Posts Tagged ‘ Schoeps Mk41 ’

Phish: October 15, 2016 North Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, SC

October 17, 2016
By

img_0223

Whether this second night of Phish‘s 2016 fall run appealed to you or not, it wasn’t a night for the fans who love the big rockers, or the hits. It’s no surprise that the band’s latest album Big Boat saw heavy representation, including a debut of “I Always Wanted It This Way.” There’s considerable pressure on acts in the fourth decade of their career to “play the hits,” and while Phish may not have “hits” in the same way as some other bands, they still have those tour staples that the fans expect to see in regular rotation. While those classics were present from time to time in this set — “Maze,” “Wolfman’s Brother,” “Possum,” “Twist,” and “Carini,” for example — the songs just named were about it. If the band wanted to send the message that “Phish 3.0” still believes that it has new music worth making, they did that on this night.

Any Phish show is likely to have its fanboys and its detractors, and part of the fun of a band like this is that one person’s relative bummer of a set can fall firmly in another dozen’s wheelhouse. That said, people who have attended far more shows than I have can better describe the alchemy of a transcendent Phish set, and most longtime fans I spoke with admitted that this unevenly-paced one at the North Charleston Coliseum didn’t quite have it. It’s not unfair to say that some of these Big Boat and Fuego songs need more road time to come into their own, though the saccharine “Joy” has had since 2009 and doesn’t seem likely to. In addition to the selection of material, there was the pacing, as the first set started off with a string of mostly-mediocre material before “Maze” came along to refocus everyone’s attention. Even a solid “Carini” (though marred by childish screaming during the chorus) couldn’t quite make that first set make sense, especially as it was led into by the gimmicky, off-key and quite frankly annoying “Ass Handed” interlude.

The second set overall was much better, with the non-album track “Mercury,” leading off as an absolute highlight, followed by “Twist” into the extremely strong debut of “I Always Wanted It This Way.” The proggy, synth-led track felt like the kind of new music you hope a band makes at this point in their career, representing such an evolution that it made the song feel like a familiar-sounding cover. Unfortunately, things went back off the rails after that, as the buzz-killing “Miss You” was followed by the milquetoast “Fuego.” After a killer “Sand” put things back on the right track, we got plunged back into ballad territory with “Joy” before “Possum” closed things out on a high note. The one-song encore nodded toward another of the band’s strongest traits, as they delivered a rollicking “Good Times, Bad Times,” that found Trey taking his best shot at Robert Plant and Jimmy Page at once.

Nonetheless, there’s plenty to like about this tour so far. Mainly because it’s not a greatest-hits tour–this band is actually trying to make something new, after all this time. If this part of the tour has a few stutter-steps, or a few shows that are slightly less-than, you still have to reward this band for being what it is. For trying.

I recorded this set at the soundboard with Schoeps MK41V supercardiods into an Aeta PSP3 preamp. The right channel of “Blaze” was patched from the left channel during most of the song, but the remainder of the show’s sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC/ALAC]

Stream the complete show:

Phish
2016-10-15
North Charleston Coliseum
Charleston, SC USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK41V>KC5>CMC6>Aeta PSP3>Roland R-26>24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (patch right channel for 4min of first song, fades, track, amplify, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 2:40:23]
Set I
01 Blaze On
02 What’s the Use?
03 Martian Monster
04 Devotion to a Dream
05 Waking Up Dead
06 Timber [Josh White]
07 Things People Do
08 Let Me Lie
09 Maze
10 Ass Handed
11 Carini
12 Wolfman’s Brother

Set II
13 Mercury>
14 Twist
15 I Always Wanted It This Way
16 Miss You
17 Fuego>
18 Sand
19 Joy
20 Possum

Encore
21 Good Times Bad Times [Led Zeppelin]

Alex Bleeker and The Freaks: November 12, 2015 Brooklyn Bowl (2 Sources)

November 17, 2015
By

11939585_1020411458011822_1376488665_n
[photo courtesy of Jackson Richards]

Alex Bleeker and The Freaks treated us to two concerts on Thursday night at Brooklyn Bowl. As the release party for the new album Country Agenda, the first set was an extremely well-played run through much of the record with some older Freaks tunes, and one outstanding cover. The second set was the Freaks “Play Dead” — a guest-filled performance of Grateful Dead tunes, similar to what the band did in Chicago in July.

