Soft Black: January 21, 2011 Brooklyn Bowl – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 27, 2011
By


[Photo courtesy of Kevin Serra for Kevchino]

Our previous experiences with Soft Black had been more intimate experiences than this show at the massive Brooklyn Bowl – first there was the Gaza Benefit Show this summer, followed by their short but outstanding set at the NYCTaper Unoffiicial CMJ Show in October. As the band gets ready to release their new album The Witching Hour – the product of two full years of songwriting and playing – this set opening for Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers (also recorded) gave frontman Vincent Cacchione and the band a chance to show off their new songs in front of a wider audience. Cacchione’s songs carried perfectly in the larger setting – with vocals that remind me a bit of a punk Dylan with better elocution, Soft Black songs are the kind that stick in your head immediately. Kicking off the set with the haunting “I’m Not Afraid Of You” from The Witching Hour, this ten-song set gave us rocking renditions of older songs like “The Lions” as well as song we had not heard before like “The Man With the Midas Tongue”. The band is putting the finishing touches on The Witching Hour before officially releasing it to the wider world, and the record is sure to prove worth the wait.

We recorded this set in the same manner as the Shilpa Ray recording, balancing the recording heavily toward the soundboard feed to minimize the bowling and other crowd noise. The result is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Heaven Is A Place You Go”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S0087SoftBlack2010/13 Heaven Is A Place You Go.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Soft Black
2011-01-21
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Neumann KM-150s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, set fades) > Audacity (tracking, tagging)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Recorded by nyctaper and produced by nyctaper and acidjack
2011-02-25

Tracks [Total Time 35:03]
01 Intro
02 I’m Not Afraid of You
03 The Man With the Midas Tongue
04 The Earth is Black
05 The Flesh of the Sky
06 I Am An Animal
07 The Girl Who Ate Her Own Heart
08 banter
09 The Lions
10 [unknown]
11 banter
12 I Was Born Drenched In Mud
13 Heaven Is A Place You Go

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Soft Black, visit their website, and purchase their records and merchandise directly from their online store here.

Tristen: February 23, 2011 Knitting Factory – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 24, 2011
By


[photo by nyctaper]

Tristen Gaspadarek has been writing and performing her heartfelt country-tinged songs for nearly half of her twenty-six years, and her intrinsic wisdom-beyond-years is evident in the strength of her writing. Tristen and The Ringers performed a tight forty-five minute set at Knitting Factory last night that featured much of the material from her new album Charlatans At The Garden Gate released last week on American Myth Records. It is an album that chronicles the power and destructive nature of love seen through the weary eyes of experienced world traveler. The most stark recitation of the struggle is featured in the relationship-with-an-addict number “Baby Drugs”, which can be streamed below. Tristen is one of those seriously talented artists who we expect big things from in the near future, and Charlatans is the likely conduit to that success. Tristen’s current tour wraps up with three more dates this week, before she heads to SXSW, and then continues throughout the country during April and May.

I recorded this set with the four microphone rig from our standard location in this venue and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Baby Drugs”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/T2302Tristen1120/06.%20Baby%20Drugs.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Tristen
2011-02-23
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Soundboard Booth

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > 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
2011-02-24

Setlist:
[Total Time 45:10]
01 Save Raina
02 Special Kind of Fear
03 Doomsday
04 [banter]
05 Battle of The Gods
06 Baby Drugs
07 [banter2]
08 Queen
09 Avalanche
10 Matchstick Murder
11 Eager For Your Love
12 Heart And Hope to Die
13 The Ringer

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Tristen, visit her website, and purchase Charlatans At The Garden Gate from the American Myth Records website [HERE].

