Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band

Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band
March 5, 1992
Loco Ranchero
San Luis Obispo, CA

Soundcraftsman Soundboard; Sony WM-D6C (Maxell MX-S w/Dolby C)
Master Cass Transferred: *WM-D6C (Dolby C Engaged)->HHb CDR 800 PRO
CD Masters >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.37

Recorded, Transferred, FLAC’d & Tagged By OldNeumanntapr

*Original Record Deck

Set I
Disc I:
01. Save Mother Earth
02. Hi Heel Sneakers
03. The Harder They Come
04. Blues From The Rainforest
05. The System
06. Sunrise Over Haleakala
07. Feel Like Dynamite
08. Sugaree


Set II
Disc II:
01. Boogie On Reggae Woman
02. Do I Move You
03. Finders Keepers
04. Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You
05. You Can Leave Your Hat On >band intros >
06. Instrumental
07. Imagine
08. Confusion

OldNeumanntapr Notes-
I remember this show well. Some friends of mine played in a local SLO County band called ‘Midnight Rider’, an Allman Brothers / Grateful Dead cover band, and they were opening for Merl Saunders at Loco Ranchero. I’d never seen Merl before but had heard that he allowed board recording, and I’d never been to Loco Ranchero before. Well, actually I’d been in the building before, but that was when the venue was called ‘The Spirit’. I saw Country Joe MacDonald there in the late 80s. The club up on the hill, which is now the home of KSBY TV Channel 6, started out as a seafood restaurant called ‘The Breakers’ in the 1960s. It went through several names,(Yancy McFadden’s, The Hill Top, etc), and actually sat vacant for a few years. Supposedly, the land was owned by Wayne Newton and I heard a story that there is a Chumash Indian burial ground up there. Someone else told me once that the place was haunted, or had a curse on it. I guess the main ‘curse’ was that no one could make a go of it, and whatever business was there never made any money. (One reason might have been because there is only one road up to the top of the hill, and the cops would sit at the bottom at 2:00 am and bust drunk drivers as they left the club.)

Anyway, this particular night, since my friends were opening the show, I wanted to plug my Sony D6 into the board. This was also the night that I met Kip Stork, who was then the Loco soundman and would go on to be the house soundman at SLO Brew for years until it closed just recently. I  found the ‘master output’ of the board and asked to plug in. Kip was kind of confused, but allowed me to tape Midnight Rider. He pulled my cables at the set break until Merl personally gave the OK for me to record. Kip was shocked that Merl would allow a soundboard recording but allowed me to plug back in. I used Dolby C that night with MX-S metal tape because I wanted the best possible recording. I think it still sounds pretty good, even today. (At that time Merl would only allow cassette recorders to be plugged into the board. No DAT.) It was a fun show, and Merl was very generous to let me record. I met Marina, his wife and manager, that night and got her business card so I could record Merl in the future.

DO NOT Convert To MP3!
Enjoy! Share freely, don’t sell, play nice, don’t run with scissors, etc. ;)


Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band
March 6, 1992
The Brew House
Santa Barbara, CA

Soundboard: Sony WM-D3 >Cass I (MX 110) >CDR >FLAC
MX 110 Cass I Transferred: Sony TC-D5M >HHb CDR 800 PRO
CD Master >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.37

Recorded By Jim Ho
Cass I Transferred, FLAC’d, & Tagged By OldNeumanntapr

01. Merl's Tune
02. Resurrection Rag
03. High Heeled Sneakers
04. Left Out In The Cold
05. Lay Back Baby
06. Wonderin' Why

(All That Circulates)

Oldneumanntapr Notes-
This show took place the night after the Loco Ranchero, San Luis Obispo, CA, show and was recorded by my friend Jim Ho from Ventura. Jim patched his Sony WM-D3 into the board and was the only taper that night. For some unknown reason this was all that he was able to record. He sent me the 1st gen MX 110 cassette soon after the show.


