Posts Tagged ‘ schoeps ’

Caged Animals: March 30, 2012 Union Pool – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 11, 2012
By


[photos by Johnny Fried Chicken Boy]

We have been big fans of Vincent Cacchione’s music ever since I saw an incredible backyard performance by Vince’s other main project, Soft Black, back in 2010. While Soft Black continues to move forward with mastering a new record, Cacchione has delivered another record with Caged Animals. Where Soft Black is classic, organic rock n’ roll with a post-punk twist and a gloomy outlook, Caged Animals is a more au courant style of act, all heavy synths and reverbed vocals, taking cues from electronica and the “PBR&B” style of bands like The Weeknd. Perhaps it’s not surprising that Caged Animals were asked to put out their second record, Eat Their Own, on Lucky Number Music. It’s the type of project that needs to be on shelves, now.

The live version of Caged Animals, on excellent display at the Kevchino/NYCTaper-sponsored show at Union Pool on a Friday night, was a bit more organic affair than the band’s record, and I’ll admit that I’m cool with that.  Cacchione has a memorable voice, and it was a pleasure to hear it raw on songs like “Lips That Turn the Light to Fire”, one of the more Soft Black-ish songs from Caged Animals. Newer-style songs like “The NJ Turnpike” and “Instant <3 Breaker” also worked well, though.  Another of my personal favorite Cacchione songs (not played on this night) is Caged Animals’ “Teflon Heart”. This particular set ended abruptly thanks to Union Pool’s curfew, but the band still had enough time for a rocking closer, “Pink People”, from their self-titled debut.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK22 open-cardioid microphones and a nicely balanced soundboard feed from the Union Pool staff.  The quality is superb.  Enjoy!

Stream “Lips That Turn the Light To Fire”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C3030CagedAnimals0212/07 Lips That Turn the Light to Fire.mp3]

Stream “The NJ Turnpike”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/C3030CagedAnimals0212/02 The NJ Turnpike.mp3]

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

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.

Caged Animals
2012-03-30
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK22 (STC 22g, DFC, at SBD)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>Audacity 2.0 (mixdown, downsample, set fades, adjust levels, light EQ, tracking)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Instant <3 Breaker
02 The NJ Turnpike
03 Eat Your Own
04 Teenagers In Heat
05 All the Beautiful Things in the World
06 Sun Blind
07 Lips That Turn the Light To Fire
08 Pink People

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Caged Animals, visit their Facebook page, and purchase their records from Lucky Number Music [HERE]

Natureboy: March 30, 2012 Union Pool – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

April 4, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack and Johnny Fried Chicken Boy]

Natureboy ranks high among bands that we have been pulling for on this site.  While we have hosted shows that featured the band before, we were thrilled to have the chance to co-sponsor this show at Union Pool with Kevchino.  We are pleased to report that the band we saw was more mature and even sharper musically than before.  Since we last saw the band, they have added a drummer and keyboardist to give their Dylan-inspired folk-rock sound more muscle and rock n’ roll presence.  Founder and frontwoman Sara Kermanshahi and the band have recorded a new, as-yet-untitled release at fellow bandmember Cedar Apffel’s studio, and they served up a generous portion of that record with this set, including a favorite we had seen before and craved seeing again, “A Flame”.  The band’s newly-found live energy was palpable, and the five players easily filled the room with sound as Sara’s voice remained, as it should be, the centerpiece.

Natureboy is exploring options for the release of this new record, and we expect a label to snap this up before they miss the chance. As they closed this set with the Smiths’ “Back to the Old House” – one of many great covers we have heard from them – it was evident how Kermanshahi’s unique singing style and vision is a perfect compliment to the band’s now-classic sound.

I recorded this set with an excellent soundboard feed from the Union Pool FOH, plus Schoeps MK22 open cardiod mics.  The results are excellent.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Union Pool for their hospitality and to Kevchino for co-hosting the show and developing this great bill. 

Stream “Head to Toe”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/N1107Natureboy2299/08 Head to Toe.mp3]

Stream “Back to the Old House”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/N1107Natureboy2299/12 Back to the Old House.mp3]

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

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.

