SAVAK: December 1, 2023 Tubby’s

February 1, 2024
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I’m appreciating more and more that the bands I love who I would regularly see in Brooklyn have made Tubby’s a regular spot. It’s like Union Pool north and you just might spot someone you recognize. We saw SAVAK there last year with Chris Brokaw and again in December with New Wet Kojak. This time the band showed up augmented with a second drummer, SAVAK-regular Matt Schulz joined by Jeff Gensterblum set up in the center of the Tubby’s floor. The two pounded away for a really unique set. The more drummers the better I always say!

This set features a few songs I hadn’t heard live from SAVAK, like “Oddsmaker” off their last album Human Error/Human Delight which I was glad to finally hear. No new songs in the set but SAVAK do have a new album out soon: Flavors of Paradise, which can be preordered over at Bandcamp.

If the regular Union Pool is still you’re spot, you have a couple upcoming chances to catch SAVAK. The first is a free show on February 20th with J. Robbins of Jawbox fame. You couldn’t possibly go wrong there. Claim your free ticket here. Next up, on March 7th, SAVAK will play a record release show for Flavors Of Paradise. Grab those tickets here.

I recorded this from our usual spot at Tubby’s. Will provided a perfectly-mixed board feed and Sohrab Habibion sweetened things up with his mastering. The sound is killer. Enjoy!

Stream and Download at the Live Music Archive

SAVAK
2023-12-01
Tubby's
Kingston, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Will) + MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.4.2 > FLAC

Tracks [40:10]
01. Sick of War
02. No Blues No Jazz
03. Reaction
04. I Don't Want To Be Defended
05. This Currency Exchanged
06. What is Compassion?
07. Dead Dick
08. Christo's Peers
09. Oddsmaker
10. How Many Duchesses
11. Trashing the Ghost
12. Cold Ocean 

Sohrab Habibion - vocals, guitar
Michael Jaworski - vocals, guitar
Matt Hunter - bass
Matt Schulz - drums
Jeff Gensterblum - drums

New Wet Kojak: December 1, 2023 Tubby’s

January 10, 2024
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Back in the 90s I don’t think New Wet Kojak played all that often, but whenever they played in NYC it was 21+ and I was left—literally, in one instance—standing outside. Fortunately for their reunion after fifteen or so years of dormancy (theirs, not mine) I’m well past drinking age so here we are with the first of three dates the band did in December. In case you’re not familiar, New Wet Kojak is the louche-rock side-project/supergroup of Girls Against Boys‘ Scott McCloud (vocals/guitar) and Johnny Temple (bass) with Geoff Turner of Gray Matter (guitar), Nick Pellicciotto of Edsel (drums), and Charles Bennington of High Back Chairs (sax/keyboards). If you recognize all those bands, you probably own a bunch of Dischord CDs and we should hang out sometime. Anyway, before they (thought they) were cool, Pitchfork really liked New Wet Kojak’s Nasty International, their second album on Touch & Go, and gave it a nine-point-something before later scrubbing that from their site.

Now, 25+ years later, with McCloud and Temple also having revived their 80s post-hardcore band Soulside in addition to sporadic tours with Girls Against Boys, it seems most appropriate to reactivate New Wet Kojak. (Side note: it’s not too late for Little Baby to play their third show!) Never as high profile as their main act, a nice size, enthusiastic crowd at Tubby’s made it clear New Wet Kojak weren’t forgotten. Most of the songs played at Tubby’s are off the band’s two Touch & Go records with a couple from the later Do Things on Beggar’s Banquet. No songs here from their final album This is the Glamorous which I can only guess is a strategy to leave us wanting more—let’s not wait so long for next time.

