NYCTaper Update: The Sting of Rejection

March 9, 2009
By


[image by Songbirdnest]

Over the last couple of weeks, we have had a bad time of it in terms of receiving permission from bands to record. Obviously, we respect the artist’s request to refrain from recording their performance, but nevertheless its pretty frustrating. On February 28, we had excellent seats for the Grizzly Bear special show at BAM, but their management asked us not to record. The following day, unauthorized poor quality recordings were all over the web and we were incredibly disappointed that such a show was archived and circulated in such a manner [edit: we just received a friendly email from the band that informed us that it was a venue issue and not the band’s decision].

Later that week, Dan Auerbach’s management denied a request to capture his Bowery show, despite the fact that The Black Keys permit open taping. That was a bit of a head-scratcher. And finally, a few days ago we received word that Throbbing Gristle does not want their first NYC show ever archived — we are not permitted to record the Masonic Temple show.

A large part of the frustration of such rejection is the fear that this site has not gotten its message across to the bands — that somehow we’re still stigmatized by the very old idea that tapers are “bootleggers”.

Ultimately, the good news is that the rejections are still the exception — the vast majority of artists that we approach do accept and understand the positive aspects of what nyctaper does for the bands and fans.

And in the spirit of soldiering on, we have added some new shows to the list below.

Upcoming Shows:

Monks of Doom:
March 12 -and- March 13, 2009 Europa Brooklyn

Crystal Stilts/Women/Blank Dogs: (correspondent)
March 14, 2009 Music Hall of Williamsburg

John Darnielle / John Vanderslice:
March 27, 2009 Ethical Culture Concert Hall (Wordless) NYC
-and-
Neil Halstead: (we need a correspondent for this show – list/early entry is available!)
March 27, 2009 Union Hall Brooklyn

Akron/Family:
March 28, 2009 Union Pool Brooklyn

Cowboy Junkies:
April 2, 2009 City Winery NYC

Langhorne Slim:
April 3, 2009 Bell House Brooklyn

North Mississippi All-Stars:
April 9, 2009 Highline Ballroom NYC

Of Montreal:
April 15, 2009 (correspondent) -and-
April 16, 2009
April 17, 2009 (correspondent or nyctaper) Music Hall of Williamsburg
-and/or-
Dead Milkmen:
April 17, 2009 Warsaw Brooklyn

Animal Collective:
May 13, 2009 Terminal 5 NYC

Thao With The Get Down Stay Down:
May 14, 2009 Bowery Ballroom NYC

NYC Popfest 2009:
May 15-17, Multiple Venues

Iron and Wine:
May 17 and May 18, 2009 Abrons Art Center NYC

Decemberists:
June 10, 2009 Radio City Music Hall NYC

Thunder Power / El Jezel / Coyote Eyes (and more):
June 19, 2009 NYCTaper Presents – Venue TBA

Oneida:
July 10, 2009 Maxwell’s Hoboken NJ

The Antlers: March 5, 2009 Union Hall – Flac and MP3 Downloads

March 7, 2009
By


[photo by Matt – courtesy of The Music Slut – more here]

The complete realization of two years of hard work, Hospice is an early candidate for the best of 2009. The Antlers have realized the potential that some of us saw years ago, and have produced a profound linear album of illness, loss and acceptance. On Thursday night at Union Hall, a packed crowd witnessed one of the early candidates for concert of the year. Accompanied by a fine trombonist and a choir of their musician friends, The Antlers delivered an intense live rendition of Hospice as a suite. The songs took on a less claustrophobic air than the studio release, and in turn each track was more aggressive and immediate. In particular “Sylvia” was quite emotional, as Peter Silberman literally screamed the title name as if in anguish. “Two” has been performed multiple times with its new live arrangement, but this version was by far the best we have seen. As the album concludes with a quiet “Epilogue”, Peter stepped forward with a moving solo rendition. The crowd refused to let The Antlers leave the stage after the album was complete, and the band came back and performed an unplanned encore.

