Other festivals might rise and fall, but year-in, year-out, CMJ comes to New York City every October. It doesn’t have the intensity of an outdoor festival such as Coachella or Bonnaroo, and isn’t the must-be-at industry event that is South-by-Southwest, but has the ease of being in the greatest city in the world, running from noon until bars close, with free drinks galore – and 24/7 subway service to taken your drunken ass home every night. The line-up of acts and parties may not have been the most impressive in 2013, but that just gave more time to catch the unknowns, long before they get huge (or break up), Tuesday to Saturday, October 15th to 19th:
KEXP Sessions @ Judson Memorial Church
Au Revoir Simone
Click image for full gallery – Derek Klevitz
One of the best free events at CMJ 2013 was the sessions from Seattle indie radio station KEXP at Judson Memorial Church (where one went to pick your badge, so also easy), such as QRO favorite Au Revoir Simone and Ski Lodge.
Ski Lodge
Click image for full gallery – Danielle Sheridan
Click image for full gallery – Derek Klevitz
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CMJ showcase @ NYU Kimmel Center
Hermitude
Click image for full gallery – Derek Klevitz
Right next to Judson Memorial Church is the NYU Kimmel Center, where one goes to pick your schwag bag – and see acts like Hermitude.
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Filter Magazine/Culture Collide showcase @ Knitting Factory
Half Moon Run
Click image for full gallery – Ted Chase
Filter Magazine hosted its third annual international music festival, Culture Collide, a couple weeks prior in Los Angeles, and brought many of those acts over to CMJ at Knitting Factory (QRO venue review), such as Montreal’s Half Moon Run. Despite the random time of day, the band had energy, even if the songs from debut full-length Dark Eyes (QRO review) sounded better than the newer material.
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Flux Studios showcase @ Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 1)
Jeff Campbell & Megan Stankard
Click image for full gallery – Danielle Sheridan
Jeff Campbell & Megan Stankard teamed up at Rockwood Music Hall (QRO venue review).
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I Guess I’m Floating showcase @ Pianos
Holychild
Click image for full gallery – Danielle Sheridan
Meanwhile, Holychild closed out the I Guess I’m Floating CMJ showcase at Pianos (QRO venue review).
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FADER Fort @ Converse Rubber Tracks
Kan Wakan
Click image for full gallery – Ted Chase
One of the best events at CMJ, official or unofficial, is the FADER Fort from FADER Magazine. It returned to the same space it graced last year, the Converse Rubber Tracks studio in Brooklyn, and once again had free drinks, even if the line-up wasn’t as strong.
Potty Mouth
Click image for full gallery – Ted Chase
Kan Wakan had some indie-orchestra, while Potty Mouth shined with girl-garage rock. That might sound sexist, classifying a band as ‘girl’, but they were certainly better than other ‘girl-garage rock’, such as Vivian Girls or Frankie Rose. But the ‘next big thing’ was Strange Talk, with some pretty awesome dance-rock (and high press interest).
Strange Talk
Click image for full gallery – Ted Chase
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Frenchkiss Records showcase @ Piano’s
Shark Week
Click image for full gallery – Derek Klevitz
Strong indie label Frenchkiss Records – headed by Syd Butler of Les Savy Fav – had an evening showcase at Piano’s with Shark Week.
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Music From Ireland showcase @ Fat Baby
Cat Dowling
Click image for full gallery – Derek Klevitz
The Emerald Isle has its own music export program, Music From Ireland, which brought Cat Dowling to Fat Baby.
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Photo Finish showcase @ The Studio at Webster Hall
Brick + Mortar
Click image for full gallery – Danielle Sheridan
The new Brick + Mortar came to the Photo Finish showcase at Studio at Webster Hall (QRO venue review).
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Skateboard Marketing showcase @ Marlin Room at Webster Hall
OTEP
Click image for full gallery – Danielle Sheridan
Hip-hop dominated next door at the Marlin Room, in OTEP.
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Brooklyn Vegan party @ Cake Shop
American Sharks
Click image for full gallery – Bashira Webb
Brooklyn Vegan announced his CMJ shows very late, and they were mostly at the new Baby’s All Right venue, but he also headed to Cake Shop (QRO venue review) with acts like American Sharks and Joanna Gruesome.
Joanna Gruesome
Click image for full gallery
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Windish Agency showcase @ Mercury Lounge
Dan Croll
Click image for full gallery – Bashira Webb
Meanwhile, major booking agency Windish once again ruled Mercury Lounge (QRO venue review) with musicians like Dan Croll.
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CMJ showcase @ Living Room
Wild Moccasins
Click image for full gallery – Ted Chase
While some acts played lots of shows as CMJ, other played very few, such as Houston’s Wild Moccasins, who only had two CMJ showcases, both on Thursday evening. Luckily made it to Living Room (QRO venue review) for the later performance, a great one by a band who deserved to get more notice out of CMJ (maybe if they’d played more shows…).
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Other notes:
-Great place to meet new people at CMJ? While charging one’s phone at the only free outlet in the FADER Fort.
Unfortunately missed:
-Caveman (QRO album review) @ Henry, a Liquor Bar. But just caught them the week prior (QRO photos).
-Christopher Paul Stelling (QRO album review) @ Living Room.
-The Head and the Heart (QRO live review) @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (QRO venue review).
-EULA (QRO album review) @ Legion.
