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Hour: September 11, 2026 Tubby’s

Hour: September 11, 2026 Tubby’s

I had never heard of Hour before this performance. I came to see Thor & Friends and was greeted with what seemed to be an unusually large band setting up. The woodwind player, Keith, came over and we got chatting. He explained that the ensemble was the brainchild of composer Michael Cormier-O’Leary. This mostly-Philly-based instrumental ensemble was not only our opening act for the evening, but would also be providing the bulk of the “friends” for headliner Thor Harris & Friends.

Hour was a pleasure to listen to. Despite the size of the band, or maybe because of it, this is a group of musicians that understands how to listen to each other. While mixing, I was shocked at how much space they each allowed. Nothing stepped on anything else, which really allows the listener to enjoy the huge dynamic range they play in.

I’ll lazily describe this ensemble as playing library music, but every piece feels more purposeful than what you usually find in those library comps. It also had interesting moments that somehow made me think of The Glands, a compliment I very, very rarely throw around.

There is a lot of action coming up for Hour. A new record titled “Ghost Bridge” (Dear Life Records) is due out on October 9. They will be playing two shows to celebrate the release: one in Philly on February 12th and one in NYC on February 13th. Both will feature a 13-piece ensemble and opening sets from the incredible Bridget St. John. You can find tickets and more info HERE.

I recorded this from our usual spot by the soundboard with the MK22’s and a really nice board feed from Tubby’s FOH engineer Nic Panken. I think this is one of the best mixes I’ve heard Nic do in this room, and it makes for a fantastic listen with a glass of wine as we watch the Hudson Valley fall settle in.

Download and stream from the Live Music Archive:

Hour
2026-09-11
Tubby’s
Kingston, NY

Source: Scheops MK22 > KCY > PFA + SDB > SD MixPre 3 > SD (24/48) > Adobe Audition/Izotope 9 > Audacity Flac (lvl8) > Mp3Tag

Thanks to Tubby’s FOH engineer, Nic, for the board patch!

Recorded and produced by kliked for nyctaper.com