Some notes on our preview:
Not only are all official music showcases listed, but so are unofficial ones – free or RSVP. Shows are official unless otherwise indicated by "(unofficial)", "(free)", or "(RSVP)"; free & RSVP shows are unofficial unless otherwise indicated with "(official)". Shows listed as "(official/RSVP)" require either a badge or RSVP, not both.
If only the start time is known, all bands listed under that start time. Bands listed in order of appearance, or roughest guess/alphabetical order if not known.
* denotes that the venue is in the Bowery area of Manhattan.
# denotes that the venue is in Williamsburg area of Brooklyn.
(constantly updated as so much changes, right up to the start & even during CMJ)
CMJ used to be a Bowery-only event, but like everything else in NYC indie-rock, it’s been moving out to Brooklyn more & more these days, and not just Williamsburg, but up & down both sides of the East River:
However, CMJ’s twin beating hearts are still in the Bowery & Williamsburg, so here’s closer maps of both area:
QRO Recommendation
Bowery Electric, 327 Bowery* (RSVP)
The Outlaw Roadshow
12:30pm – You Won’t
1:30pm – Golden Bloom
2:30pm – Will Dailey
3:30pm – The Day’s Weight
4:30pm – Aunt Martha
Bowery Electric (Map Room), 327 Bowery* (RSVP)
The Outlaw Roadshow
12:00pm – Bridges and Powerlines
1:00pm – Mellow Bravo
2:00pm – Do Not Forsake Me
3:00pm – Ribs
4:00pm – Hey Marseilles
5:00pm – Mean Creek
6:00pm – Sonic Cow Grunt
KXLU/KXSC
12:00pm – Kera & The Lesbian
12:45pm – Habibi
1:30pm – Bleeding Rainbow
2:15pm – Turbo Fruits
3:00pm – Total Slacker
3:45pm – Gap Dream
4:00pm – Unstoppable Death Machines
5:15pm – The Shrine
Kanine Records/The Wild Honey Pie
12:30pm – Roommates
1:30pm – Moon King
2:30pm – Zambri
3:30pm – Eternal Summers
4:30pm – Bleeding Rainbow
5:30pm – Beach Day
6:30pm – Valleys
CMJ Union, 27 Union Square West (official/RSVP)
KEXP
10:30am – Line & Circle
12:30pm – Wild Nothing
2:30pm – Kishi Bashi
4:30pm – The Antlers
8:30pm – Figo
FADER Fort, 130 Hope St. (RSVP)
2:45pm – Tashaki Miyaki
3:30pm – Solid Gold
4:15pm – TBA
5:00pm – Kitty Pryde
5:45pm – DIIV
6:30pm – Hene Aiko
7:15pm – TBA
8:05pm – special guest
FADER Fort expands into the daytime for Friday & Saturday.
Spincloudmusic.com/Phillstock
3:00pm – Russell Howard
3:45pm – The Lawsuits
4:30pm – Madi Wolf And The Pack
5:15pm – Late Cambrian
6:00pm – Amanda Cross
6:45pm – The Ugly Club
Knitting Factory, 361 Metropolitan Ave.# (venue review) (free)
Distiller Promo
3:00pm – Gold Fields
4:00pm – Slowdance
5:00pm – Delicate Steve
Left Field, 87 Ludlow St.*
Klam/Comedy Plus One
11:00am – Rebecca Gates
Riot Act Media
4:10pm – Pancho-San
4:46pm – Gabriel & The Hounds
5:20pm – Agent Ribbons
5:55pm – Lightning Love
6:30pm – Xenia Rubinos
Planetary Group
1:20pm – The Orwells
2:00pm – Hot Panda
2:40pm – The Intelligence
3:20pm – San Cisco
4:00pm – Turbo Fruits
4:40pm – Rah Rah
5:20pm – Twerps
Planetary Group
1:40pm – Dikta
2:20pm – Elephant Stone
3:00pm – Skipping Girl Vinegar
3:40pm – Blessed Feathers
4:20pm – Tim Chaisson
5:00pm – The Trouble with Templeton
BrooklynVegan
12:00pm – Tiny Fingers
1:00pm – Murals
1:45pm – Deap Vally
2:30pm – Savages
3:15pm – METZ
4:00pm – MS MR
5:00pm – Braids
Public Assembly (back room), 70 N. 6th St.# (venue review) (free)
BrooklynVegan
12:00pm – Blessed Feathers
12:40pm – Foxygen
1:25pm – FIGO (live)
2:10pm – IO Echo
3:00pm – Sky Ferreira
3:40pm – Doldrums
4:30pm – Toys That Kill
5:15pm – The Intelligence
BrooklynVegan takes over Public Assembly on Friday & Saturday.
Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 1), 196 Allen St.* (venue review) (official/free)
Monarch
12:00pm – A Brief View of the Hudson
12:45pm – The Bengsons
1:30pm – Wyatt
2:00pm – Teletextile
2:45pm – Monica Lionheart
3:30pm – Heather Christian
4:40pm – Mieka Pauley
5:00pm – Monkey Rock Writers Circle
Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2), 196 Allen St.* (venue review) (official/free)
Imagem Music/The Press House PR
Imagem Music
11:30am – TBD
12:00pm – Anna Krantz
1:00pm – Jillette Johnson
2:00pm – SHEL
3:00pm – Zulu Pearls
4:00pm – Wakey!Wakey!
5:00pm – French Horn Rebellion
Spike Hill, 184 Bedford Ave.# (venue review) (official/free)
Lovely Hearts Club
1:00pm – Royal Canoe
1:45pm – I Can Chase Dragons!
2:30pm – Bouts
3:15pm – Conveyor
4:00pm – Eli Mardock
Paper Garden Records’ Lovely Hearts Club comes to Spike Hill.
Berkelee
7:00pm – Berkleemusic Band
7:45pm – Golden Bloom
8:30pm – Bent Knee
9:15pm – Gina’s Picture Show
10:00pm – Red Oblivion
10:45pm – Measure
11:30pm – Shea Rose
Alphabet Lounge, 104 Avenue C
7:00pm – Raised By Wolves
8:00pm – The Vansaders
9:00pm – Channel
M For Montreal
6:00pm – Ariane Moffatt
6:40pm – Karim Oullet
7:20pm – Tops
8:00pm – Plaster
9:00pm – Royal Canoe
10:00pm – Blue Hawaii
11:00pm – Moon King
12:00am – Mozart’s Sister
1:00am – Doldrums
2:00am – Absolutely Free
B.B. King’s (Lucille’s Bar, 237 W. 42nd St.
8:00pm – Matt Longo
10:00pm – The Soft White Sixties
12:00am – The Foot
Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St.
12:00am – Gabriel Johnson
7:00pm – Winter People
8:00pm – Foxygen
9:00pm – US Royalty
10:00pm – Ex Cops
11:00pm – Houndmouth
12:00am – You Won’t
Bowery Electric, 327 Bowery* (official/free)
Cantora Records
8:00pm – Busy Living
9:00pm – Such Hounds
10:00pm – Cruiser
11:00pm – Slam Donahue
12:00am – Zulu Pearls
Windish Agency
8:00pm – Flume
9:00pm – Chad Valley
10:00pm – Free Energy
11:00pm – Born Ruffians
12:00am – Icona Pop
1:00am – Penguin Prison (DJ Set)
Windish represents a ton of indie acts, so always has a good showcase at CMJ.
The Great Escape/NME
7:00pm – Squarehead
8:00pm – So Cow
9:00pm – Chains of Love
10:00pm – The Luyas
11:00pm – Jinja Safari
12:00am – Citizens!
