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BASIC: September 14, 2024 Seuffert Bandshell

September 30, 2024
By
Photo by Christopher Bruno

Long before This is BASIC—the new album from Chris Forsyth, Nick Millevoi, and Mikel Patrick Avery—Forsyth and Millevoi had both separately been discussing the uniqueness of Robert Quine’s discography and playing. Forsyth gave an interview in Raven Sings the Blues back in 2019 where he praises the overlooked, even disliked, album from Quine and drummer Fred Maher, Basic. In 2021, Millevoi breaks down Quine’s “unpredictable” playing for Premier Guitar, complete with music notation. As an observer and non-player, it’s fascinating to hear musicians talk about their influences in ways so clearly project their excitement and awe. It’s worth mentioning also that Quine was a taper, having captured some of the key surviving Velvet Underground performances, including three renditions of “Sister Ray”!

The current lineup of BASIC has Doug McCombs, who should need no introduction, sitting in with Forsyth and Avery. Catching up with them here in Forest Hills park, BASIC are anything but. Mikel Patrick Avery’s percussion, a mix of triggered sounds and analog drumming, is mesmerizing as it reverberates throughout the bandshell and park. McCombs plays a six-string bass which opens up its own unique possibilities as a foil for Forsyth’s guitar. They play the album through in order but with the new lineup it’s morphed into something unique. I expect as this trio continues playing together, they’ll further adapt into new forms.

BASIC is about to kick off their West Coast tour and then return to Brooklyn in December with 75 Dollar Bill at The Sultan Room or at Tubby’s in Kingston with Chris Brokaw. If you’re local, don’t miss those. If not, check out the BASIC tour dates and catch them near you:

Sat 10/5 Portland @ Star Theater w Marisa Anderson
Sun 10/6 Seattle @ Sunset Tavern w Diminished Men
Tues 10/8 Arcata CA @ Richards Goat w Eta Corina (Chasny/Aolani)
Thurs 10/10 San Francisco @ Thee Stork Club w Bill Orcutt
Sat 10/12 Los Angeles @ Zebulon w Sessa
Sun 10/13 Joshua Tree Music Festival

Wed 12/4 Brooklyn @ The Sultan Room w 75 Dollar Bill
Thurs 12/5 Kingston NY @ Tubby’s w Chris Brokaw Rock Band
Fri 12/6 Boston @ Middle East Upstairs w Chris Brokaw Rock Band
Sat 12/7 Philadelphia @ Johnny Brenda’s w The Early & Totally Automatic
Sun 12/8 Washington DC @ DC9
Mon 12/9 Pittsburgh @ Bottlerocket Social Hall
Wed 12/11 Detroit @ Outer Limits Lounge
Thurs 12/12 Chicago @ Judson & Moore w Yr Knives
Fri 12/13 Milwaukee @ Cactus Club w Yr Knives
Sat 12/14 Minneapolis @ 7th Street Entry w Yr Knives

Stream and Download at the Live Music Archive

BASIC
2024-09-14
Seuffert Bandshell
Queens, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 3.0.2 > FLAC

Tracks [46:15]
01. For Stars of the Air
02. Nerve Time
03. Positive Halfway
04. Last Resort of the Gambling Man
05. Versatile Switch
06. New Auspicious

Writhing Squares: April 27, 2024 Tubby’s

June 4, 2024
By

Writhing Squares has long been the duo of Kevin Nickles and Daniel Provenzano accompanied by a drum machine, both in the studio and live. But for their most recent album, Mythology, they changed things up a bit with a live drummer by bringing on board John Schoemaker. Embarking on a short tour for the album, the band brought along David Joachim to drum live. After a release show in their hometown of Philadelphia (which you can watch on YouTube) the trio hit Tubby’s at full volume. Most of their set hails from the aforementioned Mythology, plus “NFU” from Chart For the Solution and “Steely Eyed Missile Man” from Out of the Ether. There’s something ineffable about the Writhing Squares sound, especially in their pummeling live show. While Chart For the Solution conjures The Running Man with its dystopian Krautrock, Mythology is harder to pin down. It wasn’t until their final song, a cover, that I realized what they were channeling: the band leans in hard to their prog roots with a heavy, vigorous take on King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man.” There aren’t many bands that could pull off such a feat—all hail Writhing Squares!

