Friday, December 30, 2011

What are you doing at 3pm CST today?

Within the next week I'll be posting a 15 or so track Empty's Tapes 2011 Compilation. Today sometime after 3pm I'll be on Radio K's Off The Record to play some tracks from the compilation. Have a listen if you feel like it!

Off The Record airs every Friday from 3-5pm and is streamable on their site.

100.7 FM Metro Area 24/7
104.5 FM Metro Area 24/7
106.5 FM Minneapolis 4:30PM-8:00AM
770 AM Minneapolis/St. Paul Daylight Hours

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Last Alas, Alas Show Until Summer 2012!


Alas, Alas
w/ The Brass Messengers (amazing, you know the name) & inBoil (let Phil clear out those tear ducts)

Alas, Alas will be joined by some very special guests for a very special pre-New Year's Eve-Eve yarnstore party!

Alas, Alas is playing their last show until summer 2012!
Hand-picked for the occasion, the immaculate sprawling yarn palace that is Steven Be, complete with elegant chandelier, was only a natural choice for Alas, Alas to celebrate their second of two shows of the season.

$5 suggested donation
Doors at 8:00, music at 8:30
THIS IS REAL TIME, NOT PUNK TIME. DON'T BE LATE.
All Ages
Enter through the back door, by the alley off of 35th street


How good at social networking are you?

I left my gear at the TFATT house Saturday morning in a made dash to a cab back to my house to meet the road tripping pal. Loaned the 414's to Drew Friday night to record some Alas, Alas songs. Tonight I am reunited with my gear!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Leaving Town For A Few Days.

I'm excited to see my Grandparents. I probably would have gotten into a lot more trouble when I was younger hadn't it been for them and they mean the world to me for several reasons. My Grandfather is 81 years old but still acts and feels like he's 61 which is a beautiful thing. Oh yeah, the food. There Will Be Food. Home cooked food that I'm only around once or twice a year if I'm lucky.

Recently recorded...

Friday December 16th
The Triple Rock Social Club
Big Quarters CD Release
w/ Los Nativos and No Bird Sing (hosted by Crescent Moon)

Saturday December 17th
The Cedar Cultural Center
The Book of Right On
w/ Kill the Vultures, Gay Witch Abortion, Wizards Are Real

Wednesday December 21st
The 7th Street Entry
The Night 7" Release Show
w/ The Rope, Ghost in the Water and The Trapezoids

Join me again this evening at The Entry for...

Friday December 23rd
The 7th Street Entry
Animal Lover
w/ The Funeral & the Twilight, Small White and Divorced
8 doors 9 music | 18+ | $5.00 adv | $5.00 door

On that note, everyone here at Empty's Tapes (me) wishes you a happy and safe weekend with your family and or friends.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The Night 7" Release Show @ The Entry Tonight.

Wednesday 12/21
7th Street Entry
The Night 7" Release Show
with The Rope, and Ghost in the Water, The Trapezoids
8:00 pm | 18+ | $5.00 adv | $5.00 door

Interview with The Night. Set times per facespace:

Trapezoids - 9pm
Ghost in the Water - 10pm
The Night - 11pm
The Rope - 12am

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Early Sound Recordings From Alexander Graham Bell Recovered.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

A large glass photodisc from the Smithsonian collection of early sound recordings.

Early Sound Recordings From Alexander Graham Bell Recovered, Played Again.
by Wright Bryan

"Sound recordings that hadn't been heard since they were first made by Alexander Graham Bell and others in the 1880s were played publicly Tuesday at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

The sounds captured in the collection include recited verse, sounds such as trilling and basic spoken information such as the date.

The recordings — long stored at the Smithsonian Institution — were made on cylinders and discs of varying design. The Library of Congress teamed up with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to decode the recordings. The AP describes the process:

"Many recordings are fragile, and until recently it had not been possible to listen to them without damaging the discs or cylinders, the news release said. So far, six discs have been successfully submitted to the sound recovery process, which creates a high-resolution digital map of the disc or cylinder. The map is processed to remove scratches and skips, and software reproduces the audio content and produces a standard digital sound file."

