Marisa Anderson and William Tyler at Acme Records and Music Emporium in Milwaukee on October 22, 2021

Guitarists Marisa Anderson and William Tyler have both performed at Acme numerous times as solo artists, and so it was not an enormous surprise when they brought their duo to the record shop in October of 2021. 

Their album together was on many "years' best" lists for 2021 and that's not much of a surprise either -- it is filled with glorious performances on wonderful tunes. I can only hope they will someday give us another collaboration.

Recording information:

MARISA ANDERSON and WILLIAM TYLER
2021-10-22
Milwaukee at Acme Records

Marisa Anderson: guitar
William Tyler: guitar

Setlist:
01 Lost Futures
02 Cloud Corner - News About Heaven
03 Haunted by Water
04 Life and Casualty
05 Medley of Dvorak and Foster
06 Edge of the World
07 Hurricane Light
08 Pray for Rain

Source: mono SBD + Beyerdynamic MC930 in ORTF
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6 at 24/96
Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

Recorded with explicit artist permission by Richard Hayes for the blog www.milwaukeetaper.com

Buy their album here

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (215 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that

320 kbps mp3 files (108 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

The Handsome Family at Shank Hall in Milwaukee on July 17, 2018

It's hard to believe that the last time that the Handsome Family performed in Milwaukee was at this show from the summer of 2018.

I'm a very big fan of the work of Brett and Rennie Sparks. I think they have written a half dozen songs which will still be on people's minds in a hundred years. Rennie is certainly one of (if not the) best lyricist working today. Her work is rich with unexpected images and rich symbolism. 

The Sparks specialize in a sort of American Gothic version Americana (or alt-country). Like Grant Woods' painting, their songs can at first seem ordinary. But there is often a sinister or absurdly frightening aspect underneath. "Oh, there's a hole in my backyard" is a somewhat normal sort of thing to think. But in the Sparks' hands, the narrator of the song "Bottomless Hole" soon finds himself hurtling down a bottomless hole, forever.

In the years 1993-96 I lived in Chicago and used to see the Handsome Family at venues like the legendary and much-missed Lounge Ax. Shank Hall is not quite as legendary, but their sound system is excellent and no one at the venue bothered me about bringing my recording gear in.

On this set of songs, the Sparks are accompanied by Alex MacMahon and Jason Toth.

Recording information:

HANDSOME FAMILY
2018-07-17
Milwaukee, WI at Shank Hall

Brett Sparks: guitar, vocals
Rennie Sparks: banjo, bass, vocals
Alex MacMahon: guitar, baritone guitar, pedal steel
Jason Toth: drums

Setlist:
01 My Sister’s Tiny Hands
02 So Much Wine
03 Stalled
04 Weightless Again
05 Banter - Something Big and Something Little
06 Cathedrals
07 Up Falling Rock Hill
08 The Giant of Illinois
09 The Woman Downstairs
10 Far From Any Road
11 Banter - Roving Bands of Hobos in Albuquerque 
12 Owls
13 Bottomless Hole
14 The Loneliness of Magnets
15 Banter - Who Here Is Afraid of Tunnels
16 In the Air
17 24-hour Store

Microphones: Beyerdynamic MC930 (cardioid) ORTF
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre 6 at 24/48
Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

Buy their latest album here

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (395 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that

320 kbps mp3 files (173 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

Sunwatchers outside at the Cooperage for the Milwaukee Psych Fest on May 5, 2023.

The Sunwatchers were an unexpected highlight for me at the 2019 Psych Fest, and this year they returned with a short but powerful set in the back yard of the Cooperage. 

Sunwatchers is an avant-garde powerhouse which emerged from the music scene of Brooklyn in 2012. The band is comprised of Jim McHugh on guitar, Peter Kerlin on bass, Jason Robira on drums, and Jeff Tobias on saxophone. Sunwatchers produces a really exhilarating blend of free jazz, psychedelia, punk, and experimental rock.

Their debut self-titled album, released in 2016, served as a manifesto for their musical ethos. The band's second album, "II," demonstrated a maturation of their sound, with tighter compositions and a more refined approach to improvisation.