I recorded this from our usual location at Tubby’s with a board feed from FOH, Will. As usually Tubby’s sounds great under Will’s boardwork and this recording reflects that. Enjoy!

Stream and download at the Live Music Archive

Writhing Squares
2024-04-27
Tubby's
Kingston, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Will) + MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.4.2 > FLAC

Tracks [44:59]
01. Eternity
02. Barbarians
03. Acid Rain
04. Steely Eyed Missile Man
05. NFU
06. [tuning]
07. LEM
08. The Damned Thing
09. 21st Century Schizoid Man [King Crimson]

Rosali: April 12, 2024 Knitting Factory

May 13, 2024
By

The Rosali/Mowed Sound tour supporting their new album, Bite Down, was one for the ages—think Neil and Crazy Horse in 1976. At each stop I heard from folks who were blown away by the songs and the energy. You can hear for yourself the band rock Tubby’s a few days before this gig at the new NYC Knitting Factory. While I didn’t quite capture same clarity as that recording, this stack tape complements the Tubby’s one nicely, giving you an upfront ear on crunchy guitar work from Rosali and James Schroeder. Kevin Donahue is the maybe the band’s unsung hero on drums—and of course David Nance’s bass-playing couldn’t be replicated by any other. I love seeing Rosali and him collaborating and can only hope one day we’ll get a duo record from the pair. Anyhow, I hear Nance and Mowed Sound will be back around later this year to tour their own self-titled record, which has been burning its own hole in my ears.

But while we’re waiting to hear about the Mowed Sound tour, Rosali’s Summer tour dates can be found on her website. New Yorkers will get the chance to see her again at this year’s Woodsist Festival. If you haven’t been, it’s the best multi-day fest in the area and the lineup this year is spectacular.

I recorded this from up front near the right stack at the Knitting Factory’s new Baker Falls location, in the former home of of the Pyramid Club. The venue sounds great and I can’t wait to get back there. Enjoy!

Stream and download at Archive.org

Rosali
2024-04-12
Knitting Factory New York at Baker Falls
New York, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 3.0.2 > FLAC

Tracks [1:16:257]
01. On Tonight
02. Hopeless
03. Change Is in the Form
04. Waited All Day
05. Hills on Fire
06. Mouth
07. Rewind
08. Slow Pain
09. My Kind
10. Bite Down
11. Tender Heart
12. Bones
----
13. All This Lightning
14. Whatever Love

Rosali Middleman – Guitar, Vocals
David Nance – Bass, Vocals
Kevin Donahue – Drums, Vocals
James Schroeder – Guitar, Vocals

OPTO S: February 9, 2024 Rubulad

February 22, 2024
By
Photo by Claire Hewer

Brooklyn’s OPTO S remind me of filthy subway cars, John Carpenter’s Escape From New York, and streets at nighttime shiny with recent rainfall. Musically, they sound indebted to Suicide and the No Wave bands of the early 80s. Which is appropriate considering their name refers MTA subway nomenclature specifying a type of train operation—they’re a New York band through and through.

We caught OPTO S earlier this month opening for the mighty Oneida at Bushwick venue Rubulad. The band are no strangers to live recordings, having released Human Indictive / Live on ESP Disk (also available on vinyl at Forced Exposure), recorded before the pandemic but released as things shut down. A few years later now, the band are playing some promising new material, including “Dead Skunk,” “Lucy 2,” and “Going Down the Wrong Path.” You heard them here first! Meanwhile, the band is in the midst of doing some live dates. Catch them soon in Philadelphia on March 1st at Century Bar and back in NYC on March 29th at Berlin. Check their Facebook for details.

