Posts Tagged ‘ Steve Gunn ’

Ryley Walker, Steve Gunn & Ryan Jewell Trio: March 5, 2019 Union Pool

March 7, 2019
By
Photo by Drew Gardner

Ryley Walker led off his March 2019 Union Pool residency with a shot of his usual self-deprecating humor, telling us he just got dumped and that this was his first show as a New Yorker (he’s lived here for months and performed quite a few sets here since). For those of us who’ve followed his career for the past five-plus years, we knew at least one thing to expect next: Ryley’s music is as serious as his stage persona is flippant.

Still, that couldn’t quite prepare us for the trio set with Steve Gunn and Ryan Jewell that followed. This trio could have done any number of things well, but what we ended up with reminded me tonally of Gunn’s collaborations with the drummer John Truscinski — with a hundred percent more guitar. Over the course of this 50 minute improvisational piece (titled by yours truly given the lack of a given one), I was struck by how, in the right hands, an instrument can be a person’s voice. Take Walker at his word — or put yourselves in the shoes of almost anyone who first moves to NYC from their hometown — and you knew what kind of energy he was working with: frenetic, exuberant and relentless. He played like a person aching to be seen, announcing themselves in an unfamiliar place. It wasn’t his first show as a New Yorker, but it might be the first one with that alchemical mix of awe, anxiety and urgency that turns you into the kind of person who belongs here.

Gunn’s trademark guitar tone undergirds the entire piece, a beacon for what’s to come. There’s a sweetness and calm to even Gunn’s noisiest work that’s of a piece to his own stage persona: confident but laid-back about it, extraordinary without overreaching. Like his recent guest appearance with William Tyler, this collaboration with Walker made for an incredible combination of peer guitarists operating at their creative and artistic peaks (not to say they won’t enjoy more). Likewise the conservatory-trained Jewell, an almost-constant among Ryley’s touring bandmates, who comes in and out of the foreground of this extended improv at the right moments, adding drone-style percussion at critical ebbs in the volume.

From his noise roots to his folk-leaning earlier albums to his wholly-new current material, Walker proves over and over that he refuses not to stretch himself artistically. It was hard to take photos of this show. You could get a clear shot of Steve, eyeing Ryley from stage left. But Ryley Walker, he was a blur, especially at this piece’s final, ecstatic climax. Like a true New Yorker, he never stops moving.

I recorded this set with a flawless feed from Union Pool’s engineer Doug Graham, together with Schoeps MK5 microphones at the soundboard. The quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Thanks as always to the artists and the Union Pool team for having us.

Download the complete show from its Live Music Archive page.

Ryley Walker, Steve Gunn & Ryan Jewell Trio
2019-03-05
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY  USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack

Soundboard (engineer: Doug Graham) + Schoeps MK5 (XY, at SBD, DFC)>KC5>CMC6>>Sound Devices MixPre 6>24/48 polyWAV>Adobe Audition CC>Izotope Ozone 5>Audacity 2.2.2>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 51:41]
01 [Chicago rap]
02 Exodus 2 Brooklyn pt 1
03 Exodus 2 Brooklyn pt 2
04 Exodus 2 Brooklyn pt 3

Ryley Walker – guitar
Steve Gunn – guitar
Ryan Jewell – drums

William Tyler: February 26, 2019 (Le) Poisson Rouge

March 6, 2019
By

Here’s a nice companion to William Tyler’s record release show last month at Rough Trade NYC. That show was the start of his tour for Goes West and as it turns out, was only a small preview of what he’s been up to. For the (Le) Poisson Rouge crowd, Tyler pulled out all the stops, playing acoustic and electric songs, and inviting locals Steve Gunn and Ryan Sawyer to join in for a few. Gunn plays on “High Anxiety” from Modern Country and contributes guitar and vocals to a cover of Michael Chapman’s “Among the Trees.” Things kick into high gear when Ryan Sawyer joins Tyler for “Whole New Dude” from the Lost Colony EP. They make an outstanding duo and the energy on that song is just incredible. Is there hope someday for a Tyler-Gunn-Sawyer jam sesh? Let’s plant the seed.

I recorded this set with the MBHO hypercardioids, combined with a board feed courtesy of the venue and engineer, Jason. The sound is outstanding. Enjoy!

