30 Days of Dead Returns for November

We started our month long tribute to Phil Lesh yesterday, but forgot to mention the return of 30 Days of Dead, the free guessing game and MP3 downloads return, check it out here: The Grateful Dead's 30 Day's of Dead.

30 Days of the Grateful Dead Returns

For the last few years the folks over at Dead.net have been hosting 30 Days of Dead during the month of November and it continues again this year. The site will hold a contest and post various live tunes from the group, available for free download every day. 

Head on over and grab a new tune every day from the archives. To get pumped here is a rousing version of "Bertha" live from the 4/12/78 concert at Duke University. 

Album Review: Lil Wayne - No Ceilings 3 (B Side)

Lil Wayne

No Ceilings 3 (B Side)

**and 1/2 out of *****

Lil Wayne has been performing for decades and released some solid records, but perhaps his peak came with the release of his 2009 mixtape No Ceilings. The album was a tour-de-force as Wayne used beats from everyone from Gucci Mane to Fabolous and owned each and every tune with a confidence via X-Rated assaults and humor. He continued the series in 2015 with No Ceilings 2 and now comes the newest installment of No Ceilings 3 (B Side).  

The best song on either of the No Ceiling 3 albums comes first here as Wayne and Big Sean both sound like they have something to prove over "Tyler Herro"'s flute accented beats. The pumping lyrics and earnest of the opener stands in stark contrast to the majority of the record which slips back into the minimalist modern R&B thin sound that has overtaken recent hip-hop. 

"Layaway", "Ring Ring", and "Burner" all feature this dull style with auto tuned slowed down Wayne over forgettable thin beats while "Throat Baby" does the same thing but makes a porno out of it with Rich The Kid on board to make it a threesome.

"Low Down" is a flow of consciousness from the warped mind of Wayne that once again proves there are wild words bouncing around his head while "Peanut Butter" has the skittering trap beats but Wayne just slams right through the sound to show off his skills in grand standing fashion not caring about the beat. "Pop Off" is a crisp adventure over "Down Bad" with Wayne sounding powerful while album "Sum 2 Prove" stutters it's way back into the strip club around the original by Lil Baby. 

Wayne takes precautions and makes an effort to always sound like what is currently going on in hip hop, always following trends rather than starting them so the mixtape style is where he excels. No Ceilings 3 (B Side) is shorter, more streamlined and thus more successful than the A-Side but it still represents the modern state of hip hop feeling sluggish, stale and light musically. 

Lil Wayne still expertly plays with vocabulary, but unlike the original entry of this mixtape series, no song redefines the original or invigorates the listener to get down or even revisit once it concludes.

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Support the artists, buy the album and peep some video:

Album Review: Run The Jewels - RTJ4

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!

It is of Run The Jewels newest release RTJ4.

There couldn't be a better timed album and it is easy to see why the band pushed up its release to June 1st as they talk directly about the current state of affairs (like on every other album of theirs) with passion and conviction.

RtBE have been long time fans of RTJ, catching them live (which turned out to be our favorite show from 2015), enjoying RTJ3 and ranking their second album as our favorite hip album of the last decade.

A great record that will probably top a lot of year end lists. Support the artists and their causes, read the review, download the record for yourself and peep some video below:

Live Review: Tom Morello - Speaking Truth to Power Through Stories and Song

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!

It is of Tom Morello's recent off Broadway, one man show Speaking Truth to Power Through Stories and Song.

This was a very cool NYC event where Morello regaled the small sold out crowd with stories of his life, bands and family. He played tunes, spoke poetry and fired up the crowd with sing a longs to end the night.  A really cool event which you can download from Audible in the near future.

On a personal note it was also pretty rad sitting right next to a few famous faces including the executive producer himself T-Bone Burnett and his plus 1, Elvis Costello:

Support the artist, stay tuned for the download and peep some video of him below:

Angels & Vagabonds EP Anyways... Released Four Years Ago Today

We are proud that Angels & Vagabonds acoustic EP titled Anyways... Turns four years old today.

The album is important because, well, RtBE is in the band and it is exciting to go from critic/reviewer of music to creator of tunes. Special thanks also go to our friends who helped out and while it has been a few years since a release, more are on the way...

You can stream the album below and you can also go here and download the album for free (or any donation you would like). The album is also available on Spotify, Itunes AMI Jukeboxes and elsewhere. Thanks for listening and reading.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wishing everyone a happy, safe and fun St. Patrick's Day from RtBE and we might as well throw in a self plug.