Natureboy
2012-03-30
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK22 (ORTF, DFC, at SBD)>KCY>PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>Audacity (mixdown, downsample, set fades, adjust levels, light EQ, tracking)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Pariah
02 A Flame
03 [tuning]
04 Lexies
05 [banter/tuning]
06 Blow To the Head
07 Don’t Worry
08 Head to Toe
09 Sight to See
10 Heart to Fool
11 [encore break]
12 Back to the Old House [The Smiths]

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Natureboy, visit their MySpace page, and purchase their debut album from Bleek Records [HERE]

Bowerbirds: March 23, 2012 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

March 26, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

The Raleigh, NC based folk band Bowerbirds pulled off quite an achievement when they sold out the Bowery Ballroom – what they called “the best room that we’ve ever played” – on a Friday night and managed to keep the crowd rapt for their full 70-minute set. Theirs is not party music; the band strikes a modern chord with their lush instrumentation and arrangements, but keeps their vocal and melodic style more traditional than, say, the Devendra Banharts of the world. Band anchors Philip Moore and Beth Tacular have had several ups and downs during the band’s six-year history – the two have been together, broken up, and reunited during that time, and most recently, Tacular suffered a life-threatening illness.  The Clearing, the band’s latest record, is the product of both.  Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that this show opened with the climactic narrative track from that album, “This Year.”  For Moore and Tacular, it has been a tough one.

From there came a set that was full of elegance and poise, as the band worked through a solid portion of The Clearing material, as well as several songs from 2009’s Upper Air.  The live performances of these songs added additional depth not found on those records, as well as as surprising amount of energy.  Several songs boasted reworked arrangements, guitar solos, and best of all, a few crowd sing-alongs.  Moore thanked that crowd repeatedly throughout the night, and by set’s end, there was nobody left to win over.  The show had been a success from start to finish.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones and a nicely balanced soundboard feed from the Bowery team.  The quality is excellent.  Enjoy!

Stream “In Our Talons”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/B2303Bowerbirds2012/19 In Our Talons.mp3]

Stream “This Year”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/B2303Bowerbirds2012/01 This Year.mp3]

This recording is now available as a direct download in FLAC and MP3 formats at Archive.org [HERE].

Follow acidjack on twitter

Bowerbirds
2012-03-23
Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5(c)>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (light EQ on AUD source, mixdown, set fades, additional light EQ, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample/dither to 16/44.1)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time: 1:09:37]
01 This Year
02 In the Yard
03 Chimes
04 [banter]
05 Stitch the Hem
06 Walk the Furrows
07 House of Diamonds
08 Crooked Lust
09 [banter]
10 Death Wish [new]
11 [banter]
12 Brave World
13 Now We Hurry On
14 Northern Lights
15 Hush
16 Tuck the Darkness In
17 [encore break]
18 Hooves
19 In Our Talons
20 Overcome With Light

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Bowerbirds, visit their website, and order The Clearing and their other releases from their online store [HERE]

Laura Stevenson & the Cans: February 11, 2012 Music Hall of Williamsburg – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

March 15, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Laura Stevenson & the Cans do not have much in common with their Don Giovanni Records labelmates stylistically – the label skews, with bands like The Screaming Females, a heck of a lot noisier.  But their performance this night at Music Hall of Williamsburg – in between the Screaming Females and gritty punk outfit For Science – was, like the Females’ (posted here), one of uncompromising quality.  It should be noted that Stevenson is not without her punk credentials, either.  Prior to going out on her own with the Cans, she was best known as keyboardist for the Long Island punk collective Bomb the Music Industry!, who will be her tourmates for the next few months along with the Felice Brothers, Screaming Females, and others.  Her band’s own music is more of the confessional, folk-influenced  singer-songwriter variety, and Stevenson executes her vision with a clarity and poise the reminds me of many of the things that have impressed us about other rising songwriters like Sharon Van Etten.  Along with songs from her first two records, including last year’s Sit Resist, Stevenson played several new numbers that portend a strong third album in her future.  Playing before a weekend punk crowd is hardly an easy task for any musician, but Stevenson did a fairly easy job of winning this crowd over.  At age 27, it might not be accurate to say Stevenson is a punk who has “grown up” – but perhaps it’s fair to say hers is grown-up music that punks can appreciate.

