Union Street Preservation Society: July 13, 2012 Highline Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

July 17, 2012
By

One doesn’t necessarily think first of Brooklyn New York when considering hotbeds for bluegrass music. But the Union Street Preservation Society have been practicing their craft locally and their hard work has paid off. On Friday night, the band was selected to open for the nationally prominent Greensky Bluegrass at Highline Ballroom. USPS took the opportunity of a high profile gig and ran with it. Their forty minute set was a tight and entertaining run through their repertoire of rootsy folk and bluegrass and featured proficient playing and stagecraft. We’re streaming the old folk number “Going Down The Road Feeling Bad”, perhaps most famously performed by the Grateful Dead, but a song that has roots as deep as the music that inspires USPS.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the Greensky set, but this recording as a slight buzz/hum caused perhaps by an instrument on stage. With the caveat, enjoy what is otherwise and excellent capture.

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

Union Street Preservation Society
2012-07-13
Highline Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > 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 2012-07-17

Setlist:
[Total Time 37:25]
01 Duck River
02 [intros]
03 Monday
04 Better Luck
05 Main Squeeze
06 Cookin
07 Caleb Meyer
08 White Freightliner
09 Going Down The Road Feeling Bad
10 Fat Bottom Girls

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Union Street Preservation Society, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from their Bandcamp page [HERE].

Blitzen Trapper: July 14, 2012 Stuyvesant Town Oval – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

July 16, 2012
By

There are certain types of music and certain bands that fit perfectly when you’re sitting on the grass on a beautiful sunny day. On Saturday at Stuyvesant Town, Blitzen Trapper performed “Live From The Oval”, and although the booking of these concerts has been weird over the years (Jay Reatard, High Places), on this weekend they got it right. After an energetic and entertaining set from Ben Kweller (recording coming soon), Blitzen Trapper took the stage and for the next seventy minutes, the Oval was a relaxed perfect mix of sun, green grass, happy neighbors, and folk/roots rock. While the set did contain a couple of treats — first album deep cut “Texaco” and their new Record Store Day 7″ cover of “Hey Joe” — the attraction of this show was the sheer enjoyment of the right music at the right place and time. It was a smell the roses moment, and it was over far too soon.

I recorded this set with the Sennheiser 8040s mounted on a 15 foot stand about 30 feet back from the stage and mixed with a fine board feed provided by BT’s talented FOH Martin. The mix accentuates the audience microphones since the recording truly captures the feel on the grass that day. I’m extremely pleased with the quality of this recording. Enjoy!

We are still offering a superb recording of Blitzen Trapper at Maxwell’s in December [here].

Stream “Wild Mountain Nation”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/B2227Blitzen9822/17.%20Wild%20Mountain%20Nation.mp3]

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

Blitzen Trapper
2012-07-14
Stuyvesant Town Oval
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + 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 2012-07-15

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:09:22]
01 [introduction]
02 Astronaut
03 Hey Joe
04 Party Jam
05 Sleepytime in the Western World
06 Texaco
07 Love the Way
08 Takin it Easy
09 God and Suicide
10 Goldwing
11 Lady on the Water
12 Furr
13 Silver Moon
14 Black River Killer
15 Fletcher
16 Evening Star
17 Wild Mountain Nation
18 Gold for Bread
19 Jericho
20 Big Black Bird

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Blitzen Trapper, visit their website, and purchase American Goldwing from the Store at their site [HERE].

Greensky Bluegrass: July 13, 2012 Highline Ballroom – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

July 16, 2012
By


[photo by froboy]

Bluegrass is a musical genre that unfortunately gets short shrift at nyctaper. And it shouldn’t be that way. One of my favorite concerts of all time was a memorable collaboration between Steve Earle and the Del McCoury band at Town Hall in 1998, and I can also say that I saw the legendary Bill Monroe in concert at Damrosch Park in 1990. So in an effort to rectify that shortcoming, on Friday I made it to Highline Ballroom for a bluegrass double bill including one of the foremost “newgrass” bands Greensky Bluegrass, and local up and comers The Union Street Preservation Society (recording coming soon). Greensky is a quintet that’s been around for a dozen years and has accumulated a strong national following. On Friday night, they brought the goods — a two-set two-plus hour show that consisted of a healthy dose of original material, some traditional bluegrass numbers, and a series of eclectic rock covers all performed with stunning proficiency and with an authentic reperatory feel. We’re streaming “I’m Working on a Building”, an old negro spiritual made most famous by The Carter Family but also performed often by the aforementioned Mr. Monroe. Of the covers (Prince, Springsteen), the Talking Heads cover that was featured as the penultimate song of the night is also streaming below. At the end of the evening it was clear that if Greensky is the mantle carrier for the current generation of blue/newgrass music, then the genre is in very good hands indeed.

