| Identifier | 6544965 |
| Created At | Tue May 23 2023 23:54:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) |
| Media Type | Flac |
| Media Count | 21 |
| Show Rating | A+ |
| Sound Rating | A |
| Note | Seeder Notes:
Already have this recording? This show was circulated online in mp3 format during the Fall of 2000. Many fans scooped it up then so there are lossy mp3 files and subsequent mp3 sourced CDr's floating around in the trading pool. Upgrade now to this lossless source! Upon its initial release into circulation, this material clocked in at 1hr:26mins:32sec and spanned two CD's. Typically, I would not consider altering any recording but two factors got me thinking about an adjustment for this show. First, it was very close to fitting on one 80min CD. Secondly, the master recording was already a little choppy in spots due to the taper trying to save tape (read the "Taper Notes" for more info about this). I took a careful look across this recording to see if any extraneous clapping, extra tuning, or dead noise could be gently trimmed down to accommodate one disc. For example, if Michael spent :50 seconds tuning a few of his strings to the proper pitch (without talking) this was a candidate for removal. Or, if there were :25 seconds of clapping this might of been trimmed to :10 seconds and only claps would of been removed, if Michael said anything, like "thank you", etc. during the clapping then that would stay. I can appreciate that one of the joys of live recordings are listening to what happens between songs. With this in mind, I made sure to only remove clapping, extra tuning and dead noise. Those three aspects, that is it. Note also that there still is clapping, guitar tuning and dead noise on this recording, I just trimmed a little out. Edits were done with care and were not harsh (although there are some harsh cuts as per the master tape). All in all, about 7:00 minutes were removed. This is explained here in detail to help clear up any confusion as to why there are versions of this show circulating across two CD's and this version tucked in on one CD and to describe exactly what differs between them. On another note, when I listen to this show I'll usually give the low end a slight boost. I choose to NOT apply any EQ adjustments to this source though as I felt it was a little too subjective to warrant. Please tweak your listening device to suit your tastes. Also, the "Taper Notes" below help fill in some gaps regarding what Michael was talking about when you hear him speak but get cut off in random spots. Taper Notes: Set in the upstairs of a makeshift lounge/bar in the historic district of Ellicott City, Maryland, the virtually unknown talents of one Michael Hedges were to grace the walls of this small pub which seated about 75 people comfortably. The stage area was dimly lit, the room had four big support beams in the middle of it which obstructed the view if you sat towards the back of the room. The floors were old and wooden and would creak in spots. The white paint on the walls was peeling and cracked. The beer was cold as was the draft coming up from the staircase, but the air was charged, and the room was warm whenever Michael would play and sing. This was easily a typical setting for this Peabody Conservatory music student endeavoring to be a part of the music scene in the Baltimore area. Michael's talents gave him an exceptional advantage, and soon he amassed a cult following that grew to thousands of diehard fans. This recording represents the essence of Michael's musical seed. It features songs that were considered too immature for release on the Windham Hill label. They were too good to be omitted here, and their importance insures their place in music history. Songs like, "Vital Signs," "Face Value," and "Missile Command," are destined to become Michael Hedges classics. Michael gave me personal permission (verbally) to bring in two microphones and record his performance that evening. He was not yet signed to Windham Hill Records, but he mentioned the label and that he had sent them a demo tape and was going to a showcase in California with hope of being signed to Windham Hill. He was signed to the label in April of 1981. This was my 4th or 5th attendance of one of Michael's gigs in the Baltimore area. I wanted to tape this show because all the local music calendars showed this gig to be the last Hedges gig in Ellicott City for awhile. The show was recorded with two omni-directional Audio- Technica mics going into a Technics xxx? home component cassette deck [all this was cleared with Michael several days in advance] onto a single TDK-SA-X C90 cassette at Hi Bias setting with the Dolby NR de-selected. Set one the mics were placed for an ambient config, but after the first set I had to move the stage right mic out of the way of the patrons who were just creating too much noise for my taste, so I put the mic pretty close to the PA cabinet just like the one on stage left. The result is a bit less ambient as you can hear, but I felt I had to do something to cut down on audience noise... Hindsight being 20/20 I wish I hadn't. It's not too bad, just sounds like a different source starting the second set. This representation is virtually untouched, meaning I haven't EQed the lower frequencies to a proper level... The high end is as it was on the original tape, kinda clipped at the peaks, but that was at the source [it came out of the speakers like that]. In an effort to save tape I tried to cut down on the dead air as the most important thing I felt was capturing the music. Sometimes the listener will hear me cut into something Michael was saying... I would stop the tape if I thought michael was taking too long between tunes, then rewind it to a good spot and hit RECORD again. He dedicated "Breakfast in the Field" to Pat Metheny, but all you can hear Michael saying is "..Pat Metheny." Then Michael talks about the guitar he used on "Breakfast.." as his "..Scorpion" guitar, and there again is a place I was paused waiting for him to start talking or playing again. The guitar was a slim 12 string electric, looked like an old Hagstrom with like 4 single coil pickups and the old DPDT switches on it. Anyways, Enjoy this for what it is. Michael Hedges at a very early date and before Windham Hill had signed him. |
| Source Info | Two unknown omni-directional Audio Technica mics |
| Tech Note | Source: Two unknown omni-directional Audio Technica mics* >> Unknown Technics home component cassette deck >> TDK-SA-X cassette tape @ High Bias & no Dolby NR >> HDD via unknown soundcard >> CD-R (directly from the taper) >> DAE via EAC secure mode with 100 percent track quality and no errors (the only DAE in lineage) >> HDD >> FLAC *please refer to the "Taper Notes" at end of this info file for an explanation of mic configurations used during the show (two configurations were used, one for each set). |
| Trades Allowed |
Performance
| Michael Hedges 1981-03-20 Singer's Alley, Ellicott City, MD | |
|---|---|
| Set 1 | Silent Anticipations
Baby Toes Captain Kennedy* Wondering Where The Lions Are@ The Unexpected Visitor Vital Signs Out On The Parkway Watermelon Man# Face Value Blackbird$ Missile Command The Funky Avocado |
| Set 2 |
Layover Head And Heart% Two Days Old Breakfast In The Field^ Watching My Life Go By Running Blind Lenono You've Got To Hide Your Love Away$ Encore: The Happy Couple |
| Set 3 | |
| Comment | *Neil Young cover
@Bruce Cockburn cover #Willis Ramsey cover $Beatles cover %John Martyn cover ^on electric 12-string |