DO NOT Convert To MP3!
Enjoy! Share freely, don’t sell, play nice, don’t run with scissors, etc. ;)



Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band
March 7 1992
The Palomino Club
North Hollywood, CA

Soundboard: Sony WM-D3 >Cass I (MX 110) >CDR >FLAC
MX 110 Cass I Transferred Via: Sony TC-D5M >HHb CDR 800 PRO
CD Masters >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.37

Recorded By Jim Ho
MX 110 Cass I Transferred, FLAC’d, & Tagged By OldNeumanntapr

Set I
Disc I:
01. Finders Keepers
02. Save Mother Earth
03. The Harder They Come
04. Blues From The Rainforest
05. The System
06. Sunrise Over Haleakla
07. Feel Like Dynamite >Be Myself >Feel Like Dynamite
08. Sugaree

Set II
Disc II:
01. Sister Sadie
02. Resurrection Rag
03. You Can Leave Your Hat On
04. Blue Hill Ocean Dance
05. Boogie On Reggae Woman

Encore:
06. Confusion
07. Bertha

OldNeumanntapr Notes-
This is another show that my friend Jim Ho Recorded through the board with his WM-D3. He sent my 1st gen cassette to me on Maxell MX 110, and I believe that he mastered the show on Maxell MX 110 metal tape as well but I can’t be absolutely certain.

DO NOT Convert To MP3!
Enjoy! Share freely, don’t sell, play nice, don’t run with scissors, etc. ;)



Merle Saunders & The Rainforest Band
Sonoma County Fairground, Santa Rosa, CA
1992-06-13

Disc1
01 Problems Got Problems
02 The Harder They Come
03 Built For Comfort
04 Rap No.1
05 Rainforest Blues
06 Rap No.2
07 Funky System
08 Rap No.3
09 Dance of The Fireflies

Disc2
01 Dynamite
02 Confusion
03 Sugaree

Encore
04 ???

source: cass > wav > shn

tape provide by Mark Spaziano
transfer SIRMick
sector boundaries confirmed with shntool

A deadkat producton - MADE LOUD TO PLAY LOUD

SIRMick (thedarkstar@btinternet.com)
November 2002


md5s:

3e7c03b0aa999b6fe7a26282ecf513ec *msrb92-06-13d2t04.shn
50d69c7c91091c054a9d29fcd699a769 *msrb92-06-13d1t02.shn
858342bdaf9e83d459231dffebcdb297 *msrb92-06-13d1t03.shn
b98a8bf6ec17f495737ca927381d4476 *msrb92-06-13d1t04.shn
528d377406dcc1938cbade5843513d8e *msrb92-06-13d1t05.shn
3f733a9ae3861ca4b2392544b98d7573 *msrb92-06-13d1t06.shn
32f055efab25fe69cd3ef5c7be56705d *msrb92-06-13d1t07.shn
353e573f4296f6577fe2640aa3590cd9 *msrb92-06-13d1t08.shn
e66586176c559d1984a2d84904630ac9 *msrb92-06-13d1t09.shn
36a416ab8d6d14eb12504837349cca3f *msrb92-06-13d2t01.shn
6075ef6797166841740ac4ac296c3c47 *msrb92-06-13d2t02.shn
f1675255728071a34494c90f1594f34a *msrb92-06-13d2t03.shn
334ec92b74464c637172d283b55d0008 *msrb92-06-13d1t01.shn



Merl Saunders &amp; The Rainforest Band 
1992-07-30
Loco Ranchero
San Luis Obispo, CA  


Source: Soundboard &gt; Sony WM-D6C
Lineage: Cass/M &gt; D6 (w/ Dolby C) &gt; HHb 800 &gt; EAC &gt; CDWav &gt; FLAC
Recorded/transferred: Jeff Bowen
Extraction/seed: Brad Foster


~ One set ~


01. Expressway (To Your Heart)
02. Lovely Night For Dancing
03. Lay-Back Baby
04. Built For Comfort
05. Blues From The Rainforest 
06. The System
07. Run River Run
08. Confusion
09. You Can Leave Your Hat On
10. Sugaree
11. Wondering Why
12. Finders Keepers


Total tracks = [01:47:42]


Notes:
- Master Cassettes: Maxell MX-S Metal tapes w/ Dolby C.
- Tape flip after t05 BFTR/crossfaded.
- The end of t10 Sugaree is cut and faded on the master/crossfaded.


