[photo credit]

We have posted about Sharon Van Etten quite a bit in the last couple of months. This is no coincidence. At nyctaper, we believe that Sharon is one of the most gifted performers we have encountered in quite some time. The exciting aspect is that her career is just beginning — she has lived in Brooklyn for about a year, her first CD has not been released (its expected soon), and she is currently on her first extensive tour.

We took the opportunity last week to experience Sharon in the venue where she began to make her name in NYC — the charming and intimate Zebulon in Williamsburg. As expected, when Sharon began her set the venue was packed, to the point that there were three rows of people sitting in front of the stage. On hand in support were three members of the Antlers, and we saw Kyp Malone from TV on the Radio when we were leaving.

For the recording, we were among the seated throng, and attached the right channel microphone to the front of the stage and the left channel in front of the PA left speaker. Only Sharon’s voice was amplified through the system as the guitar was amped on stage. As a result, our high clarity recording is vocal-heavy in the left channel and guitar-heavy in the right channel, and offers a unique perspective of this superb artist. Some guitar tech issues were edited in between songs. Enjoy!

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

Sharon Van Etten
2008-06-25
Zebulon
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Upfront & On Stage
Left Channel 10 Feet from the PA, Right Channel on Stage Lip

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

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-07-09

Setlist:
[Total time 29:45]
01 I Wish I Knew
02 Strong
03 Have You Seen
04 Carry On
05 You Didn’t Really Do That
06 For You
07 Consolation Prize
08 Tornado

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Sharon Van Etten, visit her website, visit her MySpace page, purchase one of her custom-made self-released CDs directly from her website, and purchase her new CD Because I Was In Love when it is released this summer.

The aptly-named Bloodsugars performed a short but, um, sweet set at the After The Jump Fest indoor Galapagos stage on June 21. The silky-smooth tenor belongs to lead vocalist Jason Rabinowitz, whose life-long battle with diabetes provides the basis for name of the band. The new 2008 release EP on Engine Room is entitled BQEP, and features six songs of addictive power-pop. The nyctaper recording offered below features five unreleased songs, the high quality of which bodes well for an anticipated full-length release.

This outstanding capture is a soundboard/audience “matrix” mix recorded in the same location and with the same equipment as our Brilliant Sweaters recording featured here a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy!

After The Jump is a charitable organization of NYC music bloggers who donate all proceeds of their events to the advancement of music in NYC schools. nyctaper requests that if you download this recording, that you support this cause. Selected tracks from the recordings to be featured on this site from the ATJ Festival will be produced into a compilation, with all proceeds being donated to the music programs in NYC schools. When the compilation becomes available, all nyctaper readers who downloaded ATJ sets will be expected to purchase the release.

Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

Download the Complete show in FLAC [HERE].

Bloodsugars
2008-06-21
Galapagos Main Stage
After The Jump Festival
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard/Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Front of Board Neumann KM-150s > Edirol UA-5 (Oade Digimod) > digital coaxial > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 16bit 44.1kHz wav file > Soundforge (set fades, level adjustments) > CD Wave 1.95 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-06-29

Setlist:
[total time 27:29]
01 Falling Makes You Blue
02 Priorities
03 You’ve Gone Wrong
04 Happiness
05 I Want It Back
06 Bloody Mary

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Bloodsugars, visit their website, visit their myspace page, and purchase their new EP BQEP directly from the Bloodsugars Store or the Engine Room Store.