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HOW TO TAPE SHOWS...

Rilo Kiley is cool with people taping their shows (just keep 'em off eBay, now), so go ahead and record them, why don'tcha? Sure.. no pain, no gain.. getting a good video will take some effort.. but then you'll always have a document of what very well may be the best concert of your life! If you're not up to all that work, perhaps an audio recording is the way to go. Come on, you basically just push record when the band comes on.. simple as that. :)
Some places might have rules against taping, so you might want to either ask if it's ok beforehand, or just be sneaky about it. But most small/midsize clubs, like the venues Rilo normally plays, are cool about it.

The below is a helpful little piece written by raindv2000@yahoo.com ...

ok. i thought about this for a few minutes and i wanted to share a real quick "beginners guide to recording," hopefully to inspire a few of you cats, out there in america, to archive your local rilo kiley show.

what you need:
option 1: audio
$75-150 MiniDisc recorder. Go to your local best buy, or wherever. its returnable. Some need to be charged, some are battery driven. You really want a MD that has a real-time recording volume level adjustment mechanism, so that if its too loud you can immediately turn it down without stopping the recording. The best deals can usually be found on eBay, but if you buy from there, it's likely not returnable.
$5 - RCA (Red & White) to 1/8inch cable . available at radio shack, maybe best buy. most soundboards have rca outs. Get the gold plated kind for best quality. [pic][eBay search]
$5 - 1/4inch to 1/8th inch (MONO). some soundboards only have quarter inch mono outs. this cord will do the trick.
$20 - XLR to 1/8inch (STEREO). if you are hardcore you may want to pick this up. some soundboards ONLY have XLR outs. its rare, but it happens.
TOTAL: $30-$180
having your own Rilo Kiley show on MD: PRICELESS

option 2: video
Do you have a videocamera around the house?
take it to show and point it at the band. the closer you can get, the better. the steadier you can hold it, the better. if you can hold it above your head, and know when to shift the focus depending on the que in the music, you are officially amazing.
TOTAL: $0 - $2000
having a video of your friend dragged onto stage to sing With Arms Outstretched: PRICELESS.

if you need advice on how to convert shows to CD or more specifcs on taping, you can email me. remember to read the manual if you get a MD player

tape on. trade on. peace.

Just one thing to add, for audio recording, the soundboard might not always be open to you, so you should think about buying a mic so you can record from the audience if needbe. If you get a mic, you'll probably want to get a battery pack for it. Audience bootlegs are much more common, but unfortunately usually much lower quality than soundboard.

Here's "part 2", where raindv2000@yahoo.com goes into detail about getting into the soundboard.

how to tape from the board. A social guide.

Note: This guide is only intended for clubs that hold less then 500 people. If you go to a venue larger then this, then you stand little to no chance of getting a board patch. The artists simply are too big to allow people to have practically perfect copies of their shows. Too many bastards selling the shit on ebay. (Except for Ryan Adams. He still seems okay with boards.)

At most venues, when I show up, I will go to the Merch table and ask the person there if the band is okay with taping. These people will either know, or will go and ask the tour manager. You dont have to specifically ask about soundboard. Just ask about taping in general. If they give a blanket YES. Then feel free to set up shop with video and audio.

If you want soundboard, then at this point, go to the soundguy at the soundboard. Say hello, introduce yourself, make eye contact. Then say that you had asked the band if you could tape the show and they said it was fine. Then ask if he has tape outs that you can plug into.

From here, continue to make conversation and ask if the soundguy would like a copy of the show. This allows you to 1) be cool, and share the music 2) give the soundguy a copy of his mixed work, which they usually appreciate 3) will make him remember you and be more cool to let you tape shows in the future.

This now covers venues who have RESIDENT SOUND GUYS on their staff. Some bands have someone who travels with them and actually does the mixing during the set. This makes sense since they are more familiar with your music then someone from the club who probably has never heard your music before.

If the band has an appointed sound guy, what you must do is just walk up to them and ask if you can tape. They may say yes, or no, or tell you no soundboard, which still leaves lots of options.

When its a small club I usually just leave my shit in the car, and then go back and get it once I have permission. However after taping at a club a few times, the bouncers and soundguys and promo guys are all most likely to know you and not give you shit when you walk in with a bag full of electronic goodies. I usually bring 3-4 copies of the last show I taped at a venue and give them to the people who run the shows/clubs. Its good to share the music, plus the venue guys appreciate having copies of their shows. Plus it shows you're not a dick. Which is a good thing ;-)

Other people you can approach about taping.

1) The tour manager. If you can show up in the afternoon, the band is usually in the process of setting up or soundchecking. Besides for the coolness of watching soundcheck, this also gives the opportunity to ask about taping guidelines.

2) Member of the band. Usually the best person to ask, in my opinion. Tour managers can be bitches, and road-weary enough to not give a shit that you really want to archive this show forever. Band members usually appreciate that you want a memento that will last forever (kinda like diamonds ;-). This is especially true if you recognize someone in the band who is less likely to be recognized. Here is an example.

Remy Zero came to town and played two days in a row. They played at a mid-sized club one night, then a in-store appearance at a record store the next night. I went to the first night, and I took two copies of one of their live shows on DVD for them, from when they opened for Travis. After the show the bass player was wanderin around. I went up and said hi, and gave him the dvds while talking about their music and show. I asked if they were cool with taping and he said that was cool. I told him I was going to record the next day. He said that would be cool, and he would look for me. I showed up the next day with four videocameras and a minidisc. I got a soundboard patch and multiple video angles. Afterwards he asked me if everything worked out - and was like, yea, fantastic - see you next time you're in town ;-)

At the Rilo show, I knew what the guys in Statistics looked like. I wandered up before the show and talked to them about when the full length was coming out, then asked if i could tape them. They were very okay with it.

So, know your rockstars ;-)

Ok. I think thats all I can think of for now. I hope this was informative and lots of cats go tape.

Next week we can talk about converting shows ;)

Oh and ps. if you are videotaping, consider buying a 6 foot plus tripod. Remember nice steady shots make for happy steady fans ;). Remember that tripods are returnable.

peace

I should add that as a last resort, any tape recorder with a mic would do the job of capturing the show, albeit low quality. But better than nothing. It's best to have an external mic (not built in) if possible. Keep an eye on your watch so you can flip the tape around the 40-45 minute mark (assuming you're using a 90 minute tape), trying not to cut any songs. You can still plug into the soundboard with most tape recorders (plug the aforementioned RCA cable into the mic jack), but minidisc is the better way to go. Or if you've got money to burn, a DAT recorder would be even better.

Best of luck and happy taping!