Posts Tagged ‘ backyard brunch sessions ’

Lucius: June 8, 2014 Mountain Jam X (Hunter, NY) – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

June 11, 2014
By

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[photo by acidjack – if you have a better replacement that you have the right to transfer, please send]

It says quite a bit that out of the many sets by well-known “jam band” luminaries and others at this tenth annual Mountain Jam, one of my very favorite was by my hometown band (and decidedly non-“jam”) band Lucius, who we first got acquainted with playing as a duo in a humble backyard, before the crowds and the record and the festival circuit. The ladies who played Backyard Brunch Sessions that day weren’t anything close to a well-known act at that point — they had one EP to their name — but what they already had was what would carry them to where they are today: talent, great songs and humility. Back then, we hoped for, but never could have predicted, the way this band has blown up, to the point that on this past weekend alone, they were scheduled for both Mountain Jam and the much larger Governor’s Ball back in the city.

Compared with my last outing with the band at Webster Hall (and another set I didn’t record at SXSW) this Mountain Jam set was revelatory. Simply put, this always-promising band has upped their game to where it needs to be to play these kinds of stages. Vocalists Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe have mastered their sound, their harmonies carrying well across Hunter Mountain’s wide-open space, and the band, consisting of percussionists/instrumentalists Andrew Burri, Peter Lalish, and Dan Molad is similarly able to play big, loud, and dialed-in. Lucius manage the difficult feat of sounding modern without coming across corny or derivative, while offering some of the same arena-filling fire that great female-fronted 80s groups like Heart used to be able to without sounding retro. They even served up a few bars of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” during “Turn It Around” (streaming below) just to put an exclamation point on that notion. Fittingly, I’m streaming “Nothing Ordinary” from this set below, because there is nothing ordinary about Lucius. This was by far the best set of theirs that I’ve seen, and they’re just getting started. Please support them — they’re on the festival and otherwise U.S., UK and Europe tour circuit until the fall, and their album Wildewoman is out there for purchase. 

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK4V microphones from an optimal spot at the festival, and the sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Look for more Mountain Jam recordings in the coming days.

Stream “Nothing Ordinary”

Stream “Turn It Around”

Download the complete set: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct download links or the files on other sites without our permission. Feel free to re-post the Soundcloud links. Please respect our request.

Lucius
2014-06-08
Mountain Jam X (West Stage)
Hunter, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK4V (Right of SBD, PAS)>Sound Devices USBPre2>Sony PCM-D50>24bit/48kHz WAV>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter, punch/glue)>Audacity 2.0.3 (fades, tracking, amplify, balance, dither, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 43:54]
01 Genevieve
02 Go Home
03 Don’t Just Sit There
04 Tempest
05 Nothing Ordinary
06 Until We Get There
07 How Loud Your Heart Gets
08 Wildewoman
09 Turn It Around

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Lucius, visit their website, and buy Wildewoman directly from the band’s online store.

The Lawsuits: October 26, 2013 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming Full Set

November 22, 2013
By


IMG_2771
[Photo by Steve Alexandre]

Philly’s The Lawsuits are just straight up quality. This young act, who have established a reputation in their hometown that is growing around the East Coast, are one of those bands so ready for primetime that you can’t believe you’re seeing them in someone’s living room. Such are the advantages of living in New York City, I suppose.

This Backyard Brunch Session, like the Field Mouse set from later in the day, wasn’t exactly true to the format in terms of being (a) in a backyard or (b) acoustic, but The Lawsuits played this backup location the same way I’m sure they’d have played Bowery Ballroom. Dual lead vocalists Brian Dale Allen Strouse (also guitarist/keyboardist and lead songwriter) and Vanessa Winters give the band a wide palette to choose from vocally, and the core rhythm section of Brendan Cunningham on bass and Josh Friedman on drums (joined for this set by guitarist Joe Bisirri) give power and structure to the intricate arrangements. As a unit, the band’s highlight was probably “Love Is Weight”. With its hooky keyboard backing and catchy chorus, the song would be as at home in any of the last four decades, and it’s a home run now. The strongest individual performance could well have been Winters’ on the country-blues number “Long Drive Home”, where her vocals soared in the room without need of amplification. But it’s hard to be partial to any one performance out of this excellent set — even the impromptu, unrehearsed cover of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” brought a huge smile to everyone’s face. If a choice of cover song could fully encapsulate the spirit, style and vibe of a band, the choice of that song by The Lawsuits might well be it. The band has shows in Philly on December 6 and New Year’s Eve, and should be touring New York again next year. Don’t miss them.