-- Thanks to Jeff for sharing his master/transfer!
All discs extracted in secure/range mode, seamlessly joined to one file and re-tracked.
Log files included.
Enjoy!

Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band
7/30/92
Loco Ranchero
San Luis Obispo, CA

Soundcraftsman Soundboard Master, Sony WM-D6C (Maxell MX-S w/Dolby C)

Master Cass Transferred: *WM-D6C (Dolby C Engaged) >HHb CDR 800 PRO
CD Masters >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.37

Recorded, Transferred, FLAC’d & Tagged By OldNeumanntapr

*Original Record Deck

Disc I:
01. Expressway (To Your Heart)
02. Lovely Night For Dancing
03. Lay-Back Baby
04. Built For Comfort
05. Blues From The Rainforest

Disc II:
01. The System
02. Run River Run
03. Confusion >
04. You Can Leave Your Hat On
05. Sugaree//
06. Wondering Why
07. Finders Keepers

OldNeumanntapr Notes-
This was the second time that Merl played Loco Ranchero in San Luis Obispo, CA, the ‘Club On The Hill’. I once agin was there with my D6 to plug into the board. At least this time it went a little easier since I had met both Merl before, as well as Kip the Loco soundman. Carol Jo, ‘The Wood Nymph’, from KOTR FM introduced Merl at the start of ‘Expressway’. Sorry that the ending of ’Sugaree’ is cut. I probably wasn’t watching the deck closely enough. This was a good weekend, with three shows in two days. I went to the Ventura Fairgrounds the next day for the Jerry Garcia Band, and Merl Saunders that night at the Brew House in Santa Barbara.


DO NOT Convert To MP3!
Enjoy! Share freely, don’t sell, play nice, don’t run with scissors, etc. ;)



Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band
7/31/92
The Brew House
Santa Barbara, CA

Nakamichi CM-300 CP-1's (ORTF On T-Bar) >Sony WM-D6C (XLIIS Master) >CDR >FLAC
XLIIS Master >CDR Transferred Via: Sony TC-D5M >HHb CDR 800 PRO
CD Masters >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.37

Recorded, Transferred, FLAC’d, & Tagged By OldNeumanntapr
(Vocals Not As Clear As I Would Have Liked)

Disc I:
01. //Problems Got Problems
02. The Harder They Come
03. After Midnight
04. Paris Blues
05. Blues From The Rain Forest

Disc II:
01. Sunrise Over Haleakla
02. Feel Like Dynamite >Be Myself >Feel Like Dynamite
03. Instrumental >Drums >Instrumental

Encore:
04. Bertha
05. Bertha (Reprise)

OldNeumanntapr Notes-
This is another Merl show the night after a performance at Loco Ranchero in San Luis Obispo, CA. I wanted to go down after the previous show in March, when Merl played back-to-back shows in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, but I couldn’t. This time I was bound and determined to make both shows, and since I had met Merl and his wife/manager Marina at the March ’92 SLO show I felt I had a pretty good chance at plugging into the board in Santa Barbara. (At least at Loco Ranchero I knew Kip, the soundman, but I knew no one at The Brew House, so I was glad to have Marina’s business card to get my gear inside.)

