Ladybug Transistor - Live 2004 + 2015 (sbd)

Contempopranea Music Fest 

Alburquerque, Spain
July 24, 2004

soundboard recording (quality: VG+; webstream capture from a (probable) VHS tape source; a small handful of audio anomalies were present in my source)

01 Echoes (fades in) 

02 Empty Bottles
03 Choking On Air
04 3=Wild
05 Song for the Ending Day
06 A Burial at Sea
07 Wooden Bars
08 Here Comes the Rain
09 banter with crowd
10 NY - San Anton
11 Splendor In the Grass
12 Oceans In the Hall
13 banter, band intros
14 Rushes of Pure Spring

ROB SEZ: As a new fan of Ladybug Transistor, I was ecstatic to find a full live set in very good quality. I guess it was unrealistic to expect great sound AND an amazing performance. It’s a soundboard-sourced video from the festival organizers, so no problem there. Considering the band played their set well after midnight, it’s certainly a very good — and goodnatured — performance. Just not exactly “raw & rockin’.” I’ve added the 2015 WFMU live set here, which livens things up, thanks to the band and the zany DJ.

The Ladybug Transistor, live in 2019

WFMU Live Session
The Dave Hill Show
Jersey City, N.J.
Jan. 12, 2015

webstream capture (sound quality: VG+) 

00 DJ Dave Hill intro & joshing around
01 [unknown song]
02 more goofing around
03 Hold On
04 final DJ zaniness
05 Thieves (fades out)

WATCH THE ENTIRE 2004 SET HERE

FLAC lossless captures, lossy sources

MP3@320

Ladybug Transistor - Lively & Rarified (comp 1997-2012)

'Lively & Rarified' 

Rarities & Live comp 1997-2012

(various venues)

webstream captures (sound quality: VG+ to Ex-)

01 Terry (KDHX 2007)

02 Three Days from Now (KDHX 2007)

Ladybug Transistor: bookish, but cool

03 This Old Chase (KDHX 2007)

04 NY - San Anton (Daytrotter 2007)

05 Always On the Telephone 

      (Daytrotter 2007) 

06 Into the Strait (Brooklyn 2009)

07 Nico Norte (NYC 2009)

08 Clutching Stems (hotel room 2009)

09 I'm Not Mad Enough (Merge 2009)

10 Wooden Bars (NYC 2012)

11 I Found a Reason (VU cover)

12 Today Knows (demo 1997)

13 Six Times (demo 1998)

14 Like a Summer Rain

      (live, Other Music NYC)

source info:

01, 02 & 03 = KDHX Radio, St. Louis, MO 2007-07-29

04 & 05 = Daytrotter session 2007-06-06, unknown location

06 = Bruar Falls, Brooklyn, N.Y. 2009-10-23 (Punkcast)

07 = Cake Shop, NYC 2009-09-05 (Punkcast)

08 = N.C. hotel room, July 2009 (XX Merge)

09 = XX Merge, Chapel Hill, N.C. July 2009

10 = Popfest, Littlefield, NYC 2012

11 = Rabid Chords VU Tribute album 2000

12 & 13 = Gary Olson demos

14 = Other Music, NYC (undated)

ROB SEZ: Feeling forlorn and still missing Paddy McAloon's Prefab Sprout, I recently went 
looking for a musical place holder. I was delighted to find Brooklyn-based combo The Ladybug Transistor. Gary Olson and company make melodic, offbeat, lyrically interesting, and engaging music. Definitely not a Prefab Sprout clone, Ladybug Transistor nevertheless fills the niche for me due to their fearless creativity and lyrical sensibilities. Although the band doesn't appear to be a going studio concern these days, they toured as recently as 2019. Founder/leader Gary Olson released a fab solo album in 2020 — confirming my Prefabs associations in full. For your musical enjoyment, I assembled this compilation of live tracks and a few rarities. (Stay with this beyond the first track or two, because the energy builds as you listen.) There will be more Ladybug Transistor goodness here next weekend.

FLAC lossless capture, lossy sources

MP3@320