I recorded set with MBHO microphones on each of the lead vocalists with a mid-side pair of Schoeps MK5 and MK8 in the middle of the room. Of all of the site’s Backyard Brunch recordings, I believe this is the finest quality one yet. Enjoy!

Stream the full set (with banter removed):

The incorrect version of “You Won’t Love Me If You Won’t” has been replaced with the right song.

Download the full set: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

unnamed2
[Photo by Paul Dryden]

The Lawsuits
2013-10-26
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod)+Schoeps MK8 (M-S) + MBHO KA200N>MBP603>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Voxengo MSED (decode M-S)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (various effects and mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.03 (fades, tracking, light compression, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Fine Quality
03 Ebony Rose
04 Long Drive Home
05 [banter]
06 Dreaming #26
07 [banter2]
08 Onion
09 Love Is Weight
10 [banter3]
11 You Won’t Love Me If You Don’t
12 American Girl [Tom Petty]

Players:
Brian Dale Allen Strouse (vocals, keys, guitar)
Vanessa Winters (vocals)
Brendan Cunningham (bass)
Josh Friedman (drums)
Joe Bisirri (guitar)

If you enjoyed this recording, please support The Lawsuits, visit their website and buy Cool Cool Cool and their merchandise from their online store.

Field Mouse: October 26, 2013 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

November 6, 2013
By

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[Photo by Jordan Frazes]

Those familiar with the Brooklyn dream pop band Field Mouse and their intense, guitar-driven wall of sound might wonder how exactly they could play an un-amplified acoustic session in somebody’s backyard. Fortunately for those of us attending this Backyard Brunch Session, the only thing consistent about this installment in the series was the food.

A fully-amped combo of lead guitarist Andrew Futral and vocalist/guitarist Rachel Browne arrived at an apartment on Grand Street in Williamsburg with a guest drummer in tow and their full complement of amps. Other than the absence of bassist Saysha Heinzman, this was going to be an almost full-strength Field Mouse show. And thanks to a scheduling conflict, that wall of sound was going to be ricocheting off the walls of a medium-sized living room. Thankfully our hosts have cool neighbors, because this was not a quiet Saturday afternoon.

Since I first caught the band at Northside Festival last year, their confidence and songwriting have only gotten stronger. After releasing a series of singles, the group is laying down tracks for an album that we expect to see hit the streets next year. Several of the songs played at this session should make their first appearances on it, including the outstanding new track “Asteroid” which is streaming below. While this less-than-full complement of players doesn’t quite give you the full Field Mouse experience, it gives as close of an idea as is possible in a small room in a residential area. Besides their ability to write addictive, hook-laden songs, their trademark sense of humor was on display as well. This is one recording where I don’t advise skipping the “banter” tracks.

I recorded this set with a mid-side combination of Schoeps microphones in the center of the room, with my MBHO cardiods serving as both the vocal mic and miking the vocal PA. I have attempted to give a realistic representation of how the band sounded in the room, while trying to capture the power the band has in a larger setting. I hope you enjoy it!

Field Mouse is playing Cameo Gallery on November 23 and Piano’s on December 18. Check out their live shows.

Stream “Asteroid”

Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

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[Photo by acidjack. That’s not actually the right running order]

Field Mouse
2013-10-26
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod)+Schoeps MK8 (M-S) + MBHO KA200N>MBP603>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Voxengo MSED (decode M-S)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (various effects and mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.03 (fades, tracking, compression, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 You Guys Are Gonna Wake Up My Mom
03 [banter]
04 Tomorrow Is Yesterday
05 [banter2]
06 Asteroid
07 Plate Tectonics
08 [banter3]
09 Everyone But You
10 [banter4]
11 Water In the Valley

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Field Mouse, visit their website, and purchase their official releases from the links on their bandcamp page or on iTunes.