I haven’t read the NME in so long…
Peace Belt Productions
7:10pm – Caleb Hawley
7:55pm – Dangerous Ponies
8:55pm – Emergency Service
9:55pm – Young Things
The Delancey, 168 Delancey St.*
Underwater Peoples/New Images Limited
8:00pm – Limited
9:00pm – Ian Drennan
10:00pm – Future Shuttle
11:00pm – La Big Vic
12:00am – Maria Minerva
1:00am – DJ Colleen Nika
Don Pedro’s, 1865 2nd Ave.
Citizen Music/Rocker Stalker/The Waster
8:00pm – Wyldlife
8:35pm – Brick + Mortar
9:10pm – TAB The Band
9:45pm – Walnuts
10:20pm – The Gypsy West
10:55pm – Concertina
11:30pm – Vulture Shit
12:05am – Black Wing Halo
12:40am – Only Living Boy
1:30am – The Othermen
Import/Export
7:00pm – New Villager
7:15pm – Alesh
7:30pm – Onili
8:00pm – Adrienne Mack-Davis
8:15pm – Krissy Krissy
8:35pm – Kevin Lester
9:00pm – Miz Metro
9:25pm – TEFF Mayweather-Barbados
9:45pm – Project E.A.R
10:15pm – DOPE D.O.D.
10:45pm – New Villager
11:15pm – Something In Spanish
12:00am – Héloïse and the Savoir Faire
12:45am – HI FASHION
1:20am – Future Brite
1:45am – Dynasty Electric
2:15am – JOGYO
The Outlet Music/Effective Immediately PR
6:00pm – Basement Batman
7:00pm – Allies for Everyone
8:00pm – Computer Magic
9:00pm – Kinetics & One Love
Fat Baby, 112 Rivington St.*
Yamaha Entertainment Group
8:00pm – The NoWhereNauts
9:00pm – The Kingston Springs
10:00pm – South Jordan
11:00pm – LEOGUN
Spincloudmusic.com/Phillstock
7:30pm – Knights On Earth
8:15pm – Anni Rossi
9:00pm – Queen Orlenes
9:45pm – The Fearless
10:30pm – Vinyette
11:15pm – Social Hero
12:00am – Bodyface
12:45am – PaperDoll
1:30am – lost boy?
2:15am – The Slack Tide
FreeCandy, 905 Atlantic Ave.
LOXM/Tom Tom Magazine
8:00pm – Unkle Yva Punkfaggot
9:00pm – The Suzan
9:45pm – ZZZ’s
10:30pm – Trabajo
11:15pm – 12000 Trees
12:00am – Batala NYC
Yours Tru.ly
8:00pm – Jim E Stack
8:00pm – Evy Jane
8:00pm – MØ
8:00pm – Isaac Delusion
8:00pm – Night Panther
8:30pm – Pro Era
8:45pm – Ratking
Gramercy Theatre, 127 E. 23rd St. (venue review) (official/RSVP at rsvp@massappeal.com)
Mass Appeal
8:00pm – Asher Roth
8:00pm – Elzhi (performing Elmatic)
8:00pm – Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire
8:00pm – Boldy James
8:00pm – Alexander Spit
8:00pm – Angel Haze
8:00pm – Roc Marciano
8:00pm – Ghostface Killah hosted by The Alchemist
One of, if not the best hip-hop line-up of CMJ 2012.
Grand Victory, 245 Grand St
Ernest Jennings Recording Company
8:00pm – Daytona
9:00pm – MiniBoone
10:00pm – Takka Takka
11:00pm – Dinosaur Feathers
12:00am – Wild Yaks
Great locals like MiniBoone (
QRO live review) & Takka Takka (
QRO spotlight on) come to ex-Bruar Falls, the now far classier WWII homefront-themed bar Grand Victory.
Greene Space, 44 Charlton St.
