Prairie Empire: July 14, 2012 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

July 30, 2012
By

prarie empire dominic
[Photos courtesy of Dominick Mastrangelo Photography]

If the true measure of a band’s abilities is how well they play live, you could say it is doubly a measure of their talents how well they can play acoustically in someone’s back yard on a muggy July day, with planes flying overhead and bugs threatening to choke them. Prairie Empire rose to that challenge at a recent Backyard Brunch Sessions, where they gave the audience the added bonus of new material recorded after their just-released eponymous debut album. Though weary from closing out their recent tour, lead singer Brittain Ashford and her band (or at least, part of it) were in high spirits and strong form, further honed from their time on the road.  Both “Like Birds” and the brand-new “Muir Woods” gave those of us just getting acquainted with the new record even-newer material to delve into, while album tracks like “Give” have never sounded better. For a more electrified take on the band, check out our June 10th recording from Mercury Lounge, but if you are into the acoustic style, it’s also worth taking a look at the band’s recent Daytrotter session.

hi and lo recorded this set with a combination of Schoeps and MBHO microphones.  Other than a few unavoidable blasts of wind and planes flying overhead, the sound is excellent!

Thanks to the BBS sponsors for this show, Grady’s Cold Brew and Kings County Distillery Moonshine.

Stream “Snow”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/P6001PrairieEmpire2012/06 Snow.mp3]

Stream “Give”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/P6001PrairieEmpire2012/09 Give.mp3]

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

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.

prairie-empire-3

Prairie Empire
2012-07-14
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded by hi and lo
Produced by acidjack

Equipment: Schoeps MK21 (NOS)>NBox Cables>PFA + Schoeps MK5 (omni)>KC5>PFA + MBHO KA200/603>>Tascam DR-680
Mastering: 5x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown, adjust levels, DR compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, assorted other effects)>Audacity (tracking, set fades, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Song For You
03 Tenfold
04 Like Birds
05 [banter]
06 Snow
07 Winter Came
08 [tuning/banter]
09 Give
10 Where You Are
11 Muir Woods

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Prairie Empire, visit their website, and purchase their record from Trailer Fire Records [HERE] or on iTunes.

Wilco: July 25, 2012 Terminal 5 – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

July 27, 2012
By


[photos by JC McIlwaine]

A few hours after this post appears on the site, the entire NYCTaper crew will drive four hours up to Cooperstown to see Wilco again at the Ommegang Brewery. The reason why we will travel so far is essentially encapsulated in this recording. On Wednesday, we all saw Wilco at Terminal 5, and the band once again reminded us about why we’ll make sacrifices as fans to see them live. The meme of all the Wilco reviews on nyctaper (and there are a lot) is that this band is extremely good to its fans. The long sets, interesting song selections, lengthy encores and full dedication to the performance positions Wilco as the preeminent live band around today, and for the better part of the last two decades. On Wednesday, we were treated to a “deep cut” setlist where songs were performed that we haven’t seen very often or at all since the 1990s. “What’s The World Got in Store” is probably the rarest of the tracks — a song from the first record of the two-lp 1996 album Being There. We are streaming it below, along with “Passenger Side”, another early era nugget that has seen infrequent plays in recent years. The final treat was a heartfelt final encore (the 9th encore song) of “The Lonely 1”, another Being There song and one that I’m not sure that I’ve ever actually seen live. Its these kinds of treats that keep us coming back. I’m sure Cooperstown will yield the same kind of satisfaction.

I recorded this set along side the rest of the crew. For this recording, I’m using the Neumann and Sennheiser 4-mic rig and relying heavily on the hypercard Neumanns. I’ve also patched acidjack’s Schoeps recording for the first track since I experienced some technical issues during the first song. Overall it an excellent capture. Enjoy!

Stream “What’s The World Got In Store:”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W2238Wilco2297/09.%20What%27s%20The%20World%20Got%20In%20Store.mp3]

Stream “Passenger Side”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W2238Wilco2297/21.%20Passenger%20Side.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE]

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.