Country Agenda struck me most upon first listen as an album with superb production values. The sound quality is absurdly good, but what’s more compelling is that the songs have a feel that is consistent with the music. While others have pointed to the American Beauty / Workingman’s Dead qualities of the songs, this album very much more resembles a Laurel Canyon record and the offshoots of that movement. For the live performance, what substituted for the production values of the record was the tightness of the band. The Freaks were extremely well rehearsed and wired into each other — this is a band of both talent and commitment and the performance proved that. But this was also a night when the Freaks had some fun and let loose. The jamming aspect of this show began with the final number of the first set, an extended cover of Ricky Skaggs’ “Gone Home,” and continued throughout the second set of Grateful Dead music. Among the Dead songs, the one that jumped out most was the Martin Courtney (Bleeker’s bandmate in his other project, Real Estate) appearance for “Here Comes Sunshine”, which featured Courtney’s unique vocals and a tight three-guitar attack (thanks to the addition of Courtney) that nailed what is otherwise a difficult song to pull off. By “difficult,” I mean that the Grateful Dead themselves stopped playing it for a couple of decades because of timing difficulties. The night ended in very sweet fashion, as the uber-talent Steve Gunn led the band through a profound version of “Wharf Rat.” In total, Alex Bleeker and The Freaks provided us with two sets and well over two hours of music featuring both the band’s superb new album and a fun set of Dead covers. It was a tremendous night and fortunately it will be repeated soon. The band will once again “Play Dead” on December 30 at Rough Trade.

Acidjack and I both recorded this set with separate rigs. We shared a superb board feed provided by Brooklyn Bowl’s FOH (we need help with his name to give full credit) and we both ran Schoeps from the middle of the room. I used the Schoeps CCM4 cardioids and acidjack ran his MK41V supercardiods. The sound in the room was also quite excellent (including very little crowd chatter). The nyctaper mix favors the audience feed (about 65/35 in favor of the room), while the acidjack mix accentuates the well-mixed board feed. The sound quality of both mixes is superb but offer different approaches to this show. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show:
nyctaper source [MP3] / [FLAC]
acidjack source [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show (nyctaper source):

Stream the Complete Show (acidjack source):

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, and feel free to repost the Soundcloud links.

Alex Bleeker and The Freaks
2015-11-12
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

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

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
Set 1
[Total Time 1:03:37]
01 Little Dream I Had
02 California
03 See You On Sunday
04 [false start]
05 Country Agenda
06 Portrait
07 The Rest
08 Sealong Hair
09 Honey I Don’t Know
10 Downright Stinson
11 Leave On the Light
12 U.H.M.
13 [banter – new record]
14 Gone Home [Ricky Skaggs]

Set 2
[Total Time 1:14:41]
15 Viola Lee Blues
16 Tennessee Jed
17 Jack Straw
18 [Martin Courtney intro]
19 Here Comes Sunshine
20 He’s Gone
21 The Other One
22 He’s Gone Reprise
23 [Steve Gunn intro]
24 Wharf Rat

*******************************************************

Alex Bleeker & The Freaks
2015-11-12
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK41V (A-B)>KCY>Z-PFA>>Edirol R-44>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Set 1 [Total Time: 1:03:42]
01 Little Dream I Had
02 California
03 See You On Sunday
04 [banter1]
05 Country Agenda
06 Portrait
07 The Rest
08 Sealong Hair
09 Honey, I Don’t Know
10 Downright Stinson
11 Leave On the Light
12 U.H.M.
13 [banter2]
14 Gone Home [Ricky Skaggs]

Set 2 – Grateful Dead cover set [Total Time: 1:14:44]
01 Viola Lee Blues
02 Tennessee Jed
03 Jack Straw
04 [banter3]
05 Here Comes Sunshine %
06 He’s Gone> %
07 The Other One>He’s Gone %
08 [banter4]
09 Wharf Rat $
% w/ Martin Courtney
$ w/ Steve Gunn

If you Download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, visit their Facebook page, and purchase their new album Country Agenda from Sinderlyn Records [HERE].