It would be easy for me to make this show, because I was coming back from the Ventura Fairgrounds after attempting to record the Jerry Garcia Band earlier that day. (That was another story. I left my Y cable in the truck by accident, so I couldn’t use my Nakamichi CM 300s with my D6 as I had planned. I didn’t discover my mistake until I was inside the venue and trying to set up. I couldn’t even patch in to another taper’s rig, because I didn’t have a cable, AND my friend Jim Ho was there with his D6 which was a first-year model built in 1982 and had no line out. He had managed to plug his D6 into a D5 that was coming off of a Panasonic SV-250 DAT with Neumann KM-140 microphones, in the sweet spot FOB center. I was able to get 1st gen cassettes from the DAT taper of the Jerry show later, so all was not lost. I fell in love with the Neumanns that day, and six years later I bought my own pair.)

Since Jerry had played earlier that day in Ventura, about 30 miles south of Santa Barbara, there was a rumor that he might show up at Merl’s show, since they played together in the 70s in the Garcia & Saunders Band and also Legion Of Mary. I asked Merl before the show if I could plug in and he said sure. I told him that there was a rumor that Jerry might show up. Could I still plug in? He smiled and said sure once more. As it turned out, Jerry never made it, at least in the physical sense. A lot of us felt his energy though.

The Brew House has two rooms for music, and Merl was booked into the smaller one. He told me that I was welcome to plug in, but because it was such a small room they were only miking vocals and drums. The keys and guitars would be loud enough without reinforcement. I decided instead to record with my Nakamichi CM 300s with the CP-1 Cardioid capsules, ORTF on a T-Bar. Boy was my arm tired at the end of the night from holding that T bar! (I didn’t bring my mic stand with me because I didn’t think I’d need it.) At least I got to use the Nakamichis to record something that day. After being used to hearing board tapes of Merl I was kind of bummed to hear how the vocals came out on the audience recording. They are a little weak and unclear, even though I couldn’t have been more than 15 feet from the stage. I can attest to the fact that I was indeed the ONLY taper there that night, so this is as good as it gets. I missed the very first part of the first song because I was frantically trying to set up my microphones after finding out that I would get a better recording by Not going through the board. I Believe that this was only one set, whereas Merl usually plays two sets. I recorded Merl back-to-back in 1993, at Loco Ranchero and again at The Brew House the next night, and that time he played in the bigger room and I was able to get a board patch. That story later…


DO NOT Convert To MP3!
Enjoy! Share freely, don’t sell, play nice, don’t run with scissors, etc. ;)



Merl Saunders &amp; the Rainforest Band
August 9th, 1992
Loon Mountain, Lincoln, NH

Master: 
SBD&gt;Sony TCD-D3
by John Goodhue, clone provided by Alan Schmit

Conversion:
Tascam DA-20&gt;Microtrack 24/96&gt;WAV&gt;Sound Studio 2.2.4&gt;xACT 2.08&gt;FLAC
by Dave Mallick

01. intro/tuning                 [04:20.65]
02. Lovely Night For Dancing     [08:35.02]
03. It\'s In the Air (Konfusion)  [09:11.13]
04. Built For Comfort            [06:06.66]
05. Lay Back Baby                [08:32.28]
06. Blues From The Rainforest    [14:57.71]
07. The System                   [09:15.67]
08. Paris Blues                  [07:12.70]
09. Sugaree                      [08:44.32]
                          Total: [76:57.39]

Notes:
- Track 6 had some issues with the board feed; there were complete
  dropouts from 0:55-3:22, 3:36-3:55, 8:09-9:22, 10:58-13:37, 14:00-14:38
  and 15:41-16:37 of the track as recorded (about 7 minutes total). I
  removed all silences - the first half is Merl\'s intro (which cuts out)
  and nature sound effects; the music kicks in suddenly around 8:45 and
  goes to the end.