Stream and download at Archive.org

OPTO S
2024-02-09
Rubulad
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.4.2 > FLAC

Tracks [33:11]
01. Carmine Street
02. Before My Eyes
03. Dead Skunk
04. Lucy 2
05. Spinning Gears
06. Going Down the Wrong Path
07. Something Crazy

Sky Furrows: February 9, 2024 Rubulad

February 20, 2024
By

Sky Furrows is the meeting of Albany’s Burnt Hills and writer-poet Karen Schoemer. They sound something like Sonic Youth, Slint, and Kinski in a blender—psych- and post-rock instrumentals buffeted by Schoemer’s sung-shouted intonations. While Phil Donnelly (drums), Mike Griffin (guitar), and Eric Hardiman (bass) keep a tight rhythm section, Schoemer recites stories, dreams, and observations. From “Shopping Bags,” off of Reflect and Oppose: “A man and a woman in a suit and gown pose for a photographer in front of the river. They look as though they’re dressed for a wedding. People do that, they get dressed days beforehand and pose as if it’s the actual ceremony.” On their own, the music and vocals would be equally of interest, but brought together there’s a tension that makes Sky Furrows so unique and compelling.

Earlier this month, we caught up with Sky Furrows opening for Oneida at Bushwick’s Rubulad. I was immediately enthralled with the band and picked up their most recent record, Reflect and Oppose, a joint release between Feeding Tube and Cardinal Fuzz so you know to expect quality. The record, I have to say, is even better than the show (partly because you get a lyric sheet to follow along) but the live set you’re hopefully about to listen to is a great entry to the band. If you’re in Catskill, NY on March 8th I recommend catching them with Oneida again at the Avalon Lounge. Tickets here. See you there!

Stream and Download at Archive.org

Sky Furrows
2024-02-09
Rubulad
Brooklyn, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.4.2 > FLAC

Tracks [34:00]
01. Wearing Rug
02. He Calls Me
03. Jenni
04. Shopping Bags
05. Three Husbands
06. Old Morality
07. Humor Whisky
08. Koba Grozny

Phil Donnelly - drums
Mike Griffin - guitars
Eric Hardiman - bass
Karen Schoemer - voice

SAVAK: December 1, 2023 Tubby’s

February 1, 2024
By

I’m appreciating more and more that the bands I love who I would regularly see in Brooklyn have made Tubby’s a regular spot. It’s like Union Pool north and you just might spot someone you recognize. We saw SAVAK there last year with Chris Brokaw and again in December with New Wet Kojak. This time the band showed up augmented with a second drummer, SAVAK-regular Matt Schulz joined by Jeff Gensterblum set up in the center of the Tubby’s floor. The two pounded away for a really unique set. The more drummers the better I always say!

This set features a few songs I hadn’t heard live from SAVAK, like “Oddsmaker” off their last album Human Error/Human Delight which I was glad to finally hear. No new songs in the set but SAVAK do have a new album out soon: Flavors of Paradise, which can be preordered over at Bandcamp.

If the regular Union Pool is still you’re spot, you have a couple upcoming chances to catch SAVAK. The first is a free show on February 20th with J. Robbins of Jawbox fame. You couldn’t possibly go wrong there. Claim your free ticket here. Next up, on March 7th, SAVAK will play a record release show for Flavors Of Paradise. Grab those tickets here.

I recorded this from our usual spot at Tubby’s. Will provided a perfectly-mixed board feed and Sohrab Habibion sweetened things up with his mastering. The sound is killer. Enjoy!