We recorded this set in the same manner as the Screaming Females recording, and it is a similarly nicely-balanced recording.  Enjoy!

Stream “[new song]”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L1102LauraStevenson0212/newsong.mp3]

Stream “8:08”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/L1102LauraStevenson0212/808.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files [HERE] | Direct Download location 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.

Laura Stevenson & the Cans
2012-02-11
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Neumann KM150>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Schoeps MK22>KCY>littlebox >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, EQ, amplify and balance, tracking, downsample, set fades)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 The Healthy One
02 8:08
03 Halloween Pts. 1 & 2
04 [new]
05 Caretaker
06 Peachy
07 [banter]
08 [new]
09 [new]
10 A Shine To It
11 Master of Art

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Laura Stevenson & the Cans, visit their website, and purchase Sit Resist from Don Giovanni Records [HERE]

Zambri: December 9, 2011 Glasslands – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

March 13, 2012
By


[Not very good photos in low light by acidjack. The recording is much better than the photos]

I first saw Zambri back in January of 2010 at Rock Shop (which predates their “first show” according to their Wikipedia page by about 8 months, but anyway), when sisters Cristi Jo and Jessica Zambri were still working out the kinks of their live act and presentation – though they were already pretty compelling.  By the time hi and lo and I caught them on this night at Glasslands nearly two years later, the group had just released their EP, Glossolalia, and polished the live versions of their songs – a difficult feat for songs constructed from layers of studio sounds.  Glossolalia is a thrilling EP for that reason, combining a scary and sexy vibe (see, for example, “Heather”).  While the album is a great headphone listen, the songs work in the live setting as well, not least because the sisters have developed ways to let them move around the stage and perform rather than being stuck behind consoles all show.  Of the many times I have seen Zambri in the past couple years (including backing Hooray for Earth, whose Noel Heroux has a mixing credit on Glossolalia), this was by far the best.  If the sisters’ forthcoming full-length, House of Baasa, has an album’s worth of tracks of Glossolalia’s quality, and keep performing like this, they should be finding themselves at the next level in no time.  We are streaming two of the best of the night’s tracks, “Heather” and “To Keep Back”, below.

Thanks to Kanine Records for permitting us to record and share this performance.  House of Baasa will be released on April 10.

hi and lo recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones, his rare analog preamp and a soundboard feed.  While you can hear some DI noise in the board feed during quiet segments, the sound quality of this recording is outstanding.  Enjoy!

Stream “Heather”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Z0812Zambri1102/06 Heather.mp3]

Stream “To Keep Back”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/Z0812Zambri1102/07 To Keep Back.mp3] 

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

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.

Zambri
2011-12-09
Glasslands
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5c>CMR>PFA>EAA PSP2 + Soundboard>Tascam DR-680>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 On Call
02 [unknown]
03 Carry
04 ICBYS
05 From the Start
06 Heather
07 To Keep Back
08 On Call (Biddibiddi)

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Zambri, visit their website, like them on Facebook, and purchase Glossolalia directly from Kanine Records.

Soulive: March 1, 2012 Brooklyn Bowl – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

March 4, 2012
By


[Photos by Jill at For the Love of Brooklyn]

In what has now become a tradition, Soulive are currently taking over Brooklyn Bowl for a series of shows filled with special guests and blow-the-doors-off playing.  Billed as “Bowlive III”, these shows highlight the band’s efforts to move forward with a jazz/funk genre that all too often seems content to rest on its laurels.  This show, for example, had almost nothing in common with the final night of Bowlive II that we covered last year.  While that show seemed to emphasize the soul elements of the band, this performance made the guitar skills of the band’s virtuosic regular Eric Krasno its focus.  The show opened with several extended numbers with just the trio before the band was joined by a rotating cast that included Karl Denson, regular guest Nigel Hall, and Sam Williams of Big Sam’s Funky Nation. While the guests added some range to the band’s sound, for this set, it was the trio numbers like “Aladdin” that kicked it off that I appreciated most – reminders that even with all the hoopla of the guests at these shows, this is one incredible band on its own.