Merle Saunders
8/29/92
Loon Mountain,
Lincoln, NH


source: daud master
taped by Doug Lamarre

sennheiser 441’s > dennon dtr-80p

transferred & seeded by Rob Berger 3/2016


one disc:
01 - Feel Like Dancin’
02 - Confusion
03 - Built For Comfort
04 - Don’t Be Anxious
05 - Blues From The Rainforest
06 - The System
07 - Paris Blues
08 - Sugaree
09 - Sunrise Over Haleakala
10 - Bertha

saunders1992-08-29d1t01.flac:e5fc002dd5d845a7d01d1f979224b0a5
saunders1992-08-29d1t02.flac:68ed4362418c9b3de9212827005abc4e
saunders1992-08-29d1t03.flac:637d8e7085bc8351a028fa231257fb1f
saunders1992-08-29d1t04.flac:825d0be27a39c3a0cf7eabc29767a680
saunders1992-08-29d1t05.flac:9c230df4b81b320616f123314c5e1ceb
saunders1992-08-29d1t06.flac:773cd20f942188ef4a2d1106d90dc2dd
saunders1992-08-29d1t07.flac:6c9558a8fae52405e84c0abecb325c7a
saunders1992-08-29d1t08.flac:2d2664cbfb2c0d9fa412ac25ef340eb8
saunders1992-08-29d1t09.flac:dcf70c727e2889c0df82a7105a014168
saunders1992-08-29d1t10.flac:24bf0a267c9852016c2cd84f728aa0f0




Merl Saunders and The Rainforest Band - October 17, 1992

The Rock - Tucson, AZ

Source: SBD/AUD Matrix (matrix out - mix with unknown mic at FOH mix position) >
CAS MASTER (NAD 6325/Maxell MX-S)

Transfer: CAS MASTER (Nakamichi CR-7A) > Mastering 10/08 > FLAC/16

FOH + Matrix Mix: Edwin DeShazo

Recorded and Mastered by: Jim Blackwood

Set 1

d1t01 - Save Mother Earth
d1t02 - Built For Comfort
d1t03 - Boogie On Reggae Woman
d1t04 - Left Out In The Cold
d1t05 - It's in the Air (Konfusion)
d1t06 - Merl's introduction...
d1t07 - Blues From The Rainforest
d1t08 - Dance Of The Fireflies
d1t09 - Funky System
d1t10 - Sunrise Over Haleakala
d2t01 - Sugaree

Set 2

d2t02 - Merl's intro...
d2t03 - Lovely Night for Dancing
d2t04 - Lay-Back Baby
d2t05 - You Can Leave Your Hat On
d2t06 - Mourning Moon
d2t07 - (cut) Harder They Come
d2t08 - Bertha
d2t09 - My Problems Got Problems

Merl Saunders - hammond b3 organ, synthesizer, vocals
Michael Hinton - guitar, background vocals
Michael Warren - bass, background vocals
Vince Littleton - drums, percussion, background vocals

FLAC and 1st seeding on 11-21-08 by Jim Blackwood

This was recorded for broadcast on the radio program 'Dead Air' - 91.3 FM KXCI Community Radio in Tucson, AZ - airing originally on October 24, 1992.

http://www.kxci.org/deadair

This show is incorrectly listed in db.etree.org at 1991-10-17 - and that source is possibly an earlier straight CAS1 > CDR transfer made in the late 90's. It is also possible that an off air copy from the broadcast in 1992 is circulating as well.

Merl Saunders 1934-2008

RIP



Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band
11-13-1992
Musicians Exchange Fort Lauderdale, FL.

CD 1 Set 1
1. Lovely Night for Dancing
2. Save Mother Earth
3. Lay-Back Baby
4. Built for Comfort
5. Merl Story
6. Blues From The Rainforest
7. I Feel Like Dynamite
8. Sugaree

CD 2 Set 2
1. Merl Set Intro
2. After Midnight
3. Confusion
4. Blue Hill Ocean Dance
5. Boogie on Reggae Woman
6. Wondering Why
7. You Can Leave Your Hat On
8. Sunrise over Haleakala

Source: Sennheiser ME-40/K3U Mics > Sony TCD5M Sony Metal-SR Master Tapes
Transfer: Sony Metal-SR Master Tapes > Nakamichi DR-3 > Apogee Mini-Me (16/44.1) > EGO-SYS WT2496 (soundcard) >  SoundForge 7 > CDWAVE 1.93.3 > FLAC frontend 1.7.1 Transfer completed on March 21, 2006
Recorded and transferred by Dean Grabski (dean@gfdm.net)
Location: Club setting with tables, our table was at the lip of stage/Mics XY - 
Notes: Merl\'s vocals are very low since we were so close, but it sounds - really close.