Joan Shelley: February 12, 2015 Union Pool – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

September 4, 2015
By

IMG_8259

Joan Shelley released her excellent new album, Over and Even, today on No Quarter Records. For many, this will be their first time hearing these new songs, unless you checked in with NPR last week. However, the crowd on this chilly night at Union Pool back in February had almost everyone beat by several months, as Shelley decided to use this performance to show off a majority of the new album.

The Kentucky-based singer-songwriter first came to wider attention with her previous effort, Electric Ursa, but it was evident from the get-go that the new songs represent a further refinement of her craft and acknowledgment, but not a caving to, pop sensibility. The extra-approachable riff of the album’s title track sets the tone for the rest of the material, making it no surprise that Stereogum made it an “Album of the Week.” In doing so, they pointed out that Over and Even is more about the setting of a mood than any specific turn of phrase or even specific song, and that’s not a negative. The new work, even in its fledgling form on this night, shows incredible consistency, with each number feeling a bit like an old song you’re being introduced to for the first time. It’s a pastoral, flawlessly crafted album that holds your attention as it takes its time to unfold.

Shelley was joined for this show not only by regular collaborator Nathan Salsburg — a force on the guitar in his own right — as well as Glen Dentinger on bass. Site favorite Nathan Bowles also made an appearance, and he’s always a welcome presence on any stage. None of that can distract from the main event, of course, which is Shelley’s voice and her presence, both of which manage to be delicate but resolute. What Shelley’s live show drives home is just how spare and right her album’s production is, as there is clearly little she needs to embellish what’s already there. As good as the new songs are, Electric Ursa got its due during the show as well, with the title track of that album closing out the night, and one of its most approachable songs, “Something Small,” providing a welcome dose of recognition mid-set. As requested by Joan’s label, we’ve held back this recording until the release of Over and Even, and are thrilled to be able to share this performance on its release day.

I recorded this set with a soundboard feed from Union Pool engineer Rob, together with Schoeps MK41 microphones. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

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

Stream the complete set: 

Joan Shelley
2015-02-12
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard (engineer: Rob) + Schoeps MK41 (PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 >> Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (fades, compression, mix down)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, exciter)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 47:00]
01 Brighter Than the Blues
02 Wine and Honey
03 River Low
04 [banter1]
05 Over and Even *
06 Something Small
07 [banter2]
08 Stay on My Shore
09 Easy Now
10 [banter3]
11 Not Over By Half
12 Electric Ursa

Band
Joan Shelley – vocals
Nathan Salsburg – guitar
Glen Dentinger – bass
* Nathan Bowles – guitar

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Joan Shelley, visit her website, and buy Over and Even from No Quarter Records.

IMG_8262

Wand: Mercury Lounge 2015 + SXSW 2015 + Webster Hall 2014 – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

March 31, 2015
By

wand-jono1
[photo by Jono Bernstein]

Add Wand to the list of bands best realized as a live act. Not to disrespect their two most recent albums, this year’s Golem and last year’s Ganglion Reef, both fine efforts in the lazily-named “garage-psych” canon that add the band’s wizards-and-warlocks imagery to the mix of guitar pyrotechnics and punk urgency that characterize, to some degree, the efforts of regular tourmate Ty Segall and others. Heard in the vacuum of headphones or home speakers, alone, it’s too easy to lump them in with the other bands whose names you know and move on.