More detailed information on how the maps are made can be found on the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's website. You can actually listen to some of the recovered sound on another page at the same site."

- Original article can be found here courtesy of NPR.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Hymie's Records Respect From Chicago.

I love Hymie's. This is a really great read from the Chicago Sun Times so I wanted to share it with you. Dave Hoekstra is more than welcome to join the next East Lake Taquería Crawl.

MINNEAPOLIS — A great record store can provide a memorable soundtrack to any road trip.

When I travel, I try to find an independent record store to buy local music. I ask the staff what’s going on in their city. It’s the same deal used in meeting folks at a farmer’s market. But I’ve often found people to be more friendly at a farmer’s market than at a record store. My experience has been the more used vinyl, the more scratchy the store owner.

Hymie’s Vintage Records on East Lake Street near the Minneapolis-St. Paul border is not that kind of place. Read more...


Hymie's Vintage Records
3318 E Lake St Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612) 729-8890

Friday, December 16, 2011

Foods.

Yeah, yeah every once and a while I talk about food on a live recordings site. It's the simple things that keep us happy. Click on the images to enlarge.

I've always enjoyed the mac n cheese at The Triple Rock. I'd have to do some digging to recall what show was going down on 10/13/11 but I'll never forget the first time I ordered the mac n cheese with pickled jalapeno. Highly recommended and if you're my friend Josh you might ask for a hot dog to be chopped up in there as well. As always it comes with a healthy slice of toasted french bread.

If you know me you know I'm a wing fiend. 10/23/11 with buffalo wings at The Cedar Inn on 42nd & Cedar, which in my opinion serves the best wings in all of South Minneapolis if not the entire city. They do the full quarter wing, no TGI Friday's drummy action here. I believe a half dozen is only $7.99 (most places charge $9 or $10 for a bunch of drummys) and they are available in plain, buffalo and an "Asian" sauce which is sweet and delicious. They're made in small batches in some kind of pressure cooker that closes from the top and is spun shut.

10/24/11 chips & salsa at the Hola Arepa food truck. Even though you can't go wrong with a single item on this menu (yes, including the arepas) if I was in a hurry last summer I would stop by the Hola Arepa truck and grab an order of chips & salsa. At $2 it's definitely a speedy and economical way to fill your stomach. Plus you get to try your choice of 2 stellar salsas with 4 or 5 options.

One of the main stand outs from last year's street food season was certainly Natedogs. Hell, I don't even really care for hot dogs but these were the best I've ever had. I'll let Nate do the talking here; "I serve up quality wieners & brats sourced from Pastures A Plenty in Kerkhoven, MN. I make my own homemade sauerkraut and 3-5 different housemade mustards, including a rotating beer mustard that I make with local beers." To be honest I can't stand mustard of any kind and I'm not from the East Coast so I'm down with ketchup on my dogs. With that said, knowing that Nate is a purist I never once asked him for ketchup. I always opted for the "naked dog" (10/27/11) or maybe some caramelized onions. I'd dare say some of the freshest and cleanest tasting hot dogs in the Upper Midwest.

I recently stumbled onto The Simple Sandwich in the skyway. My go to is the vegetarian wrap with a wheat or spinach tortilla with pepper jack or provolone and lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, jalapenos & green peppers (no thanks to raw onions & mushrooms). If you dislike mustard and mayo as much as I do then don't forget the "spicy cranberry" spread. A steal at $4.99 on Wednesdays.

Vegetarian Pho from Lotus To Go Go, a thing of beauty. After a good night of self-abuse I crave a bowl of this more than anything else.

A couple of weekends ago (12/04/11) Muddy Waters started offering a "Cuban Breakfast" special at brunch. It's not on the menu yet (available again last weekend) but you can ask for it. Two eggs your way, two tortillas, rice & beans and fried yucca topped with a house made salsa. Chorizo can be yours for $2. With any hope this is a permanent addition to the brunch menu.