After about 75 minutes of inspired playing, the band took a break during an appearance by special guest Rahzel, who gave a 25-minute beatbox performance that challenged the limits of the physically possible with his ability to essentially play, and sing, an entire song using only his mouth.  He joined the band for “I Am the Magnificent” before exiting the stage.  The crowd, already partying like madmen, was fully loaded for what was to come.

The band’s most recent recorded output is a record of Beatles covers called Rubber Soulive that highlights the shared heritage of jazz and rock n’ roll, so it came as no surprise when the band performed a mini-Beatles set of “Come Together,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”.  While the heavily-covered “Come Together” (you may have heard the Aerosmith version) was probably the biggest crowd-pleaser, I was most impressed with the extended jamming on “Eleanor Rigby”, which turned that two-minute gem of a vocal performance into an extended guitar meditation.  Rather than being a real “cover” version, the original was merely a starting point for what followed.  “Too Much”, one of few repeats from the show we saw last year, came next, before Brooklyn Bowl regular Questlove took the stage with Hall, Williams and Lenesha Randolph for a series of songs, including Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”.   With four more Bowlive shows on the way next week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday), Soulive are sure to have more tricks up their sleeves.  Don’t miss out.

Thanks to the Brooklyn Bowl staff for their hospitality to us at this show, and to the band for continuing to allow fan audio taping.  

hi and lo and I recorded this set with Schoeps MK21 wide cardiod microphones onstage, combined with Schoeps MK22 open cardiod microphones on the left side near one of the speakers to pick up some vocals and room ambiance.  The result is an incredible recording that truly feels like you are watching the band from the stage lip – which is an amazing experience.  There may be some tracking errors here and there – feel free to send corrections.

Stream “Eleanor Rigby [Beatles]”:
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1302Soulive1021/14 Eleanor Rigby.mp3]

Stream “Aladdin”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1302Soulive1021/04 Aladdin.mp3]

Download the FLAC and MP3 files and stream the entire show at the Live Music Archive [HERE]

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.

Soulive
2012-03-01
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

Download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded by hi and lo and acidjack
Produced by acidjack

Schoeps MK21 (onstage, NOS)>KC5>PFA>SD USBPre2 + Schoeps MK22 (A-B, 3ft split, 15 ft back, left stack)>CMC6 >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (Izotope Ozone limiter, EQ), resample to 44.1kHz>Audacity (tracking, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Set I [1:13:26]
01 [intro]
02 Steppin’
03 Uncle Junior
04 Aladdin
05 The Swamp
06 [banter]
07 Shaheed^
08 Rudy’s Way
09 [banter]
10 Leave Me Alone #

Rahzel [26:36]
11 improv

Set II [1:25:12]
12 I Am the Magnificent %
13 Come Together [Beatles]
14 Eleanor Rigby [Beatles]
15 I Want You (She’s So Heavy) [Beatles]
16 Too Much $
17 [banter]
18 Signed, Sealed, Delivered [Stevie Wonder] $&
19 [banter]
20 Tuesday Night Squad> $
21 Bewildered #
22 Tuesday Night Squad
23 [farewell]

^ with Karl Denson
# with Nigel Hall and Sam Williams
% with Rahzel
$ with Karl Denson, Nigel Hall, Sam Williams and Lenesha Randolph
& with Questlove

If you download this recording from NYCTaper, we expect that you will PLEASE SUPPORT Soulive, visit their website, and purchase their official releases and merchandise directly from the band’s online store [HERE].  You can also stream these shows live on iClips [HERE].  It’s also not too late to get tickets to the last four nights from Brooklyn Bowl.