Delicate Steve: February 17, 2011 Knitting Factory – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 23, 2011
By


[photo courtesy of John Ruscher at Eardrum NYC]

Delicate Steve began as the solo recording project of Steve Marion, but with the release and subsequent success of Wondervisions (Luaka Bop Records), Steve has now become a full touring band. On Thursday at Knitting Factory in an opening set for Akron/Family, Delicate Steve played a short but sweet set of his multi-influenced melodic guitar instrumentals. While Steve cites Ponytail and Dirty Projectors as influences (both of whom are contributors), the influences could also reach back to Mike Oldfield or Carlos Santana. The end result is a rich amalgam that produces something fairly unique in “indie rock” — instrumental songs without irony or pretense. At the Knit, the band performed much of Wondervisions and a few unreleased tracks. Stream a live performance of the title track from the album below.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the Akron/Family recording and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Wondervisions”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D1702Delicate1102/05.%20Wondervisions.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Delicate Steve
2011-02-17
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Soundboard Booth

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > 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
2011-02-23

Setlist:
[Total Time 33:34]
01 [new song]
02 The Ballad of Speck and Pebble
03 Sugar Splash
04 [new song 2]
05 Wondervisions
06 [banter]
07 Don’t Get Stuck (Proud Elephants)
08 Wally Wilder
09 Butterfly

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Delicate Steve, visit his website, and purchase Wondervisions from the Luaka Bop Records website [HERE].

The Forms: February 12, 2011 The Rock Shop – FLAC / MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 21, 2011
By


[photo by Johnny]

Judging by the gig I saw this night at The Rock Shop, it’s no wonder that Brooklyn-based The Forms are sharing stages with some of indie rock’s best acts and garnering quite a bit of attention.  Beginning their show by walking through the crowd with a steel drum and accordion and playing a very unique take on their song, “Knowledge In Hand”, Alex Tween and Matt Walsh treated us to a brilliant set of their intricate rhythms and melodies.  Being the release show for their ‘Derealization‘ disc, they played half of its tracks, a few from previous albums and even some yet-to-be-released nuggets.  With a sound and structure that defies most genres, I suggest that you check these guys out and keep your eye on them.

Thanks to The Forms engineer Jeff Stultz and the house engineer, Shane, we were able to get a feed from the board to compliment our microphones.  With this top-notch mix, the resulting recording is excellent.  Enjoy!

Stream “Finally”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/F2121Forms0606/The Forms – Finally.mp3]

Direct download of the complete show in MP3 [HERE]
Direct download of the complete show in FLAC [HERE]

If either of the links are no longer working, email nyctaper with a request for the download location of the files.

The Forms
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The Rock Shop
Brooklyn, NY, USA

Source: SBD + DPA 4021’s > Edirol R-44 (WAV @ 24-bit/48kHz)
Lineage: R-44 (WAV @ 24-bit/48kHz) > USB > PC > Adobe Audition (mixdown, adjust levels, downsample, dither, tracking) > WAV (16-bit/44.1kHz) > Trader’s Little Helper (check/fix SBEs, FLAC conversion) > FLAC ( level 8 )
The Forms engineer: Jeff Stultz
The Rock Shop house engineer: Shane
Recorded and produced by: Johnny Fried Chicken Boy

SETLIST:
[Total time: 37:02]
01. Knowledge In Hand
02. Derealization
03. Fire To The Ground
04. Untitled
05. All Souls Day
06. Finally
07. [banter]
08. Haha-So-Far
09. Same Path Mantra

If you download this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Forms, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their new album, ‘Derealization‘, and their other official releases and merchandise.

Akron/Family: February 17, 2011 Knitting Factory – Flac and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 20, 2011
By


[photos courtesy of John Ruscher at Eardrum NYC]

Akron/Family live shows are always tribal full participation events. The band encourages others to become involved with the show, but at Thursday night’s show at Knitting Factory it became part of the performance. After an absolutely raging sixty-minute main set, the forty-minute encore/second set began with artist Aki Sasamote decorating the stage and when the band returned, she rapped them in tape and painted on Seth Olinsky’s back. While the art was performed, the band played an alternatively quiet and noisy jam segment while accompanied by a three-piece horn section. The horn players seemed to be following a choreographed dance around the stage while they played. The set then segued nearly into a four song segment that began quietly (“Fuji II”, “We All Will” and “Dylan Pt. 1”) before crashing into the finale with rousing eight-minute version of “Light Emerges”. Two of those songs appear on the band’s outstanding new album S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT (Dead Oceans). The first set of Thursday’s show was dominated by songs from Shinju, including highlights “So It Goes” and “Another Sky” (streaming below). But the peak performance of the first hour was the remarkable A/K staple “Raising The Sparks” which endured for eighteen jam-filled minutes, and presaged the wonderful strangeness to come. The Knitting Factory show was the first date in Akron/Family’s extended tour which returns to NYC for a March 5 date at Bowery Ballroom.