I recorded this set with the Neumann microphones set up directly in front of the soundboard and mixed with an excellent board feed. The mics picked up quite a bit of chatter during the first set, which relies more on the board feed, while the second set is heavier towards the mics. The sound quality on both is quite excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “I’m Working on a Building”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/G1307GreenskyBluegrass1202/16.%20I%27m%20Workin%20on%20a%20Building%20%5bCarter%20Family%5d.mp3]

Stream “Road To Nowhere” [Talking Heads]:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/G1307GreenskyBluegrass1202/23.%20Road%20to%20Nowhere%20%5bTalking%20Heads%5d.mp3]

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

Greensky Bluegrass
2012-07-13
Highline Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > 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 2012-07-15

Setlist:
Set 1
[Total Time 1:04:17]
01 Kerosene
02 I Second That Emotion [Miracles]
03 [banter – feel good juice]
04 Worried About The Weather
05 Hit Parade of Love
06 [banter – dance battle]
07 Break Mountain Breakdown
08 Atlantic City [Springsteen]
09 [banter – Hartford intro]
10 Steam Powered Aereo Plane [John Hartford]
11 Bottle Dry
12 When Doves Cry [Prince]

Set 2
[Total Time 1:13:44]
13 Bring Out Your Dead
14 Train Junkie
15 Been This Way Before
16 I’m Workin on a Building [Carter Family]
17 Highline Breakdown
18 [banter – Highline]
19 Old Barns
20 Take Me Back
21 Jesus on the Mainline
22 Don’t Lie
23 Road to Nowhere [Talking Heads]
24 Doesn’t Make Sense
25 [encore break]*
26 Down The Road
27 You Ain’t Going Nowhere [Dylan]
*encores unamplified

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Greensky Bluegrass, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the Store at their website [HERE].

Amen Dunes: June 17, 2012 Glasslands and June 24, 2012 Knitting Factory – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

July 13, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

The Sacred Bones Records showcase was the last show I saw at the Northside Festival, and it was also one of the ones I anticipated the most. First, because I try to never miss a chance to see bands I like at Glasslands, and second, because it was a stellar lineup from beginning to end. Of the bands playing, Amen Dunes were one I had not seen before, but they won me over early with their hypnotic, dark sound that recalls Syd Barrett, the Velvet Underground, Suicide and 13th Floor Elevators, among others. Founder and frontman Damon McMahon has claimed that he gets nervous performing live, but you wouldn’t have known it during this confident, if too short, set. Of course, it’s unlikely that McMahon could see us any more clearly than we could see him given the huge clouds of man-made fog he played in. If nothing else, the fog gave the show even more of a narcotic vibe.

This set gave us a taste of some of McMahon’s best songs from his recent record, Through Donkey Jaw. McMahon’s songs, now produced by a three-man band, tend to be downtempo affairs, but they held this crowd rapt, especially on numbers like the opener to Donkey Jaw, “Baba Yaga”.  We were fortunate enough to catch a second, slightly longer Amen Dunes show on the following Sunday at the Knitting Factory when nyctaper saw Amen Dunes opened for another of our favorite bands, the Wooden Shjips (that recording [HERE]). McMahon is one of those artists whose integrity and brilliance you recognize instantly, and we both felt that way when we caught our respective sets.

I recorded the Glasslands set with a soundboard feed and Schoeps MK5 microphones; the Knitting Factory set was similarly recorded with Sennheiser MKH-8040 microphones and a soundboard feed. Both are outstanding, with excellent house mixes. The Glasslands recording favors the soundboard more, while the Knitting Factory recording favors the sound from the Sennheiser microphones.  Enjoy!

Stream “Lower Mind” from the Knitting Factory:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/A1706AmenDunes0212/02 Lower Mind.mp3]

Stream “Baba Yaga” from Glasslands:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/A1706AmenDunes0212/05 Baba Yaga.mp3]

Download the MP3s: [Glasslands] | [Knitting Factory]

Download the FLACs: [Glasslands] | [Knitting Factory]

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.

Amen Dunes
2012-06-24
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded by nyctaper
Produced by acidjack

Sennheiser MKH-8040 + Soundboard>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Diane
02 Lower Mind
03 Swim Up Behind Me
04 Bedroom Drum
05 Not A Slave
06 Baba Yaga
07 [unknown]
_____________________________
Amen Dunes
2012-06-17
Glasslands Gallery
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, DFC, DIN, 8ft)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2>>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (mixdown, balance)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, analog effects)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Diane
02 Lower Mind
03 Swim Up Behind Me
04 Bedroom Drum
05 Baba Yaga

If you enjoyed these recordings, PLEASE SUPPORT Amen Dunes, like them on Facebook, and buy their records directly from Sacred Bones Records.

