah, Hurray For The Riff Raff, She Keeps Bees, and many others.

Here are the details:

NYCTaper CMJ Day Party
(Unofficial Show)
Thursday October 17, 2013
Cake Shop 152 Ludlow Street, NYC 10002

Doors at 12 Noon

Music (preliminary schedule)
12:45 Slow Down Molasses (Saskatoon Canada)
01:30 J Fernandez (Chicago)
02:15 The Moondoggies (Seattle WA)
03:00 Bent Shapes (Boston)
03:45 Julia Weldon (New York)
04:30 “Special Guest”
05:15 The Echo Friendly (Greenpoint)
06:00 Caged Animals (Brooklyn)

SUPPORT NYCTaper




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