CMJampakked! : _Heeb_’s Marathon Recap of the Indie Music Festival

Text and photos by Carlye Wisel

College Music Journal‘s annual city-wide Music Marathon festival in Manhattan is more than just a time when shiny, round-faced college radio students with badges around their neck plop down in the city to attend panels, see showcases, and attempt to sneak into 21+ shows. It’s a time for musicians from all over the world to play to the masses as part of the five days of festivities, herding into any and all venues, bars and spaces they can find in order to be heard. While the majority of bands playing CMJ’s fest are unaffiliated with a label, recent signings or just under the radar in varying degrees, it’s a huge opportunity for artists to get seen and get signed, but to also grab that coveted social crown – to be the best band at CMJ.

Since last Tuesday evening, yours truly has been hopping from loud basements to bars, hoping to give you a heads up about as many up-and-coming artists and as much fantastic music as possible. So sit back with the luxury of personal space (those crowds can be rough), crank the speakers, pour a cold one into a cheap plastic cup and get ready for your friendly recap of CMJ 2009:

TUESDAY

Blondes at Cake Shop – The basement of this record store/pastry shop was uncomfortably empty for their 7:30 showcase, the first in a long week full of smushed earplugs and sweaty fans. The crowd wasn’t too quick to fill out but the duo still give it their all, twisting and turning the table full of knobs before them. Their ambient dance grooves are soothing sounds, but after a half hour, it just started sounding like a bunch of noise. I wonder what the baby in the audience being held by its mother and nursing a red plastic cup thought, though. Liquor then beer, dear child. Never forget.

Photo by Camilla Padgitt-Coles

WEDNESDAY

Mumford & Sons at Mercury Lounge – They’re a quartet in the truest of senses, though guitarist Marcus Mumford lives up to his literal fatherdom of the band, singing lyrics so powerful that even the meanest, blackest coal of hearts would surely melt to bits. I‘ve long refused to see The Notebook to avoid those strange, ball-in-your-throat lovey dovey inclinations, but seeing these four gents standing in a straight line, dim lights shining down, facing the audience as though they’re singin’ for their lives out there is unfathomably stunning, and it cuts deep. After one round of Marcus crooning “and tell me know where was my fault, in loving you with my whole heart?” in “White Blank Page” it’s unavoidable – we’ve all got heartstrings, and these guys know precisely where to pluck at them.

Photo by Kyle Dean Reinford

Bear Hands at Mercury Lounge – As a Bear Hands first-timer, it sadly didn’t translate as well as I hoped – their album-version recordings proved to be cleaner, balanced and overall more interesting, despite how fucking cute their band name is and how much it should make up for any musical complaint whatsoever. The grungier elements in their live performance were enjoyed by the crowd, but didn’t end up matching the pop-infused dance rock I had set myself up to expect. Though, in their defense, it’s a rough slot to follow up a band like Mumford, whose impact was definitely still being felt well into the next set.

THURSDAY

Suckers at The Delancey – The basement at The Delancey was packed for how early it was, and definitely had the vibe of a ton of out-of-towners wanting to let loose after a day of seminars. Lots of badges, lots of backpacks, lots of college kids, lots of chatter – you get the idea. Suckers hold onto their pop harmonies well in a live setting, though they tend to lean more reverb-rock when live and unexpectedly channel psychedelia, but hitting a huge guitar solo under flickering colored lights and following it up with an all-falsetto tune can do that. Whatever your take on it may be, those boys have a clear hit with “It Gets Your Body Movin’ ", a track utilizes a round-the-campfire-sing-along chorus to make itself memorable.

Ironically, it was around this time that the CMJ doldrums hit – the “this sounds better on the album” thoughts, the “every show is so far away” whines, the “I kind of just want a shot of whiskey and a nap” complaints – but when the rest of the night turned out to be the highlight of the week, the frowns naturally flipped over.