But live, there are clearer nods to the band’s actual influences: Rainbow, T. Rex, Bowie, early period Zeppelin — some of the bands that influenced the much-derided L.A. “glam” scene of the 1980s. Wand owe a very much larger debt to these bands than their contemporaries, and that’s not a bad thing. In fact, the glammy sensibility Wand brings to the table serves as a reminder that the wholesale death of the L.A. scene at the hands of grunge was a bit of a throwing out of the baby with the bathwater. If those seventies touchstones can be blamed for giving us Poison and Warrant, it’s worth remembering that the better attitudes they embodied were being unafraid to have style or show off how well you can play, and to make each performance a true performance. Wand may not wear makeup or tight clothing, but their show brings with it some of that theatrical feel that makes them stand out. That’s what made them darlings at South By Southwest, where one of us captured their burner of a set at the Panache Booking-sponsored Hotel Vegas show and deemed it the best thing he saw all festival.

We’ll let you judge for yourself, with a three-fer of Wand shows in a range of situations. There’s that SXSW show and a September 2014 show opening for Ty Segall at Webster Hall, together with the most recent appearance by the band in NYC, an hourlong headlining gig at Mercury Lounge. I caught the Mercury show, and was taken straight away by the band’s command of the stage. Songs from their two albums enjoyed a range of reinterpretations and rocked-out treatments, while frontman Cory Thomas Hanson gave us the kind of vocal performance we’re just not used to hearing anymore. I appreciated that amidst the pounding — and the band also comes across much heavier and less spacey live than on record — the band slowed things down from time to time, such as when they lead us into the cosmic swirl of “Melted Rope.” Each of these three shows ends on the same number, the band’s most reliable “jam” song “Generator Larping”, which is as sure a recipe for a great end to the night as anything I’ve heard this year.

These sets are all combinations of soundboard feeds with high-quality audience microphones, and each of them is of excellent quality. Enjoy!

Downloads: Mercury Lounge [MP3] | [FLAC] || SXSW [MP3] | [FLAC] || Webster Hall [MP3] | [FLAC]

Stream the complete Mercury Lounge show:

Stream “Generator Larping” from SXSW:

Wand
2015-03-29
Mercury Lounge
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41 (PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>Aerco MP-2 + Soundboard (engineer: Dave Lefcourt)>>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (mix down, fades, limiter)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects, imaging)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time: 58:00]
01 The Unexplored Map
02 Self Hypnosis In 3 Days
03 [unknown1]
04 Floating Head
05 Melted Rope
06 Fire On the Mountain I-II-III
07 Flying Golem
08 Reaper Invert
09 Planet Golem
10 Generator Larping
_______________________________________
Wand
2015-03-20
Hotel Vegas – Panache SXSW
Austin, TX USA

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard + Sennheiser MKH-8040 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 40:07]
01 The Unexplored Map
02 Self Hypnosis in 3 Days
03 Floating Head
04 Fire On The Mountain
05 Flying Golem
06 Planet Golem
07 Generator Larping
_______________________________________
Wand
2014-09-17
Webster Hall
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard [engineer: Rafael] + Schoeps CCM4u Cardioids > Edirol R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (level adjustments, mixdown, EQ, set fades) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 37:41]
01 Send Receive (Mind)
02 [new song]
03 Fire On The Mountain
04 Broken Candle
05 Flying Golem
06 [new song 2]
07 [banter – last night]
08 Generator Larping

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Wand, visit their website, and buy Golem here and Ganglion Reef from Drag City here.

IMG_8396
[photo by acidjack]

Grooms: February 17, 2015 Music Hall of Williamsburg – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

March 3, 2015
By

IMG_8271

Many bands are forced to admit that their best album was probably their first. Grooms can take pleasure in having just released their high watermark four albums in. That album, Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair, marries their sense of melody and pop appeal to a level of musical skill befitting a band that has stayed together long enough to see personnel come and go, but emerge stronger in the process. A three-piece, Grooms manage to make their music rhythmically complex (thanks in no small part to drummer Steve Levine, who recently enjoyed notoriety on TV’s Better Call Saul) without overcomplicating it, and that works especially well live. Watching the three men onstage, you more appreciate how their arrangements leave room to feel what each player is doing.