Sunwatchers' live performances are known for their intensity and unpredictability. This years’ Milwaukee Psych Fest was no exception. We’re so lucky to share the Earth with these musicians.

recording information:

SUNWATCHERS
2023-05-05
Milwaukee, WI at the Cooperage
Milwaukee Psych Fest VIII

Peter Kerlin - bass
Jim McHugh - guitar
Jeff Tobias - saxophone and keyboards 
Jason Robira - drums
Meredith McHugh: guest vocals on 2

Tracklist:
1. World People (6:12)
2. Too Gary (3:47)
3. T.A.S.C. ~ Foams (11:50)
4. Beautiful Crystals (7:21)
5. Sunwatchers Versus Tooth Decay (7:26)

Total time = 36:36

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in NOS on stand
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/48
Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

Buy their latest album here

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (201 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that

320 kbps mp3 files (145 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

Acid Mothers Temple at the Milwaukee Psych Fest on May 5, 2023

Acid Mothers Temple returned to the Milwaukee Psych Festival this past May and shook the earth with their energetic sound. 

This Japanese psychedelic rock band that has been extremely active since its formation in 1995. Uncountable releases and near-constant touring are their hallmarks. Led by guitarist and visionary Kawabata Makoto, Acid Mothers Temple has become synonymous with experimental, improvisational, and avant-garde music.

At the heart of Acid Mothers Temple's sound is a fusion of various genres, including psychedelic rock, space rock, noise, and free jazz. The band's compositions eschew traditional song formats in favor of a more free-flowing and spontaneous approach. Over the years, Kawabata Makoto has collaborated with a large cast of musicians, bringing in fresh perspectives.

recording information:

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE

2023-05-05

Milwaukee, WI at the Cooperage

Milwaukee Psych Fest VII

Kawabata Makoto: guitar

Higashi Hiroshi: synthesizer

Jyonson Tsu: voice, guitar, bouzouki 

Ron Anderson: bass 

Satoshima Nani: drums

Setlist:

01 Blue Velvet Blues (26:49)


02 Dark Star Blues (15:56)


03 From Planet Orb With Love -> Good-Bye Mrs. Uranus (16:53)


04 Flying Teapot (Gong) -> Cometary Orbital Drive (17:42)

Total time = 77:20

Source: mono SBD + Line Audio CM3 in X-Y

Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii

Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (435 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that

320 kbps mp3 files (177 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

Sunburned Hand of the Man at the Milwaukee Psych Fest on May 6, 2023

The origins of Sunburned Hand of the Man can be traced back to the vibrant underground music scene of Boston. The original core members, including John Moloney, Robert Thomas, and Paul LaBrecque, shared a passion for pushing the boundaries of traditional musical genres and in 2002 they officially came together to form a band.

The group operates as a loosely organized collective, with members coming and going based on availability and artistic inspiration. This fluidity has allowed the group to constantly evolve, keeping their music fresh and unpredictable.

Musically, Sunburned Hand of the Man defies easy categorization. Their sound is a melting pot of influences, blending elements of free jazz, psychedelia, folk, and noise into a unpredictable sonic tapestry. Improvisation plays a crucial role in their creative process, with each performance taking on a life of its own.

From the early days of self-released albums to collaborations with independent labels, Sunburned Hand of the Man has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is considered conventional music. Albums like Headdress and Fire Escape showcase their ability to create immersive sonic landscapes, while live recordings capture the raw energy and spontaneity of their performances.

The recording information is as follows:

SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN
2023-05-06
Milwaukee, WI at the Cooperage
Milwaukee Psych Fest VIII

Shannon Ketch: vocals, synth 
Wednesday Knudsen: sax, synth, flute, vocals
John Moloney: percussion, recorder, loops 
Ron Schneiderman: guitar, percussion, flute
Gary War: synth, octatrack 
Matthew J Rolin: guitar

Jen Powers - keys

Ian St. George - guitar

Tracklist:
01 Untitled (33:55)

Microphones: Line Audio CM3 in NOS on stand in balcony next to mixing desk
Additional source: mono SBD feed from Behringer X32
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6ii at 32/96
Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (184 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that

320 kbps mp3 files (78 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

Mars Williams' Ayler Xmas at the Sugar Maple in Milwaukee on December 12, 2021

Still not quite recovered from hearing the terrible news yesterday of Mars Williams' death at the age of 68 of a rare form of cancer. 

He had been diagnosed last year with ampullary cancer. The Ampulla of Vater is a small opening in the first part of the small intestine where bile acid from the liver (stored in the gallbladder) and pancreatic secretions are released. I knew he was being treated with surgery and chemotherapy, but still the news of his passing was a shock.

Here is a recording I made of his group Ayler Xmas in December 2021 at a show at the Sugar Maple in Milwaukee. This project is a very clever blending of tunes by Albert Ayler along with traditional Christmas carols.