Elsinore at Kenny’s Castaways – Elsinore, a small band with a big sound from my former Illinois college town, performed the type of show that justifies the entire premise of hosting a music festival of this sort. The crowd continued to grow with each song, eventually filling Kenny’s Castaway’s backroom with friends, fans and plain ol’ bar patrons, drawn in by lead singer Ryan Groff’s impeccable ability to be perfectly operatic with the band’s heartfelt rock songs. “The General”, one of their best, is so well-written that it still surprises me after over a hundred listens, not to mention that their live show is truly a talent-backed force to be reckoned with.

Hockey at Mercury Lounge – A quick cab ride and surprisingly easy entrance into Mercury Lounge later, I’d arrived just in time for Hockey, the second of a three-show-in-a-row evening that fully blew me away. As MGMT opened the floodgates for the likes of Passion Pit, Phoenix will surely do the same for these guys, though a recent performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! probably didn’t hurt. After all, if future success could be predicted by a count of un-ironic collared shirts in the audience, give these sportsmen three months — their ideal blend of groovy pop and memorable hooks on “Too Fake” and “Work” are downright addictive, and beyond fun to dance around to.

Local Natives at Mercury Lounge – As the band I was most looking forward to seeing during CMJ, Local Natives didn’t disappoint. Though one of the microphones was set too low, thus dulling the perfect harmonies they place above their infectious folk-rock, I found them utterly fantastic, and have already made plans to see them in a month, in another state, in between family obligations for Thanksgiving. These boys are so good that they legitimately outdo themselves – it’s impossible to decide if the uniquely familial ballad “Airplanes” is better than a cleverly re-imagined cover of Talking Heads’ “Warning Sign” or even “Sun Hands”, a powerful tune that culminates with a rowdy, shouting chorus that also closed out that evening’s show. If you have a minute, take a listen. Trust me.

FRIDAY

The xx at Music Hall of Williamsburg – The band may be all anyone in Brooklyn has talked about for the better half of October, but no one seemed to stop to think what they’d be like live. Granted, their recorded music is pretty great, but songs like “Crystallized” and “Basic Space” could have gone two very different ways live, and turned towards stoic slow jam in lieu of the exciting dance party I’d hoped it would be. It’s quite confusing, actually – it makes you want to dance, but nothing’s overly uptempo. No one, including the statuesque band, was moving. It’s like they’ve channeled fun purgatory, and I got stuck in the middle. Next time, though, I’ll be sure to be stuck at home.

Japandroids at The Bell House – Nevermind that the venue is at the end of a dark, industrial street just begging for a short hemline-wearing girl in heels to get mugged on, the trek to The Bell House in sideways rain was worth it by far. Japandroids, closing out the night at Polyvinyl Records’ lengthy showcase, put on a performance that was nothing short of ridiculous. “This is going to be our last show in New York for a long time, so let’s have a fucking good time,” announced guitarist Brian King, who subsequently, well, rocked the fuck out despite having been recovering from what seemed to be a pretty rough flu. Then came the stagediving – people from the label, people from other bands, people who were people – bodies continued to flail above the crowd for the entire set, accomplishing King’s goal from the get-go. It was raspy, it was rowdy, it was garage rock at its finest, and couldn’t have been much better.

SATURDAY

Headlights at Music Hall of Williamsburg – After rain, trains and accidentally sleeping in too late, I arrived in time to see Headlights packing up their gear. So…I’ll review that instead. The group was efficient, managing to keep spirits high despite heavy pellets of water beginning to fall from the sky. Keyboardist Erin Fein lamented how sweaty and dirty the band would be before their Philadelphia show later that night, but their delectably cheery pop will likely prevail, proving all to be fine. Hands down, this quartet had the best load out of CMJ ’09. Totally.

Bear in Heaven at Market Hotel – Bear in Heaven was Oh My Rockness’s band of the day this past Friday, and with good reason. Their psychadelic, alt-rock mix is almost entrancing, even while heading more towards the latter when live. With songs like “Lovesick Teenagers” and “Wholehearted Mess” that could appeal to fans of Sonic Youth and Caribou, they’re definitely a band to look out for. And, well, they’re adorable. I mean, serious boyfriend material up there. Whew.

What do you think?