Tagged: nyctaperposts

Maryanne Ventrice is one of my favorite people in all of the NYC music scene. Its safe to say that when you see Maryanne shooting a concert, it makes you feel like you've chosed the right show to attend. Besides her obvious talents behind the lens, Maryanne is also skilled at recognizing the art in the work of other photographers. To that end, she is curating a photography show that features the work of some of the finest of NYC's concert photographers - all of whom also happen to be female. We [...]

Thurston Moore at Williamsburg Waterfront. Photo by anonymous Live music in 2011 saw several newer bands consolidate their hold on greatness, while well-established acts from the 90s brought out crowds for reunion shows and, sadly, farewells. For those of us at the site, we were inspired by crowds of people who were, in a lot of cases, younger than we were checking out bands like Archers of Loaf live for the first time, or finally gaining appreciation for the work of artists like Cass McCombs and Bill Callahan. At the same time, favorite new or [...]

[photos courtesy of Chris La Putt and Brooklyn Vegan ] In addition to catching The Loom last Saturday night at Mercury Lounge , we also had the pleasure of seeing a relatively new band, BOBBY , for the first time. The band, who is signed to Partisan Records and led by Tom Greenberg, is primarily a collaborative of Bennington College graduates with an affinity for experimental music. Their use of varied time signatures and heavily layered synths gives their music a dreamlike, almost hypnotic feel. Along with the illusory [...]

[photos by acidjack] I first encountered Soft Circle at my inaugural outing to the Brooklyn Knitting Factory back in 2009, when I saw them open for Dave Pajo, aka Papa M (the Papa M recording here ). Since then, I had been keen to have another chance to see another of Soft Circle's propulsive, experimental sets, and this show, an opening slot for Shinji Masuko , proved to be the perfect opportunity. The band is a project of Hisham Bharoocha, best known for his work with Black Dice, and Ben Vida, formerly [...]

[photo by Amanda Hatfield ] We have in the last several months had the distinct pleasure of experiencing Savoir Adore up close in two very different settings. In June, at their semi-acoustic Vivo in Vino concert , the band was adept at paring down their instruments to perform an excellent set in an intimate setting. At Thursday at our CMJ show at Cake Shop , we saw the full band and all the trappings - Paul Hammer in particular was remarkable at switching between electronics, guitar, vocals and keys, often more [...]

[photos by Amanda Hatfield ] Tristen released her debut album in February, and her national breakout has seen coverage from NPR , Rolling Stone magazine, Spin magazine, and a performance on Mountain Stage . Inexplicably, Tristen has not hit NYC. We attempted to reconcile that anomaly when we invited her to perform at our CMJ show at Cake Shop . I spent much of the pre-show conversation imploring people not to miss her, and was rewarded when Tristen delivered a superb thirty minute set. [...]

[photos by Amanda Hatfield ] White Fence played one of the most impressive shows we've seen in all of 2011 - at Bowery in August . So, it was only natural that we would invite them to play our annual CMJ show at Cake Shop , and we were thrilled that they could join the bill. After a long drive from Connecticut where they have played the previous night ( see here ), the band arrived for their 3:15 pm set time a little weary but ready to go. [...]

We have had some excellent CMJ shows in the past - last year's show at Cake Shop was packed at one o'clock in the afternoon. But I have to say that this year's bill is really something special. Our means of selection of the the bands is based upon the groups that have "wowed" us in the last year. Of the eight bands on this bill, seven have appeared on nyctaper in the last twelve months (sans Prussia, who we've been trying to see!). Here are the important details: Thursday October 20, [...]

[Photos by Dominick Mastrangelo ] When I first heard Aly Spaltro, aka Lady Lamb the Beekeeper , I flat-out couldn't believe a girl so small ( the band's Facebook page cheekily describes her as 6223) - and so young (early 20s) - could make such a large, mature sound. Her "band" is no more than her and her guitar, but Aly never sounded intimidated or lonely on that empty stage. She cold-opened with an a cappella number - "Up In the Rafters" - that gave me chills. Stripped bare, the song is a sustained cry [...]

[Photos courtesy of Hoop Dreams] Without question one of my surprise favorite performances of the year was Hoop Dreams , a Blacksburg, Virginia band signed to Captured Tracks. We caught them on a summer night at Glasslands with a packed crowd, typical for a PopGun Booking , and for what was likely their NYC debut. While having only recently released their first single XCPR (which has found a permanent place in my daily playlist) this summer, Hoop Dreams performed ten highly polished songs. With the captivating voice of vocalist Max Brooks and bass-driven melodies, [...]

