Posts Tagged ‘ memphis ’

Lucero: November 5, 2014 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC/MP3/Streaming Full Set

November 26, 2014
By

IMG_8121

The three-night stand at Bowery Ballroom by the beloved Memphis band Lucero gave us a prime example of life imitating art. A quick survey of the band’s song titles gives you a clear eye to their themes: drinking, women, loneliness, women, more drinking. For the Bowery Presents gang, three shows by this band on the first three nights of the week has to be an early Christmas, as the fan base has always proven as willing to indulge the band’s favorite vice as the band themselves. What felt like a shift was the degree to which the band made booze the night’s central theme, from the bordering-on-annoying number of references to being (or having recently been) drunk from frontman Ben Nichols, to the beers being slugged by him not just between, but during songs, including a couple to which he forgot the words. Rock n’ roll has never been a teetotaler’s game, and it probably shouldn’t be. But when you’re a band at Lucero’s level — booking the city’s best venue for three nights straight at a tariff of thirty bucks a head — the line between a get-along good time and unprofessionalism grows thin. That glorified bar-band schtick also sells these guys short — Lucero have some great songs, and on the whole, they’re still a heck of an act at performing them.

All three of the Bowery shows, of which this was the last, were divided into an acoustic and electric set with no opener. This band is nothing if not giving, with almost three hours split between the hour-long acoustic and nearly two-hour electric set. The band came strong out of the gate with “That Much Further West”, and the acoustic set held together throughout, with the packed house singing along to Nichols’ often-melancholy lyrics (two songs with the word “lonesome” in a row, in fact). As the show went on, things turned a bit more shambolic, as Nichols helped himself to the shots being offered up by the crowd. In spite or maybe because of the whiskey flowing, the band’s electric songs took on a certain wanton urgency, with the signature tune “Nights Like These” earning many a fist-pump from swaying hordes in front. Nichols spelled the band at a few points to do solo or duo numbers, including a memorable “Last Pale Light in the West” from his first solo album by the same name. The final encore, “Here at the Starlite” was yet another tale of woe belied by the rock n’ roll swagger still holding together onstage. It’s a strange dichotomy, the sad songs and the party atmosphere they create. But for Lucero, it seems to still be working.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 supercardiod microphones from our usual spot in the venue. The microphones rejected much of the crowd noise, providing for a nice, balanced recording of the night’s proceedings. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3] | [FLAC]
Permanent links if the above are not working: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Stream “That Much Further West” from the acoustic set

Stream “Nights Like These” from the electric set

Lucero
2014-11-05
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41 (slightly LOC, PAS, at SBD)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (exciter effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (tracking, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Acoustic Set
01 Into Your Eyes
02 That Much Further West
03 Wandering Star
04 When You Decided to Leave
05 Across the River
06 Hello Sadness
07 Last Night In Town
08 Better Than This
09 In Lonesome Times
10 Other Side of Lonesome
11 Hold Fast
12 The Last Song
13 Ain’t So Lonely
14 Hate and Jealousy
15 Shelter

Electric Set
16 Downtown/On My Way Downtown
17 Kiss the Bottle
18 Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble?
19 Women & Work
20 Texas & Tennessee
21 [banter1]
22 Union Pacific Line
23 Nights Like These
24 Sounds of the City
25 Chain Link Fence
26 I Can’t Stand To Leave You
27 [banter2]
28 Tonight Ain’t Gonna Be Good
29 Little Silver Heart
30 Sixes & Sevens
31 Goodbye Again
32 All Sewn Up
33 [banter3]
34 She Wakes When She Dreams
35 [banter4]
36 The War
37 [banter5]
38 Tears Don’t Matter Much
39 Fistful of Tears
40 [encore break]
41 Last Pale Light in the West
42 Here at the Starlite

Thanks to Kronosphere for the setlist.

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Lucero, visit their website, and buy their records in their online store.

