Earthless: March 18, 2016 Mercury Lounge

March 28, 2016
By

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[photos of the Boston show by Elizabeth Gohr, from Earthless’ Instagram page]

It seems more than apropos that the Twitter handle of the San Diego band Earthless is “@earthlessrips”. ‘Cause that is, indeed, what they’re gonna do when you see them onstage during one of their relatively infrequent East Coast trips. During this run, they hit both Rough Trade NYC and the Mercury Lounge the following night. We caught the latter show, on a late Friday, and it was a doozy. For over an hour the band shredded through just three songs, two of which hailed from their 2013 LP From the Ages. While their records are cult favorites in their own right, the live show is the right place to experience these guys, as Mario Rubalcaba (drums), Isaiah Mitchell (guitar) and Mike Eginton (bass) tearing it up onstage is about as ideal of a fist-pumping, beer-swigging, rock n’ roll moment as you can have with a band that you aren’t embarrassed to like. This is rock music at is elemental, instrumental best, loud, pure and stacked with riffs. Somebody is bound to throw around the term “stoner rock” at some point or another, and who can blame ’em, but this is music that can go with almost any drug (or none at all, of course). After a short break, the band closed this show with a cover (with vocals, no less!) — a true-to-the-original rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady.” It wasn’t the twenty-minute thrashers that came before it, for sure, but the cover was perfect — one last time to let Earthless remind us why they’re a must-see when they’re out this way.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41V microphones and a direct feed of Mercury engineer Alex Beaulieu’s live mix. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Download the complete set: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream and download the complete set on our bandcamp page:

Earthless
2016-03-18
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK41V (ROC, PAS) + Soundboard (engineer: Alex Beaulieu)>>Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, adjust balance
of SBD, adjust levels)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Uluru Rock
02 Violence of the Red Sea
03 Sonic Prayer
04 [encore break]
05 Foxy Lady [Jimi Hendrix]

Support Earthless: Facebook | Buy their records from Tee Pee Records

Chris Forsyth & the Solar Motel Band: March 19, 2016 Trans-Pecos

March 24, 2016
By

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[photos by Joe Lops]

Chris Forsyth extended a recent run of excellent work with The Rarity of Experience, a double LP that earned plaudits from Pitchfork to The New York Times. Much has been made of the record’s unequivocal commitment to out-and-out riffage, but that has always been Forsyth’s MO with the Solar Motel Band. The side of him that produced The Island, the delicate, mellowed out collaboration with Koen Holtkamp, is still out there, but when he takes the stage with this band, expect an out and out rock show.

That’s what we got at this NYCTaper-sponsored show at Trans-Pecos, which represented the formal NY album release party for the record.  Things kicked into high gear immediately with “High Castle Rock” from the new record, followed by its appropriately-named Anthems I and II, and then its title track. Our only detour to Forsyth’s earlier work came in the form of “The Ballad of Freer Hollow” from 2014’s Intensity Ghost, which nestled in well with the extended two-part jams “Anthem” and “The Rarity of Experience” (notable also for adding vocals to the mix). In a nod to the band who inspired so much of improvisational guitar music (not to mention the practice of fan-based live concert recording), Forsyth and crew gave us their take on the Dead’s “Cold Rain and Snow.” It was a worthwhile reminder that while Forsyth’s name is front and center in the proceedings, part of what makes these performances special is the interplay among a very, very talented group of band members. Forsyth’s delivery wouldn’t be what it is without bassist Peter Kerlin and drummer Ray Kubian doing more than just making a backbeat, nor fellow guitarist Nick Millevoi providing the other half of the guitar attack. You don’t get a sound this all-encompassing with a “solo” artist and some guys; this is truly a band. And, for those of you who missed them this time around, head to Union Pool on May 28, where you can catch the band opening for Heron Oblivion.

I recorded this set with a pair of Schoeps MK22 microphones at the stage lip, another pair of Schoeps MK4V back by the soundboard, and a direct soundboard feed of house engineer Ned’s mix. The sound quality is outstanding, and a perfect representation of the enormity of the Solar Motel Band’s sound. Enjoy!

Download the complete set from its page on the Live Music Archive: [FLAC] | [MP3]

Stream the complete set: 

Chris Forsyth & the Solar Motel Band
2016-03-19
Trans-Pecos
Queens, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted by nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK22 (stage lip, DFC, ORTF)>Nbob Cables>PFA>Aeta PSP3 + Soundboard (engineer: Ned) + Schoeps MK4V (at SBD, ROC, PAS)>>Zoom
F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, adjust balance of SBD, compress SBD, adjust levels)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ)
>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 High Castle Rock
02 Anthem I
03 Anthem II
04 The Rarity of Experience pt. 1
05 The Rarity of Experience pt. 2
06 The Ballad of Freer Hollow
07 [banter]
08 The First Ten Minutes of Cocksucker Blues
09 Cold Rain and Snow [Grateful Dead]
10 [banter2]
11 Boston Street Lullaby

If you enjoyed this recording, please visit his website and buy The Rarity of Experience from No Quarter Records.

