Parquet Courts: November 16, 2012 285 Kent – Flac/MP3/Streaming

November 25, 2012
By


[photos by PSquared Photography]

Several months ago, a friend told me to keep an eye out for Parquet Courts. He had seen them at Death By Audio and was so impressed with their excellent garage-styled pop and their new album Light Up Gold, that he went out of his way to secure permission for me to record the band when I saw them live. Last week at 285 Kent, I got the chance and Parquet Courts lived up to expectations. This is a tight quartet with a strong sense of melody, rhythm and a wicked sense of humor. The songs are with one exception two-minute nuggets and in their thirty-minute show at 285, they managed to fit ten of them in the set. For what its worth, the single “Borrowed Time” received this week “best new music” at Pitchfork a couple of months too late, but evidence that the band is gaining the kind of notoriety that will make these 285 Kent nights a thing of the past. We are streaming that song below. The other obvious highlight was the set closer, a six-minute song called “Stoned and Starving” that calls to mind the vocal stylings of Jonathan Richman while referencing current Brooklyn locations in a lengthy groove. It was the perfect ending for this superb set. Parquet Courts will return to Brooklyn for a show opening for Fucked Up at Warsaw, before they head out on a Midwest tour.

I recorded this set with the Sennheiser cards mounted 10 feet from the stage and mixed with a board feed. The sound quality is limited only by the acoustics of the venue, but is otherwise excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Borrowed Time”:

Download the Complete show in [MP3] / [FLAC]

Parquet Courts
2012-11-16
285 Kent
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Sennheiser MKH-8040s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 > (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2012-11-24

Setlist:
[Total Time 30:33]
01 Tears O Plenty
02 Master Of My Craft
03 Borrowed Time
04 [banter]
05 Donuts Only
06 Yonder is Closer to the Heart
07 Mezzanine
08 Light Up Gold II
09 Yr No Stoner
10 N Dakota
11 Stoned and Starving

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Parquet Courts, visit their website and purchase Light Up Gold from the Dull Tools Records website [HERE].

Port St. Willow: October 18, 2012 NYCTaper CMJ Day Show, Cake Shop – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

November 20, 2012
By


[Photos courtesy of MaryAnne Ventrice]

The documented connection between Port St. Willow frontman Nick Principe and childhood friend Peter Silbermann of The Antlers goes beyond their shared background. Both have a grandiosity and mournfulness to their sounds; both share a similar vocal style – a soaring falsetto that is its own instrument, at times obscuring the lyrics themselves. But where The Antlers lean more toward narrative storytelling and show a continued passion for rock dynamics, Principe is more comfortable in the realm of more obtuse, atmospheric composition. The songs on his debut record, Holiday, offer a variety of textures to plumb; some have described the record as “airy”. After catching an impressive set opening for The Antlers this summer at Glasslands, Port St. Willow was right at the top of the list of bands to play our unofficial CMJ Day show at Cake Shop, and this set delivered on the promise of that earlier experience. Principe, backed by his touring live band, played a set of six songs in a near-seamless 35-minute set. Even in mid-afternoon, the 10+ minute opener “Hollow” wowed the sizable crowd as Principe & Co. built his delicate compositions from scratch before our eyes. The recording that you have here is arguably the best quality of all that we recorded during this show, and other than a couple of spots where the vocal mic distorted during “Tourist”, it is virtually flawless. We hope that you enjoy, and head to Port St. Willow’s bandcamp page to check out Holiday in its full glory.

Stream “Hollow”

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC files

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Port St. Willow
2012-10-18
NYCTaper CMJ Day Show
Cake Shop
New York, NY USA

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

Soundboard (engineer: Justin) + Schoeps MK5>KCY>Z-PFA>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (split and edit SBD tracks, mix down, fades, align, adjust levels)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, thicken, exciter)>Audacity 3.0 (tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Hollow
02 Amawalk>
03 On Your Side
04 Five Five Two Five>
05 Tourist

If you download this recording from NYCTaper we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Port St. Willow, and visit the Bandcamp page to purchase Holiday [HERE].