Download MP3/FLAC


William Tyler
2019-02-26
(Le) Poisson Rouge
New York, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH

Soundboard (engineer: Jason) + MBHO KA500HN/603A (at SBD) > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (mixdown, compression, normalize, fades) > Audacity 2.0.5 (tracking, tagging) > FLAC (24/48, level 8)

Tracks [1:16:04]
01. Intro
02. Man in a Hurry
03. Fail Safe Intro
04. Fail Safe
05. I’m Gonna Live Forever (If It Kills Me)
06. Eventual Surrender Intro
07. Eventual Surrender
08. Gone Clear Intro
09. Gone Clear
10. We Can’t Go Home Again Intro
11. We Can’t Go Home Again
12. Our Lady of the Desert
13. Highway Anxiety Intro
14. Highway Anxiety
15. Among the Trees Intro
16. Among the Trees [Michael Chapman]
17. Whole New Dude Intro
18. Whole New Dude

14, 16 with Steve Gunn
18 with Ryan Sawyer

Buy William Tyler’s records, including Goes West and Modern Country at Merge

Gunn-Truscinski Duo: July 19, 2018 Elsewhere

July 24, 2018
By

Watching the interplay of Steve Gunn and John Truscinski onstage, you get the sense that these two are hand-in-glove players, to the point you almost can’t imagine them playing with anyone else (though they do). That interplay is part of what makes all of their Three Lobed releases so special. Each of them, including their latest and most adventurous to date, Bay Head, feels like it sprung forth fully-formed, a jam session whose synchrony had to be made permanent. On this night at Elsewhere, after kicking off with their new drone track “Road Bells,” the duo launched into straight into a version of “Banh Mi Ringtones” that felt like just that, with the action peaking in a furious Gunn solo. The Ocean Parkway love continued with that title track, followed by the gorgeous “Seagull for Chuck Berry.” Things came to a close in a similar vein to the show we saw at Union Pool in January, the sprawler “Gunter,” featuring a new drone-based intro. Even that relatively new track felt re-imagined in the moment, and that’s the glory of Gunn-Truscinski duo. Fortunately, this is one of those jam sessions whose synchrony was documented.

I recorded this set from the soundboard cage with a board feed from house engineer Chris, together with Schoeps MK4V microphones. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

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

Gunn-Truscinski Duo
2018-07-19
Elsewhere
Brooklyn, NY USA

Recorded and produced by acidjack for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Chris) + Schoeps MK4V (FOB, DFC, PAS)>Sound Devices MixPre6>24/48 polyWAV>Adobe Audition CC (align, mix down, fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.2.2 (track, amplify)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 Road Bells
02 Banh Mi Ringtones
03 Ocean Parkway
04 Seagull For Chuck Berry
05 Gunter

• Buy Bay HeadOcean Parkway, and Sand City via Three Lobed

Gunn-Truscinski Duo: January 9, 2018 Union Pool

January 15, 2018
By


[Photo via @taswaim]

Until the surprise announcement of Bay Head from Gunn-Truscinski Duo last year, it seemed like these guys may never put out another record together. Their last platter, Ocean Parkway, was released back in 2012 and besides a very special gig for the Three Lobed Sweet Sixteen, the pair had been awfully quiet for a long time. Fortunately for us Bay Head picks up right where they left off, proving that when Steve Gunn and John Truscinski get a room together, it’s a rare magic that results. And speaking of rare, the duo aren’t doing many shows together in support of the record, but we were lucky enough to capture this set from Union Pool last week. Old classics “Bahn Mi Ringtones” and “Ocean Parkway” brought back memories of Zebulon gigs past, while new songs “Sugar,” “Seagulls for Chuck Berry,” and “Gunter” were captivatingly fresh.

If you’re in LA, be sure to grab tickets for their show with Body/Head.

And if you’re in Brooklyn, Union Pool has another free show scheduled for this Tuesday, Jan. 16, with the inimitable Sir Richard Bishop headlining.