Wilco
2012-07-25
Terminal 5
New York, NY USA

Digital Master
Front of Board Four-Track Audience Recording

Sennheiser MKH-8040 Cardioids + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper, acidjack, hiandlo and johnnyfriedchickenboy
2012-07-26

Setlist:
[Total Time 2:14:29]
01 One Sunday Morning
02 Art Of Almost
03 I Might
04 At Least That’s What You Said
05 She’s A Jar
06 Kamera
07 Can’t Stand It
08 Too Far Apart
09 What’s The World Got In Store
10 Impossible Germany
11 Born Alone
12 Capitol City
13 Laminated Cat
14 Summer Teeth
15 Whole Love
16 Theologians
17 I’m The Man Who Loves You
18 Dawned On Me
19 A Shot in the Arm
20 [encore break]
21 Passenger Side
22 Casino Queen
23 Candyfloss
24 Hesitating Beauty
25 A Magazine Called Sunset
26 Kicking Television
27 [second encore break]
28 The Late Greats
29 Dreamer In My Dreams
30 The Lonely 1

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

Friend Roulette: May 6, 2012 Mercury Lounge – FLAC/MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

July 27, 2012
By

friend roulette
[photo by acidjack]

Friend Roulette are one of those complex, artsy, hard-to-categorize bands that prove their mettle live. This set is now a couple of months old, but on repeat listens, I kept coming back to it as something people needed to hear. At times, what comes off as lush, whimsical chamber pop on their available bandcamp releases comes across as a different animal live; songs like “I’m Sorry You Hit Your Head” come across heavy and dark, as frantic strings alternate with downbeat guitar riffs. Other concoctions like “Hi, Hello” – available (along with “I’m Sorry You Hit Your Head”) on a lovely 10″ vinyl EP from Goodnight Records – maintain more of their album sound, their many layers rendered expertly. As with a lot of bands with a more technical aspect to their sound, Friend Roulette rewards the dedicated listener. These songs ask you to dig deep, to pay attention.

As far as live shows in New York are concerned, a dedicated listener in this city can’t do much better than an early-side show at Mercury Lounge on a Sunday – the sound is always flawless, and the crowds are – well, let’s face it, they’re less drunk than average. Friend Roulette took the stage with absolute confidence and shined on both newer and older material from their catalog. With the band in the studio working on a full-length LP, we expect to see great things from them in the future. They have a number of other local shows on tap next month, including August 4 at Rippers (Rockaway Beach), August 5 at Cake Shop, and August 12 at Piano’s.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 microphones, the classic EAA PSP2 preamp on loan from hi and lo, and a soundboard feed from the Mercury staff.  The results are excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “I’m Sorry You Hit Your Head”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/F5006FriendRoulette2012/04 I’m Sorry You Hit Your Head.mp3]

Stream “Hi, Hello”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/F5006FriendRoulette2012/06 Hi Hello.mp3]

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

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.

Friend Roulette
2012-05-06
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41>CMC6>EAA PSP-2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ)>Audacity (adjust levels, set fades, tracking, amplify, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Fucked Up [omitted at artist request]
02 On Her Own Tonight [omitted at artist request]
03 Golden
04 I’m Sorry You Hit Your Head
05 Or, Berlin
06 Hi, Hello
07 Lie

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Friend Roulette, like them on Facebook, and buy/download their official releases from bandcamp and Goodnight Records.