This show at Music Hall of Williamsburg, on a bill shared with A Place to Bury Strangers (that set here), celebrated the new record’s release, but didn’t park the setlist there. Starting with a rapid succession of new songs, Grooms then dug back in to 2013’s under-toured Infinity Caller and even their debut Rejoicer, the band gave us a sense of the continuity in their music as well as some of the new ideas percolating in Comb the Feelings. While the album itself is the band’s best-produced to date, adding lush electronics to the band’s guitar-bass-drums mix, the live versions proved that the record isn’t just a success on that account. Songs like the title track are more than just well put together; they’re just good songs. Grooms were one of many bands tied to Death By Audio (including A Place to Bury Strangers), and now, like their scene itself, they will enter a different phase. So far, it’s working for them.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 microphones in the soundboard cage. The sound quality is quite good for a straight audience recording. Enjoy!

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

Stream “Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair”

Grooms
2015-02-17
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41 (DFC, at SBD, PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ, imaging)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (adjust levels)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 37:30]
01 Bed Version
02 Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair
03 Infinity Caller
04 [banter1]
05 Grenadine Scene From Inside
06 Doctor M
07 Lion Name
08 Foster Sister
09 [banter2]
10 Cross Off

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Grooms, visit their Facebook page, and buy Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair here.

Nathan Bowles: February 12, 2015 Union Pool and January 31, 2015 Silent Barn – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

February 22, 2015
By

IMG_8251

An canny, skilled and unpretentious kind of player, Nathan Bowles is nonetheless important not because of how he plays, but what he plays. There’s no shortage of banjo music circulating these days — the jam-band scene is filled with bands playing their own pabulum and covering the classic rock hits with the instrument, using it to deliver a little authenticity from the extra twang. Bowles’ career is the exact opposite of all of that — not only does he bring a new style and sound to Appalachian music, but he has an intrinsic knowledge of what a worthy song is, whatever its era.

First as a member of legendary Pelt, the multi-instrumentalist helped to make drone-based music that changed the conversation about what “folk” could be. With the Black Twig Pickers, he and his bandmates have gone deep into American history, both excavating and elevating lost and under-appreciated old-time music. Fitting, then, that his solo work, in particular 2014’s Nansemond, does some of both, giving us traditional Appalachian and Piedmont string music that’s infused with the sound and spirit of the modern avant-garde. Though “solo” in name, Nansemond is a full-band effort, allowing Bowles to produce tunes like the album’s bookends, “Sleepy Lake Bike Club” and “Sleepy Lake Tire Swing” that weave rich guitar textures around his virtuosic banjo work.

These sets at Union Pool and Silent Barn were true solo affairs, with Bowles the support act for Joan Shelley and Elisa Ambrogio, respectively. In front of two crowds that couldn’t have been more different, Bowles performed sets that delivered the full range of what’s meaningful about Nansemond. Both were all-Nansemond affairs that included the “Sleepy Lake” pieces and his straightforward medley of “Jonah and the Whale” and “Poor Liza Jane”. At Union Pool we got “Moonshine Is the Sunshine”, closer to the former numbers in tone, while at Silent Barn, Bowles added something more experimental to the reportoire, with Chuckatuck”, a song in which Tom Carter’s guitar work figures prominently on the record. You could’ve heard a pin drop among the Union Pool crowd, who Nathan thanked, almost baffled, for how respectful they were. If playing for the younger crowd at Silent Barn — who’d already been treated to a couple of punk bands — represented an uphill climb, Bowles didn’t show it; if anything, the spare arrangement of “Chuckatuck”, extended by three minutes versus the album version, ought to go down as one of that song’s best takes.