Modern Merchant: September 22, 2013 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

October 23, 2013
By

modernmerchant-11
[Photography by Dominick Mastrangelo]

The Brooklyn band Modern Merchant have an easy charm to them. Their laid-back sound will suck you in at an instant. But what will keep you coming back are the subtle shifts of tempo and texture that give their arrangements heft. Lead singer John Parson has a steady, soothing voice that heads into euphoric territory when it’s called for, but he knows when to use it. This Backyard Brunch Sessions performance carved back some of the more dream-pop-driven elements of the band’s sound, which are out in force on their current EP, For the Fields. For my money, this live set gave the band’s songs a more natural, lived-in feel that goes well with their natural tendencies. It’s always a nice calling cards to have when the band you’re playing with (in this case, Elizabeth and the Catapult) asks when they can see your next show. It was a compliment well deserved, as Modern Merchant put on a live show worth seeing more than once.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the Elizabeth and the Catapult recording, and the sound is excellent. Enjoy!

You can catch Modern Merchant live in Brooklyn on October 29 at the Paper Box.

Stream “Be That As It May”:

Stream “Necessary Evil”:

Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

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Modern Merchant
2013-09-22
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack
Hosted at nyctaper.com and backyardbrunchsessions.com

Schoeps MK5 (omni)+Schoeps MK8 (M-S) + Audio Technica 3031>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (various effects and mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.03 (fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro – David Chaitt]
02 Be That As It May
03 [tuning]
04 For the Fields
05 Necessary Evil
06 [tuning2]
07 Marry Me Annie
08 [tuning3]
09 Untitled (Patito)

If you enjoyed this recording, please support Modern Merchant, visit their website, and buy For the Fields from their bandcamp page.

Elizabeth and the Catapult: September 22, 2013 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

October 9, 2013
By

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[Photography by Dominick Mastrangelo]

As they often do, this year’s edition of Backyard Brunch Sessions gave us a different take on the band Elizabeth and the Catapult than you might get from listening to their official releases. Band founder Elizabeth Ziman, a New York native, has a proud and diverse musical pedigree, from classical education at the Berklee College of Music to work in film scoring to spending some time busking in the subway. Joined by new members (as of the last album, at least) Lauren Balthrop and Jonno Linden, Ziman has been putting together material for a new release, and what we heard on this afternoon were soul-searching, mature evolutions beyond the band’s previous albums Taller Children and The Other Side of Zero. 

The new songs also offer some of Ziman’s most compelling hooks yet. Of particular note was “I Wish I Didn’t,” whose tone of resignation was lightened by some humorous moments with the DIY instrument selection. Ziman, Balthrop and Linden joined together for gorgeous vocal harmonies, particularly on “Please Don’t Tell Me A Lie” and “Go Away My Lover”, the lone offering played off of The Other Side of Zero. We also got to hear one of Ziman’s favorite Dawes songs, a lovely rendition of “When My Time Comes” with Ziman and Balthrop doing a soaring vocal turn. The band led off with a Balthrop original, “Please Don’t Tell Me A Lie”, which she has performed with her own project Dear Georgiana. Although this lovely back yard on Grand Street in Williamsburg didn’t feel quite the same as a subway station, the show offered some of that same loose, unadorned feel. And it proved, without doubt, that this band has the skills to keep a crowd excited.

I recorded this set with a Schoeps MK5 and MK8 microphone in the mid-side configuration in the middle of the band, plus spot mics on the performers. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “I Wish I Didn’t”

Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

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Elizabeth and the Catapult
2013-09-22
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack
Hosted at nyctaper.com and backyardbrunchsessions.com

Schoeps MK5 (omni)+Schoeps MK8 (M-S) + Audio Technica 3031>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (various effects and mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.03 (fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro- David Chaitt]
02 Please Don’t Tell Me A Lie [Dear Georgiana]
03 Shoelaces
04 I Wish I Didn’t
05 [banter]
06 Someday Soon
07 [banter2]
08 When My Time Comes [Dawes]
09 [banter3]
10 Go Away My Lover

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Elizabeth and the Catapult, visit their website, and buy Other Side of Zero from Amazon or your favorite retailer. 

Modern Inventors: October 7, 2012 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

November 1, 2012
By


[Photos courtesy of Dominick Mastrangelo]

The Philadelphia duo Modern Inventors led off this final Backyard Brunch Session of the season with a set of classic, tightly-arranged rock. The band for this event was a combination of old and new: Modern Inventors guitarist Matt Kass was previously in the well-known Philadelphia band The Brakes, and he was joined for this show by two of his former bandmates, Zach Djanikian (Ukelele bass) and Spence Cohen (drums/percussion). Seeing the band for the first time, I wouldn’t have guessed that they didn’t always play in this configuration – these four players clearly found their groove quickly. Modern Inventors vocalist/guitarist Josh Benus, who met Kass when Kass produced an album for him in 2007, comes across as vocally effortless and beyond his years. The band is preparing an album, Trains and Aeroplanes, for December release, and spending their time until then playing the material live at shows on the East Coast, with a tour planned following the record’s release that may well include Djanikian and Cohen in the touring unit. We are streaming the band’s debut single, “Hello” below, which was, unsurprisingly, one of the strongest of the seven songs from this set.

