[photo credit]

Spanish Prisoners celebrated the official release of their CD Songs to Forget at Union Hall last night. The performing and recording project of singer/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Leo Maymind, last night Spanish Prisoners featured a complete band, including keyboards, stand-up and electric bass, drums, and a brass section. The set consisted of all songs from the new CD, including an absolutely blistering version of “Some Among Them Are Killers”, and a spry opening of the clever number “A Thousand Zimmermans”.

This recording is possibly the single most outstanding one ever offered on this site. As Leo had given my complete access to record, and based on the experience of our last recording at Union Hall (the Diggs), we set-up the DPA 4021 microphones in strategic locations to fully capture this performance. The right channel microphone was placed on the front and center stage lip pointed at 45 degrees to reflect the atmosphere from the stage, while the left channel was placed approximately 10 feet from PA stacks pointed toward the center. The result is a true stereo recording with a “surround” feel, and has almost a perfect mix of voice and instruments. As a result, this excellent performance is recorded in the best possible light. Enjoy!

Download and stream the complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/SpanishPrisoners2008-04-05

Spanish Prisoners
2008-04-05
Union Hall
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

Many thanks to Leo for permission to recording

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-04-06

Setlist:
[Total time 39:07]
01 A Thousand Zimmermans
02 Song for the Weary
03 Periwinkle Blues
04 Dear Just Curious
05 Ballad of an Unfolding
06 Some Among Them are Killers
07 Mantequilla
08 How the Fallen Fell

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Spanish Prisoners, visit their website, visit their myspace page, and purchase the new release Songs to Forget directly from their site.

[photo credit]

Athens-based The Whigs opened for the Drive-By Truckers last week, and were permitted a set of exactly twenty-nine minutes. Normally a set of such brevity denies the opener a chance to make an impression on fans waiting for the headliner, but The Whigs managed to energize the late-arriving crowd with their frenetic garage-pop, including highlights “Technology” and the closer “Half the World Away”. Five of the seven songs performed are featured on the new album Mission Control, which was released in January to excellent reviews, and led to an appearance by The Whigs on David Letterman.

This recording was captured from nearly the same location as the Drive-By Truckers, approximately 20 feet further forward than the DBT recording. The venue was about half-empty at this point in the night, so that the boominess is fairly apparent. I applied a gentle reduction of the mids in an equalization in post-production to remove some of the boom. Otherwise, this is a fine recording of a brief but superb set. Enjoy!

Download and stream the Complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/TheWhigs2008-03-26

The Whigs
2008-03-26
Terminal 5
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Audience Recording
Front of Board Dead Center

Neumann KM-150’s > Monster Cable > Apogee Mini-Me > digital coax > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge 8.0 (level adjustments, downsample 16/44) > CD Wave 1.75 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-04-04

Setlist:
[total time 29:00]
01 Like a Vibration
02 Technology
03 Already Young
04 Sleep Sunshine
05 Hot Bed
06 Right Hand on My Heart
07 Half the World Away

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Whigs, visit their website, and purchase the new release Mission Control directly from their site.

[photo credit]

Deer Tick‘s John McCauley is certainly an artist dedicated to his craft. At Mercury Lounge on Sunday night, McCauley fought his way through a full opening set despite having suffered the last two weeks with strep throat. The strain in his voice was evident, but nevertheless John worked Deer Tick through a strong set of material from their outstanding debut release War Elephant, along with several new songs and two appropriate covers. When Deer Tick performed John Prine‘s semi-obscure classic “Mexican Home”, it made perfect sense. As McCauley has been compared with everyone from Dylan to Tweedy, it seems that subtle influences of a underrated performer like Prine are actually more accurate — a poignant lyricist and dedicated performer without pretense or artifice.

We received advance permission to record the Deer Tick set from John. The equipment was set up in the perfect location from when we saw the Vanderslice soundcheck. This recording is perhaps a bit heavy on the drums as a result of the house mix, but is otherwise a fine representation of this outstanding artist. Enjoy!

Download and stream the complete show in [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/DeerTick2008-03-30

Deer Tick
2008-03-30
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Board

Neumann KM-150’s > Monster Cable > Apogee Mini-Me > digital coax > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge 8.0 (level adjustments, downsample 16/44) > CD Wave 1.75 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Many thanks to John for permission to record.

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-04-02

Setlist:
01 [introduction]
02 Art Isn’t Real
03 [banter]
04 Baltimore Blues No. 1
05 Mexican Home (John Prine)
06 Ashamed
07 Little White Lies
08 [banter]
09 Straight Into A Storm*
10 [banter]
11 Spend the Night
12 You Don’t Know How We Did It*
13 [banter]
14 The Ghost
15 Dirty Dishes
16 LaBamba (Blue Moon introduction)

*song title approximations

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Deer Tick, visit their website, visit their myspace page, and purchase War Elephant from Itunes, or emusic, or order it directly from Feow Records when its back in stock.

