It’s been far too long since we’ve heard from the mighty Bardo Pond. (Though they’ve been quietly reissuing their 90’s albums.) But the Gibbons brothers—John and Michael—have kept busy with their Vapour Theories side project, releasing the aptly-titled Celestial Scuzz last year. It might not come as a surprise that Vapour Theories sounds a lot like Bardo Pond stripped of everything but the guitars.
Last year we caught the brothers opening for Birds of Maya in their hometown Philadelphia, outdoors on a beautiful early Summer day, and here (finally!) is that recording. Besides a little ambient noise from the outdoor setting, the sound is excellent. Enjoy!
Vapour Theories
2021-06-24
Sunflower Philly
Philadelphia, PA
Vapour Theories is John and Michael Gibbons of Bardo Pond
Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com
MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 3.0.2 > FLAC
Tracks
01. Part 1
02. Part 2
SAVAK released their last LP, Rotting Teeth in the Horse’s Mouth, on April 10, 2020. To say that was a weird time would be an understatement. I vividly recall exploring my former neighborhoods of Ditmas Park and Midwood, frequently soundtracked by that new LP in those early days.
Now it’s two years later and… here we are. SAVAK’s latest record, Human Error / Human Delight arrives on Friday and I even got to see them play live for the first time in probably three years. Too long! But like those early days, SAVAK’s set from last Friday is a much needed salve. There’s nothing quite like live music and SAVAK’s energy is infectious as ever. This was my first chance to hear some of the new songs, like the standout album-opener “No Blues No Jazz,” “Dealers,” “Cold Ocean,” and a riotous, closing “Set Apart.” SAVAK steer full-throttle towards delight!
SAVAK have a few upcoming dates around NYC, including one at The P.I.T. on May 12, plus opening slots for Jawbox (!) in July and June of 44 (!!) in October, both at Le Poisson Rouge.
I recorded this set with the mics clamped to the soundboard booth, combined with a board feed from FOH Will. I mixed those down and then Sohrab provided some additional mastering. The results are excellent. Enjoy!
Way back in September, which is about a decade ago according to my experience of time, David Grubbs and Ryley Walker got together to release a fantastic collaborative album, A Tap on the Shoulder, via Ryley’s Husky Pants label. The album brings the two former Chicagoans together for the first time for seven loose, explorative guitar tracks with Grubbs also contributing some piano.
Though the pair won’t be touring behind the record (for now, anyway), they did get together last month for a one-off record release show at Public Records in Brooklyn. For fifty minutes they alternate between ruminative wanderings and dizzying freakouts, neither soloing or overwhelming the other. It sounds like they’re listening to each other just as much as they’re playing their own guitars. You don’t see two performers of this caliber get together very often, and I’m glad we were there to capture it.
“I don’t think Steve Gunn forgets his lyrics,” Ryley Walker wondered aloud midway though “The Roundabout” this past Saturday. He was performing in front of a small backyard audience in Flushing, Queens. We’re all a little rusty, performers and audiences alike, as live music returns to New York. But as we experienced this weekend, everyone’s quick to rediscover the well-worn grooves. In this hour and a half set, Ryley touches on his entire catalog, from Primrose Green to his outstanding new album, Course in Fable. A few covers complete the afternoon, including a lovely take on “There’s Hell in Hello, But More in Goodbye” from Jim O’Rourke’s Bad Timing record.
I recorded this show with a pair of MBHO omnidirectional mics positioned up front and overhead. Despite the windy day, the sound is superb. Enjoy!
Thanks to Ryley Walker for playing; and to Mark and Kim for hosting. You can purchase all of Ryley Walker’s albums, including Course in Fable, at Bandcamp. He’ll be on tour this fall with a full band opening for Dinosaur Jr. That tour wraps up November 20 at Brooklyn Steel. More immediately, Ryley will be joined by Stuart Bogie, Spencer Zahn, and Kevin Raczka for a sesh at Nublu 151 this coming Thursday, June 10. See you there!
Tracks [1:34:05] 01. On the Banks of the Old Kishwaukee 02. The Roundabout 03. Rang Dizzy 04. Promise Me 05. Telluride Speed 06. Shaking Like the Others 07. The Halfwit in Me 08. If I Were a Carpenter [Tim Hardin] 09. Improvisation 10. Primrose Green 11. Summer Dress 12. Over the Hill [John Martyn] 13. There’s Hell in Hello, But More in Goodbye [Jim O’Rourke] 14. Fair Play [Van Morrison] 15. The Grand Old Trout [Bill MacKay]
High Time at Brooklyn Bowl last year, courtesy of the band
“Never miss a Sunday show,” they say. It’s a direction local Grateful Dead tribute band High Time have taken entirely to heart, playing almost exclusively Sunday nights throughout Brooklyn venues. Never miss a High Time show is also a pretty good idea: sticking to (let’s face it) the highest quality Dead material from ’65–’74, High Time promise to perform “The Classic Psychedelic Rock N Roll Music of the Grateful Dead.”