Stream and Download at the Live Music Archive

SAVAK
2023-12-01
Tubby's
Kingston, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Will) + MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.4.2 > FLAC

Tracks [40:10]
01. Sick of War
02. No Blues No Jazz
03. Reaction
04. I Don't Want To Be Defended
05. This Currency Exchanged
06. What is Compassion?
07. Dead Dick
08. Christo's Peers
09. Oddsmaker
10. How Many Duchesses
11. Trashing the Ghost
12. Cold Ocean 

Sohrab Habibion - vocals, guitar
Michael Jaworski - vocals, guitar
Matt Hunter - bass
Matt Schulz - drums
Jeff Gensterblum - drums

New Wet Kojak: December 1, 2023 Tubby’s

January 10, 2024
By

Back in the 90s I don’t think New Wet Kojak played all that often, but whenever they played in NYC it was 21+ and I was left—literally, in one instance—standing outside. Fortunately for their reunion after fifteen or so years of dormancy (theirs, not mine) I’m well past drinking age so here we are with the first of three dates the band did in December. In case you’re not familiar, New Wet Kojak is the louche-rock side-project/supergroup of Girls Against Boys‘ Scott McCloud (vocals/guitar) and Johnny Temple (bass) with Geoff Turner of Gray Matter (guitar), Nick Pellicciotto of Edsel (drums), and Charles Bennington of High Back Chairs (sax/keyboards). If you recognize all those bands, you probably own a bunch of Dischord CDs and we should hang out sometime. Anyway, before they (thought they) were cool, Pitchfork really liked New Wet Kojak’s Nasty International, their second album on Touch & Go, and gave it a nine-point-something before later scrubbing that from their site.

Now, 25+ years later, with McCloud and Temple also having revived their 80s post-hardcore band Soulside in addition to sporadic tours with Girls Against Boys, it seems most appropriate to reactivate New Wet Kojak. (Side note: it’s not too late for Little Baby to play their third show!) Never as high profile as their main act, a nice size, enthusiastic crowd at Tubby’s made it clear New Wet Kojak weren’t forgotten. Most of the songs played at Tubby’s are off the band’s two Touch & Go records with a couple from the later Do Things on Beggar’s Banquet. No songs here from their final album This is the Glamorous which I can only guess is a strategy to leave us wanting more—let’s not wait so long for next time.

I recorded this from our usual location at Tubby’s with a board feed from FOH engineer Will. The sound is excellent. Enjoy!

Download FLAC/MP3

nyctaper · New Wet Kojak – Live at Tubby's 2023
New Wet Kojak
2023-12-01
Tubby's
Kingston, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Will) + MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.4.2 > FLAC

Tracks [54:59]
01. Code Windham
02. Sticky 2 Me
03. Stereo Explosive
04. Kick Some Life
05. You Got Some Dog
06. Thought You Were
07. Sophia Loren
08. Shake You Down
09. Freak Now
10. Unbuckled
11. Stick Out Your Tongue
12. Punx Not Dead
13. Sexy Postcard

Support this excellent artist!
https://newwetkojak.bandcamp.com/

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

Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band: December 8, 2023 Tubby’s

December 21, 2023
By

When you know, you know: after a friend recommended it, I made it a mere 30 seconds into Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band’s album Dancing on the Edge before hitting the buy button. I also didn’t wait for Dancing on the Edge to arrive in the mail before buying Send Flowers from Davis’s other (previous?) band, State Champion. The arrival of Dancing on the Edge carried with it a flyer with tour dates, leading me to wind up at this show you’re about to listen to. The perfect digital/analog progression of discovery. And what a discovery it’s been: I’ve probably listened this album more than anything else I bought this year and it’s only been out for two months. I’d lose my music-blog bona fides if I didn’t draw the inevitable comparisons to esteemed names like Berman, Callahan, Oldham. Davis’s characters practically walk out of the stereo as vivid and tangible as anyone in your local bar. If you’re going to bother learning the lyrics to any record released this year, here’s the one. And lucky for you: Dancing on the Edge is available again in its second pressing.

I recorded this from our usual spot at Tubby’s with a board feed provided by FOH engineer Will who mixed this set perfect: each instrument is separately audible, making this a real you-are-there treat. Enjoy!