The Union Pool set was recorded with a soundboard feed from the house engineer Rob together with my Schoeps MK41 supercardiod microphones, while Eric PH recorded the Silent Barn gig with a straight soundboard feed from the engineer Mike, with only a tiny amount of his AKG 480 cardiods mixed in.

Download the Union Pool show [FLAC] | [MP3]

Download the Silent Barn show [FLAC] | [MP3]

Stream the Union Pool show:

Stream the Silent Barn show:

Nathan Bowles
2015-02-12
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard (engineer: Rob) + Schoeps MK41 (PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 >> Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (fades, compression, mix down)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, exciter)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Sleepy Lake Bike Club
03 [banter1]
04 Moonshine is the Sunshine [Jeffrey Cain]
05 [banter2]
06 Jonah and the Whale [traditional] / folk medley
07 [banter3]
08 Sleepy Lake Tire Swing
____________________________________________________

Nathan Bowles
2015-01-31
Silent Barn
Brooklyn, NY

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

Soundboard (engineer: Mike) + AKG C480B/CK61 (FOB, PAS) > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV(24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, mixdown) > Audacity 2.0.5 (amplify, fades, downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (level 8)

Tracks [45:13]
01. Sleepy Lake Bike Club
02. [banter/tuning]
03. Jonah/Poor Liza Jane
04. [banter/tuning]
05. Sleepy Lake Tire Swing
06. [banter/tuning]
07. Chuckatuck

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Nathan Bowles, visit his website, and buy Nansemond from Paradise of Bachelors.

nathanbowles2015-01-31silentbarn

A Place to Bury Strangers: February 17, 2015 Music Hall of Williamsburg – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

February 18, 2015
By

IMG_8303
[photos by acidjack]

A Place to Bury Strangers are one of several bands that incubated in the scene (and the sound) that grew up around Death By Audio and its line of effects pedals, making it fitting that they headlined Music Hall of Williamsburg just months after that venue’s untimely end. Though the band arrived on the scene just over ten years ago (in 2003), it feels like it’s been eons in musical terms. Today, their dark tone, blown out guitar sound, and relentless, ambitious live show feels vaguely foreign to the current indie mainstream, but that is as it should be. This kind of music may or may not always be a “trend”, but it will always have the ability to seize a crowd, and keep it.

It’s fitting that the band opened with “We’ve Come So Far”: The number comes from Transfixiation, the brand-new album whose release was being celebrated that night, and it also describes this band’s history. With only one consistent member throughout (frontman Oliver Ackermann), the now-trio has continued to hone a sound much more consistent than its personnel changes would suggest. From the obvious MBV homage of their self-titled 2007 debut, the band has both added layers and stripped them away, leaving them at the more tightly focused Transfixiation, which takes a few steps back from the wall of noise to find some new melodies — and a bit of extra weirdness — underneath.

Not that you’d have been able to tell at the album release show. From the first peals of guitar noise to the militaristic percussion of “So Far Away”, the band blanketed itself in noise, barely pausing between songs. Ackerman, drummer Robi Gonzalez and bassist Dion Lunadon were only intermittently visible in a sea of smoke, pierced by a frenetic light show and backed by abstract visuals. Ackermann and Lunadon hurled themselves around the stage as a mosh pit that churned below them; this was no polite Tuesday night show. It might be fair to say you can’t really get APTBS until you’ve seen them live, or at least, it’s very hard to convey the feeling of their music through a home stereo or some iPhone headphones. APTBS’ sound demands darkness, attention and crowd participation to fully land, and over and over on this night, it did.

