Widowspeak: August 2, 2011 Glasslands and June 30, 2011 285 Kent – FLAC/MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

August 11, 2011
By

widowspeak-brooklyn.3
[Photo by Daniel Doherty courtesy of Impose Magazine]

The folks over at PopGun Booking have a deserved reputation for putting some of the best up-and-coming acts on the Glasslands stage months and years before the wider public notices. When I saw Widowspeak back in March, they were a very new band with almost no recorded output, but they were already very much on their game as performers, with many great songs already in the hopper. Almost five months later to the day, and the band was back at Glasslands celebrating the release of their self-titled debut record on the hot Brooklyn imprint Captured Tracks.  The band’s set was if anything more confident and polished than the March show, and unsurprisingly featured more songs, including the newer tracks “Gun Shy”, “Hard Times”, “Half Awake” and a new number I could not identify by name (just bought the album this morning). “Half Awake,” being performed live for the first time, is one of the most somber tunes in the band’s catalog, but it is beautiful in its bleakness.

We also caught another great performance from the band back in June, presented by Brooklyn promoter ToddP at the DIY venue 285 Kent next door. This set sounds fantastic, and although a bit shorter than the Glasslands set, has many of the band’s strongest songs, including the standout new single “Gun Shy”. I’m also a sucker for the band’s cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” which they played at the show I saw back in March, and is also the b-side of the “Gun Shy” single.

The 285 Kent set was recorded with Neumann microphones and a soundboard feed from an ideal location in the venue that avoided a lot of the chatter going on. The Glasslands recording was made with perfectly situated Schoeps microphones and a great soundboard feed from Derek, but there is a light buzzing emanating from an onstage monitor that is captured in the board feed. With that caveat (and a bit of crowd chatter during a few songs), that recording is also excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Gun Shy” from 285 Kent:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W3030Widowspeak0211/09 09 Gun Shy.mp3]

Stream “Hard Times” from Glasslands:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W3030Widowspeak0211/05 Hard Times.mp3]

Stream “In the Pines” from 285 Kent:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/W3030Widowspeak0211/01 In The Pines.mp3]

Download the 285 Kent MP3s [HERE]

Download the Glasslands MP3s [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [Glasslands] / [285 Kent]

Widowspeak

Glasslands show:

2011-08-02
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded by hi and lo and acidjack for nyctaper.com
Produced by acidjack

Equipment: Soundboard + Schoeps Mk5 (cardiod)>EAA PSP2 >> Tascam DR-680
Position: Center post, ORFT, 8ft up
Mastering: 2x24bit/44.1kHz WAV>Audition (effects, mix down)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 39:50]
01 [intro]
02 In the Pines
03 Burnout
04 [unknown]
05 Hard Times
06 [unknown]
07 Nightcrawlers
08 Harsh Realm
09 Yellow Light
10 Half Awake
11 Gun Shy
12 Ghost Boy

285 Kent show:

2011-06-30
285 Kent
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + DPA 4021s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 16bit 44.1kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2011-08-04

Setlist:
[Total Time 33:27]
01 In The Pines
02 Burnout
03 [unknown]
04 Yellow Light
05 Harsh Realm
06 Nightcrawlers
07 Hard Times
08 [banter]
09 Gun Shy
10 Wicked Game [Chris Isaak]

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Widowspeak, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their newly-released LP from Captured Tracks.

Pepper Rabbit: June 17, 2011 Knitting Factory (Northside Festival) – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

August 10, 2011
By

Photo courtesy of Jessica Amaya @ Brooklyn Vegan
[photos courtesy of Jessica Amaya and Brooklyn Vegan]

L.A. band Pepper Rabbit, primarily a duo of Xander Singh and Luc Laurent, have a uniquely textured and melodic sound that we experienced first-hand during Friday night’s performance at the Kanine Records Showcase for Brooklyn’s Northside Festival. Considering the layered depth they are able to create in both the studio and in their the live performances, it’s easy to see why they’ve already achieved much critical acclaim and toured with major acts such as Ra Ra Riot, Passion Pit, and Givers (which we had the pleasure of capturing for a Backyard Brunch Session earlier this year).