Download FLAC and MP3

nyctaper · Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band – Tubby's 2023
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band
2023-12-08
Tubby's
Kingston, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Will) + MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 2.4.2 > FLAC

Tracks [55:55]
01. Bluebirds in a Fight
02. A Suitable Exit
03. Junk Drawer Heart
04. Flashes of Orange
05. Learn 2 Re-Luv
06. Free From the Guillotine
07. Bluebirds Revisited

Seawind of Battery & ragenap: October 27, 2023 Troost

December 4, 2023
By

Our friend and fellow taper noah_s caught Seawind of Battery and ragenap live at Troost a few weeks back. We were excited to to post his recording and in the meantime Mike and Joel were similarly excited—so much so that they released this recording on Eiderdown Records as Chaos LIVE Preserver which you can grab at Bandcamp. Here’s the review and recording from noah_s:

Full Disclosure: I have been one of ragenap’s (Joel Berk) beta listeners since he began putting his jams into recorded form. I would listen to demos & rough mixes he recorded the night before early in the morning while I had my coffee. I once described his music as feeling as if a can of Coke had been opened in my head and I could feel the bubbles fizzing through my brain as I woke up while listening. 

On Friday 10/27/23 at Troost in Greenpoint I finally got to see the live version. Paired up with Seawind of Battery (Mike Horn) – and celebrating the release of their tape Chaos Life Preserver on Eiderdown Records – the duo gave us 35 minutes of droney spacey improvised bliss.They built their set up from a looped riff started by Horn to a joyous and bright section that reminded me of staying up all night to watch a sunrise. Layers of guitar and bass VI worked through an array of never-ending delays and reverbs filled the small bar that was packed with friends, family and Halloween weekenders alike. They built this zone up for about half the set and then spent the other half slowly devolving it while also adding flourishes and delay whips before sticking the landing like a moon lander floating down into low gravity. I know I’m not alone in hoping these two make a lot more music together both in the studio and live.

For this recording I used my CA-11 cardioid mics for the first time and I’m extremely happy with how it came out. I was set up on a tripod near the bar about 15 feet back from where the band set up and as centered as I could be without blocking people from walking in/out.

Sunwatchers: August 19, 2023 Deep in the Valley and April 20, 2023 Tubby’s

September 18, 2023
By
Photo by Christopher Bruno

Our coverage of the 2023 Deep In The Valley festival continues! 

Has it really been four years since we last saw Sunwatchers? Unbelievable! Fortunately nothing interesting has happened since 2019 and so we pick up right where we left off. But just a few things in the interim: Sunwatchers put out the righteous duo Oh Yeah? and Brave Rats in 2020; Jim McHugh put out a pair of work-abolishin’, eye-lazer shootin’ solo records the same year; Peter Kerlin’ released a guest-filled, wide-ranging experimental solo record; and Jeff Tobias released a trio of rad tapes/records just in the last year or so. Whew!

But wait, there’s more! Sunwatchers will release Music is Victory Over Time in just a couple months. These two sets we saw this year will serve as a good preview of what’s to come and it sounds pretty damn awesome. So be sure to preorder that right away. Meanwhile, enjoy this double dose of Sunwatchers to start your week.

Stream and Download at the Live Music Archive: Deep in the Valley | Tubby’s

Sunwatchers
2023-08-19
Deep in the Valley
From the Ground Brewery
Red Hook, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard + MBHO KA100DK/603A (stage lip) > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 3.0.2 > FLAC

Tracks [38:10]
01. Beautiful Crystals
02. Too Gary
03. T.A.S.C
04. Foams
05. The Works
06. World People 
Sunwatchers
2023-04-20
Tubby's
Kingston, NY

Recorded and produced by Eric PH for nyctaper.com

Soundboard (engineer: Nick) + MBHO KA200N/603A > Naiant PFA >> Sound Devices MixPre-6 > WAV (24/48) > Adobe Audition CC + Izotope Ozone 5 > Audacity 3.0.2 > FLAC

Tracks [51:54]
01. Blitzkrieg Bop [Ramones] > World People
02. Too Gary
03. T.A.S.C.
04. Foams
05. Blitzkrieg Bob [reprise] > Tumulus
06. There Goes Ol’ Ooze
07. Beautiful Crystals
08. Silent Boogie

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