Taper's Choice – Relix 50: Live at Brooklyn Bowl Cassette + Player Bundle

Please Note: This bundle is a pre-order and will ship as one package around August 1, 2026.

A live show, on tape, with the player to spin it on. This bundle pairs the limited-edition Taper's Choice – Relix 50: Live at Brooklyn Bowl cassette with a portable cassette player, so you can drop the tape in and press play the day it arrives.

• Taper's Choice – Relix 50: Live at Brooklyn Bowl — Limited-edition cassette
• Retro Portable Cassette Player with FM Radio & Voice Recorder — Built-in speaker, built-in mic, FM radio (88–108 MHz), auto-stop, 3.5mm headphone jack

On January 15, 2025, Taper's Choice rolled into Brooklyn Bowl to close out Relix Magazine's 50th Anniversary celebration with a night billed as Taper's Choice with Friends & Casual Acquaintances — and the friends list ran deep. The California-based supergroup of Alex Bleeker (Real Estate), Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend), Dave Harrington (DARKSIDE), and Zach Tenorio-Miller (Arc Iris) anchored a three-plus hour run through originals and covers, raising funds for MusiCares' Los Angeles wildfire relief in the process.

The horn section set the tone from the jump. Stuart Bogie and Lynn Ligammari on saxophone, Jordan McLean on trumpet, and Dave Smith on trombone wove through "The Dave Test" — judged by namesake Harrington, who failed the first take and only signed off on the second — before pivoting into "Lick the Toad," joined by Eggy's Jake Brownstein on guitar.

The guest list only got deeper from there. Mikaela Davis brought her harp into "Mountains of the Moon" and "Dark Star," sharing the stage with original Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten — who, fittingly, played on Aoxomoxoa, the 1969 album that's home to "Mountains of the Moon." Mike Gordon of Phish stepped in on bass for a stretch that included the first "Exit Wound" he'd played since November 2011. Joe Russo's Almost Dead's Scott Metzger and Tom Hamilton Jr. traded leads on "Close Encounters" and an Allman Brothers run through "Ain't Wastin' Time No More," with the Greyboy Allstars' Robert Walter riding the organ underneath.

This limited-edition cassette captures the highlights — handpicked moments from a one-off show, dubbed to tape the way it was meant to be heard. The J-card features original artwork hand-drawn by Taper's Choice band member Chris Tomson (look for his H. Bong Approved stamp). No repress is planned. Once they're gone, they're gone.

Read Relix's full review of the show →

Side A

1. The Dave Test (No) > w/ horns
2. Lick the Toad w/ horns + Jake Brownstein
3. Darkness on the Edge of Midtown
4. Mountains of the Moon >
5. Dark Star w/ Mikaela Davis + Tom Constanten

Side B

1. Ain't Wastin' Time No More w/ Scott Metzger + Robert Walter
2. Close Encounters w/ Scott Metzger + Robert Walter + Tom Hamilton Jr.
3. Exit Wound w/ Mikaela Davis + Robert Walter + Mike Gordon
4. Possum w/ Robert Walter + Mike Gordon

The included portable player has five intuitive buttons, works with any standard 3.5mm headphones or earbuds, and the auto-stop function saves your batteries and protects the tape at the end of each side.

Please note: Wired headphones and batteries are not included. Any standard 3.5mm headphones or earbuds will work with the player.

This bundle ships as one package once the pre-order cassette is in hand — expected around August 1, 2026.