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Shearwater: March 15, 2016 Rough Trade (Bowie’s Lodger album)

March 23, 2016
By

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[photos by PSquared Photography]

Last month we captured a really outstanding performance by Shearwater at the Mercury Lounge. The show was in the early stages of the band’s tour in support of its superb new album Jet Plane and Oxbow and it featured most of the new album in a tour de force evening. But one of the non-album highlights of the night was the band’s cover of David Bowie’s “Look Back in Anger” from the Lodger album. We learned that night that Shearwater had rehearsed the entire album and upon their return to NYC, would play it live.

Last week at Rough Trade, Shearwater offered a gift to their fans — a free show at a great venue that consisted of that previously promised Lodger show. Jonathan Meiburg has discussed how this fairly obscure late-70s Bowie work helped him personally through some difficult times, but for this performance Meiburg discussed many of the aspects of the album in detail in segments in between the songs. Lodger is the last of the trio of Bowie albums produced in collaboration with Brian Eno, and as expected the Eno influence is all over this record particularly in a kind of world music feel. But the addition of legendary guitarist Adrian Belew also added more of a rock feel to this album as compared with the previous two records in the trilogy, Heroes and Low. The guitar based songs on the album gave Jonathan an opportunity to stretch out and use his pedals liberally. He remarked at the end of the show that he’d never used his phaser so often. While the band has rehearsed these songs and played a few of them at earlier shows, we learned that this was the first time that Shearwater has played the album start to finish. But you wouldn’t know — the songs were well played and the band was tight and the set was a fitting tribute to the late legend.

I recorded this set as I have all my previous trips to this venue — Schoeps cards mounted in the center of the Soundboard booth and mixed with an excellent feed, this time mixed superbly by the band’s touring FOH Jay. The sound quality is quite excellent. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show (banter tracks removed):

Shearwater
2016-03-15
Rough Trade
Brooklyn NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard [Engineer: Jay] + Schoeps CCM4u Cardioids > Sound Devices 744t > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 47:28]
01 Fantastic Voyage
02 [banter – Lodger]
03 African Night Flight
04 Move On
05 Yassassin
06 [banter – Adrian Belew]
07 Red Sails
08 [banter – singles in the middle]
09 DJ
10 Look Back in Anger
11 [band introductions]
12 Boys Keep Swinging
13 [banter – SNL]
14 Repetition
15 [thanks]
16 Red Money

SUPPORT Shearwater: Website | Facebook | Twitter | BUY Jet Plane and Oxbow

Nap Eyes: March 9, 2016 Union Pool

March 22, 2016
By

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Nap Eyes, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, occupy a bit of a time warp. Listen to Thought Rock Fish Scale, their fantastic new record on Paradise of Bachelors, without knowing what you’re hearing and you might believe you were hearing mid-70s Californians raised on Lou Reed, combining laid-back rhythms with a conversational, wry delivery. Frontman Nigel Chapman has the effect of sounding like someone you’ve heard a thousand times, but haven’t quite heard before. Beneath the winsome surface, Nap Eyes have a lot going on, including Chapman’s lyrics, which swing from the confessional to the bizarre. Not that it matters much in the live setting, where we caught the band’s sold-out show at Union Pool last week. The band showed off tunes from both Thought Rock and their recently-reissued debut, Whine of the Mystic, as well as one brand-new song that shows the same level of promise as the two recent offerings. Combined with the guys’ good-natured banter (even a parent was in attendance), the show gave you the sense that the positive press surrounding this band is well-earned, a sign of their low-key appeal and their ability to casually surprise.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones from our usual spot in the balcony, combined with a soundboard feed from Union Pool engineer Robert. There are two flaws: the level of the vocals fluctuates a bit halfway through, and the house music isn’t totally faded out for about half of the first song. With those two caveats, the sound quality overall is excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Nap Eyes
2016-03-09
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK5 (A-B, DFC, at SBD) + Soundboard (engineer: Robert)>>Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, adjust balance of SBD, adjust levels)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Mixer
02 Roll It
03 Dark Creedence
04 [new song 1]
05 Stargazer
06 Tribal Thoughts
07 Click Clack
08 No Fear of Hellfire

Support Nap Eyes: visit their bandcamp page, and buy their records from Paradise of Bachelors.

Tortoise: March 17, 2016 Littlefield

March 20, 2016
By

Tortoise
[Photo from Le Poisson Rouge by PSquared Photography]

There are a lot of twentieth anniversaries going around these days: 2016 marks twenty years since Tortoise’s Millions Now Living Will Never Die cemented their place in the annals of indie-slash-post-rock. And the last time the band played New York, it was for Thrill Jockey’s twentieth anniversary show at Webster Hall in 2012.