Domino Records announced today that the new Real Estate album Days will be released on October 18, 2011. We are extremely pleased to also announce that Domino is offering a NYCTaper-recorded bonus "bootleg" vinyl LP to the first 300 pre-orders. I recorded Real Estate at 285 Kent on June 30, and the band and label liked it so much that its now a bonus to the official release. That night the band performed Days start to finish for the first and only time. The [...]

[photos courtesy of Jill and For the Love of Brooklyn ] A Friday night show at Glasslands, setup by PopGun Booking , featured four great bands including Exitmusic, a duo of Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church. This Secretly Canadian band has been on the scene for a number of years, but recently signed to their new label and are slated to release their upcoming EP, From Silence . While we missed Exitmusic during their recent residency at Pianos, the show at Glasslands did not disappoint as they played six songs, two of which [...]

[photos courtesy of Jessica Amaya and Brooklyn Vegan ] L.A. band Pepper Rabbit, primarily a duo of Xander Singh and Luc Laurent, have a uniquely textured and melodic sound that we experienced first-hand during Friday night's performance at the Kanine Records Showcase for Brooklyn's Northside Festival. Considering the layered depth they are able to create in both the studio and in their the live performances, it's easy to see why they've already achieved much critical acclaim and toured with major acts such as Ra Ra Riot, Passion Pit, and Givers [...]

[Photos courtesy of MaryAnne Ventrice ] I hope that our friends over at the NYC PopFest take close note of Stockton, CA (of Pavement fame) heroes Craft Spells , as their Smiths-meets-Cure mid-80s dreampop style fits the festival's aesthetic to a T. That isn't meant to be a diss at all. The best of indiepop is all by necessity of that era, and describing that style without those bands is like finding a useless synonym for "Beatlesque". What struck me about this show at Mercury Lounge was how much the band's live show accentuates those [...]

[Photo by acidjack] We make no secret of the love we have here at NYCTaper for all things Oneida , and that definitely extends to their prodigy of a drummer, Kid Millions and his side project Man Forever . Man Forever explores the more ambient side of Millions' musical powers while still focusing on his incredible drum skills. This show was one continuous 30-minute piece, with Millions and another drummer banging out a dense, seemingly endless polyrhythm on a single shared drum, while two keyboardists (including Oneida's own Bobby Matador) added slow-burning keyboard [...]

[photo courtesy of Jessica Amaya and Brooklyn Vegan ] The Northside Festival of Brooklyn brought us some amazing music this year and Friday night's Kanine Records Showcase at Knitting Factory was no exception. An incredible line-up of seven bands took the stage that night, including Eternal Summers which played just before headliner Surfer Blood took the stage. We last saw Eternal Summers play a great show at Glasslands earlier this spring, and the crowd was buzzing in anticipation of Friday's show. Eternal Summers delivered an intense 40-minute set packed [...]

We're teaming up with Pat from Pop Tarts for a killer showcase at the Northside Festival this year. On Sunday night, we'll fill both rooms of Public Assembly with eleven of today's best up and coming bands. Pat's been one of those clairvoyant pickers of blow-up bands for years - just check out some of his past CMJ lineups - and we've been pretty good at it too. We've selected a group of bands that we thoroughly expect to be talking about in the coming years, and remembering back to seeing them at [...]

Four years ago today, I opened this website with some ideas and some goals. I had hoped to be able to keep it going for two years and to be able to have my own platform to distribute my recordings and do some good for the bands. Four years later, the site has developed beyond any reasonable expectations I had in 2007. Now I'm a part of a team of tapers, and the site has become ingrained in the consciousness of music people all over the web. I recall being happy to have 4000 hits one [...]

[Freshkills live at Glasslands on October 24, 2010. Photos used courtesy of Jackie Roman Photography ] Brooklyn's Freshkills (named after the infamous Staten Island landfill) play the type of dark, high-tempo, Joy Division and Dischord influenced post-punk that goes extremely well with things that are bad for you - a bottle of vodka, a cigarette, and a pissed-off attitude - and the need to let out whatever demon led you to them that day. Although their music is aggressive, it is also extremely fun to listen to live, with accessible hooks and melodies. [...]

[Photos by acidjack with iPhone4 and Hipstamatic] Brooklyn's Widowspeak could be considered a Pacific Northwest import of sorts - vocalist/guitarist Molly Hamilton and drummer Michael Stasiak hail from Tacoma, Washington (guitarist Robert Thomas is from Chicago) and the rain-washed influence of that region suffuses both their sound and their songwriting. Stylistically, you hear it in their guitar playing, which picks up the jangly, rangy sound of some of the early K Records acts like Beat Happening, and in the band's unforced delivery. There is a mellow, wistful air to Widowspeak that is uncommon to hungry young [...]