Snowmine: February 16, 2012 Pianos – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 29, 2012
By


[photo by acidjack]

For those who like melodic, somewhat anthemic, approachable rock music, it probably hasn’t been a great last few years for you.  Making fun of the banality of bands like Coldplay isn’t even fun anymore; sure you’ve got your Bon Iver types out there, but they won’t exactly whip crowds into a frenzy. Younger bands are doing a whole range of things, but it seems too often that gimmickry, rather than greatness, wins the day.  Surely there’s a place for good music in this style that doesn’t sound like it’s trying too hard, or bored with itself.

Enter Snowmine to cure what ails you.  With their style of music – lush soundscapes, soaring vocal runs, atmospheric samples – words like “beautiful” or “pleasant” don’t have negative or ironic connotations.  Frontman Grayson Sanders has a sweet voice with range to spare, and he puts it to good use on songs like “Rome”, which has a similarly uplifting vibe to some of the better stuff in the Yeasayer catalog. Sanders lends the band’s songs some lovely vocal runs, but without the bombast that afflicts some of his peers.  Snowmine are still a young band, and this show was part of that rite of passage any New York band is familiar with, the Pianos residency.  The band took over the incubator-style room with a level of effort that suggests they have a real shot, bringing to bear a full-on stage setup with video projections, and even playing an (gasp!) encore.  Their fully-realized sound seems more than up to the task of taking down venues ten or a hundred times this size.  My money’s on that they make it.

hi and lo and I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardioid microphones and a stereo soundboard feed.  While Pianos crowds are notoriously chatty, the soundboard feed’s excellent balance allowed the mics to remain in the background, and as a result, we have an excellent recording.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Teen Wolf Management for inviting us to the show!

Stream “Rome”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1602Snowmine1202/Rome.mp3]

Stream “Let Me In”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/S1602Snowmine1202/Let Me In.mp3]

Direct download of complete show in MP3 files (HERE) |  Direct Download location 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.

Snowmine
2012-02-16
Pianos
New York, NY, USA

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

Source : Soundboard + Schoeps MK5c > Nbox Cables > Naiant PFA > EAA PSP-2 >> Tascam DR-680 @ 24 bit / 48 kHz
Edit : WaveLab V5.01b (fades/gain/eq/dither/resmpaling)
Encoding : FLAC v1.2.1 (Level 8) with TLH v2.6.0 (Build 168)

Tracklist (total time 43:38)
01 Plans
02 Rome
03 Curfews
04 [Banter]
05 Further Along, Further Away
06 Let Me In
07 Silver Sieve
08 Cutting Canyons
09 Beast in Air, Beast in Water
10 The Hill

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Snowmine, like them on Facebook, and purchase their music on their bandcamp page on a “pay what you will” basis.

Heartless Bastards: February 24, 2012 Webster Hall – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 27, 2012
By


[photos by acidjack]

When their debut album Stairs and Elevators dropped seven years ago, Rolling Stone described the Heartless Bastards, accurately, as a small town (well, Cincinnati, anyway) band that was ready for the big time.  In 2012, with three more records under their belt, and their latest release, Arrow garnering solid-to-great reviews (The Onion’s A.V. Club called it the band’s best to date), I think it’s safe to say that the big time has been hit.  This show at Webster Hall sold out handily, and even this Friday night crowd was mostly hanging on every word.  Brooklyn-based Partisan Records is no doubt proud of their latest signing and the album they’ve put out for them, which was produced by Spoon drummer Jim Eno in Austin.

Arrow, like the band’s previous efforts, is a work of direct, honest American rock n’ roll songcraft, but it is also a more focused one, stripped of some of the production flourishes of The Mountain and letting lyricist and frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom’s voice and songwriting carry the load once again.  Arrow is obviously the product of a working, touring songwriter, and that gives it some instantly appealing thematic material to work with.  Also, as with a lot of the Bastards’ work, the songs are just good.  The melancholy “Skin and Bone” was a favorite of mine when the band debuted it for New York audiences in two semi-acoustic shows last July at Mercury Lounge, and I’m pleased to say that the final album version was equally fantastic as a full-band number at Webster Hall.  As it deserved to, most of Arrow received some attention during the show, with songs like “Parted Ways,  “Only For You” and “Down In the Canyon” standing shoulder to shoulder with band classics like “Sway” and “All This Time” (whose live version always gets an extended drum intro from the band’s underrated drummer Dave Colvin).  As Erika so aptly sings on “Low Low Low”, “my future is bright”.  We certainly agree.

