Taperssection.com
Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: Songcatcher on January 22, 2015, 07:39:13 AM
-
Last night I had the pleasure of returning to the scene of the crime. I recorded a friend playing at the bar where I recorded my first show - 35 years and two days ago! It was my "alma mater" bar, where I spent my formative years. The place had changed a little, but the beam that I taped my mics to back in the day was still intact. That first show was a local band who played a large amount of original material that I really loved, which was what inspired me to lug my home cassette deck down to the bar and record them. The band broke up within a year or two, and that recording remains precious to me. Last night was a heavy dose of deja vu, as I was recording a local woman who also plays original material that I love.
Anyone else have stories about returning to your first recording venue after a long absence?
-
I don't have a 'return to the scene of the crime' story, but your story conjured up a first taping memories. It was a Fabulous Thunderbirds show in the early 90's and I took along a $20 cassette deck that had a dictaphone style built in mic. Not only was the recording super lousy, but it was winter and we had a table near the front, so I stashed the deck in one of the coat sleeves sitting on the table thinking the sound would come right through. I do still have that recording stashed away somewhere, but I'm not proud of it.
-
Part 2: I guess I do have one somewhat intersting 'return to the scene' story. I lived in the Baltimore/DC metro area in the 90's and there was a dive bar named the 8x10 club in Baltimore that used to book mostly blues and jazz acts. It was a run down row-house type of place, but had a cool vibe for the type of music they hosted.
I saw some of my blues heros in that place, most notably Luther Allison who used to put on 3 1/2 hour long shows WITHOUT a setbreak, and if anyone ever saw a Luther show it was amazing because his energy level was always sky high. I saw him play probaby 6 or 7 times and I think half of those shows were marathons without a break. He was effing amazing.
In the latter part of the 90's, maybe 97 or so, the 8x10 closed because we had a bad winter and the roof collapsed under the weight of the snow.
It was closed for a couple of years. Someone bought the place and put something like a million bucks into it and reopened it under the name The Funk Box. They didn't book blues acts anymore, but started booking jam bands. Cool thing about that for me is that, along in that time I discovered Panic and, Luther had passed away and I'd been into blues for so long that I was looking for something new. I latched into the Jamband scene and discovered so much new music. But the Funk Box was there to book that music for me too.
Apparently, there was another club named The Funk Box somewhere in the US, so a few years after they reopened, they went back to the original name of the place and it's been the 8x10 ever since.
I moved away 10 years ago, but I like to get back every couple of years. It's alway a Deja Vu experiene to go back. No matter how many times I go there, I think back to those shows with Luther Allison, and the few times before the shows where I got to chit chat with him. The 8x10 is such fantastic place to see a band and is still my favorite venue...
The only downside of the place for me is that I used to record there all the time and now we have to patch into the house system. Not all that big a deal and I'm really glad that they didn't eliminate taping altogether, so that was a really cool compromise when they institued that system, but I do miss using my own gear when I go there.
-
You know the first place that I recorded at....I couldn't tell you...it was terrible and I was scared...bad experience I guess that I put behind me and kept trying to get better at it...
Now...The Traingle Billiards in my home town is a room I've recorded in many times...dive bar back in the early 90's that a Blues act I enjoyed would play. Lightnin' Charlie and the Upsetters was the band. Fast forward to 2012...the owners of Triangle Billiards went out of business years ago...but a new owner actually gutted it and turning it into a nice place Blue Bourbon Jacks...now I get to record my favorite local band there on occasion...My recordings sound MUCH better...but only because the place has a real sound system instead of the bands having to provide their own...and I get to run on stage...the sound board is at the opposite end of the room and I've always been given the cold shoulder when I asked for a patch...something about the board is in disrepair and there are no outs available..."oh o'kay sure"....one day the band will run sound in the place and I'll get the SNB but for now setting up 10ft behind the sweet spot (that is in the middle of the dance floor and it's crowded with dancers oh well) with the Stage source sounds pretty good.
Sadly they play there Friday Night...and I have to work...oh well
The good news...I got in touch with the LCU band having found the lead on FB...I just got the OK to put those old D5-Nak recordings of the Upsetters on LMA!
Gotta get down to it...get down to the MINE....
-
I thought this thread was going to be about showgirls.
-
I thought it would be about CSN&Y...
This thread inspired me....I've been putting off getting the first show up on LCU's LMA page...digitizing 12-2-94 Lightnin' Charlie and the Upsetters at Biggs Tavern in Greensboro, NC...so far sounds better than I expected...
https://soundcloud.com/hypnocracy/lcu-rock-with-me-tonight-dec-2-1994-biggs-tavern
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OuSQmgc6qPo/VMFRwaxKb0I/AAAAAAAAB6o/ZRVZIgNac8I/w768-h576-no/20150122_143746.jpg)
-
First show I ever recorded, kind of embarrassing, Rolling Stones, Hartford Civic Center 1981, on one of those mini cassette dictaphone things, the sound was horrible, I was in high school and drunk. I lost the tape, I think I recorded Neil Young over it, maybe CS&N too, a few other shows around that time. Sometimes I wish I didn't just tape over them, I know they were bad but, what am I saying I'm glad there is no evidence :facepalm: Just a couple years later I went to school for sound and got a job for a regional live audio company, by then I knew what I was doing and my tapes got a lot better 8) I've been back and taped at HCC many times, and yes there are times I look over to the first row section 102 and point out to someone where I taped my first show.
-
I thought it would be about CSN&Y...
This thread inspired me....I've been putting off getting the first show up on LCU's LMA page...digitizing 12-2-94 Lightnin' Charlie and the Upsetters at Biggs Tavern in Greensboro, NC...so far sounds better than I expected...
https://soundcloud.com/hypnocracy/lcu-rock-with-me-tonight-dec-2-1994-biggs-tavern
Sounds great! Looking forward to checking them out on the LMA.
-
Speaking of Deja Vu, that Nak BX-300 brings back some memories. I think mine is still in the closet, needing clutch repairs.
-
Songcatcher...I lucked out...It went to Nakamichi for service about 3 months before they closed the doors in L.A. & still works...keeping my fingers crossed. I have a CR3 that is in need of repair too...
Marshall here is the link!
https://archive.org/details/lcu1994-12-02.SonyD5_NakCM100
-
Marshall here is the link!
https://archive.org/details/lcu1994-12-02.SonyD5_NakCM100
Thanks.