I recorded this from our usual spot with MBHOs combined with a board feed courtesy of FOH Doug. The sound is terrific. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [FLAC/MP3]

Gunn-Truscinski Duo
2018-01-09
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Doug) + MBHO MBP603/KA200N > Zoom F8 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, mixdown, compression, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (tracking, tagging) > FLAC (24/48, level 8)

Tracks [44:42]
01. Bahn Mi Ringtones
02. Sugar
03. [tuning and talking]
04. Seagulls for Chuck Berry
05. [raccoons]
06. Ocean Parkway
07. [tuning]
08. Gunter

Steve Gunn: guitar
John Truscinski: drums

Buy Bay Head, Ocean Parkway, and Sand City via Three Lobed

Lee Ranaldo: January 22, 2017 Park Church Co-op

January 26, 2017
By

For all the reasons I need not repeat here, protest music is perhaps more vital now than at any other time in my lifetime if not everyone’s. Lee Ranaldo’s engagement with Occupy Wall Street has been well documented; and it was around that time that he started performing Neil Young’s classic “Revolution Blues” regularly at shows. Coming off inauguration weekend, I think we can safely call all of the songs Ranaldo performed last Sunday protest music, each song imploring us in its own language to “resist, resist, resist, resist.”

Wrapping up his two-week tour with Meg Baird and Steve Gunn (Steve’s set here, Meg’s set here), Ranaldo showed up at Park Church Co-op with a slew of new material (some of which we’ve heard before), plus covers of The Velvet Underground’s “Ocean” and the aforementioned Neil Young tune. Will the help of a few friends—left to right in the above photo that’s Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan, Lee, and Steve—the glorious crescendo of “Ocean” is as overwhelming as the lyrics’ crashing waves suggest. These days, we need art not only for protest but also to uplift, and this performance is nothing if not uplifting. Closing with “Revolution Blues,” Lee is joined by Steve Gunn and Meg Baird, both on guitar and vocals, Alan Licht on guitar, and Georgia Hubley on drums. We’ve heard Lee do this song a few times now, but trading verses with Meg the forty-year-old song and its lyrics feel refreshing as we listen with new ears.

I recorded this set from my improvised tapers section in front of board, combined with a feed from Park Church’s engineer Jasno Swarez. The sound is excellent. Enjoy—and resist!

Download: MP3/FLAC

Stream:

Lee Ranaldo
2017-01-22
Park Church Co-op
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for NYCTaper.com

Soundboard [engineer: Jasno Swarez] + AKG C480B/CK61 > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, compression, mixdown, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [1:03:44]
01. Moroccan Mountains
02. Let’s Start Again
03. Circular
04. Electric Trim
05. [Uncle Skeleton intro]
06. Uncle Skeleton
07. Thrown Over the Wall (w/Alan Licht)
08. Last Looks (w/Meg Baird)
09. [Ocean intro]
10. Ocean [The Velvet Underground] (w/Alan, Steve Gunn, Georgia Hubley, and Ira Kaplan)
11. [Revolution Blues intro]
12. Revolution Blues [Neil Young] (w/Meg, Alan, Steve, and Georgia)

• Website
• • Facebook
• • • Buy Lee Ranaldo and the Dust records from Matador

And then, please consider donating to local organizations that support freedom and fair treatment for all, such as the New York Civil Liberties Union and the New York Immigration Coalition.

Steve Gunn: January 22, 2017 Park Church Co-op

January 25, 2017
By


[Photo via @laurencebuisson]

Steve Gunn needs little introduction in these pages. We’re big fans—and no doubt you are too. Steve has been touring the US and Canada the last couple weeks along with Meg Baird and Lee Ranaldo, the trio making up the first must-see tour of 2017 and spreading some much needed solidarity, positive vibes, and resistance in these unfortunate times. The final weekend of the tour found them playing Washington, DC on the night of the inauguration, Philadelphia the night of the next day’s massive and exhilarating marches, and wrapping up Sunday night in Brooklyn at the Park Church Co-op. The success of the weekend’s protests had people feeling pretty hopeful by Sunday night and this solo set from Gunn feels great all the way through. Seeing him solo and in a smaller, less formal space than December’s Bell House gig brought back happy memories of the days when you could regularly catch Gunn doing an intimate set at Zebulon.

I recorded this set from in front of board, combined with a feed from Park Church’s engineer Jasno Swarez. The sound is excellent. Enjoy—and resist!