Crystal Stilts: June 17, 2012 Glasslands [Northside Festival] – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

July 11, 2012
By


[photos by acidjack]

As noted in our post back in May about the band, this site has followed Crystal Stilts from early on in their career. In my times seeing the band, I have watched them grow from at-times diffident live performers into a dialed-in act whose performances retain the ramshackle greatness of their earlier shows, but deliver a polish on their instruments and a solidity to their sound that was missing in some of those earlier shows. The band closed out the stellar Northside Festival showcase put on by Sacred Bones Records in real style, keeping Glasslands filled to capacity even though it was well after midnight on a Sunday. This set went everywhere in their catalog, from their latest LP In Love With Oblivion, to their current Radiant Door EP, and all the way back to their 2008 breakout LP Alight of Night.  They also served up a relatively rare track, “Love Is A Wave” from a 2009 7″, as well as a new number that I am calling “Delirium” for now. This set was completely different than the one we saw back in May

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 microphones and a soundboard feed from the Glasslands staff.  Like many of our Crystal Stilts recordings, this one is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Delirium [new song]”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C1207CrystalStilts2220/07 Delirium.mp3]

Stream “Love Is A Wave”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C1207CrystalStilts2220/11 Love Is A Wave.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.

 

Crystal Stilts
2012-06-17
Glasslands Gallery
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, DFC, DIN, 8ft)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2>>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (mixdown, balance)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Invisible City
03 Half A Moon
04 Shattered Shine
05 Sycamore Tree
06 Blood Barons
07 “Delirium” [new]
08 [interlude]
09 Shake the Shackles
10 Still As the Night
11 Love Is A Wave
12 Prometheus At Large

If you enjoyed these recordings, PLEASE SUPPORT Crystal Stilts, visit their website and purchase In Love With Oblivion from Slumberland Records [HERE] and the Radiant Door EP from Sacred Bones Records [HERE].

Starlight Girls: June 16, 2012 Spike Hill [Northside Festival] – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

July 9, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

At this Northside Festival day show meant to showcase four of the “8 Bands You Need to Hear” (as determined by the L Magazine), Starlight Girls drew a crowd. As the first act on the bill, taking the stage during what most festivalgoers probably thought of as “recovery time” could have been a challenge. But by about the middle of  “Try”, the third song in their set, the Spike Hill show room was packed. The band serves up an addictive sound that references lounge music, 60s girl groups, soul and lo-fi indie rock – a perfect antidote to a hung over afternoon. The show began on a mellow note, but quickly ramped up the energy as the crowd (and the band’s confidence) grew. By the time the band tore into “Lion In A Cage,” my favorite number of the day, they had won over all doubters. I was also a big fan of one of the earlier, more lounge-y numbers, “$9,000,000” in particular.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardioid microphones and a soundboard feed from the Spike Hill engineer.  The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Thanks to Spike Hill and Starlight Girls.

Stream “$9,000,000”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S6016StarlightGirls2102/05 9M.mp3]

Stream “Lion In A Cage”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S6016StarlightGirls2102/08 Lion In A Cage.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.

Starlight Girls
2012-06-16
Spike Hill
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, slightly LOC, PAS)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC (level 8 )

Tracks
01 La La Lune
02 [tuning]
03 Gossip
04 Try
05 $9,000,000
06 Wasteland
07 Wallflower
08 Lion in a Cage
09 Nomad
10 Inhibitionist
11 Like a Movie
12 The Hunch

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Starlight Girls, visit their website, and download their EP FOR FREE on bandcamp.

SUPPORT NYCTaper




Email

Email nyctaper

DISCLAIMER and LEGAL NOTICE

nyctaper.com is a live music blog that offers a new paradigm of music distribution on the web. The recordings are offered for free on this site as are the music posts, reviews and links to artist sites. All recordings are posted with artist permission or artists with an existing pro-taping policy.

All recordings and original content posted on this site are @nyctaper.com as live recordings pursuant to 17 U.S.C. Section 106, et. seq. Redistribution of nyctaper recordings without consent of nyctaper.com is strictly prohibited.

nyctaper.com hereby waives all copyright claims to any and all recordings posted on this site to THE PERFORMERS ONLY. If any artist posted on this site requests that recordings be removed, those recordings will be removed forthwith.