Dean & Britta (with Luna reunion!): July 21, 2012 Mulcahy’s Wantagh NY – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

July 26, 2012
By


[photo courtesy of Tim Besa]

The amazing story of how this Dean & Britta / Luna reunion concert at the Tommy Brull Foundation Benefit came to fruition is a tale that bears repeating many times over. Tommy Brull was a huge Luna fan, and as his brother Martin relates in the introduction to this recording, many of the memories of his friends and family have of Tommy revolve around seeing or listening to the music of Luna. After several unsuccessful attempts to persuade Dean and Britta to perform at previous Benefits, fate intervened. This Winter, Martin answered an ad for a guitar for sale on craigslist and was shocked to find that the seller was none other than Dean Wareham. When Martin sampled the guitar by playing some of Luna’s “Tiger Lily”, a connection was made. And when Dean learned the details of the life of Tommy Brull and the mission of the Foundation, Dean and Britta agreed to play this year’s Shine A Light Festival. For the show, Sean Eden also agreed to play, and the Luna reunion was set. On Saturday night in Wantagh, I arrived in time to witness some of the Luna soundcheck. It seemed like no time had passed since the last incarnation of the band said farewell with a series of shows at Bowery Ballroom. With Dean, Sean and Britta out front and joined by Dean and Britta drummer Anthony LaMarca, this was as close to a full-fledged Luna reunion as we are likely to ever see — and it was one night only. The set began with two Galaxie 500 songs and a stunning cover of Nico’s (penned by Dylan) “I’ll Keep It With Mine” that we are streaming below. After a brief introduction, Sean joined the band on stage and the balance of the set contained seven Luna songs and two more Galaxie 500 songs that Luna performed often. The guitar interplay between Dean and Sean was spot on, and the rhythm section was flawless. In tribute to Martin and fate’s intervention, we are streaming “Tiger Lily” with the faith that Tommy Brull is smiling, knowing that more than a decade since his passing, he can still make amazing things happen.

I recorded this set with the Sennheiser 8040’s on stage and mixed with a soundboard feed. A problem with the phantom powering of the Sennheiser’s led to a minimal signal from the on-stage feed, and I relied heavily (75%) on the board feed for the mix. The feed is quite heavily on kick drums but after quite a bit of editing, I was able to produce an excellent listening recording. With those caveats, enjoy!

We ask that if you download this recording, you’ll also contribute to the Tommy Brull Foundation. The Shine A Light Festival was held to raise money for Camp Anchor, a camp in Long Beach that assists disabled children.

Donate to Tommy Brull Foundation [HERE].

There are still some t-shirts for sale from the Festival. Photo [here]. Email Tommy Brull Foundation for information.

Stream “I’ll Keep It With Mine”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D1310DeanWareham2001/04.%20I’ll%20Keep%20It%20With%20Mine%20(Nico).mp3]

Stream “Tiger Lily”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D1310DeanWareham2001/08.%20Tiger%20Lily.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

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.

Dean and Britta (with Luna Reunion)
2012-07-21
Shine A Light Festival
Mulcahy’s
Wantagh, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + On-Stage Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Sennheiser 8040 Cardioids > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper 2012-07-24

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:14:25]
01 [introduction]
02 Flowers
03 When Will You Come Home
04 I’ll Keep It With Mine (Nico)
05 [Sean Eden intro]
06 Bewitched
07 23 Minutes in Brussels
08 Tiger Lily
09 Moon Palace
10 Blue Thunder
11 Tugboat
12 Bonnie and Clyde
13 [banter – tuning]
14 Indian Summer
15 [encore break]
16 Listen The Snow is Falling (Yoko)
17 4th of July

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Dean and Britta, visit their website, where you can purchase their official releases at the Shop at their website [HERE].

Patterson Hood & the Downtown Rumblers: July 23, 2012 Bell House – FLAC/MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

July 25, 2012
By

Patterson
[still from this video]

Patterson Hood must be holding back his best material. Or, at least, the solo material on display at this appearance at The Bell House wowed both Johnny Fried Chicken Boy and me to a greater level than his most recent work with his main gig, the Drive-By Truckers, has. That’s not meant as a knock on the Truckers – that band is a collaborative effort, and Hood has never been the whole equation as far as songwriting for it goes. But he has always been, at least for me, the beating heart and mascot of that band, the friendly drunk with a wink in his eye, the one who reminds you of that reliably Southern buddy you wish you had.