Download: MP3/FLAC

Stream:

Steve Gunn
2017-01-22
Park Church Co-op
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for NYCTaper.com

Soundboard [engineer: Jasno Suarez] + AKG C480B/CK61 > Roland R-26 > 2xWAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC (align, compression, mixdown, normalize, fades) + Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ) > Audacity 2.0.5 (downsample, dither, tracking, tagging) > FLAC (16/44.1, level 8)

Tracks [60:52]
01. [Intro]
02. Old Strange
03. Milly’s Garden
04. Way Out Weather
05. Ark
06. Night Wander
07. Park Bench Smile
08. [Wildwood intro]
09. Wildwood
10. Mr. Franklin

PLEASE SUPPORT STEVE GUNN: Go to matadorrecords.com or your local record store and buy Eyes On the Lines and the recent “Ancient Jules” EP. 

And then, please consider donating to local organizations that support freedom and fair treatment for all, such as the New York Civil Liberties Union and the New York Immigration Coalition.

Steve Gunn: December 9, 2016 Bell House

December 11, 2016
By



Watching Steve Gunn and his latest band play this performance at The Bell House reminded me of the below Gunn performance with Alex Bleeker & the Freaks at the “Play Dead” show that we captured in 2015. Gunn’s music at the time — consisting of solo guitar records, his duo work in Gunn-Truscinski Duo, and his two Paradise of Bachelors LPs, Time Off and Way Out Weather — wasn’t necessarily the work of someone who revered the Dead. But as he and Bleeker’s band played “Wharf Rat” that night, it all clicked. Part of what continues to make the Grateful Dead so special is that there are multiple entry points to the band, a whole universe of styles and vibes contained within individual tours and individual shows and, even, individual songs. Gunn wasn’t a person who mimicked the band’s style(s), at all, but he had absorbed many of their lessons. And this show, more than most of his I have seen, proved it.

This show, the band’s final of the year after a long slog of touring and greatly increased exposure thanks to Gunn’s Matador Records debut, Eyes On the Lines, was my first time seeing most of Eyes On the Lines in the live setting, despite having seen Gunn several times this year. Maybe it was the hometown crowd, whose love is unconditional and the opposite of the “play the hits” mentality of the festival crowds, maybe it was the finely honed interplay among the musicians, maybe it was just them saying “fuck it” and doing things the way they wanted — whatever it was, Gunn and Co. came out and turned even some of the relatively concise material of Eyes On the Lines into life-affirming jams that both challenged and enlightened. What’s most gratifying about watching an artist that you’ve followed for a while keep doing this after achieving his greatest commercial popularity to date is to know how unafraid of it he is, how resolutely true to himself.

Gunn bookended the show with stripped-down songs, starting things off with a fourteen-minute solo acoustic “Old Strange” that was a classic mix of Gunn’s earnest lyrics and desert blues guitar, with the “Wildwood” encore with James Elkington on the electric and Steve on the acoustic. While hearing the new songs — especially a personal favorite, “Ancient Jules” — was a blast, what also stuck me was once again how the music cut through the heaviness of the political moment without flinching from it. Gunn’s impassioned intro to “Park Bench Smile” about inclusion and “fighting what the fuck’s happening” hit its mark, but the song, as rendered, spoke for itself. A noisy, messy, emphatic rendition of the song, it felt like so much of this moment, chaotic but, ultimately, resolved into something hopeful, defiant, and right. What a way to end a year.

I recorded this set with engineer David Hurtgen’s house mix combined with Schoeps MK41V hypercardiod microphones. David’s regular work with the venue shows here, as the sound is dialed in and excellent. Enjoy!

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

Stream the complete show:

Steve Gunn
2016-12-09
The Bell House
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Soundboard (engineer: David Hurtgen) + Schoeps MK41V (at SBD, PAS)>KC5>CMC6>>Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CC (align, mix down, compression, fades)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects, image)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks [Total Time 1:26:57]
01 [intro]
02 Old Strange [solo acoustic]
03 Way Out Weather
04 Conditions Wild
05 [banter]
06 Ancient Jules
07 Night Wander
08 Full Moon Tide
09 [banter2]
10 Ark
11 [banter3]
12 Park Bench Smile
13 [encore break]
14 Wildwood [duo w/ Elkington]

Band:
Steve Gunn
James Elkington – Guitar
Jason Meagher – Bass
John Truscinski – Drums

PLEASE SUPPORT STEVE GUNN: Go to matadorrecords.com or your local record store and buy Eyes On the Lines. 