The Sheiks: October 24, 2013 Cake Shop – Flac/MP3/Streaming

November 1, 2013
By

Sheiks
[still from this video]

The Sheiks are from Memphis, which makes them difficult to google. The “Memphis Sheiks” was one of the alternative names of the Memphis Jug Band, the influential early 20th century African-American roots/bluegrass band that performed for nearly thirty years. The Sheiks was also the name of a regionally successful St. Louis rock band in the 70s and 80s, that played often in Memphis, New Orleans and the Mississippi region. The contemporary band known as The Sheiks is a garage rock band, and a damned good one at that. We caught them at Cake Shop last week and their half-hour set was pretty much everything you want from this genre of music — loud, energetic, fun and a little messy. The Sheiks released Witches + Mystics last Summer and the band performed much of the album, along with a couple of new tracks and one neat cover. We are streaming “Until I Find Her”, the opening track on the album, and a high-speed rave up that represents everything that’s good about this genre and this band in particular.

I recorded this set with the Sennheiser cards mounted above the stage and mixed with DPA omni mounted in front of the stacks. The four mic mix is quite excellent, if a bit low in the vocals. Enjoy!

Stream “Until I Find Her”:

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.

Sheiks
2013-10-24
Cake Shop
New York NY

Digital Master Recording

Sennheiser MKH-8040s + DPA 4061s > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 24bit 48kHz wav file > Soundforge (level adjustments, set fades, downsample) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and Tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced
by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 35:25]
01 Makin Me Scream
02 She Said All Those Things
03 Tip Top
04 Teacher Teach Me
05 Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line [Waylon Jennings]
06 Queenie
07 She Dances With Fire
08 Keep Me In Mind
09 Picture Frame
10 Shitty Bo Diddley
11 Until I Find Her
12 Fever

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT The Sheiks, visit their Facebook page, and purchase Witches + Mystics from their Bandcamp page [HERE].

Lucero: April 20, 2012 Webster Hall & October 17, 2009 Webster Hall – FLAC & MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 29, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack and Johnny Fried Chicken Boy]

There are two main paths that bands take to success these days: There are the bands with instant buzz, who find themselves on the late night TV circuit and playing large venues instantly. (They tend to flame out quickly, too). Then there are the bands who earn it the hard way – playing 200-plus shows a year, gigging every goddamn festival and radio station and bar in every corner of the country, putting thousands of miles on a broke down van and doubly more miles on their livers and sanity, all for the love of music, sure, but also for a shot at success.

Success, for a rock band these days, is a bit redefined, but Lucero have achieved it, and they’ve achieved it the hard way. An unabashedly masculine band, whose hardscrabble tales ring with authenticity, Lucero sometimes seems to be of another era. It’s hard to argue otherwise about a band that titles their current release (their eighth record, but first on ATO Records) Women and Work. After all, for the early 21st century American man, work is something he hasn’t got, and women – well, they’re too busy doing all the work.

But that’s the beauty of Lucero – they remind you of better days, but they also remind you of the simple pleasures of the days you’re in. The boys themselves always look like they’re having fun. Frontman Ben Nichols’ most frequently-uttered phrase between songs is “hell yeah!”, and the band made quick work of a handle of Jameson onstage. Lucero’s music, even when tackling sadder subjects, has good cheer to go with its honest grit. Today we are presenting two recordings  from Webster Hall – the first from October of 2009, the second from April 20 (yes, that date) of this year. These two shows are perhaps more telling in their similarities than in their differences; the band may have continued to expand their sound and personnel, but the core of their music is consistent and strong. Maybe there’s a bit more gravel in Nichols’ pipes, but that doesn’t hurt a thing. And despite spending virtually the entire past decade on the road, they sound as fresh and hungry as ever. For example, with its early curfew, Webster Hall practically demands short sets – but Lucero played a two-hour set of nearly 30 songs. Nobody told these guys about lowering expectations.

The songs – well, there are those to talk about too. That word “honest” comes up again, when you think about a Memphis band whose sound pays homage to the country and blues and even R&B that fuel the town, but with a bit of a punk flavor thrown in. At the 4/20 show, the new songs were a blast; it’s hard to argue with the rocker “I Can’t Stand To Leave You” or the honky-tonk “Like Lightning”. A stripped-down group of personnel played “The War”, the World War II tale that could easily resonate with soldiers in Afghanistan and elsewhere today. And of course, Lucero played the favorites that the band is probably expected to play at every show, and why not? “Nights Like These” is one of those songs you never get tired of; same for the valedictory “Last Night In Town”.