Last week in the middle of recording the first 6 nights of the Doomtree Blowout I realized that it might be best to camp out Downtown for a few nights instead of running back and forth to South. All of the sudden I figured it might a good idea to eat Andrea Pizza for 3 days in a row. I was right, it was a damn good idea. True New York style, 18" with 8 gigantic slices that will last one person for several meals. Some of the best pizza I've had in years.

Party Like a Young Commie Tonight At The Triple Rock.

Big Quarters - Party Like A Young Commie CD Release Party
Friday, December 16
Triple Rock Social Club
Minneapolis, MN

Big Quarters
w/ Los Nativos and No Bird Sing

Hosted by: Crescent Moon of Kill the Vultures
On the decks: DJ Ren

9pm doors | 18+ | $8 advance $10 door

Pre-Order Album.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Perish This Thursday (12/15)

Perish:
Comets Ov Cupid
Take Acre

Kitty Cat Klub
10pm. 12/15.
Free. Kitty Cat Klub. 10pm.

"Comets Ov Cupid is the solo project of Jason Kesselring, former guitarist and leader of the turn-of-the-millennium era local group Skye Klad. Upon moving on from his post-Skye Klad trio Blitzen as well as moving on from the Twin Cities and back to his ancestral home of Fargo, Jason has been putting his enviable guitar skills to use as Comets Ov Cupid, spanning a wide range of stylistic influences but always remaining within his chosen field of a uniquely modern and occultic Kosmische Musik for our times. Since his music is solitary in nature, Jason's live appearances have been rare and usually purpose-specific. For the Perish performance, Jason's cosmic guitar will be supported in a "rock trio" with Matt Entsminger of Thunderbolt Pagoda on drums and former Skye Klad bandmate Erik Wivinus (also of Thunderbolt Pagoda) on bass. They will be performing a lengthy instrumental suite composed specifically for this event."

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

An Update From Downtown.

I had intended on posting 1 track per night from the opening sets of The Blowout but I haven't been home in two days which makes it difficult to keep up with that goal. Scratch that, I did run over South on my lunch hour to shower and change clothes but was in and out in 30 minutes.

Tonight was curated by Stef and will feature sets from Marijuana Deathsquads and Polica. It feels like Friday. I haven't drank coffee in the PM in a minute but it's pretty satisfying at the moment.

Monday, December 05, 2011

Friday, December 02, 2011

No Tapes.

The Captain got a hold of me yesterday to ask if I would record the Marijuana Deathsquads set at the Big Freedia show last night. As much I hate letting him down I really didn't feel like messing with the 21 to the Turf. Wasn't in the mood for that at all but now I'm disappointed that the MDS set wasn't recorded.

Instead I went to Cause because it's close to the house and Falcon Arrow & Cadette never let me down. I was also very glad to catch Hey, Remember Nostalgia for the first time. Didn't feel like schlepping gear 8 blocks in 20° weather so that show also went unrecorded.

/pointless update.

Thursday, December 01, 2011

12/01/11.

Well, the show I wanted to attend this evening is no longer going down so that opens the options back up. I sincerely wish Blood Folke's drummer Bryan a speedy recovery from his emergency appendectomy. I'm looking forward to the rescheduled date of their CD Release and hope they can keep the same support (The Funeral and the Twilight and Prostate).

The big attraction tonight will be Big Freedia & The Divas @ The Turf Club w/ Marijuana Deathsquads, Spyder Baybie Raw Dog 3k & 2% Muck and Plain Ole Bill. 8pm doors, 9pm music, $12 cover.


As much as things are sure to be hoppin' in the Midway I'm thinking about keeping things walking distance from the house and checking out the show at Cause. Haven't been there in forever. Falcon Arrow and Cadette are two of my favorite bands in town. I've yet to see Hey, Remember Nostalgia but some of the members are also in Paragraphs who are another top notch band from Minneapolis. From the Facespace...

Falcon Arrow are a bass & drums duo. 12am.
Hey, Remember Nostalgia are a five-piece pop band with a girl singer. 11pm.
Cadette are a rock trio of ladies. 10pm.


Calendar Update.