And then, please consider donating to local organizations that support freedom and fair treatment for all, such as the New York Civil Liberties Union and the New York Immigration Coalition.

Gunn-Truscinski Duo: March 26, 2016 Three Lobed Sweet Sixteen Spectacular, King’s (Raleigh, NC)

April 20, 2016
By

gunn-truscinski-schwentker
[photo courtesy of David Schwentker]

Though his solo career has been the (very successful) focus of late, many of us were first exposed to the virtuosic guitar playing of Steve Gunn via his perfect pairing with the drummer John Truscinski. The duo produced a pair of outstanding albums on Three Lobed RecordingsSand City and the masterstroke Ocean Parkway, each with an indelible connection to desert blues, Indian ragas, American folk, and psychedelia. By our count, though, their last live shows doing this music were in 2012, including the Hopscotch Music Festival and 285 Kent shows that appeared on this site.

That made it especially exciting to experience the group’s return to a stage where we’ve seen them before — at King’s in Raleigh, NC. This time, we were celebrating the sixteenth anniversary of Three Lobed Recordings, and in a sense, the reissue of both of the duo’s albums by the label this year. Building on Gunn’s dynamic afternoon solo set, the pair gifted us three songs filled with precise interplay and hypnotic guitar work. Gunn dug deep on the guitar work during “Ocean Parkway” and “Banh Mi Ringtones,” the latter’s signature melody leading the pair into an explosive, noisy jam that iced the cake for those of us who love seeing these two play together about equally to our love for Gunn’s solo outings. After “Banh Mi” wound back to its subtler beginnings, the pair closed with “Wythe Raag” from Sand City, which managed to evoke both the namesake Brooklyn street and legendary musical style for which it’s named. That number likewise came in the three parts, building to another sprawling noise climax before its mystical, melodic closing. As Gunn prepares to tour his new record, we hope these two will find time to continue to work together — it’s something not to be missed.

I recorded this set as with the other sets from the day, with a combination of multiple soundboard channels from engineer Brad  Womack’s feed, together with onstage Schoeps MK22 mics and mounted MBHO mics in the center of the room. The sound quality is simply phenomenal. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Gunn-Truscinski Duo
2016-03-26
Three Lobed Sweet Sixteen Spectacular
Kingís
Raleigh, NC USA

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

4x Soundboard channels (engineer: Brad Womack) + MBHO 603a/KA200N (FOB, DFC, PAS) + Schoeps MK22 (onstage, ORTF, DFC)>KC5>CMC6>Aeta PSP3 >> Zoom F8>8x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 Ocean Parkway
03 [tuning]
04 Banh Mi Ringtones
05 Wythe Raag

PLEASE SUPPORT Gunn-Truscinski Duo, visit Steve Gunn’s website, and purchase the new Ocean Parkway/Sanc City re-release and their other releases directly from Three Lobed [HERE]

Steve Gunn: March 26, 2016 Three Lobed Sweet Sixteen Spectacular, King’s (Raleigh, NC)

April 8, 2016
By

gunn-schwentker
[photo by David Schwentker]

In case you live under a rock, Steve Gunn is a pretty big deal in the independent music world. Along with working with Kurt Vile, he’s released a sprawl of killer records, from his duo work with John Truscinski, to his collaborations with Hiss Golden Messenger, Mike Cooper and the Black Twig Pickers, to his work with GHQ, to his singer/songwriter solo work. There is no version of Steve Gunn that isn’t great, that isn’t able to worm its way into your brain and stick there, and maybe make you think in the process.