Band and crowd literally became one during the encore portion of the set, when the band set up just in front of the venue’s soundboard to play three more songs as the audience closed in around them, the flashes of smartphone cameras replacing the strobe lights that had been up on the stage. If it didn’t quite replicate the intimacy of Death By Audio, it showed that this band deserved to grow to a level well beyond it, and to keep going. They’re the kind of band live music was made for, and they did right by us tonight.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 supercardiod microphones set up inside the soundboard cage. APTBS’ FOH, Lex, was in charge of the house mix. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

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

Stream the complete set: 

A Place to Bury Strangers
2015-02-17
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41 (DFC, at SBD, PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>24bit/48kHz WAV>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ, imaging)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (adjust levels)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 57:01]
01 We’ve Come So Far
02 I’m So Clean
03 Drill It Up
04 Fill the Void
05 Deadbeat
06 [instrumental]
07 Love High
08 Now It’s Over
09 I’ve Lived My Life to Stand In the Shadow of Your Heart
10 You Are the One [played from the floor]
11 Straight [played from the floor]
12 So Far Away [played from the floor]

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT A Place to Bury Strangers, visit their website, and buy Transfixiation from Dead Oceans here.

IMG_8290

Heaven: February 2, 2015 Rough Trade – Flac/MP3/Streaming

February 6, 2015
By

post image 1
[photos courtesy of Jill Harrison and For the Love of Brooklyn]

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we last saw Heaven at Mercury Lounge; the dreamy reverb of 2013’s Telepathic Love LP frequently finds its way on to my turntable as a welcome old friend. On Monday night, the band took to the Rough Trade stage for a snowstorm-rescheduled set, opening for fellow NYC-band Dreamers and Oklahoma-based headliner Broncho.

Between Mikey Jones’ touring gig with Swervedriver and semi-regular shows in the New York area, Heaven has been hard at work in the studio over the last year writing and recording a new album of material they expect to release in the first half of this year. Though the show on Monday included a handful of highlights from Telepathic Love (“Mountains Move,” “Colors in the Whites of Your Eyes”), the band also played several new, as-yet-unknown songs from the forthcoming album. For the sample track we’ve chosen their closing jam, Darken Fields, a slow burner and one we can’t wait to hear on wax.

I recorded Heaven using a pairs of Schoeps MK41 hypercardioids mixed with an excellent soundboard feed graciously provided house engineer, Nic. We hope you enjoy!

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.

post image 2

Heaven
Rough Trade
Brooklyn, New York
2015-02-02

Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and Produced by hi and lo

Source: Soundboard (Engineer: Nic) + Schoeps MK41/CMC6 > Sonosax SX-M2 >> Sound Devices 744T @ 24 bit / 48 kHz

01. Telepathic Love
02. In Your Ruin
03. Mountains Move
04. (Unknown #1)
05. (Unknown #2)
06. Colors in the Whites of Your Eyes
07. Darken Fields

Running Time: 37:39

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Heaven by visiting their Bandcamp page and purchasing a copy of Telepathic Love on CD or 12″ Vinyl from their online store [HERE].

Alex Calder: January 11, 2015 Rough Trade – FLAC/MP3/Streaming

January 29, 2015
By

IMG_0371

Alex Calder has done it the classic Captured Tracks way — starting out as a solo artist working on his own, expanding as his songs grew more complex into a full band. Calder took the stage for Rough Trade’s first anniversary with a crack band that, like the re-released version of his latest album Strange Dreams, took his sound to the next level. Calder’s songs, both from his 2015 re-release Strange Dreams to his earlier work, crackled as live versions, waking this early afternoon Rough Trade crowd up immediately. Calder has an obvious love for many generations and styles of popular music, from ’60s surf and garage to the faster-paced punk and softer-edged pop work that appeared in the late ’70s and early ’80s. An added bonus of this set was what appeared to be some new songs, each well in keeping with the quality of Calder’s current output. We hope to see another record from him this year, if we’re lucky.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK41 supercardiod microphones and a soundboard feed from house engineer Kyle. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

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

Stream the complete show:

Alex Calder
2015-01-11
Rough Trade
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK41 (DFC, PAS, at SBD)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard (engineer: Kyle)>Edirol R-44 [OCM]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, reverb SBD)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, imaging, effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (tracking, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [unknown1]
02 [unknown2]
03 Suki and Me
04 Location
05 Strange Dreams
06 Someone
07 [unknown3]
08 Marcel
09 Time

If you enjoyed this recording, visit Alex Calder’s Facebook page and buy his records from Captured Tracks here.

Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band: October 24, 2014 Rough Trade & January 10, 2015 Palisades

January 19, 2015
By

IMG_8054

NPR pretty much nailed it when they described Chris Forsyth’s music as “the intersection of Television and The Grateful Dead.” Add to that casual mentions of Neil Young and Richard Thompson, both of whom Forsyth has recently covered, and you get a fairly accurate portrait of his music. But musicians—the good ones at least—are more than just vectors for their influences. Forsyth’s first album with his band, Solar Motel, made it clear that here was an original songwriter working within and pushing the boundaries of a musical tradition. Forsyth’s guitar playing comes off as effortless and his looseness is counterbalanced by the Solar Motel Band’s ability to jam as if a single consciousness.

Here we have two sets, one recorded just days before the release of Intensity Ghost and one a short few months later, though long enough to have let that album’s jams percolate. The sets are nearly identical in setlist; the Palisades set substitutes a cover of Richard & Linda Thompson’s “The Calvary Cross” in place of Intensity Ghost’s “Yellow Square” from Rough Trade. Each features the same as-yet-untitled new song, an impressive jam to rival “The Ballad of Freer Hollow” for dominance as the band’s signature tune. Forsyth does an admirable job on vocals with “The Calvary Cross,” managing to carefully convey the song’s significance without resorting to affectation. “Intensity Ghost” is an exercise in guitar soloing bookended by an urgent jam that highlights the band’s ability to craft more tightly-wound rock songs. Finally, each set closes with “I Ain’t Waiting,” a slowed-down jam that eases you out of the Solar Motel headspace you’ve just inhabited for a good three-quarters of an hour.

Acidjack recorded the Rough Trade NYC show with Shoeps MK41’s set up at the soundboard, with a board feed from FOH Cam. The Palisades show was recorded with the AKG’s set up in front of the board, with a board feed from FOH Ariel. Both sets sound outstanding. Enjoy!

Download the Rough Trade NYC show at the Live Music Archive

Download the Palisades show at the Live Music Archive

Stream the complete Rough Trade NYC show:

Stream the complete Palisades show:

Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band
2014-10-24
Rough Trade NYC
Brooklyn, NY

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

Soundboard (engineer: Cam) + Schoeps MK41 (DFC, 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 )

Tracks [44:27]
01. Intensity Ghost
02. [banter]
03. The Ballad of Freer Hollow
04. [banter]
05. Yellow Square
06. [banter]
07. High Castle Rock
08. [banter]
09. I Ain’t Waiting


Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band
2015-01-10
Palisades
Brooklyn, NY

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

Soundboard (engineer: Ariel) + AKG C480B/CK61 > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV(24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, balance, mixdown, compression, fades) > Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (tracking, tagging) > FLAC (24/48, level 8)

Tracks [48:37]
01. The Ballad of Freer Hollow
02. High Castle Rock
03. The Calvary Cross [Richard & Linda Thompson]
04. Intensity Ghost
05. I Ain’t Waiting

Remastered August 2018

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Chris Forsyth. Visit his website, like him on Facebook, and buy Intensity Ghost from No Quarter.

SUPPORT NYCTaper




DISCLAIMER and LEGAL NOTICE

nyctaper.com is a live music blog that offers a new paradigm of music distribution on the web. The recordings are offered for free on this site as are the music posts, reviews and links to artist sites. All recordings are posted with artist permission or artists with an existing pro-taping policy.

All recordings and original content posted on this site are @nyctaper.com as live recordings pursuant to 17 U.S.C. Section 106, et. seq. Redistribution of nyctaper recordings without consent of nyctaper.com is strictly prohibited.

nyctaper.com hereby waives all copyright claims to any and all recordings posted on this site to THE PERFORMERS ONLY. If any artist posted on this site requests that recordings be removed, those recordings will be removed forthwith.