Guardian Alien: November 9, 2012 Knitting Factory – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

November 19, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

The drummer Greg Fox is in rare company; simply put, he is one of the absolute best rock drummers in New York. After parting ways with the band Liturgy last year, Fox has continued to pursue his own vision through projects like GDFX and now, Guardian Alien. Freed from the strictures (such as they are) of the traditional rock song format, Guardian Alien gives Fox free rein to follow his most avant-garde instincts. It takes guts, and a great player, to build an entire band around drums, and Guardian Alien succeeds at that, both live and on their Thrill Jockey debut See the World Given To A One Love Entity. This set at the Knitting Factory consisted of a single extended piece that Fox is currently calling “Holotropic Breathwork”, which is expected to appear on the band’s next album. Fox’s hyperfast drumming made a waterfall of sound during the song as washes of synth, moaned vocals and other electronics filled out the soundscape. This was a magical moment to witness live, and we’re looking forward to the next record.

I recorded this set with MBHO KA200N cardiod microphones and an excellent soundboard feed from the Knit engineer, Rob.  The sound is outstanding.  Enjoy!

Stream the full set (“Holotropic Breathwork”):

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC files

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Guardian Alien
2012-11-09
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

MBHO KA200N>MBP603 (slightly ROC, PAS)>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard (engineer: Rob)>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity 3.0 (mix down, light EQ to AUD source, set fades, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Holotropic Breathwork

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Guardian Alien, visit their website, and purchase their records from Thrill Jockey [HERE]

Wormburner: September 14, 2012 Mercury Lounge – Flac/MP3/Streaming

November 17, 2012
By


[photo courtesy of Bob Mason]

For geographical reasons, Wormburner only plays a handful of shows a year. And now having seen them six times, I’ve come to the conclusion that these semi-rare appearances are not to be missed. The musicianship is always solid, but its the live energy particularly from lead singer Steve “Hank” Henry that elevates the performance to “must see” level. Back in mid-September we saw another rousing Wormburner show at Mercury Lounge, which included solid numbers from their most recent album 2010’s Placed By The Gideons, several new numbers from an upcoming album, and some rare treats. Last week, Wormburner announced their annual Holiday show at Mercury Lounge with special guests. We recorded the holiday show in 2010 and if recent experience is any measure, it should be a heck of a party.

I recorded this set with the Sennheiser cards mixed with an excellent board feed from Mercury’s superb sound engineer Kevin. I relied mostly on the audience mics in order to accentuate the experience of the show. The result is some extra chatter which is very much compensated by the overall energy of the recording. Enjoy!

Stream “Pike City Proper”:

Download the Complete show in [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.

Wormburner
2012-09-14
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Sennheiser MKH-8040s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 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
2012-11-17

Setlist:
[Total Time 47:33]
01 Today Might Be Our Day
02 Two Kinds of People
03 Peekskill
04 Stolen Tags
05 Ghosts of the Confederacy
06 [untitled new song]
07 Delores If You Please
08 Hopscotch Gunner
09 Pike City Proper
10 The Interstate
11 [thanks]
12 Parliaments on Sundays

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

NYCTaper Upcoming Schedule – Winter 2012-13

November 16, 2012
By

We’ve entered a new era at NYCTaper. After living on the unprotected edge for five years, we suffered the wrath of the new web — multiple hackings, imbedded spam and the horrible results of a website without substantial security. In the last couple of months, we hired an expert to rectify those problems and the result is that we seem to be free of the roving bands of malicious bots that permeate the web these days. That being said, there was substantial damage to the site’s archives that I am meticulously repairing month by month going all the way back to the first post. I’m now up to the Summer of 2010, and if you go back to 2007, 2008 and 2009, you will notice that all of the flac links have now returned to the topics (no more email requirement), posts that disappeared have been restored, posts have been fixed by restoring missing media, photos, fixing links, and removing odd characters. I continue to drudge through the archives and hope to come current within the next few weeks. Its a painful arduous task, but knowing that we now have complete backups is comforting. Also, its been a hoot to relive the “old days” and listen to some recordings that I haven’t heard in years. Two obvious conclusions are that our current recordings are a lot better than in the old days, and that I’ve seen a f-load of shows in the last 5+ years. Thanks of course to acidjack, Johnny and hiandlo for their assistance in restoring their old posts, and of course especially to acidjack for carrying the current workload as I finish this task. We expect that in the future NYCTaper will be a reliable and consistent provider of live music. We love what we do and thank all of our readers for your continued support.

