Phantom Family Halo
May 4th, 2012
The Red Palace
Washington, DC


Source:
Roland Edirol R-09HR (onboard mics, low-cut on, AGC off) > WaveLab (Puncher (medium density, 75% effect, 0% output gain) + SL-1 StereoExpander (100%) + EQ-1 (4410.0 and up boosted +12) + levels normalized to -0.250dB > CDWAV (tracks split and saved as .FLAC level 8 ) > foobar2000 (Tags + ReplayGain)

Location: House rear-center - which, given the layout of the Red Palace, puts me about fifteen feet from the stage, or thereabouts.

Taper: ZaPenguin (zappa.penguin(AT)gmail.com or
http://db.etree.org/ZappaPenguin)

SOUND QUALITY: B. It's sorta boxy, sorta fuzzy in the low-mids, the drums are strangely metallic, but after some EQing, it's listenable even at high volumes. Some parts sound good, some sound less good. It's an even-year AMT tour in D.C., I'm going to declare myself happy with the results and focus on how nice things'll sound in 2013.


THE BAND: (direct from Mr. Benton)
Dominic Cipolla: rhythm guitar, lead vocals
William Benton (Cat Casual): lead guitar, backing vocals
David Lackner: keyboards, sax
Ben Lord: drums
Mikel Bisbee-Durlam: additional drums
Jim Lingo: bass


TRACK LIST:
01. Sun Behind the Sun [7:08]
02. "bass all across the front - we're the Phantom Family Halo" [0:30]
03. Vital Energy [6:22]
04. > Light Year Girl [2:56]
05. "soundman, turn up the heat" [0:47]
06. White Hot Gun [3:55]
07. Master of the Universe [7:24] *
08. > Set You Free [3:45] ^
09. > Broken by the Way [3:46]


Notes:
* - Hawkwind cover
^ - Unsure of the "canon title" here - it's not on the band's latest album, and none of those who contributed to the Allston/Boston setlist (where this song also appears) could figure it out. So, in the great tradition of ROIOs, I just sorta pulled a title out of my ass here.
The "intro" seems to be a dry playback of Harry Nilsson's "He Needs Me", as sung by Shelly Duvall in the 1980 movie adaptation of Popeye. I chopped the "dry" portion off to comply with Dime regulations - this recording starts with the first actual on-stage noise.

MINI BIO:
" . . . When I Fall Out is the first of the releases and will be issued on February 14, 2012. Inspired by concept albums of the past, such as Pretty Things� SF Sorrow and Wire�s 154, the songs were all written following the death of one of Cipolla�s close friends. It took Cipolla a year to write the songs that became When I Fall Out and ready himself for the move to Brooklyn, NY, leaving the �darkness� behind.

Writing and recording the album was cathartic to Cipolla. Some of the tracks are literal � �Dirty Blade� is hypnotic and dreamlike, while �White Hot Gun� is raw and urgent � a sliding fuzz bass note anchors the track while Cipolla intones, "you�ve got nothing to fear ... loaded gun� as the song builds to a screaming climax. The album is alternately resigned, angry, and hopeful � the tracks are about someone [who] gets lost deep within the dark side of life and the friends they leave behind. It�s a powerful record that pulls you inside and immerses you in its mood and sound."
- Phantom Family Halo's official webpage on Knitting Factory Records:
http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/phantom-family-halo/bio/


BAND PAGE:
http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/phantom-family-halo/

BAND MYSPACE:
http://www.myspace.com/thephantomfamilyhalo


SHOW NOTES:
The best of the three Phantom Family Halo shows I saw. The sound on this recording doesn't really do justice to how incredible the band sounded in the venue - the first time since I started taping the AMT where - in terms of pure sound - a band sounded much better in D.C. than in the Ottobar. The double-drum sound really translates well to a small club. The place was also jam-packed - I think there were more people on the floor for the Phantom Family Halo than there were for the last thirty minutes of the Acid Mothers.

Utterly incredible performance of Master of the Universe tonight - even with the less-than-perfect sound, this alone is worth the download. Just like the AMT show from this date - if you have forgiving ears, you're in for a real, real treat here; and the inverse is also true: If you have more "prissy" ears, you'll really be missing out if you choose not to download this.


REQUESTS & REMINDERS:
Do not sell this recording. Do not buy this recording. Do not sell this recording, then buy it from yourself. If a band really wants to stop ROIOs, they should play exclusively in D.C., and only during even-numbered years.


CREDITS:
The Dynamite Children - Dynamic Chattering

Torrented by the taper: ZaPenguin

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

Band page: http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/phantom-family-halo/