I recorded this set with AKG 414 large diaphragm microphones in the Blumlein configuration, which provides a rich “360 degree” soundstage, with additional reinforcement on Benus’ lead vocals. This is one of my favorite of all of my Backyard Brunch recordings.  Enjoy!

Modern Inventors have an upcoming tour date this month in NYC, when they play the Studio at Webster Hall on Friday the 23rd.  Grab your tickets here.

Stream “Hello”

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC files

Follow acidjack on twitter

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Modern Inventors
2012-10-07
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

AKG C 414 B-XLS (Blumlein) + Audio Technica 3031 (lead vocal)>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (set fades, edits)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter, imaging, edits to vocal tracks)>Audacity 3.0 (tracking, amplify, light DR compression, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Penny For Your Thoughts
02 Puncture All the Wheels
03 [banter/tuning]
04 Goodbye Northbrook Drive
05 [banter/tuning]
06 Anna
07 [banter/tuning]
08 Hello
09 [banter]
10 Old Habits
11 [banter]
12 This Sign

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Modern Inventors, visit their website, like them on Facebook, check out their NYC-area show at the Studio at Webster Hall on November 23, and buy Trains and Aeroplanes when it is released.

Thieving Irons: October 7, 2012 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

October 23, 2012
By


[Photos by Dominick Mastrangelo]

Thieving Irons, the current project of Brooklyn musician Nate Martinez, is a fairly gentle, vibey sort of band even in its electric format, so I was excited to see how their sound would change in a true “acoustic” setting. The band’s second album, Behold, This Dreamer! is a lovely piece of rainy-afternoon music, with gauzy production and at-times confessional lyrics that also incorporate historical and literary references. This most recent installment of the Backyard Brunch Sessions – held due to weather in a Prospect Heights apartment – gave Martinez the chance to distill his vision further, stripping his band to a duo of himself on vocals and guitar and longtime collaborator Dan Brantigan on a rare instrument called the EVI (a sort of synth trumpet, and a large component of that “vibey” sound). As a crowd gathered around with organizer David Chaitt’s spicy granola (made spicy by local Mike’s Hot Honey), Martinez and Brantigan played us eight songs that represented the range of Martinez’s current vision, all of them but two from Behold.

Two of the album’s biggest rockers, “Sleepwalking Into the Ocean” and “So Long” were among my favorite reinterpretations, not least because they differed the most from the album tracks. Even without the anthemic guitars and keyboards, “Sleepwalking” retained its resolute hopefulness and uplift; the poetry of “So Long” – possibly the album’s most memorable song – shone through, as Brantigan’s EVI provided a spare dreamscape in the background. Another of the show’s highlights, dedicated to GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, was a cover of the Kinks classic “Strangers”, a song that ought to resonate in a modern, more self-absorbed time. The band closed with “Gentle Hands”, a pastiche of images that, at its conclusion, suggests a longing for home.

I recorded this set with AKG 414 large-diaphragm microphones set to “wide cardiod” in an X/Y pattern (pictured below) in order to reduce the directionality and provide a more stable stereo image. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “So Long”

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]

If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper for the FLAC files

Follow acidjack on twitter

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Thieving Irons
2012-10-07
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack

AKG C 414 B-XLS (wide cardiod, x/y)>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (set fades, compression, adjust L/R balance, cleanup)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, exciter, imaging)>Audacity 3.0 (tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Babylon
03 End of September
04 Behold, This Dreamer!
05 Sleepwalking Into the Ocean
06 So Long
07 Swimming With Minnows
08 [banter]
09 Strangers [The Kinks]
10 Gentle Hands

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Thieving Irons, like them on Facebook, and buy their records and merchandise from their online store [HERE]

Ben Sollee: September 8, 2012 Backyard Brunch Sessions – Flac/MP3/Streaming

September 15, 2012
By


[photo by Dominick Mastrangelo]