I recorded this from our usual location at Tubby’s with a board feed from FOH engineer Will. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Download FLAC/MP3

nyctaper · New Wet Kojak – Live at Tubby's 2023
New Wet Kojak
2023-12-01
Tubby's
Kingston, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Will) + MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.4.2 > FLAC

Tracks [54:59]
01. Code Windham
02. Sticky 2 Me
03. Stereo Explosive
04. Kick Some Life
05. You Got Some Dog
06. Thought You Were
07. Sophia Loren
08. Shake You Down
09. Freak Now
10. Unbuckled
11. Stick Out Your Tongue
12. Punx Not Dead
13. Sexy Postcard

Support this excellent artist!
https://newwetkojak.bandcamp.com/

Support the venues bringing you interesting music!
https://www.tubbyskingston.com/music-calendar

Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band: December 8, 2023 Tubby’s

December 21, 2023
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When you know, you know: after a friend recommended it, I made it a mere 30 seconds into Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band’s album Dancing on the Edge before hitting the buy button. I also didn’t wait for Dancing on the Edge to arrive in the mail before buying Send Flowers from Davis’s other (previous?) band, State Champion. The arrival of Dancing on the Edge carried with it a flyer with tour dates, leading me to wind up at this show you’re about to listen to. The perfect digital/analog progression of discovery. And what a discovery it’s been: I’ve probably listened this album more than anything else I bought this year and it’s only been out for two months. I’d lose my music-blog bona fides if I didn’t draw the inevitable comparisons to esteemed names like Berman, Callahan, Oldham. Davis’s characters practically walk out of the stereo as vivid and tangible as anyone in your local bar. If you’re going to bother learning the lyrics to any record released this year, here’s the one. And lucky for you: Dancing on the Edge is available again in its second pressing.

I recorded this from our usual spot at Tubby’s with a board feed provided by FOH engineer Will who mixed this set perfect: each instrument is separately audible, making this a real you-are-there treat. Enjoy!

Download FLAC and MP3

nyctaper · Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band – Tubby's 2023
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band
2023-12-08
Tubby's
Kingston, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Will) + MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.4.2 > FLAC

Tracks [55:55]
01. Bluebirds in a Fight
02. A Suitable Exit
03. Junk Drawer Heart
04. Flashes of Orange
05. Learn 2 Re-Luv
06. Free From the Guillotine
07. Bluebirds Revisited

Primitive Air: December 08, 2023 Tubby’s (Kingston, NY)

December 18, 2023
By

I first became aware of Primitive Air’s Drew Piraino sometime in 2016. He had recently moved to the same weird, obscure, little suburb of Kingston, NY that I had been living in for the past ten or so years. This “town” is so small you cannot get mail delivered to your house. Everything must be picked up from the post office, which is a converted porch attached to someone’s home. Seriously. One day I went to pick up some records I had been waiting for and while the post lady gathered them up, I noticed another stack off to the side. I asked about them and she said, “Yeah, some other guy gets lots of records too.” Inevitably, we became friends. 

I remember when the original Primitive Air tape was released on Beyond Beyond is Beyond (RIP). I popped into the bar where he was working to talk about it. I am fairly sure my eloquent assessment was “It sounds like German commune music in a good way.” He hugged me and bought me a round. He was good enough to see through my clumsy review and realize I was holding it to a very grand standard. These songs do not aim for hooks or anything that might be misconstrued as “pop sensibilities.” They exist to get the listener outside of their head or, maybe, much deeper inside their head. 

For this performance, Drew (bass and guitar) was joined by Jeff Mercel on drums, Jared Ashdown and Alex Kulick on guitars. The short but very sweet set is comprised of one tune from that 2018 BBiB tape and one new composition. Both tunes were great, but it was a joy to hear “Samadhi” stretched out with some impressive guitar interplay between Jarrod and Alex. 

Primitive Air was the first band I ever record at Tubby’s way back in 2019. I’ve seen and recorded a lot of music in that room since so it was a pleasure to close out this year right where I started, in my spot in the back by the soundboard. It was doubly sweet as this was the first show I saw since the building was purchased by the employees. Tubby’s is now truly an independent venue. Enjoying interesting music in a supportive environment is the name of the game, and I hope we all get to keep playing for years to come. 

Download and stream from the Live Music Archive!

Primitive Air
2023-12-08
Tubby’s
Kingston, NY

Source: MBHO440 > SD MixPre 3 > SD (24/48) > Adobe Audition/Izotope 9 > Audacity FLAC (lvl 8) > Mp3Tag

Recorded and produced by Kliked

Thanks to Tubby’s FOH engineer Brian for the mix!