I recorded this set with a soundboard mix provided by the band’s engineer, Jack, and Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones mounted at the corner of the soundboard booth in the balcony.  The results are truly outstanding.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Heartless Bastards, Partisan Records, and Bowery Presents for their hospitality.

Stream “Only For You”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/07 Only For You.mp3]

Stream “Sway”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/13 Sway.mp3]

Stream “Low Low Low”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/H6602HB9922/11 Low Low Low.mp3]

Direct download of MP3 files [HERE] | Direct download of FLAC files [HERE]
If the FLAC link is no longer working, email nyctaper directly.

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.

Heartless Bastards
2012-02-24
Webster Hall
New York, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5c>KC5>CMC6>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard >> Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (various effects, EQ, resample to 44.1kHz)>Audacity (tracking, amplify and balance, downsample to 16bit)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:35:20]
01 Marathon
02 Out At Sea
03 Parted Ways
04 Got To Have Rock N’ Roll
05 [banter – intro Heidi Johnson]
06 Blue Day*
07 Only For You
08 Skin and Bone
09 Simple Feeling
10 The Arrow Killed the Beast
11 Low Low Low
12 The Mountain
13 Sway
14 Hold Your Head High*
15 Late In the Night
16 Down In the Canyon
17 [encore break]
18 All This Time
19 Nothing Seems the Same

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Heartless Bastards, visit their website, and purchase Arrow from Partisan Records [HERE]

D. Charles Speer & the Helix: February 8, 2012 Brooklyn Bowl – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

February 22, 2012
By


[Live at Glasslands in April 2011. Photo courtesy of EardrumNYC]

Warming us up for Howlin’ Rain’s set of modern classic rock two Wednesdays ago at Brooklyn Bowl was another band led by a musician of varied talents that draws its inspiration from an earlier time.  D. Charles Speer & the Helix frontman Dave Shuford is also a player in No Neck Blues Band, the avant-garde New York-based improvisational collective that traffics in free jazz, experimental folk and noise rock, but the Speer clan travels the seemingly more familiar territory of country and Americana, albeit with their own dynamic style.  Don’t call it alt-country – a term that now connotes suburban rock more than serious musical development.  What Shuford and Co. are serving up is something else, incorporating Shuford’s experimental background, Southern roots (he is from Atlanta) and literary talent.  If you don’t listen carefully, you could miss the shifting time signatures in one number, or that someone is using a Greek bouzouki to carve out an Appalachian riff in another, or that canny biblical reference. If you do listen carefully, you will discover a band that is anything but conventional, taking traditional Americana and making it weird again.  This set at Brooklyn Bowl was hardly the best attended Speer set I’ve seen, nor is this venue the proper setting – a giant multipurpose bowling alley/restaurant/bar/music venue is kind of the opposite of a place to focus on music’s subtleties – but the band did a bang-up job anyway, with an eight-song set that jumped around the band’s catalog, including their 2011 release, Leaving the Commonwealth on Thrill Jockey.  They are the type of band whose live and recorded experiences are very similar; Shuford’s deep, slightly mournful baritone (think David Berman, but deeper) isn’t the sort of thing you augment with studio trickery, and the band’s chemistry onstage is natural and deeply satisfying.  This recording leans fairly heavily on the nicely-balanced soundboard feed provided by the Brooklyn Bowl house team, both in order to minimize the sounds of bowling and to give the listener an almost album-like experience of this band.

hi and lo and I recorded this set with the aforementioned soundboard feed and Schoeps MK41 supercardioid microphones. The results are excellent. Enjoy!