The Backyard Brunch Sessions is in its third year of summer events and it continues to draw an incredible roster of performers to a very intimate and unique setting. Last weekend, Ben Sollee played a BBS that was brought indoors because of inclement weather. But the experience remained the same — an opportunity for a small selected group of people to experience an abundant amount of talent from up close. For us, very close. Ben Sollee is one of those performers whose rare combination of stage presence, likeability and sheer talent is magnetic. He is also a natural for the setting of BBS, and on Saturday Ben was fast friends with everyone in the room and effortlessly brought us all into the world of his music. As a duo with percussionist Jordon Ellis, who literally played a customized wooden box as a drum, Ben dipped into some older numbers but mostly focused on material from his new album Half Made Man, which will be released on September 25. Ben opened with “DIY” and ended the first set with “Unfinished”, two of the stronger tracks from the new album. We are streaming “Hurting” from Ben’s 2011 album Inclusions, as it was personally one of my favorite performances from this set and also features some incredible vocalizing at the conclusion of the song. Ben Sollee will be touring (via bicycle!) this month through the South and Midwest, dates [here].

I recorded this set with four microphones placed strategically around the performers. The Neumann hypercards were used primarily for vocals and the Sennheiser cards for instruments. A light amount of reverb was added in post to the vocals and the mixdown is weighted towards the vocals by about 60/40. The quiet room and hushed crowd provided a near perfect recording atmosphere so that this recording is really quite superb. Enjoy!

For more content from this performance, check this week on the sites of our partners for this event, Backyard Brunch Sessions and Consequence of Sound.

Stream “Hurting”:

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

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Ben Sollee
2012-09-08
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
On Stage 4-Track

Neumann KM-150s + Sennheiser MKH-8040s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (mix down, level adjustments, slight reverb to vocals, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 > (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper
2012-09-13

Setlist:
[Total Time 44:21]
01 DIY
02 [banter – intro]
03 Some Lovin
04 [banter – bicycle tour]
05 The Globe
06 [banter – Half Made Man]
07 Unfinished
08 Teach Me
09 [banter – Captivity intro]
10 Captivity
11 [banter – questions]
12 Cajun Jam
13 [banter – geeking out]
14 Hurting
15 [banter – bike tour story]
16 Panning For Gold

If you email nyctaper for access to this recording, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Ben Sollee, visit his website, and pre-order Half Made Man from Ben’s online Store [HERE].

Family Band: August 1, 2012 Union Pool and April 5, 2012 Bell House – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

August 7, 2012
By

family band feast of music
[Photo courtesy of Feast of Music]

To see pure love personified as rock n’ roll, witness Jonny Ollsin, playing guitar in the thick of the Union Pool crowd last Wednesday as he looked up at his wife, Kim Krans, singing “Grace & Lies” to close out Family Band‘s set (see blurry image below). There were no corny faces or swooning poses from either; Krans, eyes cast down toward her husband as she sang, barely acknowledged him as he played. She didn’t need to; Krans and Ollsin’s bond is their music. This “Family Band” is nothing like the Osmonds or Jackson 5, but that turns out to be the perfect name for a band led by a family for whom music is its language, love its glue.

I first came across Ollsin and Krans at a Backyard Brunch Session last year (recording [HERE]). Then, they played as a three-piece with Scott Hirsch on pedal steel, sans drums, and despite being in the blazing July heat, the band had an obvious nocturnal vibe. Krans’ dusky, haunting vocals come against a downtempo backdrop of moody guitar and pedal steel. They joked then that their style was “death prom”, and while Family Band’s sound is dark, it is also beautiful.

The band’s second album, Grace & Lies, released this week on one of my favorite Brooklyn labels, No Quarter, represents the fullest realization to date of the band’s sound. The album contains contemplative love songs like “Moonbeams” and slow burners like “Lace”, as well as more chilling fare like “Again” and “Night Song”. This show was styled as an album release party, and there is already much for Krans, Ollsin and Hirsch to celebrate, including a favorable Pitchfork review and positive notice from around the blogosphere. This set – this time with a drummer in tow – took us through much of the album, with perhaps its standout sequence coming in the middle as an extended version of “Night Song” segued into “Rest”. While Krans, an accomplished visual artist, had never written a song prior to this band, Ollsin is a lifelong musician and composer whose prior bands included the thrash bands S.T.R.E.E.T.S. and Children. Ollsin’s metal influences come through a bit in the brooding riff that anchors “Night Song”; even at its slower tempo, there is an edge to his playing that is unmistakable. As the band closed the show with that lovely rendition of “Grace & Lies”, I thought about how many “family bands”, based on lies and manipulation, have failed throughout pop music history. Ollsin and Krans’ graceful, honest effort seems sure to shatter that mold.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 microphones and a customized board feed from the Union Pool house engineer Bob.  As a bonus, we are also offering nyctaper’s recording of Family Band back in April at the Bell House ‘for the Brain Cave Festival, where they previewed many of these songs. Both recordings are of excellent quality. Enjoy!