Here is Angels & Vagabonds Irish inspired tune, "Queens Boulevard Serenade":

The story goes; in the lead up to our first St. Paddy's Day gig we were working on some traditional Irish songs to play and our lead singer/keyboard player Don McNally realized they were basically all the same chords just re-arraigned.

So the Irish American from Woodside, NY dug into his past and crafted QBS. He brought it to the group and after a few tweaks it was ready for prime time, we actually played it only about a week after it was written. There is a little inside baseball into our process, now go celebrate by hoisting a pint....Happy St. Paddy's!

Frank Migliorelli & The Dirt Nappers New Single, "Only Here" Attacks NRA

With a new album set to be released on March 15th titled  The Things You Left Behind, Frank Migliorelli has released an important new single today titled "Only Here".

This is more then just a simple tune, which is obvious when you listen. It was inspired by the Parkland shooting massacre and is being released on the anniversary of those shootings.

In Frank's own words: "It is pretty sad that we have to have songs like this". More in depth, Frank has stated:

“I remember, Feb 15, 2018, - The day after the Parkland shootings- when I was standing on the subway platform, an intense feeling of sadness hit me. I really don't know what to say except I was just overwhelmed with grief and the disbelief and anger. Grief at the loss of life. Disbelief that we barely flinch every time a mass shooting happens. Anger that we let our gun policies get dictated by a bunch of thugs hiding behind some ancient constitutional amendment so they can protect their gun industry. Three days later, after a few 18 hour days in the studio, this song came out. This is war, and hopefully people will listen to this as rallying anthem.”

The song will be available to the general public for download and streaming at the following locations:

Bandcamp- https://dirtnappers.bandcamp.com/
iTunes- https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/frank-migliorelli-and-the-dirt-nappers/1050060618
Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/artist/1fdpE2yGXbHarYA6zEVf1Bsi=DDlCWydiRieXLfknZBb6XQ

All proceeds from this song will be donated to Every Town for Gun Safety and the Sandy Hook Promise. This version features Tony Tino on bass, Sherryl Marshall on vocals, Daniel Weiss on organ, Thad DeBrock on guitar, and Tommy Diehl on drums. The track was mastered by Scott Anthony at Storybook Sound.

We were lucky enough to have interviewed Frank for his last release and will be reviewing his new album soon.

Be sure to catch him live and below is a solo acoustic version of "Only Here" with an intro which briefly describes his process with the new tune.

Album Review: Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band - 6/5/81 Wembley, London

Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band

June 5th, 1981 Wembley, London

**** out of *****

The Site http://live.brucespringsteen.net/ has been releasing shows from Bruce's past for anyone to download and enjoy. While all of the recent shows have been recorded and uploaded, every month or so the site will dig into the archives for a blast from the past. Last month the site offered up the June 5th 1981 Wembley Stadium show and it is a behemoth; over three and a half hours of music.

This performance was during the bands six night London stand on the worldwide River Tour. The European leg was Springsteen's first shot at playing to this market and he poured his all into it, so much so that the Western European leg was delayed three weeks due to Springsteen's exhaustion from the first two legs. There is a weariness in Springsteen's voice on the selected night, but the band is whip crack tight and the (slightly) reserved Bruce lends himself to the quieter/softer numbers.

The biggest surprise of the show has to be the pacing and song placement, this is immediately evident as the concert starts with none other than "Born To Run". Springsteen and crew used this as the opener on The River Tour and it is almost as if crowds weren't prepared for it right off the bat. The guitars are low in the mix for "Prove It All Night" but gradually increase in volume as the show goes on while the "Out On The Street" is a touch sluggish not hitting the joyful high of studio or other live takes.

On the flip side the introspective "Follow That Dream" is successful with only minimal instrumentation and Bruce's raspy/weary vocals. That sense of foreboding works amazingly well for "The River", "Independence Day" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town" but the lesser played "Johnny Bye-Bye" never captures the 50's rockin' sound the group were shooting for while a mid-set "I Fought The Law" feels misplaced. The emotion and seriousness embedded in Springsteen's take on Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" is hypnotic while the cover of Creedance Clearwater Revival's "Who'll Stop The Rain?" nails the dramatic aspects of the song.

"Badlands" is grandiose, opposite of the some of the tighter/manic performances this group of players have banged out during this number and the performance on this night is an upbeat highlight of the first set. The odd pacing however returns as Springsteen chooses to wrap up the first set with the introspective "Thunder Road", it is a wealth of riches from a song perspective, but the performance aspect of the beginning of the show never truly locks in.