This night’s performance was a mix of new and old with about half the songs coming from their debut album Beauregard and the other half coming from their newly released album Red Velvet Snow Ball. For this recording, I parked in our usual sweet spot and recorded the show with both Schoeps cardioid and hypercardioid microphones. Normally I wouldn’t choose to mix down all six channels, but thought it lent itself to a particularly good sound when mixed with the excellent soundboard feed provided the Knitting Factory’s sound engineer Rob. I hope you enjoy it!

Stream “Dance Card”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/P1706PepperRabbit1102/pepperrabbit2011-06-17.Dance_Card.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Pepper Rabbit
Northside Festival
Knitting Factory
New York, NY, US
2011-06-17

Recorded and released for nyctaper.com by hi and lo.

Recordist : hi and lo
Location : On stand right of sbd
Source : Soundboard + MK41/CMR > PSP-2 + MK5 > Nbox+ >> Tascam DR-680 24bit/96 kHz
Edit : WaveLab v5 (eq, dither, resampling)
Final Format : 16 bit, 44.1 kHz

Tracklist:

01. Harvest Moon
02. Older Brother
03. Murder Room
04. [banter]
05. Dance Card
06. The Annexation of Puerto Rico
07. None Shall Sleep

Running Time: 27:07

Please support Pepper Rabbit by visiting their their MySpace page and by purchasing their debut album and latest release, Red Velvet Snow Ball, on iTunes or from the Kanine Records Shop.

A huge thanks to Kanine Records and Pepper Rabbit for this amazing show!

The Loom: June 19, 2011 Public Assembly (Northside) – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

August 9, 2011
By


[Photos courtesy of Jill of fortheloveofbrooklyn photoblog]

We have been extolling the virtues of The Loom for three years now, and lately others have followed, including The New York Times, Paste Magazine and The New Yorker. The band has played four shows that we have presented, including most recently our Northside Festival show earlier this Summer. Their set at Northside featured some new material, songs which continue the strength of this band — harmonies, superb instrumentation, and fine songwriting. We were heartened to learn that The Loom should be announcing some exciting news in the near future that will assure a wider audience for them and finally see the release of Teeth, their first full-length record and an album that will cement their position among the best of today’s Americana music. We have selected “The Middle Distance” to stream below. At Public Assembly it was an energetic performance of one of the best tracks from Teeth. The Loom will next be performing at the Daytrotter Barnstorming tour that will come to upstate Ghent New York later this month.

I recorded this set with the DPA microphones mounted above the soundboard room, and mixed it with a board feed. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “The Middle Distance”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L0505Loom1111/03.%20The%20Middle%20Distance.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

The Loom
2011-06-19
Public Assembly
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Four-Track Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + DPA 4021s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2011-08-03

Setlist:
[Total Time 30:37]
01 Snowed In
02 Song for the Winter Sun
03 The Middle Distance
04 Like Lamp Glow
05 For the Hooves that Gallop
06 Morning Song / Mountain Song

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Loom, visit their website, purchase their official releases from the links at their site, and keep an eye out for their new album.

Disappears: July 26, 2011 Union Pool – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

August 8, 2011
By

disappears
[still from this video]

Chicago’s Disappears have been together only since 2009, but they’ve accomplished a lot in that time, releasing their debut album Lux in 2010, followed this year with the stellar Guider EP, and bringing on Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth as a new member after founding drummer Graeme Gibson left to continue his work with the Fruit Bats. The band has a new record in the works, and they showed off a solid chunk of it here at Union Pool, in a set that was mostly new and unreleased material. Union Pool has been killing it all summer with great lineups of bands, but this night – with Disappears headlining and Brooklyn’s own The Psychic Paramount opening – stood out as one of the absolute best. Disappears’ new songs expand the scope of their songs just a bit, though their reverb-soaked, krautrock-meets-Velvet Underground (with a dash of the Fall) sound is still intact. But although only three of the songs (as far as I could tell) were previously released (“Halo,” “Magics” and “Marigold”) Disappears held the crowd rapt with their thick squall of guitar, with lead singer/guitarist Brian Case (also of the Ponys) singing with the echo on overdrive beneath. Expect big things from a band that, despite members’ other commitments, is hardly looking like a side project.