The calendar on the right side of this page has been updated. December just got thick.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Nona Marie & The Choir - "Good Woman" @ The Cedar

Nona Marie & The Choir
The Cedar
Minneapolis, MN
Saturday November 19th 2011

This Recording is for Promotional & Archival Purposes Only.

Nona Marie & The Choir - "Good Woman" (Cat Power)

(Right Click & Save Link As or Mac equivalent to download the .mp3)

Bandcamp | Facebook

Nona Marie Invie
Ana Roxanne
Emily Jean Snyder
Alyssa Hill
Chrissy Chookiatsirichai
Erin Lynn Smith
Lindsay Noble
Annika Kaplan
Emily Temte
Alberta Mirais
Antonia Eberhart
Jess Buns
Sophie Weil
Kate Farstad
Lucy W. Woods

Nona Marie & The Choir, Dreamland Faces and Mike & Nikki Gunther supported The Painted Saints on the eve of their release for the new album No Match for Greater Minds. The first snow of the year hit at a steady pace but those who made it out to the West Bank were treated to one of the best shows from start to finish this year. Certainly in my top 5 out of a 100 or so. Thanks to The Cedar for always being cool with people archiving shows there. It's greatly appreciated. Thanks to Nona Marie & The Choir for giving me permission to share this.

Nona & The Choir: Making grown men tear up at The Cedar Cultural Center since 2011.

The audience recording sounds really nice but I have zero time to "EQ" it right now. I wanted to post this sbd version before I leave town and hopefully post the full audience sometime when I get back.

Wizards Are Real @ Hymie's Records

Photo by Steven Cohen

320kbps mp3s of this recording can be downloaded here.

Wizards Are Real
Hymie's Records
Minneapolis, MN
Sunday November 13th 2011

Recorded by: emptystapes AT gmail DOT com
Location: DINish, at the pilar, 7' ^
Source: AKG 414B-xls (Cards) > Silver Quad customs > UA-5 (BM2p+) > iRiver h120 (Optical @ 16bit 44.1kHz WAV)
Transfer: h120 > USB 2.0 > PC [WAV > Razorlame > 320kbps mp3]
Edit: mild compression (Sound Forge 10) track indexing (CD Wave)

This Recording is for Promotional & Archival Purposes Only.

01. I’m Your Free Lieutenant
02. We Need Zinc
03. The Expert
04. Through the Pipes
05. 9 Volt
06. Clamander
07. Falconry
08. Flavor of Coal
09. Stay Golden
10. Keep Still
11. Making Out the Hard Way

Melanie Bergstrom - sax
Tim Baumgart - drums
Ted Held - bass
Brian O'Neil - pedal steel

Facebook | Hymie's Records

Thanks to Dave and Laura at Hymie's (3820 East Lake Street) for doing what they do for the community and Wizards Are Real for being cool with me sharing this. Check out the Hymie's site for weekly in-store performances from some of the best bands in all the land.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Perish: Stacian and Gel Set

Perish:
Stacian (Milwaukee, WI)
Gel Set (Chicago, IL)

Lilith Flair and Ruin Value

Kitty Cat Klub
10pm. 11/17.
Free

Perish. Every Third Thursday of the Month.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Frank Turner @ The Triple Rock


320kbps mp3 | FLAC

Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls
The Triple Rock Social Club
Minneapolis, MN
Sunday October 23rd 2011

Recorded by: empty (emptystapes AT gmail DOT com)
Location: DINish, Right drink rail, 30' back, ~7.5' ^
Source: AKG 414B-xls (Hypers) > Silver Quad customs > UA-5 (BM2p+) > iRiver h120 (Optical @ 16bit 44.1kHz WAV)
Transfer: h120 > USB 2.0 > PC [WAV > Razorlame > 320kbps mp3
Edit: Compression + fades (Sound Forge 10) track indexing (CD Wave)

This Recording is for Promotional & Archival Purposes Only.