We recorded this set by attaching the DPA microphones to the wooden ceiling beam about 15 feet from the stage. The placement pointed directly towards the stacks and the band on stage. The mics were also high enough to avoid any crowd noise, although there was not much — this was the most respectful packed house we have seen in quite some time. We are extremely happy with results. Enjoy!

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

The Antlers
2009-03-05
Union Hall
Brooklyn, NY USA

“Hospice” CD Release Show

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Upfront
15 Feet Center – Microphones on Ceiling Beam

DPA 4021s > Edirol UA-5 (Oade Digimod) > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge 8.0 (level adjustments, downsample 16/44) > CD Wave > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2009-03-07

Setlist:
[total time 1:11:02]
01 [introduction]
02 Prologue
03 Kettering
04 Sylvia
05 Atrophy
06 Bear
07 Thirteen
08 Two
09 Shiva
10 [announcements]
11 Wake
12 Epilogue
13 [encore break]
14 Cold War

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Antlers, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase Hospice from Bandcamp, In Sound, iTunes, and directly from the band by following the links posted at their site [HERE].

Blitzen Trapper: February 28, 2009 Music Hall – Flac and MP3 Downloads

March 6, 2009
By


[photo courtesy of Jenn Barnett Photosmore here]

The second of Blitzen Trapper‘s two sold-out NYC shows was at the Music Hall of Williamsburg last Saturday. Just as they had on Friday, the band came on strong and never let up. Saturday’s set was however more playful, stretched to three encores and about ten minutes longer, and contains a neat Gram Parsons cover.

We are fortunate to offer the first recording to this site captured by nyctaper correspondent “acidjack”. He took a completely different approach to the Bowery recording — standing in the middle of the crowd on the floor. This recording is a nice companion the Friday show since it has a completely different feel with an upfront clarity and direct in-your-face vibe. While the boisterous Saturday night crowd can be chatty and jerky at times, this recording has a you-were-there quality that makes it an excellent listen. Enjoy!

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

Blitzen Trapper
2009-02-28
The Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded from Front of Board Center
30 Feet from Stage

SP-CMC-8 (cardiod/low sens mod) > SPSB-8 (bass rolloff/1) >R-09HR > 24bit 48kHZ wav file > Soundforge (set fades, slight level adjustments, downsample) > CD Wave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded by acidjack
Produced by nyctaper
2009-03-05

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:35:36]
01 Sleepytime in the Western World
02 Saturday Nite
03 God & Suicide
04 Fire & Fast Bullets
05 Stolen Shoes & a Rifle
06 Murder Babe
07 Big Black Bird
08 Canyon’s Edge
09 Summer Twin
10 Furr
11 Country Rain
12 Cocaine Blues (traditional)
13 Not Your Lover
14 Country Caravan
15 Black River Killer
16 Lady on the Water
17 Devil in Disguise (Gram Parsons)
18 Gold for Bread
19 Jericho
20 Love U
21 Echo
22 [banter – Footloose – Roll Another Number]
23 Wild Mountain Nation
24 Devil’s A-Go-Go
25 [encore break]
26 The Last Thing on My Mind (Tom Paxton)
27 Miss Spiritual Tramp
28 Woof & Warp Of The Quiet Giant’s Hem

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Blitzen Trapper, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their releases from the links at their website, and directly from Sub Pop Records.

The Antlers: Hospice Released Today + Listening Party/CD Release Show/Big Tour

March 3, 2009
By


The long-anticipated new CD from The Antlers Hospice was officially released today. The album can be streamed in its entirety at BandCamp. If you are more interested in a social setting to hear Hospice, there is a FREE listening party tonight at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street) at 9 pm tonight (with an open bar!).

The album can be purchased from InSound [here] or downloaded through itunes [here].

On Thursday night, The Antlers will throw a CD release party at Union Hall in Brooklyn (see flyer above). This show promises to be a special event, as Hospice will be played from start to finish and special guests are expected.