The second set flows better to start as "Hungry Heart" is already crowd pleasing, "You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)" is revved up hip swinging rocker and both "Cadillac Ranch" and "Sherry Darling" keep the party flowing with Clarence Clemons saxophone solo in particular highlighting the last of those.

The whole show hits a cinematic high-point however in the middle of the second set as "Because The Night" steals the evening. The band uses the songs dramatic opening to capture the audience, slamming them on the notes as the effort climbs before Springsteen shreds his voice screaming the mantra into the English air; this track alone reason to download this show.

After the blistering song, the band takes some time to gain it's footing again as "I Wanna Marry You" (complete with odd static sounds), and "Point Blank" are downers and normally blazing pair of "Candy's Room" and "Ramrod" never fully coalesce. Show closer "Rosalita" contains group intro's but the band is waning a bit, needing a break to gather themselves (who wouldn't) as the second set ends.

This being Bruce Springsteen however more is never enough and the encore finds all of the players back and completely energized as "I'm A Rocker" totally captures the Jersey shore rock jangle Springsteen envisioned. The heightened poetic tale of "Jungleland" is huge in scope as the piano of Roy Bittan sings, but not as lovely as Springsteen does though on the stripped down Elvis Presley cover "Can't Help Falling In Love".

The bands "Detroit Medley" finally ends the night paying respects to Little Richard by way of Mitch Ryder and is a dynamite exclamation mark on huge night of music. The River Tour had more famous shows, and probably a few better played, but the fact that THIS is a good-to-average night in this bands life circa '81 is a huge testament in and of itself.

Springsteen and the E-Street Band are a hurricane force, June 5th, 1981 Wembley, London proves that they always blew strong; their passion and commitment to the rock and roll spirit are still palpable almost forty years later.
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Support the band, download the show and peep some video below:

Album Review: Lil Wayne - Dedication 6

Lil Wayne

Dedication 6

**and1/2 out of *****

The sixth installment of Lil Wayne's mix-tape series Dedication comes while his fan base are still waiting for the elusive Tha Carter V to drop, something that seems more and more likely to never happen at this point.

Wayne has been through a lot, too much to really mention here, with labels, shootings, arrests, etc. however the good news is that Weezy's rhymes and flows on Dedication 6 are (for the most part) strong and prove that he still possess a ton of ridiculous word play and shit to say. All verses, few choruses, Wayne opens his mind and dumps it out on these beats of current popular songs.

When he rambles it is something to behold and it often moves into kooky places on Dedication 6, with the same areas being explored again and again (sex rhymes, drug rhymes, bathroom humor and boasts) while rarely sounding tired or rehashed. In fact he outshines every single guest he invites to join him including mega stars Drake on "Family Feud" and Niki Minaj during "5 Star", their version of "Rockstar". The best guests are Euro and Cory Gunz showing up to twist "Phone Jumpin'" into "Let Em All In" that features Wayne's least inspired verse on the mix-tape.

Overall Dedication 6 fails to these ears, not because of Wayne, but because of the sorry state of hip-hop beats. Nothing here is exciting, engaging or remotely memorable. If these are the best beats the master (all be it aging master) of the mix-tape has to currently work with, the industry has an issue.

However, Tunechi is an artist who never really needs bumping, inventive or even good beats. Wayne himself does all of the heavy lifting with these lines from "Bank Account" using a lackluster 21 Savage beat:

Wait, I just popped a Perc/ Another for dessert/ I washed it down with syrup/ I just left planet Earth/ Ran into Captain Kirk/ I pop a Perc, I'm trippy/ Call me Perc Nowitzki/ Just call her Lewinsky

or "Fly Away" his take on Kendrick Lamar's "DNA":

Shark bite to a flounder/ Bar fight to a bouncer, wait/ All Franks like Sinatra/ Face been painted, they ain't never clowned him/ Everybody rakin' cash like it's autumn/ Y'all boys sweeter than Whatchamacallit/ All y'all take a seat on this toilet

This isn't his best work by any stretch (for RtBE's money that is No Ceilings) but fans of Wayne  will take these moments of smile inducing hilarity as a step in a positive direction.

