The NYCTaper coverage of the Tubby’s Fifth Anniversary continues with 75 Dollar Bill!

On March 7, 2020 I went to Tubby’s to see 75 Dollar Bill.  I had contacted Che beforehand via email to ask permission to record, and he was gracious enough to approve. So for the duration of their two sets, I stood as still as possible (so as not to create phasing issues with the tiny mics clipped to my hat) and recorded what eventually became the “Live at Tubby’s” album.  I knew during the performance I was witnessing something special.  The feeling in the room was electric with everyone completely lost in the polyrhythms and endless white-hot solos being fired off from the band. It was easy, in the moment, to be oblivious to what was on the horizon.  

In the coming days and months, that recording became something else completely. 75 Dollar Bill’s record “I Was Real” got good press, but the band couldn’t play to support it. Tubby’s, a new venue at the time, had just had its highest-profile show to date and now had to shut its doors. No one knew when things would return to normal.  The band released the recording as a “pay what you want” on one of the first “band camp Fridays.” Then, a label chose to press it to vinyl. Then Rolling Stone put it on its year-end list.  Suddenly, during a time when no one could go anywhere, a tiny venue in the Hudson Valley had a worldwide reputation. That recording became a reminder of what was and what could, hopefully, be again someday. Since that release, word has gotten out, and tons of excellent bands have come through, but it is safe to say that 75 Dollar Bill was the first “big” name associated with Tubby’s.  

When Cory first mentioned that he was planning a large-scale celebration for Tubby’s fifth anniversary, 75 Dollar Bill’s inclusion seemed obvious.  The last set of the weekend to take place in the actual venue had to be them, and that’s precisely what happened.  The same lineup from that night in 2020, supplemented with three additional members, set up on the floor in the front room by the bar and took us on a journey.  

The set opened with “Water in the Lock,” which should have been the first track on “Live at Tubby’s,” had I not missed the intro and started the recording halfway through. A run of “Tetuzi Akiyama” off the aforementioned “I Was Real” was next before the band jumped head-first into the meat of the set. First was a new composition titled “21,” in which the band stretched out to over 26 minutes of dense rhythms and solos. The night closed, just as it did in 2020, with a 20+ minute version of WZN#3 with Tim Barnes leading the charge on Maraca. 

I recorded this set with the same little AT-853’s and Roland R-07 I used in 2020 blended with a soundboard feed from Tubby’s FOH team of Wil and Kyle.  The quality is excellent and full of life so enjoy it loud and be happy we can all celebrate music together in person again. 

Download and stream from the live music archive.

75 Dollar Bill
2023-09-30
Tubby’s
Kingston, NY

Source 1: SP-CMC-4U (AT853 cards, low sens mod) > SPSb-11 > R-07
Source 2: SDB > MixPre 3
Source 1 + Source 2 > Adobe CC (time align, EQ, compression) > Audacity (tracking, fades) > FLAC (lvl 8)
Recorded and produced by kliked for nyctaper.com

1. Intro
2. Water in the Lock
3. Tetuzi Akiyama
4. 21
5. WZN#3

Thanks to Tubbys FOH engineers Wil for the patch and Kyle for the mix!
This was part of Tubby’s 5 Year anniversary celebration.

75 Dollar Bill Little Big Band:
Rick Brown – Plywood crate, percussion
Che Chen -Guitar
Karen Waltuch – Viola
Cheryl Kingan – Baritone Sax
Steve Maing – Guitar
Sue Garner – Bass
Tim Barnes – Maraca
Talice Lee – violin
Barry Weisblat – cowbell, maraca
Jim Pugliese – congas

Support this excellent band:
https://75dollarbill.bandcamp.com/

Support the venues bringing you interesting music:
https://www.tubbyskingston.com/music-calendar