When my wife and I lived in Chicago during the years 1993-96, I spent many hours seeing live jazz shows at places such as the Lunar Cabaret, the Bop Shop, the Empty Bottle, Hot House, and the Green Mill. Mars was often on the bill. It seemed that for those years I was seeing him perform almost weekly. Mars was above all kind to everyone around us every time I saw him. 

He was scheduled to perform on December 3, 2023 at the Sugar Maple with this same group. 

The recording data is as follows:

MARS WILLIAMS’ AYLER XMAS
2021-12-12
Milwaukee, WI at the Sugar Maple

Mars Williams: sax, suona, toy instruments
Josh Berman: Cornet
Jim Baker: piano, viola, ARP synth
Peter Maunu: guitar, violin
Kent Kessler: bass
Brian Sandstrom: bass, guitar, trumpet
Steve Hunt: drums

Tracklist:
01 First Medley (24:23)
02 Second Medley (32:45)
03 Third Medley (17:17)

Total time = 74:25

Microphones: Beyerdynamic MC930 pair on 7-foot stand in front row in NOS + Shure SM58 on 1-foot stand
Recorder: Sound Devices MixPre6
Software: Audacity, Fission, xAct

Downloads:

16bit, 44.kHz FLAC files (439 MB)

these lossless files can be burned to CDR, if you are into that

320 kbps mp3 files (185 MB)

highest quality lossy mp3 files possible 

Dave Rempis and Tim Daisy at the Sugar Maple in Milwaukee on September 19, 2020

A few weekends ago I had the pleasure of attending a delightful concert on the patio of the legendary Sugar Maple featuring Chicago jazz heavy hitters Dave Rempis and Tim Daisy. The socially-responsible concert was limited to 20 attendees who were seated at least 6 feet apart and who were required to wear face-and-spittle-covering masks. I felt fortunate that Dave and Tim agreed to be recorded for this blog. Let me take this opportunity to recommend that you purchase some compact discs (and possibly an LP or two) from these two musicians (see links below).

I also enjoyed seeing my taper friend Joel Berk who runs the wonderful recording blog Sweet Blahg. Naturally he got there before me (pretty much everyone got there before me) and had excellent front-row access. This came in handy for unobstructed-view photos as well as for assistance with assembling a much-needed "matrix" recording of set one. 

above photo courtesy of Joel Berk

This photo is one of mine

As you can see from the second photo, my microphones were placed at the perfect angle had Dave been standing two or three feet behind where he actually wound up standing. This spatial discrepancy was most pronounced during the first set, and led to a somewhat thin reed sound. Joel's capture of the first set from the front row helped reinforce the not-quite-there sax sound that my microphones captured. 

The microphones used were: a stereo pair of Line Audio CM-3 wide-cardioid microphones in a custom-made 3D-printed ORTF configuration mic clip by Shapeways, and a stock Shure SM58 on the drums. These were fed via Mogami microphone cables into a Sound Devices MixPre 6 and recorded at 24bit/48kHz resolution. I used Audacity to assemble the matrix and to carefully EQ out the many dozens of very brief moments of wind noise (yes, I forgot my wind screens at home), as well as converting to 16bit/44.1kHz wav files. xAct converted the resulting wav to FLAC, ALAC, and mp3 files. Monitoring was accomplished with a Schitt Audio Asgard 3 preamp with AK4490 DAC as well as Focal Spirt Pro headphones

Please support these fine artists and decent people by going to their shows, buying multiple copies of their merchandise (your friends need the music -- why aren't you buying music for your friends?), and talking to them like they are real human beings after shows. If they don't mind.

https://timdaisyrelayrecords.bandcamp.com

https://aerophonicrecords.bandcamp.com

https://www.daverempis.com

https://timdaisy.wordpress.com

downloads

16bit, 44.1kHz FLAC files (448 MB)

16bit, 44.k ALAC files (460 MB)

320kbps mp3 files (199 MB)

here is video from a concert the previous month at the same locale:

Itasca at Acme Records in Milwaukee on November 22, 2019

Kayla Cohen has been writing songs and performing under the name Itasca since at least 2012, when "Grace Riders on the Road" was released. Along the way she has released several other limited edition cassettes and also two LPs on the always-reliable Paradise of Bachelors label.

She came to Milwaukee with a band packed with amazing musicians this past November 22nd on her record-release tour for her latest album, "Spring."

Kayla Cohen: guitar and vocals

Robbie Cody: electric guitar
Evan Backer: bass,
Daniel Swire: drums
Rob Frye: flute

setlist:

Plains

Golden Fields
Bess’s Dance
A’s Lament
Only a Traveler
Blue Spring
Lily
Daylight Under My Wing
Cornsilk
Voice of the Beloved

soundchecking with the bassist in the audience. it sounded good.