Of the October 2009 show, JFCB said:

Lucero made quite the impression on me when I first saw them in early 2009. After the release of the excellent ‘1372 Overton Park’ album later that year, they embarked on a tour with fellow Memphis musician Amy LaVere and blues/rock duo Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm. Billed as the “Ramblin’ Roadshow and Memphis Revue”, it was also the first time the group ever toured with a horn section to mirror the sounds on their recent disc. Being on the road with this handpicked crew must’ve had a positive influence as both the band and the particularly boisterous crowd on this Saturday night seemed to have a great time. While drinking and fielding song requests, Lucero played the majority of ‘Overton Park’ and dug out a number of older nuggets that had the party whooping and hollering for more.

We can keep spilling words about them, but really, all you need to know about Lucero is contained in their sendoff to us at the 4/20 show: “We appreciate each and every one of y’all making dreams come true. Dreams do come true!” A lot of things about rock music have changed in the fourteen years of Lucero’s career; a lot of dreams have changed, many for the worst. We’re pleased to raise a glass to these guys realizing theirs – they deserve it.

I recorded the 4/20 show with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones in a wider NOS configuration from directly behind the soundboard in order to give the recording a spacious, open sound. Johnny Fried Chicken boy recorded the October 2009 show with AKG 414 large-diaphragm mics that are always great-sounding, but especially for this band. If this is your first time reading about Lucero, you might check out his recording of the band from Mercury Lounge last year first – it’s an instant classic. Enjoy these recordings, and support Lucero!

Thanks to Lucero and their management for their accommodating treatment of us at this show and many others. 

Stream “Like Lightning” from the 4/20/2012 show:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/L2006Lucero9020/26 Like Lightning.mp3]

Stream “The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo” from the October 2009 show:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/L2006Lucero9020/Lucero_-_The_Devil_and_Maggie_Chascarillo.mp3]

Stream “The War” from the 4/20/2012 show:
[audio:http://www.nyctaper.com/L2006Lucero9020/23 The War.mp3]

Download the April 2012 show: [MP3] | [FLAC]

Download the October 2009 show [MP3] | [FLAC]

Follow acidjack on twitter | Follow Johnny Fried Chicken Boy 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.

Lucero
Friday, April 20, 2012
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, DFC, NOS)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, stereo image)>Audacity (set fades, additional EQ, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:54:33]
01 [intro]
02 That Much Further West
03 Downtown (Intro)>On My Way Downtown
04 Nights Like These
05 Kiss the Bottle [Jawbreaker]
06 Women & Work
07 Raising Hell
08 Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble?
09 Juniper
10 Chain Link Fence
11 Sounds of the City
12 [banter]
13 It May Be Too Late
14 She’s Just That Kind Of Girl
15 Bikeriders
16 Slow Dancing
17 [banter]
18 I Can’t Stand To Leave You
19 Joining the Army
20 Last Night In Town

[Ben With Rick and Todd]
21 Mom
22 Hold Me Close
23 The War

[Full band]
24 [banter]
25 All Sewn Up
26 Like Lightning
27 My Best Girl
28 Tears Don’t Matter Much
29 [encore break]
30 Mine Tonight
31 Go Easy

——————————-

Saturday, October 17, 2009
Webster Hall
New York, NY, USA

Source: AUD > AKG C 414 B-XLS’s > Edirol R-44 (WAV @ 24-bit/48kHz)
Lineage: R-44 > PC > Adobe Audition (mixdown, downsample, dither, tracking) > WAV (16-bit/44.1kHz) > TLH (check/fix SBE’s, FLAC conversion) > FLAC ( level 8 )
Recorded and produced by Johnny Fried Chicken Boy

Tracks:
[Total time: 1:47:06]
01 intro (“Welcome to the Jungle”)
02 Sounds of the City
03 That Much Further West
04 Can’t Feel a Thing
05 The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo
06 Nights Like These
07 What Else Would You Have Me Be?
08 Joining the Army
09 Last Night in Town
10 Sixes and Sevens
11 Goodbye Again
12 Kiss the Bottle [Jawbreaker]
13 I’ll Just Fall
14 Johnny Davis
15 Raising Hell
16 Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble?
17 banter 1
18 Chain Link Fence
19 Sixteen
20 Sweet Little Thing
21 banter 2
22 The Last Pale Light in the West
23 Mom
24 Smoke
25 I Can Get Us Out of Here
26 Darken My Door
27 Tears Don’t Matter Much
28 encore break
29 All Sewn Up

If you enjoyed these recordings, please support Lucero by visiting their website, attending their shows, and buying their official releases, including Women & Work, from their web store [HERE]

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