01. Eulogy
02. Try This At Home
03. I Still Believe
04. One Foot Before The Other
05. I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous
06. I Am Disappeared
07. Love Ire & Song
08. Substitute
09. English Curse
10. Dan's Song
11. Sons Of Liberty
12. Peggy Sang The Blues
13. If Ever I Stray
14. Glory Hallelujah
15. Long Live The Queen
16. The Road
17. Somebody To Love (Queen)
18. Magazines (The Hold Steady)
19. The Ballad Of Me And My Friends
20. Photosynthesis

Frank Turner - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
Ben Lloyd - guitar, harmonica, mandolin
Tarrant Anderson - bass
Matt Nasir - piano, organ, guitar, backing vocals
Nigel Powell - drums, percussion, backing vocals

frank-turner.com | Facebook | Xtra Mile Recordings | Epitaph Records

I first caught up with Frank (Winchester, Englad) in October '09 at The Cabooze. I for one appreciate what he has to say so I'll keep recording his shows as long as he's cool with it. Come to think of it, he's been stopping through town once a year for a while now. The 2010 show supporting Social Distortion sold out First Avenue. I believe this was his first time headlining in Minneapolis and tickets sold out well in advance of the show. Andrew Jackson Jihad (Phoenix) and Into It. Over It. (Chicago) supported. I'll try to get those sets posted down the road but don't hold me to it. Please support Frank by picking up the official releases. Thanks as always to The Triple Rock and to Loopy.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Current Backlog...

Malamanya @ The Driftwood (last night of the residency)
Six Organs/Mother of Fire @ The Entry
Bill Orcutt/Paul Metzger/Jesse Petersen @ Franklin Art Works
Mount Eerie/Andrew Broder @ The Cedar
CLAPS @ The Entry
The Funeral and the Twilight/CLAPS @ Hymie's Records
Villa Rosa/Malamanya/Mayda/Carnage @ First Avenue
Children of Euler/Canyons of Static/Paul Metzger/Falcon Arrow @ Hell's Kitchen
Astronautalis/Me and My Arrow/Votel @ The Triple Rock
The Cactus Blossoms @ Hymie's Records
The Cactus Blossoms/Spider John Koerner/Meg Ashling @ The Ritz Theater
Explosions in the Sky/Wye Oak @ First Avenue
Seawhores/The Miami Dolphins @ The Triple Rock
Wizards Are Real @ Hell's Kitchen
Frank Turner/Andrew Jackson Jihad/Into It, Over It @ The Triple Rock
Sleeping in the Aviary/Buffalo Moon @ Hell's Kitchen
MDS/Polica/Tender Meat @ Nick and Eddie
Wizards Are Real @ Hymie's Records

So...I'm still recording live music but I've gotten extremely lazy about getting any of it online. Not every single set above will make it onto this site (permission, motivation, time etc.) but off the top of my head that's some of the recent stuff that's been added to the archive.

It's been a while since the last 3 night run but there are 3 shows coming up later this week that I'm really excited about. Maybe I'll drag myself out of the house to go see Hardcore Crayons and The Great Went at Cause later tonight.

11-17 - The Rope/Aaron & the Sea @ Hell's Kitchen
11-18 - The Book Of Right On, Bloodnstuff @ Triple Rock
11-19 - Painted Saints w/ Nona Marie and the Choir, Dreamland Faces & Mike Gunther @ The Cedar

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

The Cactus Blossoms Turf Club Residency!


Join The Cactus Blossoms at The Turf Club every Tuesday this month. They play first every night so get there early! Invite yourself on the Facespace in you're into that.

Check back here as well because I plan on posting some recordings from the release show at the Ritz last month...perhaps also a bonus track from the Hymie's Records in-store performance.

Monday, November 07, 2011

Tonight.

A) Record Brain Tumors and Much Worse at Memory Lanes.
B) Record Polica, BrodR and Invisible Boy at The Turf.
C) Stay home and crash in the Lazy Boy.

I kind of feel like doing C right now guys.

O.A.E.O.P.

In South Minneapolis there's a gentleman who built a brick oven with his bare hands and has been kind enough to invite people into his backyard to enjoy pizza from said oven. O.A.E.O.P. Click on the pictures to expand them.