While the Free Weezy Album had the amazing "Glory" on it and very little else, Dedication 6 is a more solid listen with regards to Wayne's rhymes, but nothing comes close to that high point; in fact no song here is must listen. Unlike past mix-tape efforts, Wayne doesn't claim any of these beats as his own. It does however keep Weezy breathing and relevant until the next mix-tape, because we all know V isn't coming out in 2018 right? 
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Support the artist, download the mix tape and peep some video below:

Album Review: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Polygondwanaland

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard 

Polygondwanaland

**** out of *****

The prolific psychedelic Australian rockers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, put their summer of love meets the new millennium, freak-out style back into action with their newest release (their 4th of supposedly 5 in 2017), with the easy to pronounce (and spell),  Polygondwanaland. The group keeps raising the stakes with concept albums and explorations with free jazz nodding to Sketches of Spain and their newest is a sonic assault on the senses...in a good way.  

The opening track needs special attention as it is over ten minutes of increasing freak-outs around the title "Crumbling Castle". Frankenstein-ed together but somehow flowing, there are sonic excursions, percussive breaks and a variety of vocal styles that make the full trip even odder. It is a bad ass opening statement and sticks around long after it finishes.

After the dizzying opener the group stays odd, but keeps it direct (well, direct for this outfit). The title track percolates with an excellent bass-line/acoustic guitar work while "Inner Cell" incorporates an eastern tinged flair with a snaking groove. The theme of castles reappears with "The Castle In The Air" a dreamy spoken word adventure before dripping into the propulsive "Deserted Dunes Welcome Weary Feet".   

Synthesizers and flutes color "Loyalty" but it is the ever moving beat that pushes things along and the drum and bass combo wind up the MVP for "Horology" as well. The vocals take a back seat to the gymnastic playing but this album was designed for multiple listens to parse out meanings, phrases and lyrics from the melodic soup. The seven piece can sound overly busy at times (see album closer "The Fourth Colour"), but when things lock in the music can be transcendent.

The band released this full album for free, even posting the master recordings online for people to use as they please. KG&TLW seem to never stop producing music and when it arrives as fresh as Polygondwanaland here's hoping it never stops. 
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Support the band, download the album for free or stream it below, and peep some video:

Album Review: Run The Jewels- Run The Jewels 3

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!

It is of the newest Run The Jewels album succinctly titled Run The Jewels 3. We loved RTJ2 and ranked it very high in 2014, and this is more of the same excellent hip hop; we wouldn't be surprised if it shows up on this years Best Of List.

This go around there is a little less lighthearted fun and silly throw away rhymes, but the situation has gotten even more serious in the country so, Killer Mike and El-P have adjusted accordingly. The dexterous word play and frenetic beats are exhilarating, this is the first great album of 2017.

Support the artists, buy the album, peep some video:

Full Show Friday: Pearl Jam 8/27/2000 SPAC Saratoga, NY

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Pearl Jam!

August is a special month for us here at RtBE and the main reason why is the perfect little upstate New York town of Saratoga which blooms in full each summer. Live music at the gorgeous Saratoga Performing Arts Center is a major reason for that affection, so this month we will be picking shows from SPAC to present for our Full Show Fridays. 

Now that we got rid of that dreck from last week (Editors Note: Easy...) we can all agree on the greatness of this band. Pearl Jam are American rock royalty and they bang out some damn satisfying music under starry skies. 

This one is extra special because we were there. Another RtBE favorite Sonic Youth opened the set (wish that video was here) as they were touring behind their NYC Ghost and Flowers album. That was never one of our favorites, but the band still played old classics like "Teenage Riot", "Bull In The Heather" and "100%" . PJ even tipped their hat to NYC avant-rockers during "Daughter" and added a bit of SY noise-rock in one of favorite tunes of theirs, "rearviewmirror". 

For the main act the band seemed to put extra aggression into things to start before becoming nuanced later in the set. This was a long show, and one of my favorite memories was hearing "Yellow Ledbetter" wafting over the gorgeous grounds of the State Park with my friend Don who insisted we hit this show (Thank You!). This show reignited my love for the band and while the recording is on a video camera and a bit shaky the sound is excellent for a 2000 outdoor venue. 

Amazingly you can also download this full show over at the Internet Archive for free, keeping a lasting copy of this night. We did. Enjoy:

    

Support the band:
http://pearljam.com/activism/vitalogy...
http://pearljam.com/goods/

August 27, 2000
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Saratoga Springs, NY

Breakerfall
Whipping
Spin the Black Circle
Hail Hail
Corduroy
In My Tree
Dissident
Given to Fly
Nothing As It Seems
Grievance
Light Years
Daughter/(Beginning to See the Light)(WMA)(Androgynous Mind)
Lukin
MFC
Wishlist
Better Man
Even Flow
Insignificance
Rearviewmirror
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Sleight of Hand
Do The Evolution
Once
Timeless Melody
Small Town
Leatherman
Porch
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Soon Forget
Black
Yellow Ledbetter/(Nobody's Fault But Mine)

Album Review: Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman- Lice

Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman

Lice EP

*** out of *****

Two well respected New York City MC's pair up for a their first release together as Aesop Rock and Homeboy Sandman work with a series of producers for the Lice EP. The nastiness of the title and cartoon cover art, is combined with crafty word play and sonic movements.