  1. Resurrection at Eleusis
  2. Samadhi

Support this excellent artist!
https://primitiveair.bandcamp.com/album/creation-hymn

Support the venues bringing you interesting music!
https://www.tubbyskingston.com/music-calendar

Seawind of Battery & ragenap: October 27, 2023 Troost

December 4, 2023
By

Our friend and fellow taper noah_s caught Seawind of Battery and ragenap live at Troost a few weeks back. We were excited to to post his recording and in the meantime Mike and Joel were similarly excited—so much so that they released this recording on Eiderdown Records as Chaos LIVE Preserver which you can grab at Bandcamp. Here’s the review and recording from noah_s:

Full Disclosure: I have been one of ragenap’s (Joel Berk) beta listeners since he began putting his jams into recorded form. I would listen to demos & rough mixes he recorded the night before early in the morning while I had my coffee. I once described his music as feeling as if a can of Coke had been opened in my head and I could feel the bubbles fizzing through my brain as I woke up while listening. 

On Friday 10/27/23 at Troost in Greenpoint I finally got to see the live version. Paired up with Seawind of Battery (Mike Horn) – and celebrating the release of their tape Chaos Life Preserver on Eiderdown Records – the duo gave us 35 minutes of droney spacey improvised bliss.They built their set up from a looped riff started by Horn to a joyous and bright section that reminded me of staying up all night to watch a sunrise. Layers of guitar and bass VI worked through an array of never-ending delays and reverbs filled the small bar that was packed with friends, family and Halloween weekenders alike. They built this zone up for about half the set and then spent the other half slowly devolving it while also adding flourishes and delay whips before sticking the landing like a moon lander floating down into low gravity. I know I’m not alone in hoping these two make a lot more music together both in the studio and live.

For this recording I used my CA-11 cardioid mics for the first time and I’m extremely happy with how it came out. I was set up on a tripod near the bar about 15 feet back from where the band set up and as centered as I could be without blocking people from walking in/out.

Black Duck: September 9, 2023 Tubby’s (Kingston, NY)

November 10, 2023
By

Since the late 90’s Chicago’s music scene has been a constant source of excitement for me. It seems like every year some new gem comes out of the city’s endless pool of independent, creative, and adventurous musicians and labels. Old favorites like Tortoise, and their label, Thrill Jockey, continue to push boundaries while new favorites like International Anthem and Glyders demand my attention. 

Black Duck is a trio of Douglas McCombs, Charles Rumback, and Bill MacKay; all veterans of Chicago’s fertile improv scene. Their self-titled Thrill Jockey debut has its roots in their collective improvisation experience with the bulk of the material being created in the studio. The Tubby’s faithful were lucky enough to be given does of both improv and arranged material. 

The set started with one of two fully improvised pieces allowing the band to find their footing before moving into “The Trees Are Dancing” giving us a chance to hear a live treatment of the recorded material. It’s always interesting to see how musicians approach established songs that are rooted in improvisation. In Black Duck’s case, all the album material was stretched out. The evening ended with a nearly ten-minute version “Lemon Treasure” before heading into another impro piece based loosely on the album track “Light’s New Measure”. 

I recorded this from my usual spot by the soundboard with the MBHO’s. The low end was a touch boomy early on, but things settled in rather nicely and I’m very happy with the quality. Enjoy! 

Download and stream from the Live Music Archive!

Black Duck
2023-09-09
Tubby’s
Kingston, NY

Source: MBHO440 > SD MixPre 3 > SD (24/48) > Adobe Audition/Izotope 9 > Audacity FLAC (lvl 8) > Mp3Tag

Recorded and produced by Kliked

1: Improvisation #1
2: The Trees Are Dancing
3: Improvisation #2
4: Of The Lit Backyards
5: Delivery
6: Lemon Treasure
7: Improvisation #3

Black Duck is:
Douglas McCombs – Guitar/Bass
Charles Rhumback – Drums
Bill MacKay – Guitar

Support this excellent artist!
https://blackduck.bandcamp.com/album/black-duck

Support the venues bringing you interesting music!
https://www.tubbyskingston.com/music-calendar

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