SHNID	Artist	Date	Venue	City	State
134963	Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band	1992-03-05	Loco Ranchero	San Luis Obispo	CA
Soundcraftsman Soundboard; Sony WM-D6C (Maxell MX-S w/Dolby C) Master Cass Transferred: WM-D6C (Dolby C Engaged)->HHb CDR 800 PRO CD Masters >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.37 Recorded, Transferred, FLAC’d & Tagged By OldNeumanntapr Original Record Deck
134970	Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band	1992-03-06	The Brew House	Santa Barbara	CA
Soundboard: Sony WM-D3 >Cass I (MX 110) >CDR >FLAC MX 110 Cass I Transferred: Sony TC-D5M >HHb CDR 800 PRO CD Master >FLAC (Level 8) + Tags Via xACT 2.37 Recorded By Jim Ho Cass I Transferred, FLAC’d, & Tagged By OldNeumanntapr
134980	Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band	1992-03-07	The Palomino Club	North Hollywood	CA
Soundboard: Sony WM-D3 >Cass I (MX 110) >CDR >FLAC
165076	Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band	1992-06-13	Sonoma County Fairground	Santa Rosa	CA
source: cass > wav > shn
118863	Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band	1992-07-30	Loco Ranchero	San Luis Obispo	CA
Source: Soundboard > Sony WM-D6C Lineage: Cass/M > D6 (w/ Dolby C) > HHb 800 > EAC > CDWav > FLAC Recorded/transferred: Jeff Bowen; Extraction/seed: Brad Foster
134981	Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band	1992-07-30	Loco Ranchero	San Luis Obispo	CA
Soundcraftsman Soundboard Master, Sony WM-D6C (Maxell MX-S w/Dolby C)
134982	Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band	1992-07-31	The Brew House	Santa Barbara	CA
Nakamichi CM-300 CP-1's (ORTF On T-Bar) >Sony WM-D6C (XLIIS Master) >CDR >FLAC
118666	Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band	1992-08-09	Loon Mountain	Lincoln	NH
SBD>Sony TCD-D3 by John Goodhue, clone provided by Alan Schmit Conversion:Tascam DA-20>Microtrack 24/96>WAV>Sound Studio 2.2.4>xACT 2.08>FLAC by Dave Mallick
135304	Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band	1992-08-29	Loon Mountain	Lincoln	NH
daud master taped by Doug Lamarre, senn 441's, transfer/seeded by Rob Berger
151492	Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band	1992-10-17	The Rock	Tucson	AZ
Source: SBD/AUD Matrix (matrix out - mix with unknown mic at FOH mix position) > CAS MASTER (NAD 6325/Maxell MX-S) Transfer: CAS MASTER (Nakamichi CR-7A) > Mastering 10/08 > FLAC/16 FOH + Matrix Mix: Edwin DeShazo Recorded and Mastered by: Jim Blackwood
74586	Merl Saunders & The Rainforest Band	1992-11-13	Musicians Exchange	Ft. Lauderdale	FL
Source: Sennheiser ME-40/K3U Mics > Sony TCD5M Sony Metal-SR Master Tapes Transfer: Sony Metal-SR Master Tapes > Nakamichi DR-3 > Apogee Mini-Me (16/44.1) > EGO-SYS WT2496 (soundcard) > SoundForge 7 > CDWAVE 1.93.3 > FLAC frontend 1.7.1 Transfer completed on March 21, 2006 Recorded and transferred by Dean Grabski (dean@gfdm.net) Location: Club setting with tables, our table was at the lip of stage/Mics XY -

Live Concert Database