Like Bardo Pond, Gunn is another artist that Three Lobed Recordings has been aligned with for a long time, and the fact that Steve would take the stage twice at the Three Lobed Sweet Sixteen Spectacular, in celebration of the label’s sixteenth anniversary, says what you need to know about his commitment right back. If (as it would seem) Gunn will prove to be one of the Three Lobed alumni with the greatest popular appeal, it won’t be because he’s abandoned the spirited, inventive and challenging style of playing that early fans have always cherished. The proof of that lies in this single set from King’s, as Steve closed out the morning portion of the day with just three long songs. Sure, “Old Strange” is a bit easier to hum along to than GHQ’s “Four Trees,” but it’s still fifteen freaking minutes long, as played here, with the lyrics and the chorus almost afterthoughts amidst the guitar work that almost makes you forget there’s just one of him up there. That doesn’t discount one of Gunn’s other most-loved and longest epics, “The Lurker (Extended),” which graced the Not the Spaces You Know, But Between Them boxed set on Three Lobed, and arrived in stunning form here. He closed with “Mr. Franklin,” another relatively uncommon number in his current tour repertoire, and readied himself for the second half of this day, when he would join John Truscinski for their first duo set in several years (that recording coming soon).

You owe it to yourself to hear where Steve is going next — preorder Eyes on the Lines here, and check out the new single “Conditions Wild” on YouTube.

I recorded this set in the same manner as the other recordings from the day, with Schoeps MK22 open cardiod microphones onstage, MBHO microphones in the audience, and a multichannel soundboard feed from Justin Perrachon. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the complete show:

Steve Gunn
2016-03-26
Three Lobed Sweet Sixteen Spectacular
King’s
Raleigh, NC USA

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

2x Soundboard channels (engineer: Justin Perrachon) + MBHO 603a/KA200N (FOB, DFC, PAS) + Schoeps MK22 (onstage, ORTF, DFC)>KC5>CMC6>Aeta PSP3 >> Zoom F8>6x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.3 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro-Cory Rayborn and Steve Gunn]
02 Old Strange
03 [banter/tuning]
04 The Lurker (Extended)
05 [banter/tuning2]
06 Mr. Franklin

SUPPORT Steve Gunn: Website | Three Lobed Recordings | Paradise of BachelorsPre-Order the New Album

Cian Nugent: March 9, 2016 Union Pool

March 14, 2016
By

IMG_1885

With his brand new album Night Fiction, the Irish guitarist Cian Nugent has followed in the footsteps of some of his other guitar proteges. That is, without abandoning the intricate guitar sound that brought us in to begin with, he’s also stepped to the mic as vocalist in a full band. This was Nugent’s first U.S. tour in that capacity, and the Union Pool crowd knew it, stuffing the place to the gills on a warm Wednesday night. With a crack band that includes Ryan Jewell (also of Ryley Walker’s regular outfit, among others) and Conor Lumsden, Nugent delved straight into the new material with a stirring “First Run,” one of the bluesier rock numbers in his new repertoire. As another review put it, Nugent didn’t exactly need to “find his voice,” but his new turn as a singer nonetheless felt assured. Things took a contemplative turn mid-set with the unhurried “Things Don’t Change That Fast,” one of the album’s centerpiece tracks, followed by the like-minded “Shadows.”

But if you thought Nugent was going down on a somber note, I hope you didn’t miss the show’s piece de resistance, with a surprise visit from Steve Gunn on the fifteen-minute album boogie monster “Year of the Snake.” Conjuring the magic of the stunning Desert Heat show we captured a few years ago, Gunn and Nugent traded riffs like the longtime collaborators they are, with both clearly feeling the energy of the room and the night. It was an absolute barnstormer of a song, with the two players so far in the zone you almost hoped it wouldn’t end. Cian will be back in town on April 9 at Alphaville — be sure to see him there.

I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 cardiod microphones and a soundboard feed from Union Pool engineer Robert. The sound quality is outstanding. Enjoy!

Download the complete show: [MP3/FLAC]

Stream the show (minus banter):

Cian Nugent
2016-03-09
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA

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

Schoeps MK5 (A-B, DFC, at SBD) + Soundboard (engineer: Robert)>>Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mix down, adjust balance of SBD, adjust levels)>Izotope Ozone 5 (effects, EQ)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )

Tracks
01 [intro]
02 First Run
03 [banter1]
04 Lost Your Way
05 [banter2]
06 Things Don’t Change That Fast
07 Shadows
08 [banter3]
09 Year of the Snake *

* with Steve Gunn on guitar

If you enjoyed this recording, check out Cian Nugent on Facebook, and buy Night Fiction from Woodsist.

 

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.