"Strange beats normal" is an agreed upon line by both MC's after going through legit concerns about current hip-hop fans, touring and society in "So Strange Here". That statement from the searching and understated track solidifies the message of this EP as a whole. Curve balls do get thrown as an intriguing organ fueled beat from Optiks seems to be setting up for grandiose rhymes before the duo get silly, talking nasty shit that "Katz" do or shouldn't do.

"Vertigo" kicks things off with energy, power and a sweet use of vibes but the most complete track is "Environmental Studies". Slow piano rolls with Ron Carter like bass before boom boxes and moon rocks roll out. Snares and hi-hats join as Blockheads production perfectly supports behind the duo reminding us to never count the kid out.        

Spinning a nu metal riff into an intriguing tense closer Charles Hamilton sets up the background while the dueling front-men bark out their bars. The pairing itself feels effortless even though their styles are very different. Aesop Rock rhymes direct, sharp and stoic while Homeboy Sandman is languid, nuanced and rope-a-dope. The partnership is comfortable with experimentation (5 tracks, 5 different producers) as it seems to be just beginning a symbiotic pairing if they wish to make this more then a one off adventure.
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Another bandcamp find, you can get the album from their page or stream it below:

nycTaper Late Summer Update

With Summer close to wrapping up we figured it was a good time to check in with our friends over at nycTaper. Boy has the crew been busy.

So many good shows it is going to take awhile to dig through them all, but safe to say the summer of 2015 sounds sweet.

First up for us is the Thurston Moore Band show from August 6th at Bowery Ballroom. Somehow this one slipped by us and we missed one of RtBE's all time favorites in our favorite NYC venue, thanks to the site though we can now hear the show.

We loved the Warren Haynes record release show we caught a few weeks back at Town Hall and now you can hear a set he did with Railroad Earth backing him up from Gathering of the Vibes.  A special guest even pops up in that one from some band called The Grateful Dead...

The Vibes keep giving and Warren shows back up for Wilco's set from the same festival. We dug their new album and lots of those songs get the live treatment here.

and we will end our spotlight with The Mekons show from Bowery Ballroom on 7/21. A good friend of ours highly recommends this band, so we can't wait to give it a listen.

Thanks again to nycTaper and all the hard work everyone over there does.

Free Stream/Download Talib Kweli Fuck The Money

Talib Kweli, the Brooklyn born MC has released a new full length for free titled appropriately, Fuck The Money.

This album finds him doing his chock-full-of rhyme style with contributions from Ab-Soul, The Alchemist as well as others. We dug his last release Gravitas and reviewed it here. We may get to review this one or we may not, either way, you don't need RtBE, you can check it out for yourself here or stream it below:

Album Review: Wilco- Star Wars

Wilco

Star Wars

**** out of *****

Offering up a free, unannounced until released, album from his popular band was just the sort of "bolt of joy" that main Wilco man Jeff Tweedy was hoping for and (perhaps surprisingly) Star Wars contains the most interesting music Wilco has released in a very long time.  

"EKG" begins things and lets you know the band is mixing it up this go around as the short noise instrumental gives way to "More...". Along with "Joke Explained", "More..." brings the most pop sensibility into these song structures, but musically there are still lots of variations with swirling key layers and guitar lines that color the prettier tunes. Because of this Tweedy's lyrics  are buried more then in the past, and lyrics are certainly not the focal point of this offering which could be a shock for longtime fans.

The band does a lot of sonic experimentation with noise (the album was expertly produced by Tweedy and Tom Schick) and while they have always tempered with it in the past, clearly the focus here is on weirdness. Free albums can often feel tossed off, but this one feels crafted with sounds in the way few pop bands outside of Spoon have done recently. Also helping out is the albums pace, songs are short, and there aren't many of them as these angular offerings never stick past their expiration date.