Stream “Moonbeams” from Union Pool:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/F0723FamilyBand0211/02 Moonbeams.mp3]

Stream “Rest” from the Brain Cave Festival:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/F0723FamilyBand0211/06 Rest.mp3]

Stream “Night Song” from Union Pool:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/F0723FamilyBand0211/05 Night Song.mp3]

Download the MP3 files: [Union Pool] | [Brain Cave Festival]

Download the FLAC files: [Union Pool] | [Brain Cave Festival]

Follow acidjack on Twitter

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Family Band
2012-08-01
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41 (DFC, DINa)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (Compression on SBD, align)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ and effects)>Audition (parallel compression)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Again
02 Moonbeams
03 Ride
04 [banter]
05 Night Song>
06 Rest
07 Your Name
08 Lace
09 Grace & Lies
________________________
Family Band
2012-04-05
Brain Cave Festival
Bell House
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded by nyctaper
Produced by acidjack

Soundboard + Sennheiser MKH-8040>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (DR compression on soundboard, mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity (set fades, mixdown, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [Brain Cave intro]
02 Again
03 Ride
04 Moonbeams
05 Your Name
06 Rest
07 Night Song

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Family Band, visit their website, and purchase Grace & Lies from No Quarter Records [HERE]

Lucius: July 14, 2012 Backyard Brunch Sessions – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

August 6, 2012
By

lucius-14
[Photo courtesy of Backyard Brunch sessions]

acidjack reports:
“The duo of talented vocalists that make up the band Lucius joined us for the inaugural Backyard Brunch Session of the season recently, and proceeded to blow us away. Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe’s note-perfect vocals were as well matched as their outfits at this casual backyard show, which consisted primarily of their 2012 self-titled EP plus some new songs. In BBS tradition, the duo were backed by lightly-played instrumentation, but little was needed; Laessig and Wolfe’s voices are the only instruments required. Their latest work is sweet and dreamy, but never comes off as twee. The band has range as well; the new “Two Of Us” has a bit of a rootsy twang, while the new “Wildewoman” is a spare, breezy number that builds to a life-affirming climax. “Turn it Around,” the hardest rocking song from the Lucius EP, closed the set, and the semi-acoustic setup focused the crowd on the vocal, rather than robbing the song of its power.  With only one full album – 2009’s Songs from the Bromley House – under their belts, Lucius are a young band, but one that is obviously full of promise.

hi and lo recorded this set with a combination of Schoeps and MBHO microphones and the weather was fortunately cooperative. Only some very minor wind gusts occurred and the overall sound is excellent. Enjoy!”

Thanks to the BBS sponsors for this show, Grady’s Cold Brew and Kings County Distillery Moonshine.

Stream “Don’t Just Sit There”
[audio:http://nyctaper.com/L1407Lucius1212/lucius2012-07-14.nyctaper.t03.mp3]

Stream “Wildewoman”
[audio:http://nyctaper.com/L1407Lucius1212/lucius2012-07-14.nyctaper.t06.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download of the FLAC files [HERE]

Note: All of the material on this site is offered with artist permission, free to fans, at our expense. The only thing we ask is that you download the material directly from this site, rather than re-posting the direct links or the files on other sites without our permission. Please respect our request.

Lucius
Backyard Brunch Sessions
Brooklyn, NY
2012-07-14

Recordist : hi and lo
Source 1 : MBHO KA200/603 + Schoeps MK5 (omni, mono) > Naiant PFA >> Tascam DR-680 @ 24bit / 48kHz
Edit : WaveLab V5 (mixdown/eq/gain/fades/dither/resampling)
Encoding : FLAC v1.2.1 Level 8 with TLH v2.6.0 (Build 168)

Tracklist:

01. Intro
02. Go home
03. Don’t Just Sit There
04. Genevieve
05. Two of Us
06. Wildewoman
07. Turn it Around

Running Time: 27:29

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Lucius, visit their website, and purchase their record from [HERE] or on iTunes.

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