[still from this video]
I had not heard of Jeff Beam before receiving his gracious invitation to check out his recent Knitting Factory show in Brooklyn, but I am glad that I did. The Maine-based artist has been recording and self-releasing records since 2008, but his recent release, Be Your Own Mirror, is his most fully-realized creation yet. Although his record is a patchwork of found sounds, casio and other keyboards, and various similar flourishes, this live performance with a full band showed off a different side of Beam’s talents. The more stripped-down style brought Beam’s guitar skills to the forefront, which was all to the good as he jammed heavily on the opening number, “Congratulations On Your Latest Achievement”. His love of 60s psychedelia and power pop is evident on many of his songs, but Beam occasionally veers into prog and folk territory as well – one thing Beam doesn’t lack for is ideas. The set closer, “Now”, is one of the strongest tracks on the new record, and evokes the 2000 Belle and Sebastian classic, “Don’t Leave the Light On Baby”.
I recorded this set with Schoeps MK5 microphones and a soundboard feed from the Knitting Factory house engineer. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!
Stream “Now”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/J6190JeffBeam0212/07 Now.mp3]
Stream “Successful People Who Never Existed”
[audio:https://www.nyctaper.com/J6190JeffBeam0212/05 Successful People Who Never Existed.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.
Jeff Beam
2012-06-19
Knitting Factory
Brooklyn, NY USA
Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Schoeps MK5 (cardiod, slightly ROC, 7.5ft, DIN)>KCY>Z-PFA>Sound Devices USBPre2 + Soundboard>>Edirol R-44 [Oade Concert Mod]>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Audition (mixdown)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ)>Audacity (set fades, tracking, amplify and balance, downsample)>FLAC ( level 8 )
Tracks
01 Congratulations on Your Latest Achievement
02 Whispering Poison in his Ear
03 Currently, A Currency Urgency!
04 Knock Yrself Out
05 Successful People Who Never Existed
06 Venus Flying Trapeze
07 Now
If you enjoyed this recording, PLEASE SUPPORT Jeff Beam, like him on Facebook, and buy his music directly from his bandcamp page.
I’m glad that you had a chance to check out Jeff. We had a great conversation with Jeff and The Milkman’s Union on our podcast about music in Maine. If you liked that show, maybe you’ll dig this conversation too. http://freezingprocess.net/?p=612