I first caught High Time last year during a two-night stand at Union Pool, and on the hottest day of the year the band did some face-melting of their own inside the air-conditioned venue. I finally got to see them again last month at Baby’s All Right where they played matinee and late shows. It didn’t hurt that they brought along a couple of my favorite bands to open, MV & EE and Elkhorn. It’s a real testament to High Time’s engagement with music beyond the Dead—quality openers playing original, Dead-influenced music sadly isn’t the norm for tribute acts. But then again High Time aren’t exactly your run-of-the-mill Dead cover band. They bring a rare energy and spirit to the music, treating it as a living thing instead of putting it behind museum glass with an attempt to create a note-by-note facsimile. Playing intimate venues like Baby’s All Right, this is the closest you’re going to get to seeing the Dead at the Matrix without time travel.
There were many highlights from last month’s shows that I’m excited to share, but the pinnacle of these sets for me was the afternoon’s “Playing in the Band” > “Dark Star” > “Eyes of the World” > “Playing in the Band” suite, an absolute rager and you shoulda been there. But if you weren’t, have no fear because High Time will be back on Sunday (naturally) April 26 at Brooklyn Bowl. Check out the poster below and grab your tickets. A good time is pretty much guaranteed and you’re unlikely to find something better to do than a night of Dead tunes on a Sunday.
Matinee Show [1:21:15]
01. Jack Straw > They Love Each Other
02. Till the Morning Comes
03. Playing in the Band >
04. Dark Star >
05. Eyes of the World >
06. Playing in the Band
07. [encore break]
08. Brown Eyed Women
Late Show [1:35:15]
01. [Intro]
02. New Speedway Boogie
03. Alligator
04. [banter]
05. Truckin’ >
06. The Other One
07. [banter]
08. Scarlet Begonias
09. China Cat Sunflower >
10. I Know You Rider
11. [encore break]
12. Mr. Charlie
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Matt and Erika playing together at MV/EE. Of course Matt’s been busy charting new frequencies with his latest solo record, Preserves, and jamming with his other duo, Wet Tuna. But really there’s nothing nicer than a cosmic Sunday matinee with the classic duo, who drove down from Vermont to open for Dead tribute band High Time. Even the traffic couldn’t dampen their spirits as they took a more relaxed drive with “East Mountain Joint,” followed by “Tea Devil,” and an extended ride on “Shit’s Creek” and “No $.”
This recording is a result of a combined effort—my onstage recording with the MBHO omnis and Baby’s FOH Alex Harwood’s soundboard recording. The sound is outstanding. Enjoy!
We’re close to winding down on Garcia Peoples residency shows. Here’s week number 4 and things are still running hot. Like the previous week, the band shares a couple new tracks: “Gliding Through,” which we heard first over the summer at Brooklyn Bowl, along with “Wasted Time” and its intro jam. This was also our first chance to see “Hourglass” live. That one came out on the Hans Chew & Garcia Peoples collaboration and features some live vocals from Andy Cush. Finally, the band closes with a monster version of “Rolling Tides” that was so great we forgave them for repeating the track during their residency.
Meanwhile, One Step Behind is still fresh and is popping up on lots of year-end lists all over. If you haven’t done so, grab one! Garcia Peoples also have a ton of shows coming up throughout the US. Check out their tour dates for a show near you!
I recorded this from our usual location at Nublu. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!
Prince Rupert’s Drops delivered a real blast from the (sorta recent) NYC psych scene past as they reformed in October—one night only!—to open for Garcia Peoples during their Nublu residency. For those new to the band, they were part of Beyond Beyond is Beyond’s early roster, as well as a fixture at NYC venues legal and not-so-much. They even played our 5th Anniversary shindig at 285 Kent. How’s that for we knew them when? Whether you were going out to see PRD headline a show or found them somewhere in the middle of a bill, they were always solid and maybe taken for granted. That is until they were gone, having begun a hiatus around 2014/5 or so after releasing the truly excellent Climbing Light. But here they are back, briefly, playing for a nostalgic crowd but not sounding at all nostalgic themselves. Certainly it’s time for some appreciation for Prince Rupert’s Drops and maybe they can be convinced to stick around a little longer.
I recorded this from our usual location at Nublu. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!
Whereas week two of Garcia Peoples’ Nublu residency celebrated One Step Behind with an extra-long outing of its title track, the band gets back to the shorter tunes in the third week. With Danny Arakaki handling most of the vocals, the band debuts two new songs: “This Place” and the embryonic “Terry” with some improvised vocals. The real standout though is the opening “Total Yang” into “I Ain’t Hurt.” Neither song has ever sounded as sweet as they do here.
Garcia Peoples have a ton of shows coming up throughout the US. Check out their tour dates for a show near you!
I recorded this from our usual location at Nublu. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!
Garcia Peoples’ October residency at Nublu was a resounding success. For five Thursdays the band brought out old songs, new songs, special guests, and terrific openers. Night one of the residency was posted last month and in the next week or so we’ll be sharing the rest of the recordings.
Night two was the record release show for One Step Behind, their most ambitious record yet. Just two songs, with the title track clocking in at 30 minutes and featuring Tom’s father Bob Malach on saxophone. Of all the residency shows, this night was my most anticipated, not only because it was a chance again to hear “One Step Behind” after a long absence from setlists, but also because the elder Malach would be joining them on saxophone to bring the record to life. It did not disappoint, to say the very least. Stretching the track to nearly 50 minutes, the band improvises in each of the song’s parts, once more reminding us how great this band is and how thrilling and worthwhile live music can be.
Garcia Peoples have a ton of shows coming up throughout the US. Check out their tour dates for a show near you!
I recorded this from our usual location at Nublu. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!
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