"Random Name Generator" uses a metallic production matched with the repeated title as a hook all based around fuzzy guitars, while album centerpiece "You Satellite" builds and rises thanks to some fantastic drumming before spacing out with guitars and satisfyingly dissolving into space. "Taste the Ceiling" swirls easily while "Pickled Ginger" picks up the energy but doesn't really do much with it.

The end of the album turns out to be the most interesting and successful as Tweedy alone with acoustic guitar poses the question "Where Do I Begin" before a tape/loop/freakout wraps up the track schizophrenically. The next two tracks are really one song split by title and track-listing only venturing into the glam late 70's pop world.

This medley is called "Cold Slope" and "King of You" sharing an electronic aloofness all centered around a cold/detached groove (first dominated by bass, then guitar) that captures the ear. Putting it on the same side as the warbling, open-ended love song closer "Magnetized" favorably brings to mind mid-era David Bowie, a comparison most Wilco fans would have probably never made before this album.    

While the tile and cover art are odd and hokey respectively, when combined with the music, the total package makes for an lightheartedly charming release that endearingly satisfies and one that will certainly hold up better over the years then many of the bands more "formal" releases.
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Support Wilco here, download the album for free here, peep some video below:

Titus Andronicus Offer Free MixTape

With the NJ based punk band Titus Andronicus huge rock opera The Most Lamentable Tragedy a few weeks away the band has graciously offered a free mixtape for fans to download or stream below:

Maybe they took the title from Lil Wayne, but the music is Titus in it's fullest with live cuts, demos, rehearsals and outtakes from the upcoming TMLT. The first track and last track are also long noiserock instrumentals that build and drone if that is your kind of thing, it certainly is ours. (if not feel free to skip it for more commonly formed punk tunes). 

We have enjoyed the band greatly in the past, and did not rank their fantastic album The Monitor high enough in our year end review of 2010. The band and especially Patrick Stickles has a lot to say, all the time, but especially when it comes to this album. In fact Patrick, already released the lyrics and all their references himself on Genius so fans can have a guide to TMLT. 

We are looking forward to this one and hope to catch the band live when they come back to town in October. Here is a video to the banging "Dimed Out", of course complete with official lyrics, from their upcoming TMLT.  

Free Marco Benevento Live Album: Masquerade Ball

The keyboard wizard Marc Benevento is graciously releasing a free live album on Royal Potato Family Records. 

Click Here to Download

From Benevento himself in regards to this night of music up in Burlington, VT on April 4th 2015:

"This was great night! We'd been touring the record (Swift) for about seven months so the energy was high onstage. Plus, it was Signal Kitchen's Masquerade Ball show, so everyone in the audience was wearing masks and looking freaky,” remembers Benevento. "Our friend even came up on stage and danced for an extended 'Limbs Of A Pine.' Oh, and it was a full moon, oh geez, yes, you can hear it all here. We tested out two new tunes that will be on our upcoming record and we wound up, on a whim, segueing 'RISD' and 'Let's Spend The Night Together' (the Bowie version) at the end of the show. That even surprised us while we were playing through it!"

The last time we talked about MB here we highlighted his duet set with Stanton Moore, the more we hear and see him playing the keys the more we dig him and his easy style. Grab the album and check out the man in some video and album previews below:

nyctaper Recent Highlights and Summer Schedule

We just found out that this month the great site nyctaper turns 8 years old, happy anniversary/birthday/web-offspring/whatever fellas. With that we thought it was long past time to check in with the fantastic nyctaper and see their upcoming taping schedule.

The site always gets great shows, we had no idea that Yo La Tengo went incognito as the Condo Fucks, but you can check out their most recent set here from when they played Cake Shop.

We have re-found our love for Built to Spill with their recent excellent album so we will def be checking out the taped show from Charleston, SC that the band played and the site caught. Can't wait to hear the band's take on Neil Young's "Cowgirl in the Sand", wait, either can you? Then let's dig into it:

While not the caliber of their Cortez live cover, especially with Doug's odd lyrics change, the music is pretty damn spot on.  We may have to go see them next go round.

We have always loved Acid Mothers Temple freak out rock and roll but have never got to see them, we can now hear their set though thanks to nyctaper from Mercury Lounge.

Hooray For The Riff Raff played our favorite NYC venue, Bowery Ballroom and of course nyctaper caught it. We reviewed the album last year and missed the show...here's a chance to catch up.

Finally, one group we really want to see next NYC show is Ex-Hex, we loved their album and nyctaper now has a show from South Carolina to check out the ladies live set.

As always keep up the great work nyctaper, and for fans you can support the site through it's paypal account.