Hood is also the band’s great storyteller. His honest, unvarnished tales manage to be universal, even if you don’t know jack shit about moonshine and pickup trucks. His new record is called Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, and the title track is a tribute to Patterson’s recently deceased great uncle, who raised him for much of his childhood.  If you’ve seen actual heat lightning spread its electric fingers out over a black Southern sky, seemingly tousling the pines, you know what a majestic sight it is. And why it reminded Patterson of a loved one, about to be dearly departed. Because that image, like that person you love, will never leave you.

Many of his images don’t.  There’s Billy Ringo, the hapless stoner who nearly dies every day, nearly falling from a window but still keeping his hand on his bong. There are the liquor store fanboys of “12:01”, hanging outside the store on Sunday at midnight, fighting off the shakes until they can get their whiskey fix. There are the torn pages from the back of a Gideon Bible, scrawled with a love song of a moment’s inspiration.

Hood is a gifted songwriter, blessed with the common touch and an uncommon amount of insight. He’s a generous writer and performer, too; even by the standards of rock n’ roll, you can tell how much he loves doing both. Only somebody with that much love puts on a nearly two hour  performance of solo album material on a Monday night.  This show covered much of Heat Lightning, which will be released on September 11, but also offered some of his earlier favorites like “Pollyanna” was well as notable covers, including Big Star’s “September Gurls” and Todd Rundgren’s “The Range War”. Hood and this band, christened the Downtown Rumblers, were as free spirited and lively as ever, passing a bottle of Patron around as they dug deep into Hood’s catalog at a solid, but measured pace. Hood likes to take his time to cue up his songs, to put a frame around them, if you will, and that is one of the most rewarding aspects of his live show. By the time this one wrapped, it felt like we’d spent an evening with an old friend. The show ended, appropriately, with the Eddie Hinton song “Everybody Needs Love”, and we had felt plenty of it from Patterson tonight.

This set was recorded with Schoeps MK41 microphones, whose directionality helps to reduce some of the “boomy” nature of this room, and a soundboard feed. I think you will like the results. Enjoy!

Minor assistance with the setlist would be appreciated. Also, the tag for the first track should be changed to “Depression Era”. Thanks to Patterson, the Bell House and Dave for their hospitality.

Stream “Heat Lightning Rumbles In the Distance”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D8030DriveByTruckers3838/21 Heat Lightning Rumbles In the Distance.mp3]

Stream “September Gurls [Big Star]”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D8030DriveByTruckers3838/11 September Gurls.mp3]

Stream “12:01”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D8030DriveByTruckers3838/03 12_01.mp3]

Download the MP3 and FLAC files and stream this entire show on the Live Music Archive [HERE]

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.

Patterson Hood and the Downtown Rumblers
2012-07-23
Bell House
Brooklyn, NY USA

Hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK41>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2 + SBD >> Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ AUD)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (light DR compression on SBD, mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (additional EQ)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:53:08]
01 Depression Era
02 Pride of the Yankees
03 12:01
04 [banter]
05 Leavin’ Time
06 Little Bonnie
07 [banter]
08 Billy Ringo
09 [banter]
10 Disappear
11 September Gurls [Big Star]
12 Old Timer’s Disease
13 (untold pretties)
14 The Range War [Todd Rundgren]
15 Betty Ford
16 Uncle Disney
17 Better Off Without
18 Pollyanna
19 After the Damage
20 Screwtopia
21 Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance
22 Come Back Little Star
23 15 Days
24 [encore break]
25 Back of a Bible
26 Everybody Needs Love [Eddie Hinton]

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Patterson Hood, visit his website, and buy his official releases in the Drive By Truckers Online Store.

