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Jeff Kaisershot's Collection

Twin Earth   06/08/2008

Galaxy Hut, Arlington, VA
Source Roland Edirol R-09 (on-board mics, low cut on & AGC off, saved as 16 bit 44.1khz .WAV) > WaveLab (normalized to 0dB or thereabouts, SL-1 StereoExpander to 100% for maximum stereo expansion) > CDWAV (tracks split and saved as .FLAC level 8 ) > fo
Media FLAC
J-Card Comment Twin Earth
June 8th, 2008
Galaxy Hut
Arlington, VA


SOURCE:
Roland Edirol R-09 (on-board mics, low cut on & AGC off, saved as 16 bit 44.1khz .WAV) > WaveLab (normalized to 0dB or thereabouts, SL-1 StereoExpander to 100% for maximum stereo expansion) > CDWAV (tracks split and saved as .FLAC level 8 ) > foobar2000 (ReplayGain + Tags)

LOCATION: Varying between house front-center and house front-right.

TAPER: ZaPenguin (pjzyhfz02(AT)sneakemail.com or
http://db.etree.org/ZappaPenguin)


SOUND QUALITY: A (despite the rather dodgy in-venue mix, everything came out rather disgustingly clear)


THE BAND:
Chris - Drums, dapper cap
Mike - Guitar, switching guitars when one least expects it
David - Bass, really loud bass
Franco - Guitar, playing the same guitar
Patrick - Engineer, Resident Mascot


MINI BIO:
"Twin Earth play improvised music with a definite heavy/psych bent. Improvisation brings a pure experience to the music that is impossible to achieve via usual, tired song structures. The music takes on its own shape, color, and life — it breathes. We make music for the moment, in the moment."

BAND PAGE:
http://www.myspace.com/twinearthdc


SETLIST:
Jam, Vegan Potluck, Ultra Vires, Sky Below, Memory Is Precisely That


SHOW NOTES:
Definitely one of the better Twin Earth shows, and one of the better-sounding recordings I've yet made. It wasn't exactly supposed to be this way - the Galaxy Hut has no sound system - no soundboard, no PA, no monitors, heck, no real stage. Therefore, the band was going entirely on amp sound, and without a true soundcheck - or even much of a faux-soundcheck - this was a recipe for shenanigans. For the first two songs, poor Mr. Mike was buried in the corner, both literally and figuratively, as his comerades - particularly David - frolicked and even achieved the occasional cavortment. If the listener enjoys bass guitar, then these two songs are certainly the proverbial "the" songs for said listener - and even if the listener is rather non-plussed by bass guitar, these two songs are still a great opportunity to hear David's approach to said instrument. I'm still under the impression, as a matter of fact, that he was having what one might rightfully consider as the proverbial "on" night. Regardless of whether one considers rightfully or in err, I am sure that we can reach the unanimous conclusion that his amplifier was certainly on.

So, after the first song (a much more confident rendition of Vegan Potluck than we were graced with two weeks prior, even if the ending is rather impulsive), I did my best to inform Mike of this rather troublesome volume inequity. To this, he responded with a sly nod and a quick flick of his volume knob before launching into the crowd-pleasing Ultra Vires (a song which pleased the crowd). Unfortunately, his touch upon the volume knob was too sensitive, too gentle, too fluttering and too fleeting, resulting in volume that was still too buried. Hence, after spending Ultra Vires wallowing underneath a fog of my own volume-triggered panicked melancholy (my clothes torn and shoes quite worn), I quickly perked up, establishing the eye contact that would promote a deeper, rather cosmic understanding of the situation. After a brief, quizzical look flashed his eyes, he shrugged and gave the volume knob a hefty tug, before pulling off his current guitar and swapping it with his other guitar.

The loud guitar.

Hence, for those of us in the venue, the next two songs were pretty much one long Mike solo, with flashes of drums, some bass, and maybe two or three notes from Franco.

Oddly (or not - by this point I'm convinced that there's utterly nothing the R-09 won't do for a taper. I'm sure the recently-released HR model can even fill in on rhythm guitar and vocals if need be), the recording itself has turned out excellent. Looking at the waveform, one might reach the INCORRECT AND WRONGFUL conclusion that the drums are clipping with each hit of the high hat. As established slightly earlier, however, said conclusion would be both INCORRECT and WRONGFUL. The mix is very alive and punchy, with some great stereo separation thanks to the SL-1 plugin, and despite the recorder being positioned at two different tables, the overall sound is very, very consistent.

The music itself kicks some ass - Vegan Potluck starts off with a very catchy, "classic rock"-style feedback riff (possibly the closest we'll ever get to Twin Earth teasing Paranoid), and the song itself is far improved over the slightly listless debut performance. Ultra Vires, holy moley smokes a dolly - the bass-led "death dirge" jam is almost too intense to take, and for once (not just "for once" within the context of Twin Earth, but "for once" within the context of live music as a whole), the band remains patient and allows the jam to flow naturally, kicking into the "build up" riff not a moment too soon, nor a moment too late. After Chris finally slams the shit out of his cymbal (and some considerate band-member remembers to let the feedback fade away and radiate), dig the reaction of the chick in the left channel.

Sky Below is where Mike switches guitars, and while Franco's answer-riff is definitely balanced differently than what a well-versed listener may expect, it's hardly frustrating. This is definitely one of the more upbeat, "disco" Sky Belows yet performed, with an excellent, tension-filled feedback section, and a suitably dreamy comedown.

Finally, as if we weren't lucky enough, Memory Is Precisely That is tacked onto the end, and while no version has ever topped the superb performance in Brooklyn, this one sure ain't too shabby.

Post-show, delirious from Twin Earth, exhausted not only from the mind-cleansing music, but by the long, hot day spent in an upstairs bedroom installing a new air conditioner and by the four or five beers I guzzled on a previously empty stomach whilst being immersed in sonic attack and volume paranoia, I excused myself from the center table, checked the men's room - locked, naturally - went outside, and vomited fizzy bubbles right a plot of earth surrounding a city-sponsored roadside tree.

That one's on me, mother Earth.


TRACK LIST:
01. Jam [2:13]
02. Vegan Potluck [6:06]
03. Ultra Vires [12:19]
04. Sky Below [11:10]
05. Memory Is Precisely That [8:50]


RECORDING NOTES:
Yum YUM. Or maybe I've just been listening to too many skeevy-sounding Zappa recordings.


REQUESTS & REMINDERS:
Do not sell this proverbial recording. Do not proverbially buy this recording. Proverbially speaking, do not sell this recording, then buy it from yourself. Never drink five beers on an empty stomach, proverbially empty or not.


Torrented by the taper: ZaPenguin

email - pjzyhfz02(AT)sneakemail.com
web - http://db.etree.org/zappapenguin (always woefully out of date)

Band page: http://www.myspace.com/twinearthdc

Twin Earth - 2008 06 08 - Track 01 - Jam.flac:e9cd2cc11b0d92120e6e566f75c6826c
Twin Earth - 2008 06 08 - Track 02 - Vegan Potluck.flac:20138fb74b3ed8680d80b2dbf0aab2ac
Twin Earth - 2008 06 08 - Track 03 - Ultra Vires.flac:8222e08b93fb2c675e3c6e4fbd869d53
Twin Earth - 2008 06 08 - Track 04 - Sky Below.flac:70bf431e6fd7799b4aed22cfc9a231a2
Twin Earth - 2008 06 08 - Track 05 - Memory Is Precisely That.flac:fd083ef2ccc96430b08a7ae269f1809e
Trades Allowed Yes
Ratings Sound: A
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Owned by Jeff Kaisershot · Last Updated May 23, 2023