May 15, 2026 - This article from https://aadamjacobscollection.org/tag/internet-archive/ tells the story of the Aadam Jacobs Collection Project. One of, if not the largest, collection of tape recordings from live events, spanning decades, and featuring early recordings by prominent bands from their early years like The Cure, Nirvana, and more..
This collection is super exciting to hear about. What is available, is available on Internet Archive for stream and download (you'll likely be hearing some of these recordings on the station soon as well). Check out the full story below >>
Checking In: One Year Into the Aadam Jacobs Collection Project
How This Journey Began
A year ago this month, the Aadam Jacobs Collection Project team began converting Aadam Jacobs’ audio recordings to digital formats and preparing them for public access. But the story actually started in 2019, shortly after WBEZ Chicago ran a feature and podcast on Aadam – the “Chicago taper guy.”
As audio archivists for the Live Music Archive on the Internet Archive (now 280,000 shows and growing), we immediately understood the value of a collection like Aadam’s. His recordings span more than three decades and capture everything from first-and-only performances by local bands to early sets from now (and then)-international acts like Nirvana, Hüsker Dü, Liz Phair, Phish, and many more. It was clear these tapes deserved preservation – and that they should be heard, not hidden away in a warehouse.
We reached out. So did others. Aadam took time to sort through the possibilities and weigh what he wanted for his collection. Every six months or so, we would check in to see where things stood. Finally, in fall 2024, I visited Aadam at his home in Chicago and left with the first 120 tapes.
The Challenge of 10,000+ Recordings
Once we had tapes in hand, the path ahead looked deceptively simple: convert the tapes, lightly master the audio, split it into tracks, and upload it for public listening.
The process has evolved continuously. Today, no one person is responsible for taking a tape from raw format all the way to the Live Music Archive. Instead, we’ve structured the work into stages, each handled by different team members:
Cataloging
Each tape is entered into our database and routed to the transfer team.Transfer
Transfer specialists convert tapes to raw digital audio.Prep & Metadata
Another group handles naming, dating, venue identification, transfer-equipment info, and splitting multi-show tapes.Editing & Mastering
Editors select shows to master, track, and prepare for upload.Final Review & Upload
A final reviewer checks everything and uploads the show to the Aadam Jacobs Collection on the Live Music Archive.
Then we do it again – 30,000 times.
The First Recordings Shared – Scruffy the Cat
The first box of DATs Aadam handed over was a true grab-bag of recordings. When he asked whether I wanted anything specific, I asked about Scruffy the Cat. As it turned out, he had sorted his entire collection alphabetically during the early pandemic, so he knew exactly where to find them.
I flew home to Massachusetts with 115 DATs and five Scruffy the Cat cassettes in my carry-on.
We started with Scruffy the Cat because I had a working cassette deck, but no DAT deck. Most of the team had never heard of Scruffy the Cat – a rockabilly-punk / cow-punk / roots-punk hybrid. Think Jason and the Scorchers, if they leaned more punk. The band started in Iowa, moved to Boston in the early ’80s, added banjo and keys, signed a record deal, and released four albums before breaking up in 1990.
One teammate messaged:
“Man, loving these guys! Never heard of them before… How did I not know about this band?”That’s been a theme: the sheer joy of stumbling into something you didn’t know you needed.
For me, the Scruffy tapes triggered a rush of Boston-era memories – late-night shows, dark rooms, cheap beer underfoot, a band playing in the corner rather than on a stage. Even though the recordings were Chicago-based, the vibe came right back.
Follow Along: More Gems Ahead
You can follow the project on Facebook and Bluesky (Bluesky feed of new uploads here), where automated feeds announce each new upload. You’ll never miss when we upload that The Cure show from 1984 of their first visit to Chicago. And yes – the 1984 Cure show is coming soon.
Aadam shared this memory from that night:
“I won tickets on WNUR, but they were so late with the guest list that, if there was an opening band, I have no memory of seeing them. I found a spot on the terribly crowded floor slightly closer to the left stacks, maybe the equivalent of 12 rows back…
“The better story is missing their 1985 show because I was seeing Philip Glass, but I had to be at The Cure when it ended to flyer for a late 10,000 Maniacs show at the Vic. Natalie Merchant helped. I reminded her of this about 20 years ago after a Wilco show.
”What We’ve Achieved So Far
Before we uploaded even a single file, we knew these recordings would spark memories, conversations, and connections. And they have.
In the project’s first year, we’ve:
Uploaded 1,500+ shows
Seen 133,000+ streams or downloads
Yes, at that pace it would take 15–20 years to finish. But the team is finding its rhythm, and the coming year should be even more productive.
Check out the full range of uploads to date at : https://archive.org/ (search aadam jacobs)
May 15, 2026 - Hey Welcome to the new E-ZINE section of the CITW Radio page. We'll be posting blog-ish, magazine-ish content here from now on, stuff like this :
NEW TRACK BY JAMES LECALIRE "The Sound of You Gone" is out now.
James is a singer songwriter from Ottawa, Canada.
"The Sound Of You Gone” was written out of heartbreak. A heart that I chose to break which also then crushed mine. I was in love with a woman but didn’t think it was going to work out in the long run. So, I made a hard decision for us to go our separate ways.
This track describes all the sounds of things that don’t make noise but suddenly seemed heightened with the lack of her presence. Her absence was the only thing I could focus on. There was a silence with her not being with me.
After about four months apart, and many weeks of building up the courage, I reached out to her in hopes of coming back together. I found out she was also suffering the way I was. That was three and a half years ago and we are stronger than ever. But “The Sound Of You Gone” a reminder to me of what it was like to be without the one I love.
Recently the song has developed a shared meaning to me. Three weeks ago I lost my mother to Dementia. My mom was the sweetest woman imaginable. Fairy tale level sweet. I can’t remember her ever being angry or speaking poorly of anyone. She was truly an amazing person and showered me with love and compliments. I owe all my confidence to her. She always told me I could be anything. She believed in me. There is now a new silence in my life without her joyous laughter and voice.
I hope this track helps you with any loss that you have encountered. Wether you chose to lose it or it was taken from you. That silence only exists because it was once filled with such a massive volume of love." - James Leclaire
LINKS : https://jamesleclaire.bandcamp.com/track/the-sound-of-you-gone
lyrics
I’ve heard many things
I’ve heard the mountain tops sing
As the fog whispered softly in the valley below
I’ve heard the leaves dance with the trees
To a joyful waltz played by the breeze
Even though down’s the only place they got left to go
I’ve heard the dew rest on the grass
As the river elegantly slipped past
And the sun cracked open the night to release the dawn
I’ve heard the weeping willow cry
As Autumn rudely said goodbye
But now all I hear is the sound of you gone
I’ve heard the sweet dandelions roar
I’ve heard the roses sharpening their thorns
As the thistles prepared for war
I’ve heard the stars jealously bicker
As the night quietly grew thicker
And the moon claimed it’s throne in the sky
I’ve heard the hills howl for hours
To the humming of the blossoming flowers
While the swaying wheat laughed under the yawning sun
I’ve heard the ice melt in my glass
I’ve heard time slowly pass
But now all I hear is the sound of you gone
It’s left an echoing deafness in my heart
And it’s screaming like the lack of light in the dark
I cover my ears through the silence and I try to be strong
But nothing is as loud as the sound of you gone
credits
released May 8, 2026
lead vocal / acoustic guitar ~ James Leclaire
bass ~ Phillip Victor Bova
drums / harmony vocals ~ Mike Hunter
produced, mixed and mastered by Phillip Victor Bova at Bova Sound