Field Report: July 21, 2012 Mercury Lounge – FLAC/MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

July 24, 2012
By

field report vid cap
[still from this video]

I got to around 100 concerts a year, and at those concerts, I probably see upwards of 300 bands or more. A lot of times I am less than satisfied, but I keep going, and going, and going – chasing the perfect sound. And every once awhile – just about often enough – I come a band that is jaw-droppingly great, that raises the bar for their own art form.

Christopher Porterfield of Field Report was only a few bars into “I Am Not Waiting Anymore” at this Mercury Lounge show when I knew this was one of those bands. Although it was a hot summer day, Porterfield and his Milwaukee-based bandmates took the stage in dark-colored suits, and in some cases, ties, perhaps with an eye toward the grander days of Nashville, perhaps as if to say with their clothing what was already obvious – these are serious musicians. Portfield’s rough-hewn vocals and the band’s country tinge will draw comparisons to bands like Partisan Records labelmates Deer Tick or other roots/Americana bands, but if you want to see where their real magic lies, listen more carefully or get out the lyric sheet (you can read all of Porterfield’s lyrics on their website). Porterfield brings an ample vocabulary to his verses, and an ear for the satisfying grit in individual words and passages.  On paper, many of the band’s lyrics don’t scan like song lyrics at all, like this beginning to “Route 18”:

Elizabeth said last night the lake roared like the ocean; I was landlocked under the orange-white solstice moon. Imagine: imagining a place meant to conjure up another. Three degrees of hometown disconnect in my unborn daughter’s room.

or this opening to “Circle Drive”

leftside sidewalk hospital circle drive walked this way twice a day, back the other way two times they got you wrapped up in guilt like an aftermarket cancer quilt and I don’t know the names of the people on the patches and they ground you down to calcium and road salt and pressed you into piles of pills they cut with ashes

The band’s delivery is every bit as confident as Porterfield’s well-illuminated songwriting, which likely played a role in their rapid signing to Partisan (their full-length LP comes out on September 11) as well as supporting slots this summer for Counting Crows and Emmylou Harris. This set covered material from the band’s current preview EP as well as the new record, and there wasn’t a lackluster number among them.  My favorite was probably the harrowing “Circle Drive”, about endurance in the face of pain, but the band’s initial push into the mainstream will probably be built on more uptempo numbers like “The Year Of I Got You Alone”, and “Chico the American”. One thing these songs are not is anthemic or upbeat; these are songs for deep contemplation, maybe a slug of whiskey or two.  Every press missive about this band will mention Porterfield’s prior relationship with Bon Iver (in precursor band DeYarmond Edison), but Field Report don’t need the boldface name hype.  This Mercury crowd must have felt the same way I was feeling; even on a Saturday night, the crowd remained whisper quiet during each number, to the point that Porterfield commented on how intently we listened. How couldn’t we?  It’s hard to tear yourself away from something so authentic, vital and honest.

I recorded this set with my usual combination of Schoeps MK41 microphones and a soundboard feed from Kevin, the head engineer at Mercury Lounge.  The house mix, even by Mercury Lounge’s high standards, was flawless, and the respectful crowd only makes the recording sound even better.  Enjoy!

Field Report will continue touring the U.S. with Counting Crows into the month of August.  Thanks to Partisan Records for inviting us to the show.

Stream “Chico the American”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/F1270FieldReport0212/05 Chico the American.mp3]

Stream “Fergus Falls”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/F1270FieldReport0212/11 Fergus Falls.mp3]

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

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.

Field Report
2012-07-21
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK41>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2 >> Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter, limiter)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 I Am Not Waiting Anymore
02 The Year of I Got You Alone
03 [tuning]
04 Evergreen
05 Chico the American
06 Taking Alcatraz
07 Incommunicado
08 [banter]
09 Circle Drive
10 [banter]
11 Fergus Falls
12 Route 18

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Field Report, visit their website, buy their 3-song EP on bandcamp, and like them on Facebook.

SUPPORT NYCTaper




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