Tortoise’s return to New York after a four-year absence was a significantly more intimate one, playing the tiny Littlefield in front of a packed, sold-out crowd. And the band didn’t do much looking back, as the set focuses most heavily on their new album, The Catastrophist—their first since 2009’s rock-y Beacons of Ancestorship. While nothing played dates further back than 1998’s TNT, that doesn’t mean Tortoise didn’t play the hits. Ask anyone what their favorite Tortoise album is and you’ll receive a variety of answers, the most likely being Millions… and TNT; however you’re also likely to hear votes for Standards and I’ll go ahead and stump for the underrated (and perhaps maligned) It’s All Around You. Listen to this recording of “Salt the Skies” and then give It’s All Around You another listen if you don’t believe me. Other modern classics played include “Seneca” with it’s signature dual-drummer intro, the slinky “Monica,” and the rocking “Prepare Your Coffin.”

At this point it’s worth mentioning that the Littlefield crowd got to see what could turn out to be the most special moment of Tortoise’s current tour, when the band was joined onstage by Georgia Hubley (of Yo La Tengo fame, of course) to sing “Yonder Blue.” Hubley guests on that track on The Catastrophist and it’s pure geographical luck that the Brooklyn crowd got to experience the collaboration live.

I recorded this set with the AKGs clamped to the soundboard cage, at about 10 feet high. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Thanks to Littlefield FOH Todd and the rest of their production team for their help in making this recording happen.

Tortoise are still on tour through at least July and you can see their full listing of dates here.

Download the complete show at the Live Music Archive.

Stream the complete show:

Tortoise
2016-03-17
Littlefield
Brooklyn, NY

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by Eric PH

AKG C480B/CK63 (ROC, FOB, PAS) > Roland R-26 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (compression, normalize, fades) > Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [01:33:45]
01. [Intro]
02. The Catastrophist
03. Prepare Your Coffin
04. Tesseract
05. Monica
06. In Sarah, Mencken, Christ, and Beethoven There Were Women and Men
07. Hot Coffee
08. Gesceap
09. Blackjack
10. At Odds With Logic
11. Gigantes
12. Eros
13. Salt the Skies
14. [encore break]
15. Yonder Blue (with Georgia Hubley)
16. Seneca
17. [encore break]
18. Shake Hands With Danger
19. High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In

Support Tortoise: Website | Facebook | Buy The Catastrophist and more via Thrill Jockey

Speed the Plough: February 25, 2016 HiFi Bar

March 17, 2016
By

speedtheplough
[photo by Neil deMause]

Correspondent Neil D writes:

Explaining Speed the Plough’s connection with and distinction from the Feelies is a bit daunting, but here we go: The band first began as the Trypes, a Hoboken band that grew to incorporate Feelies’ guitarist/vocalists Glenn Mercer and Bill Million when their main band went on hiatus during the early ’80s. When the Feelies reformed in 1985, Mercer and Million took bassist Brenda Sauter and drummer Stan Demeski with them; when the Feelies went back on hiatus in the ’90s (after Million moved to Florida to become a locksmith at Disney World), Sauter and Demeski rejoined what was now known as Speed the Plough, only to depart again in 2008 when the Feelies re-re-formed. This left Speed the Plough with no actual Feelies veterans, but a who’s-who of the Feelies family tree, with Demeski’s brother-in-law John Baumgartner (keyboards, vocals), sister-in-law Toni Baumgartner (vocals, flute, clarinet, glockenspiel), son John Demeski (drums), and nephew Michael Baumgartner (guitar, vocals) all on board, along with Cindi Merklee on bass/vocals and Ed Seifert on guitar/vocals. And there’s a family feel to the shows as well, with everyone trading off on lead vocals and writing credits. (“Ed’s Song,” appropriately, is actually written and sung by John Baumgartner.)

Speed the Plough’s music itself is a somewhat more distant cousin to the Feelies’, with the similarities including clean melodies layered over crisp percussion, though much more varied in tone and instrumentation — there aren’t all that many glockenspiel solos in Feelies songs, for starters. This appearance, at Manhattan’s quickly-becoming-beloved HiFi Bar (in the former Brownies space, run by former Brownie Mike Stuto), was a record release show for Speed the Plough’s new LP “Now,” which the band played through in its entirety, followed by an encore of the title track from their 2010 album “Swerve.” The show was recorded with a mix of mics set up on the booths opposite the stage and the HiFi soundboard, and is an excellent capture of the intimate sound in that space, with not too much chatter filtering in from the bar area adjacent.

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Speed the Plough
2016-02-25
HiFi Bar
New York, NY
Soundboard > Sony PCM-M10 > WAV (24/48) + CA-14 cardioid mics > Church Audio ugly battery box > iRiver H320 (Rockboxed) > AIFF (16.44.1) > Sound Studio (light EQ and mixing) > FLAC (16/44.1) > Tag > FLAC
Recorded and mastered by neil d

01 Matt Davis intro
02 S.O.S.
03 Midnight in the World
04 Garden
05 Be With You
06 Because
07 More and More
08 second set intro
09 Hey, Blue
10 Buttermilk Falls
11 Miss Amelia (for Carson McCullers)
12 On A New Day
13 Telegraph
14 Ed’s Song
15 Swerve

Pick up “Now” and other Speed the Plough goodies (their 2014 retrospective “The Plough and the Stars” makes an excellent starting point for acquainting yourself with their three-decade back catalogue) at: http://www.speedtheplough.com/

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