Sunday November 6th:


Pardon the dark phone pictures but the first pizza I tried was the outstanding Big Peppa (Chicken & Pork Sausage, Red & Green bell pepper, Red Onion, Mozzarella).


Knowing that this isn't going to be going on much longer I couldn't leave without trying another. I went with the Decidedly Dill (Olive Oil, S&P, Dill Ricotta, Mozzarella) and was not disappointed. Amazing!


The makings of the Sweet N' Sour (Squash sauce, Pear, Sauerkraut, Ricotta)?


Got to love a good bottle opener.


Now that's what I call a nice butcher's block.

Last night's menu included:

SWEET'N'SOUR
Squash sauce, Pear, Sauerkraut, Ricotta

AUTUMNMN
Squash sauce, Roast Apples & Beets, Sage, Blue Cheese, Mozzarella

BIG PEPPA
Chicken & Pork Sausage, Red & Green bell pepper, Red Onion, Mozzarella

DECIDEDLY DILL
Olive Oil, S&P, Dill Ricotta, Mozzarella

BLK RAD
Spinach, Crimini Mushrooms, Red Sauce, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Black Radish

RUDE GOUD
Cauliflower, Red Onion, Red Sauce, Gouda, Mozzarella

OPTIONAL
Garlic Pepper Bacon (+ $ 1)

The Appleseed Cast @ The Triple Rock '11


FLAC torrent available on The Traders' Den.

The Appleseed Cast
Triple Rock Social Club
Minneapolis, MN
November 4, 2011

Taper: pjp
Source1: Schoeps MK4 > Nbox > Edirol R44 @ 24/48
Location: Right drink rail, ~20 feet from stage
Transfer: USB > Audition > CDwav > TLH .flac
Editing: Resampled to 16/44.1 with Adobe Audition

===================================================

Setlist:
01. Ceremony
02. Hanging Marionette
03. Middle States
04. Poseidon
05. Raise the Sails
06. Here We Are
07. Fishing the Sky
08. End Frigate Constellation
09. On Reflection
10. South Col
11. Steps and Numbers
12. As the Little Things Go
-- encore --
13. Santa Maria
14. Forever Longing the Golden Sunsets

Total Running Time: 75:13

The Appleseed Cast

As per my previous post PJ and I divided and conquered Friday night. He held down The Triple Rock to get a stellar capture of The Appleseed Cast while I was across town at N & E for MDS. Thanks PJ! Previous years are available as well; 2009 and 2010.

If you're not familiar with torrents or FLAC check out some of the links along the right hand side of this page under the venues list.

Friday, November 04, 2011

The Appleseed Cast Vs. Marijuana Deathsquads

I was pretty torn about tonight. I've recorded The Appleseed Cast the past two years in a row (2009 and 2010) at The Triple Rock but I also spent a good 6 months recording the Marijuana Deathsquads residency at Nick & Eddie last year. With things coming full circle at Nick & Eddie tonight for the Deathsquads LP release I was happy to hear that P.J. will be covering The Triple Rock!

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Hymie's Record Road Show at The Turf Club!


I was asked to play records at Hymie's Record Road Show at The Turf Club tonight. Sounds like Dave and I will be switching off every hour or so. Stop on down if you're in the neighborhood! Swing by Hymie's Vintage Records for your vinyl needs.

Nate Nelson will also be there serving up some delicious food. He's spent the past year or so building quite the reputation for quality. The following info is straight from him...

This is best Pastrami and/or Reuben you will ever have most likely. People (I'm not naming names) have told me they like it EVEN BETTER THAN KATZ in NYC. I wouldn't argue with them.

Hymie's Dj'ing featuring John Empty starts around 9. 2 4 1 rails from 8-11. NO COVER.

The Menu:

Pastrami - smoked and steamed the day of serving.

Reuben - Corned Beef with kraut, swiss cheese and my own homemade 1,000 island

Vegan Sloppy Joe - Vegans/Vegetarians love this shit!

Coleslaw - Red cabbage and carrots in a creamy onion dressing.

Caraway Rye and Dark Russian Rye from Cecil's.