I also realize that we’re way overdo for a Calendar post, so here goes. Lots of fun stuff here, including the usual highlight of any year, the Yo La Tengo Hanukkah shows!

[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.]

If you want nyctaper to record your band, a band you represent, a show you’re promoting, or even your favorite band in the world, get us in the door and make sure everyone who needs to approve of the recording gives permission. Also, remember each person on the nyctaper crew does this all for free, the recordings, the post-production, the reviews, the links, etc., so treat us fairly.

Schedule:

Naomi Punk / Parquet Courts:
November 16, 2012 285 Kent Brooklyn [facebook invite]

Metz:
November 19, 2012 Mercury Lounge NYC

EyeHateGod:
November 27, 2012 St. Vitus Brooklyn

Dinosaur Jr:
December 1, 2012 Terminal 5 NYC

Kevin Devine:
December 1, 2012 Webster Hall NYC

Animal Collective:
December 4 and December 5, 2012 Terminal 5 NYC

Deer Tick:
December 5, 2012 Brooklyn Bowl

Pink Mountaintops / The Loom:
December 5, 2012 Union Pool Brooklyn

Yo La Tengo:
December 8 through December 15, 2012 Maxwells Hoboken NJ

Smashing Pumpkins:
December 10, 2012 Barclays Center Brooklyn

Of Montreal:
December 11, 2012 Webster Hall NYC

Deer Tick:
December 12, 2012 Brooklyn Bowl

She Keeps Bees (and special guests):
December 15, 2012 Cameo Gallery Brooklyn

Deer Tick:
December 19, 2012 Brooklyn Bowl

Fucked Up:
December 21, 2012 Warsaw Brooklyn

Los Lobos:
December 22, 2012 City Winery NYC

My Morning Jacket:
December 27, 2012 Capitol Theatre Portchester NY

Lucero:
December 28, 2012 Brooklyn Bowl

Math The Band:
January 4, 2013 Glasslands Gallery Brooklyn

Hospitality:
January 10, 2013 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Mission of Burma:
January 18, 2013 Bowery Ballroom NYC

Cracker / Camper Van Beethoven:
January 19, 2013 Stage 48 NYC

Widowspeak: November 3, 2012 Music Hall of Williamsburg – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

November 15, 2012
By


[photos by P-Squared Photography]

Among us, we have seen Brooklyn’s Widowspeak at least seven times in the past couple of years, including hosting them at last year’s NYCTaper CMJ Day Show. What we have seen each time is a band that keeps getting better and, most crucially, continuing to write great new songs. True to form, half of the songs played during this opening set for Woods at Music Hall of Williamsburg were new (relative to their LP), and they stood up well alongside some of the best numbers from their 2011 self-titled LP like “In the Pines”. Of the newer material, four of these songs will appear on the band’s second Captured Tracks LP, Almanac, which comes out on January 22.  I continue to be amazed at the depth added to the band’s sound by the addition of Pamela Garabano-Coolbaugh on bass, as it gives lead guitarist Robert Thomas and singer/guitarist Molly Hamilton more room to focus on their own guitar work. Sonically, Widowspeak is a moody, downbeat band, but they are clearly enjoying the ride; even if they don’t sound like it, they look like they’re having a lot of fun up there. With the band’s next NYC show scheduled for their record release date of January  22 at Mercury Lounge, we have plenty to look forward to from Widowspeak in 2013.

nyctaper and I recorded this set with my Schoeps MK41 microphones and an excellent soundboard feed by the house engineer, Ian, at MHOW.  The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Sore Eyes”

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC files

Follow acidjack on twitter

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.

Widowspeak
2012-11-03
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41 (DIN, DFC)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard (engineer: Ian)>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity 3.0 (mix down, set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, light EQ)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Perennials
02 Devil Knows
03 Gun Shy
04 7 Minutes
05 Harsh Realm
06 Ghost Boy
07 Sore Eyes
08 Spirit is Willing
09 In the Pines
10 Nightcrawlers

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Widowspeak, visit their Facebook page, visit their Bandcamp page, and purchase their LP Widowspeak from Captured Tracks.

SUPPORT NYCTaper




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