Please support these superb musicians and friendly people by seeing their live shows, buying multiple copies of their great merchandise (your friends are starving for great music -- why aren't you buying them music?), and talking to them respectfully after shows. Unless they look tired or something. 

https://itasca.bandcamp.com

http://www.paradiseofbachelors.com/category/artist/itasca/

downloads (click on the description to download):

16bit, 44.1kHz WAV file (442 MB)

suitable for burning to CD

16bit, 44.1kHz ALAC file (192 MB)

lossless copy of the wav file - can also be burned to CD or played on your iPhone

320kbps mp3 file (100 MB)

highest quality version of this lossy-but-popular audio file format

Rob Noyes at Acme Records in Milwaukee on March 30, 2019

In the closing days of 2016, Rob Noyes seemed to come out of nowhere with his stunning debut release on Poon Village entitled "The Feudal Spirit." Please see this post for more information about him.

He returned this past Spring with a pair of guitarists to enliven our little village near the Lake. Since this was recorded, Rob (formerly based outside Boston) has moved to Japan. There won't be as many opportunities in the Midwest to hear him, and that is a shame. 

I have tendency to bemoan the quality of the photos I obtain at Acme shows, but at this gig, also featuring Bill MacKay and Jon Collin, my photos of Rob are completely unusable. I should have taken more but I was focusing on the audio recording. If I can find any shots on Facebook from other members of the audience who were there, I will post them. 

This recording was made with artist permission by Richard Hayes using a stereo pair of Line Audio CM3 cardioid microphones in ORTF configuration and captured with a Sound Devices MixPre-6 recorder. Audacity was used for very gentle EQ. The recording came out nicely despite the challenges of live recording this performance which featured a very wide dynamic range. I must give a shout out to Line Audio, which produces incredibly high quality hand-made microphones in Sweden. The intent of the company is to produce microphones with as straight a frequency response "line" as possible, and for $20 more than a standard SM58, the quality-value ratio is unbelievable. Plus they are only slightly longer than a standard XLR plug.

Please support this fine artist and decent person by going to his shows, buying multiple copies of his merchandise (your friends need the music -- why aren't you buying music for your friends?), and talking to him like he is a real human being after shows. If he doesn't mind.

https://poonvillage.bandcamp.com/album/the-feudal-spirit

https://robnoyes.bandcamp.com

downloads

(click on the file name to download):

16bit, 44.1kHz WAV file (195 MB)

(suitable for burning to CDs)

16bit, 44.1kHz ALAC file (101 MB)

(lossless compression audio playable on iProducts and computers)

320kbps mp3 file (44 MB)

(highest quality mp3 possible)

Dryhouse Ruins at Acme Records in Milwaukee on July 12, 2019

Here we have a really wonderful set by Dryhouse Ruins, who opened up for the Chris Forsyth Broken Mirrors Band at Acme on July 12 of this year.

The Ruins are an instrumental quartet who are made up of four veterans of the music scene here in Milwaukee -- Jim Warchol (Sometime Sweet Susan, Death Blues) on guitar, Jeff Mitchell (Field Report, Hello Death) also on guitar, Damian Strigens (Testa Rosa, Field Report) on bass and Ben Derickson (Collections of Colonies of Bees, All Tiny Creatures) on drums.

I enjoy the way that the Ruins slowly build up tension and complexity in their pieces. There is a feeling of architecture to each piece which is very satisfying. You can see this structural aspect of the music in the waveform graphic in the Soundcloud streaming box below the next photo.

This recording was made using a stereo pair of Beyerdynamic MC930 cardioid microphones in ORTF configuration about 8 feet from the band, with a Shure SM58 placed a foot above the ground near the kick drum so that the drums would sound like drums.These signals were recorded using a Sound Devices MixPre 6 recorder at 24bit/96kHz and Audacity software was used to mix the channels and provide very gentle EQ. 



I hope to see Dryhouse Ruins again soon. With the members of the band being so busy both musically and with their lives, I can't count on that happening soon -- but I'll be there when the conditions are right for another Ruins show.

downloads

(click on the file name to obtain a direct download -- 

this likely will not work on phones and tablets -- 

if you are on a mobile device the Soundcloud stream above should work):

16bit, 44.1kHz WAV file (395 MB)

(suitable for burning to CDs)

16bit, 44.1kHz ALAC file (191 MB)

(lossless compression audio file playable on iPhones and computers)

320kbps mp3 file (90 MB)

(highest quality mp3 possible)