[photo by Amanda Hatfield]

We were prepared, based on our research and on the positive reviews for her new album With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, to enjoy Jessica Lea Mayfield‘s set opening for the Annuals at the Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday last. What we were not prepared to hear was such an “old soul” authentic voice projected from the body of a nineteen-year old young woman. The juxtaposition of the small, young waifish singer and the Lucinda Williams-like voice of experience creates a compelling can’t-look-away quality to Jessica Lea’s live performance. The quality of the songwriting follows suit, so that when the americana-style quartet completed their set, the Bowery crowd was heard to call for an encore. We were disappointed that Jessica Lea could not return, but we anticipate that she will headline and perform longer sets in the very near future.

We recorded this set from the identical location as the Annuals recording. You may hear the sound of a loose cymbal on the drum kit vibrating at times, but otherwise this is an outstanding recording. Enjoy!

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Jessica Lea Mayfield
2009-01-28
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
2009-02-02

Setlist:
[Total Time 37:51]
01 Kiss Me Again
02 I’m Not Lonely Anymore
03 Bible Days
04 Hold You Close
05 When I Go Crazy
06 Greater Heights
07 We’ve Never Lied
08 You’re The One That I Love Best
09 I Can’t Lie To You, Love
10 For Today

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Jessica Lea Mayfield, visit her website, visit her MySpace page, and purchase her new CD With Blasphemy So Heartfelt and other merch from the store at her website [HERE].

[photo by Ear Farm music blog]

Last Thursday, The Antlers started the Naked Hearts CD release party at Cake Shop with a tight forty-minute set of primarily songs from Hospice and one interesting cover. The strong closing version of “Two” from Hospice was particularly compelling, as was their shoegaze-style version of the Neil Young song “Harvest Moon“.

Hospice will be released on March 3, 2009. The CD release party will take place on March 5, 2009 at Union Hall and will feature a complete performance of the album from start to finish. The Antlers have promised “a whole mess of special guests” for this event. The Antlers return to the road for an extensive tour throughout March which will find them in Austin for SXSW.

We recorded this performance from the same location as the Naked Hearts recording. Although the vocals are too low in the recordings, we still feel its a fine listen of an excellent band. Enjoy!

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

Antlers
2009-01-22
Cake Shop
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Upfront
10 Feet from PA

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
2009-01-31

Setlist:
[total time 42:04]
01 Bear
02 Atrophy
03 Harvest Moon (Neil Young)
04 Shiva
05 East River
06 Two

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 their new CD Hospice when it is released on March 3.

The Naked Hearts released their new EP this month and Thursday last (Jan 22), it was time to celebrate. In the venue where they garnered positive attention at CMJ, at Cake Shop Naked Hearts performed a set that featured five of the six songs on the new release These Knees. We were particularly pleased to hear “No One Nothing” for the first time live where the song’s hooks and melodic guitar work translated well.

Naked Hearts have completed their East Coast tour to support the EP, and return to live performance next weekend (Feb 6) at Death By Audio. They will also perform at Glasslands on March 1 before returning to the road for some Midwest dates.

We recorded this set from our upfront location at this venue. The sound quality is not quite what we anticipated, as the vocals are perhaps a bit too light and there is some noise in the drums. Nevertheless, its a fine performance by a fine band! Enjoy.

The Antlers and Air Waves (permission pending) were also recorded and will be posted in nyctaper in the near future.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Naked Hearts
2009-01-22
Cake Shop
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Upfront
10 Feet from PA

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
2009-01-24

Setlist:
[total time 28:42]
01 Like I Do
02 Mass Hysteria
03 No One Nothing
04 Cat and Mouse
05 One False Move
06 Call Me
07 Only For You

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Naked Hearts, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their new EP These Knees from InSound (vinyl and download card) or Other Music (mp3).

[from Annuals MySpace – photo by Brian Vetter]

Annuals are on tour in support of their new CD Such Fun. On Wednesday at Bowery Ballroom, Annuals played an energetic eighty-minute set that drew equally from their two full-lengths and four EPs. The highlights included the new single “Confessor”, “Brother” and as the first encore “Carry Around”. While the band maintains a youthful and exuberant energy on stage, Adam Baker‘s lyrics exhibit a wisdom beyond his years. That kind of maturity has enabled Annuals to move beyond the blog-buzz and its inevitable backlash, and produce an excellent new CD and tour.

We recorded from our standard balcony location in this venue and the sound is excellent. The vocals were mixed too low for the first couple of songs, but the balance improved thereafter and ultimately we are pleased with the high quality of this recording. Enjoy!

Jessica Lea Mayfield and What Laura Says were also recorded and will be posted on nyctaper pending artist approval.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Annuals
2009-01-28
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
2009-01-30

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:20:45]
01 [drum intro]
02 Hot Night Hounds
03 Always Do
04 Confessor
05 Down The Mountain
06 Sway
07 Hardwood Floor
08 Fair
09 Complete or Completing
10 Chase You Off
11 Springtime
12 Around Your Neck
13 Sore
14 Brother
15 Wake
16 [encore break]
17 Carry Around
18 Hair Don’t Grow

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Annuals, visit their website, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their new CD Such Fun from the links at their website and MySpace page.