I recorded this set with the four microphone rig from our standard location in the venue, and the sound quality is quite excellent. There are segments when the band is extremely quiet on stage (often off-mic), and during those points the noise in the venue (bar, audience, etc) can be heard. Enjoy!

Stream Complete Show:

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

Akron/Family
2011-02-17
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY USA

Four-Track Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Soundboard Booth

Neumann KM-150s + DPA 4021’s > 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
2011-02-19

Setlist:
(thanks Jesse and Seth for setlist help)
[Total Time 1:40:13]
01 [introduction/Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing]
02 Island
03 A AAA O WAY
04 So It Goes
05 [banter]
06 Another Sky
07 Raising The Sparks
08 Say What You Want To
09 Silly Bear
10 [encore break]
11 {bmbz}
12 Fuji II (Single Pane).
13 We All Will
14 Dylan, Pt. 1
15 [banter2]
16 Light Emerges

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Akron/Family, visit their website, and purchase Shinju TNT from the Dead Oceans Records website [HERE].

Nada Surf: December 14, 2010 Rock Shop – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 18, 2011
By


[Photos by acidjack]

We had the pleasure of seeing Nada Surf play two very different types of special shows in 2010. First, there was their The Weight Is A Gift full-album runthrough that we recorded at the Bell House in March. And, at the end of the year, this very special not-quite-acoustic show at The Rock Shop to benefit Little Kids Rock, a worthy charity that provides free musical instruments and music instruction to public schools. True to form, the 90s veterans were relaxed and cheerful as they played to an enthusiastic group of fans jammed into The Rock Shop’s jewel box of a showroom. The show ended up being “not-quite” acoustic as the band opted for electric guitars in some cases due to problems with their acoustics, but the arrangements still reflected the more intimate nature of this show. Joined by Doug Gillard of Guided By Voices, the stripped-down arrangements suited the band, bringing frontman Matthew Caws’ sweet, distinctive vocals to the forefront, especially his knack for delivering a hooky chorus (for example, on this outstanding rendition of “Blonde on Blonde”).

I admit that I sometimes have to remind myself that Nada Surf is a New York band, so preternaturally sunny is their sound. But that is part of the beauty of this band, whose staying power has resulted from talent and songwriting rather than trend-mining. The band’s airy demeanor also proved to be an excellent antidote to both the freezing weather and the nascent depression of the holiday season. These well-crafted, approachable songs may seem better suited to a road trip singalong than to a tiny bar in Gowanus in midwinter, sure – but they felt damn good on this night.

Watch for a new record from Nada Surf in 2011, which will follow their 2010 cover album, If I Had A Hi-Fi.

I recorded this set from our usual spot at Rock Shop with a soundboard feed and the DPA microphones. The results are outstanding. Enjoy!

Stream “Blonde on Blonde”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/N2306NadaSurf0210/16 Blonde on Blonde.mp3]

Stream “Electrocution”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/N2306NadaSurf0210/11 Electrocution.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE]

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Nada Surf
2010-12-14
Rock Shop
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Equipment: Soundboard+DPA 4021>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (24/48)
Position: LOC, in front of soundboard, 8′, PAS
Mastering: 2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (compress/limit segments of board feed, mixdown, set fades, light EQ to audience track, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

01 intro
02 Weightless
03 Happy Kid
05 Whose Authority
06 banter
07 Killian’s Red
08 Love Goes On [Go-Betweens]
09 What Is Your Secret
10 Enjoy The Silence [Depeche Mode]
11 banter
12 Electrocution
13 banter
14 80 Windows
15 banter
16 Do It Again
17 Blonde on Blonde
18 Always Love
19 banter
20 The Way You Wear Your Head
21 Paper Boats
22 See These Bones

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Nada Surf, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the band’s official store here.

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