Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ The Metro (Both Nights)

Somewhere back here I was contemplating a quick trip to Chicago to record one of the Godspeed You! Black Emperor shows. Well, that didn't happen but my friend Brian was a frickin' champ and made it out both nights. Brian, I raise my glass to you sir. It should be noted that GY!BE has an Open Recording Policy that excludes soundboard access. They have also given people permission to upload recordings to The Live Music Archive. Please consider supporting them by picking up the official releases.

03/26/11 16-bit | 03/26/11 24-bit

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
The Metro
Chicago, IL
March 26, 2011

Source: CA-14 Cards > CA-9100 Pre-amp > Edirol R-09HR 24-bit 48K > SDHC
Lineage: SDHC > Audacity > 16-bit 44.1K > xACT > FLAC (8)
Taped & Transferred by: Brian Emerick

01: Hope Drone
02: Storm: Lift Yr. Skinny Fists, Like Antennas to Heaven / Gathering Storm/Il Pleut à Mourir [+Clatters Like Worry]
03: Sleep: Murray Ostril: '...They Don't Sleep Anymore on the Beach...' / Monheim
04: Albanian
05: Dead Metheny...
06: Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls
07: Moya
08: Blaise Bailey Finnegan III

Notes: 09-15-00 (Outro) was on the setlist after Hope Drone but was cut.
compiled 3/27/11 - brian dot emerick at gmail dot com

03/27/11 16-bit | 03/27/11 24-bit

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
The Metro
Chicago, IL
March 27, 2011

Source: CA-14 Cards > CA-9100 Pre-amp > Edirol R-09HR 24-bit 48K > SDHC
Lineage: SDHC > Audacity > 16-bit 44.1K > xACT > FLAC (8)
Taped & Transferred by: Brian Emerick

01: Hope Drone
02: Moya
03: Albanian
04: 09-15-00 (Outro)
05: Static: Chart #3 / World Police And Friendly Fire
06: Dead Metheny...
07: Intro? >
08: Storm: Lift Yr. Skinny Fists, Like Antennas to Heaven / Gathering Storm/Il Pleut à Mourir [+Clatters Like Worry]
09: The Sad Mafioso > Outro (looped sample from String Loop Manufactured During Downpour)

Notes: I couldn't figure out what the bit between DM and Storm was, so I tracked it.
compiled 3/28/11 - brian dot emerick at gmail dot com

Where Astronauts Go To Hide @ The Bottom Lounge

320kbps mp3s are available for download here.

Where Astronauts Go To Hide
The Bottom Lounge
Chicago, IL
Saturday January 30th 2010

Taper: empty (emptystapes AT gmail DOT com)
Location: AB, 5' LOC, 6' back, ~8' ^
Source: AKG 414B-xls (card) > Silver Quad customs > UA-5 (BM2p+) > iRiver h120 (Optical @ 16bit 44.1kHz WAV)
Transfer: h120 > USB 2.0 > PC [WAV > TLH lvl 6 + Tested > FLAC]
Edit: CD Wave (tracking) Sound Forge 10 (fades)

This Recording is for Promotional & Archival Purposes Only.

(selected tracks from a 50 minute set)

01. Maggie
02. The House that Kevin Garnett Rebulit
03. Wire Umbrella
04. Gold Glove Award
05. Hollywood Hairstyles

Joshua Pederson - Words, Guitar
Rachel Lindsay Kahn - Words, Violin, Mandolin
Matthew Krumm - Bass Guitar, Words
Micheal Krumm - Percussion

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Last weekend I was given the opportunity to record one of my favorite local bands Where Astronauts Go To Hide in Chicago where they also happen to be considered local. I've got to say it was nice to get back to Chicago. A trip made much better spent with new friends and even newer friends. Thanks to Sam for keeping Harrigan's open for us Friday night and to Rachel for keeping us off the street. The Bottom Lounge is a nice venue conveniently by the train like much of everything else. From my experience the staff were great and the FOH was one of the most attentive FOHs I've encountered in a long while. Lacona, Glasko and Deadlands supported. Back to Harrigan's Saturday night. What a doozy. Someone once told me what happens in Chicago stays in Chicago. Thanks to Laura & Co. for keeping us inside four walls. Highlights were but not limited to Pequod's and oddly enough the ride back with Josh listening to classic jams from Grandaddy, Cursive, WHY? and many other great bands over the course of the 7 hour drive down darkened Midwestern highways.

Having already shared the stage with The Good Life, Land of Talk, Lissie, Old Canes, Murder By Death, An Horse, Akron/Family and The Show is the Rainbow to name a few 2010 is looking to be a great year for WAGTH. Keep an eye on their calendar. Later this month they will be playing shows in Cambridge, MA, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Columbus and Chicago. Something else to be excited for is the launching of the official Where Astronauts Go To Hide website.

New Microphones!

Update for all my microphone geeks out there. I made the decision to upgrade to full sized condenser mics in mid '06. I decided to go with the Studio Project C4s. The first show I recorded with the C4s was Murder by Death, Langhorne Slim and Metal Hearts at the Triple Rock in May 2006. Many people agree that the C4s are some of the best mics to be had at the $300 price point. They always treated me right and I don't see any reason to get rid of them.

My Longfellow homeboy Dean has also been kind enough to loan me his MBHO (GmbH Mikrofonbau Haun) condensers on multiple occasions. The MBHO 603 As are some of the sexiest German mics out there and Dean certainly has a couple tons of good karma due. Recently I got the bug to upgrade mics. I started looking into Milab, a Swedish company. It happened that another great friend and local archivist David had a pair of the Milab VM-44 Link model. David gave me an unsolicited offer to run the VM-44s for a couple of weeks to see if I liked the sound.

I do indeed like the Milab sound! However, I got word of a pair of AKG 414B-xls's for sale out of IL. Around this same time my friends Where Astronauts Go To Hide invited me Chicago with them to record their show at The Bottom Lounge. I was able to meet the seller at the show and run the 414s for the first time. Either tonight or tomorrow you'll get to hear this recording.

Five switchable polar patterns (omnidirectional, wide cardioid, cardioid, hypercardioid, figure 8). MmMmm...