Stream “Replicate [new]”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D7026Disappears0211/08 Replicate.mp3]

Stream “Magics”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D7026Disappears0211/02 Magics.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Follow acidjack on twitter

Disappears
2011-07-26
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Equipment: DPA 4021>Oade M248 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: Balcony, DFC, ORTF
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (compression and additional effects on SBD, EQ, mix down, downsample)>Audacity (tracking, set fades, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Halo
02 Magics
03 [unknown]
04 [unknown]
05 Marigold
06 Love [new]
07 [unknown]
08 Replicate [new]
09 [unknown]
10 [unknown]
11 [unknown]
12 [unknown]
13 [unknown]

If you download this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Disappears, visit their website, and purchase their records, including Guider, from Kranky [HERE]

XVSK: July 23, 2011 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

August 5, 2011
By


[Photos by Dominick Mastrangello]

XVSK is the dynamic duo of Trevor Exter and John Morgan Kimock, and they turn the whole au courant notion of the noisy garage rock duo completely on its head. Lots of bands use the stripped-down format to excuse sloppy, thin songs; Exter and Kimock manage to pump out fully realized blues-rock tunes that could shame a band twice their size. They achieve it in part by being very good at what they do, and their pedigree has probably contributed to their current skill level. Kimock is the son of the legendary guitarist Steve Kimock, and the family’s musical gift has passed to John in the form of some vicious drum skills. Exter is a celebrated vocalist and cellist who has played with many great artists and released his own solo records, and the use of his plugged-in cello is a big part of what gives the duo a bigger sound. This Backyard Brunch Sessions performance could just as easily have been a studio session given how dialed-in the duo was. Although they haven’t been playing together long, the two musicians clearly have a compatible vision and style. According to the bio on his website, Exter had some rough travels on the way to the musical moment he is now in, and perhaps what makes his blues-inflected vocals so convincing, perhaps no more so than on the kickoff track to the afternoon, “Hits”, which has been stuck in my head since the show.

I recorded this set with AKG microphones on John’s drums, a direct output from Trevor’s vocal mic, and a Schoeps microphone on Trevor’s cello amps. The results are outstanding. Enjoy!

Stream “Back In My Arms”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/X2307XVSK2011/03 Back In My Arms.mp3]

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

XVSK
2011-07-23
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Equipment: AKG C414 B-XLS (wide cardiod)>Sound Devices USBpre2 + Schoeps Mk41>CMC6 >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Mastering: 4x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (effects, mixdown)>Audacity (set fades, EQ, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Intro
02 Hits
03 Back In My Arms
04 Mexico
05 Natalie
06 No How

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, PLEASE SUPPORT XVSK by visiting their website, downloading their free EP there, and going to their shows.

Quiet Lights: June 19, 2011 Public Assembly (NYCTaper Northside Showcase) – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

August 4, 2011
By

quietlights2010-10-26
[photo from Quiet Lights Facebook page]

The Brooklyn band Quiet Lights was high on my list of artists to invite to our inaugural Northside Festival showcase, and they delivered, closing out the NYCTaper Northside Festival showcase at Public Assembly with an intense set of songs that included most of their recently-released EP, The Big Fear. As with the first time I saw them at the Knitting Factory, they brought a dense, heavy sound with them, leavened by vocalist Yseult Tyler’s dreamscape vocals. Theirs is the sound of the late night or a slow-breaking dawn, and that made for a perfect late-night ending to a very long weekend of late nights.

I recorded this set with the AKG large-diaphragm microphones and a soundboard feed, as with the other sets from this show. This set emphasizes the soundboard feed a bit more heavily and sounds quite good. Enjoy!

Stream “Fevers”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Q2610QuietLights2010/03 Fevers.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Follow acidjack on twitter

Quiet Lights
2011-06-19
NYCTaper Northside Showcase
Public Assembly
Brooklyn, NY USA

An acidjack master recording
Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Equipment: AKG C414 B-XLS (cardiod)>Sound Devices USBpre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: Each mic clamped to pole, split 5ft
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

01 Throat Cut
02 No More Crayons
03 Fevers
04 Engine Down
05 Ablaze
06 Bad At Math
07 Simple Mechanics

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Quiet Lights, visit their website, like them on Facebook, and check out their releases on Bandcamp including The Big Fear.

SUPPORT NYCTaper




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