Following the show on Thursday, The Antlers will then embark on a lengthy tour throughout the south, southeast, and midwest. The complete schedule is posted at their MySpace page.

Alela Diane: February 27, 2009 Bowery – Flac and MP3 Downloads

March 2, 2009
By


[photo courtesy of tapermark]

Alela Diane’s set opening for Blitzen Trapper on Friday night was a revelation. We were familiar with her fine songs only so far as are featured on her MySpace page. What became clear on Friday was that this young woman has an incredible range of vocal talents and has put together an excellent band to compliment her. What is more wonderful is that her father is the lead guitar and mandolin player whose melodic fret work drives the band. Alela mentioned that this night was her father’s first trip to NYC, and one can only imagine the pride and joy as he accompanied his daughter to the big city for this show. The set included seven tracks from her new album To Be Still released just ten days earlier, and one stunningly executed Fleetwood Mac cover. Alela promised she would be back in NYC soon with a longer set, and we are sure to be there.

This recording was captured from the identical location as the Blitzen Trapper set and the sound is outstanding. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Alela Diane
2009-02-27
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded from Balcony Rail
Next to Soundboard

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (set fades, slight level adjustments, downsample) > CD Wave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2009-03-02

Setlist:
[Total Time 36:53]
01 Dry Grass & Shadows
02 White As Diamonds
03 The Alder Trees
04 To Be Still
05 The Ocean
06 Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac)
07 Every Path
08 My Brambles

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Alela Diane, visit her website, visit her MySpace page, and purchase her new release To Be Still directly from Beggars Group/Rough Trade [HERE].

Blitzen Trapper: February 27, 2009 Bowery – Flac and MP3 Downloads

March 1, 2009
By


[photo courtesy of Jenn Barnett Photosmore here]

Without much fanfare, Portland’s Blitzen Trapper sold out consecutive nights in NYC on a weekend when there were a glut of shows for concertgoers to attend. On Friday at Bowery Ballroom, the band performed an energetic and tight ninety-minute set heavy on material from their universally acclaimed September 2008 release Furr. Blitzen Trapper exhibit a plethora of classic influences (Dylan, Neil Young, Wilco, etc), often contained in stop-on-a-dime precise changes within the same song, and Friday night’s excellent set was no exception.

We recorded this set from our standard location at the Bowery. Of particular note was the sound mix provided by the band’s sound technician. The combination of his talent and the superb sound system in this venue yielded an outstanding recording of this show. The crowd was quite rambunctious and chatty, but even that does not detract from this capture. Enjoy!

Blitzen Trapper’s show on Saturday at Music Hall was recorded by an nyctaper correspondent and will be posted within days.

Alela Diane’s opening set from the Bowery was recorded and will be posted next, as the artist has already granted permission.

Plants and Animals set from the Bowery was recorded and will be posted pending artist approval.

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

Blitzen Trapper
2009-02-27
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Recorded from Balcony Rail
Next to Soundboard

Neumann KM-150’s (AK-50 Hypercardiod Capsules) > Apogee Minime > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack > 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (set fades, slight level adjustments, downsample) > CD Wave 1.95 (tracking) > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2009-03-01

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:26:21]
01 Fire & Fast Bullets
02 Saturday Nite
03 God & Suicide
04 Stolen Shoes & a Rifle
05 Sleepytime in the Western World
06 Murder Babe
07 Big Black Bird
08 Canyon’s Edge
09 Summer Twin
10 Furr
11 Country Rain
12 Cocaine Blues (traditional)
13 Not Your Lover
14 Country Caravan
15 Black River Killer
16 Lady on the Water
17 Gold for Bread
18 Jericho
19 Love U
20 Echo
21 Wild Mountain Nation
22 Devil’s A-Go-Go
23 [encore break]
24 The Last Thing on My Mind (Tom Paxton)
25 Asleep For Days

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Blizen Trapper, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their releases from the links at their website, and directly from Sub Pop Records.

SUPPORT NYCTaper




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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.

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