Stream “Furze”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/D0028DCharlesSpeer2012/speer2012-02-08bbowl_acidjack-05.mp3]

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

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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.

D. Charles Speer & the Helix
2012-02-08
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK41>KCY>littlebox>Tascam DR0680>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (mixdown, set fades, tracking, amplify, balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Razorbacked
02 [new]
03 Days in the Kitchen
04 Le Grand Cochon
05 Furze
06 Gravedigger
07 Freddie’s Lapels
08 Leaving the Commonwealth

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT D Charles Speer & the Helix, visit their website, and purchase their records directly from Thrill Jockey [HERE]

Howlin’ Rain: February 8, 2012 Brooklyn Bowl – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Songs

February 14, 2012
By


[Photos by acidjack]

Ethan Miller, the founder and frontman of Howlin’ Rain, knows his history.  Were it still the 1970s, the Humboldt County native and his band could have held their own with any of that era’s West Coast greats.  These days, some of the era’s dinosaurs may still roam, but among current acts, Howlin’ Rain have the mantle almost to themselves.  The band wear their influences proudly; as Miller put it to Rolling Stone, “Everyone dabbles in the history books to get their licks… We use the same roads and highways. But the weather, lights, cars and people, they’re never quite the same.”  Miller previously honed his chops in the psychedelic rock outfit Comets on Fire, who released their last record in 2006, the same year that Miller launched Howlin’ Rain’s outstanding self-titled debut.  Howlin’ Rain retains some of its predecessor’s psychedelic influences, and penchant for stretched-out songs, but focuses more on a melodic, classic rock style that takes full advantage of Miller and the band’s considerable talents.

This show at Brooklyn Bowl, the second of two local shows after a night at Mercury Lounge over in Manhattan, found the band and openers D. Charles Speer & the Helix playing material from the band’s forthcoming record to a moderately-sized but fired-up crowd ignoring the league night going on in the bowling portion of the room.  This gave plenty of opportunities for bowling jokes, sure, but by mid-set, bowling had fallen by the wayside, and Howlin’ Rain owned the room.  It’s no wonder that The Russian Wilds, their new album that dropped today, has been receiving ecstatic reviews – while some other classic-sounding bands (ahem, a certain duo who shall remain unnamed) have taken to putting out records that go through the motions, The Russian Wilds is the sound of a band that is still hungry and still getting better.  They kicked off this show with “Self Made Man” from that record, an eight-minute rocker that says all you need to know about the scale and scope of Miller’s ambitions.   Things only picked up from there, as the band displayed its versatility and its ability rock on songs like “Cherokee Werewolf”, “Dark Side” and “I Want To See the Bright Lights Tonight”.  The combination of the band’s throwback sound and the rock n’ bowl venue felt like a time machine of sorts – and that was a time machine I’d like to be in.

hi and lo and I recorded this set with two pairs of Schoeps microphones – MK5 cardiods and MK41 supercardiods – plus a soundboard feed provided by Brooklyn Bowl.  Thanks to Peter Costello for his hospitality.  Enjoy the recording!

Download MP3 and FLAC via the Live Music Archive.


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.

Howlin’ Rain
2012-02-08
Brooklyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard + Schoeps MK41>KCY>littlebox + Schoeps MK5c>NBox cables>PFA>PSP2 >> Tascam DR-680 (MK41 and SBD) + Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod] (MK5)>6x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audacity (clock sync channels, mixdown, tracking, set fades, light EQ, amplify and balance)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time approx 78min]
01 intro>Self Made Man
02 Phantom In the Valley
03 [banter]
04 Cherokee Werewolf
05 [banter]
06 Can’t Satisfy Me Now
07 [banter]
08 Strange Thunder
09 Dark Side
10 Dancers At the End of Time
11 Calling Lightning Pt. 2
12 [encore break]
13 I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight
14 Roll On The Rusted Days

If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Howlin’ Rain, visit their website, like them on Facebook, and purchase The Russian Wilds directly from their site or from your favorite retailer.

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