Deer Tick return to NYC later this month for two dates:
Apr 12 2008 8:00pm Union Hall Brooklyn
Apr 13 2008 8:00pm Knitting Factory NYC

[photo credit]

In or out of the music business, John Vanderslice is literally one of the nicest people I have ever met. His genuine gregarious charm translates well into his stage performance, and juxtaposes interestingly with the darker aspects of his lyrics. Last night at Mercury Lounge, all of these attributes were on display, as John performed a 90-minute set of his powerful songs, bantered often with the band and the crowd, and performed the final four encore songs un-amplified in the midst of the audience in the middle of the room.

While John has been on tour in support of Stephen Malkmus, his sets have been limited to forty minutes. Last night, we were treated to a complete show which included songs John said had not been played in years. While we expected a large bulk of the setlist would come from the brilliant Emerald City material, fans were treated to a complete Vanderslice catalog mix. The bonus treat was the four song encore. John and the band unplugged, left the stage, and entered a crowd circle in the middle of the floor. The short acoustic performance felt as if John was performing in a living room. In this setting, the personable nature of this terrific performer shined and the crowd were treated like friends.

This was a great evening for nyctaper before the show even began. In email, John invited me to the soundcheck to set up our equipment and meet the band. When I arrived, John greeted me in such a friendly manner that we immediately felt a kinship as the band practiced and worked through the material for the evening. Our equipment was set up in the ideal location and we have captured an outstanding recording of this special performance. The only issue is the amplification during the encore segment, where we captured equal amounts of crowd and performer — essentially capturing the moment in its truest form. Enjoy!

Deer Tick was also recorded and will be offered in the coming days.

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

John Vanderslice
2008-03-30
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from Front of Board

Neumann KM-150’s > Monster Cable > Apogee Mini-Me > digital coax > M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 > 24bit 48kHz wav > Soundforge 8.0 (level adjustments, downsample 16/44) > CD Wave 1.75 > Flac Frontend (level 7, align sector boundaries) > flac

Many thanks to John for permission to record.

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper
2008-03-31

Setlist:
[Total time 1:28:28]
01 White Dove
02 You Were My Fiji
03 Tablespoon of Codeine
04 Exodus Damage
05 Angela
06 Up Above The Sea
07 The Tower
08 Dear Sarah Shu
09 Greyhound
10 Pale Horse
11 White Plains
12 They Won’t Let Me Run
13 Little Wing*
14 Numbered Lithograph
15 Kookaburra
16 Underneath The Leaves
17 Time Travel Is Lonely
18 [encore break]
19 Letter to the East Coast**
20 Time to Go**
21 Nikki oh Nikki**
22 Keep The Dream Alive**

[*Daniel solo — impression of Michael McDonald singing Hendrix]
[**All encore songs were performed unamplified in the middle of the crowd]

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT John Vanderslice, visit his website, visit his myspace page, and purchase Emerald City directly from his website or from the Barsuk Records website.

[photo credit]

The Diggs celebrated the release of the new CD ctrl-alt-del at Union Hall on Friday night. With its collection of infectious alt-power-pop songs, the CD has been in constant rotation at my home. What became evident at Union Hall was that The Diggs are also proficient instrumentalists. As a live act, each member of the trio adds dimensions to the songs that are not initially apparent on the album. From my side-stage vantage point, I focused primarily on the bass playing of Robert Haussman, whose active fretwork and equipment manipulations were a pleasure to behold.

The layout of Union Hall does not offer many good locations for the recordist. As a result, I received permission from the band to record directly from the stage. I placed my DPA microphones on the center front lip of the stage. “On stage” recordings can be quite natural organic recordings that are not subject to the limitations of the PA and the noise of the room, but are dependent on the balance of the stage sound. This recording is a terrific representation of the musicianship of the band, but unfortunately the vocals are far too low. We offer this recording as opportunity for readers to discover the musical strengths of this band, and highly recommend the CD for the singing and songwriting. Enjoy!

Download and stream the complete show [HERE].

https://archive.org/details/Diggs2008-03-28

The Diggs
2008-03-28
Union Hall
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Recorded from 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
2008-03-29

Setlist:
[Total time 46:07]
01 …And in the End Shoot Back
02 Careen
03 Everyone’s Starting Over
04 Stagg
05 Recovery Forever
06 Brigante
07 Ctrl-Alt-Del
08 Trouble Everyday
09 Carpal Tunnel

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Diggs, visit their website, visit their myspace page, and purchase ctrl-alt-del directly from their website or from the Sugarspun Records website.