7:00pm – The Debo Band
7:00pm – MNDR
12:30am – The Soul Rebels and Friends
2DopeBoyz & Shameless
6:00pm – D. Goodz
6:30pm – Jasmine Solano
6:30pm – Chase N Cashe
6:30pm – Mystikal
6:30pm – Two-9
6:30pm – Rich Kidz
6:30pm – Silkk the Shocker
6:30pm – Troy Ave
11:00pm – Q-Tip
Flowerbooking
8:00pm – Cities Aviv
9:00pm – Talk Normal
10:00pm – Ghost Wave
11:00pm – Devin
12:00am – Ki:Theory
1:00am – Unicorn Kid
Le Bain, 444 W. 13th St. (RSVP)
Urban Outfitters
10:00pm – Blood Diamonds
10:00pm – Tanlines
7:00pm – Hey Marseilles
7:45pm – Jim White
8:55pm – Sea Wolf
11:00pm – Freedom Party
Left Field, 87 Ludlow St.*
Kiam Records/Comedy Minus One
6:00pm – Amy Bezunartea
7:00pm – Ma’am
8:00pm – Tim Foljahn
9:00pm – Choo choo la rouge
10:00pm – The Karl Hendricks Trio
12:00am – Jennifer O’Connor
Kiam Records, the new label from Jennifer O’Connor (
QRO album review), has it’s first CMJ.
Legion, 790 Metropolitan Ave. (official/free)
4:00pm – The N’ere Dowells
5:00pm – Those Mockingbirds
6:00pm – Isle Of Rhodes
7:00pm – Little Anchor
8:00pm – Throw Vision
9:00pm – Fast Years
10:00pm – Boy Girl Party
11:00pm – The Dunnie Bobos
12:00am – Cosmonauts
No More Fake Labels
8:00pm – Wichita Falls
8:45pm – The Catch Fire
9:30pm – Salt to Bitters
10:15pm – Starlight Girls
11:00pm – Mass Solo Revolt
11:45pm – The Motel Beds
8:00pm – Nneka
New West
7:45pm – Sydney Wayser
9:15pm – Kalen Nash
10:00pm – White Violet
10:45pm – Ponderosa
11:30pm – Grandfather Child
12:15am – Wolf Ram Heart
Living Room (upstairs), 154 Ludlow St.* (venue review) (free)
RocketHub.com
7:00pm – Communist Daughter
7:00pm – Jeneen Terrana
7:00pm – Neil Nathan
7:00pm – She & The Sun
7:00pm – Sweet Soubrette
7:00pm – Amateur Blonde
Whisk & Ladle
9:00pm – Los Encantados
9:25pm – Among Savages
9:55pm – Conveyor
10:25pm – J Thoven
10:55pm – Baby Alpaca
11:30pm – Kuroma
12:00am – Cities Aviv
12:30am – Levek
Marlin Room at Webster Hall, 125 E. 11th St.
6:00pm – Diamond Youth
6:45pm – Trapper Schoepp & The Shades
7:30pm – HUMANS
8:15pm – Ariane Moffatt
9:00pm – JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound
Matchless, 557 Manhattan Ave.
Green Room Music Source
7:00pm – Patrick McGrath
7:40pm – Apollo Cobra
8:20pm – Anjuli Josephine
9:00pm – Ali Young
9:40pm – The Letter Yellow
10:20pm – Cold Blood Club
11:00pm – Enemy Planes
11:40pm – Sean Anonymous
12:20am – Me and My Arrow
Paradigm
7:00pm – J .Thoven
8:00pm – Emma Louise
9:00pm – San Cisco
10:00pm – Daughter
11:00pm – Choir Of Young Believers
12:00am – Savages
1:30am – Ratking
Muchmore’s, 2 Havemeyer St.#
8:00pm – Hey Anna
9:00pm – Flashbulb Fires
10:00pm – Papertwin
11:00pm – The Forms
12:00am – Little Beard
Long-time Friend of the Q (or ‘FoQ’) The Forms (
QRO spotlight on) comes with new material.
Fat Wreck Chords
8:00pm – Lagwagon
8:00pm – Useless ID
8:00pm – Flatliners
8:00pm – Dead To Me
Punk rock hits Music Hall of Williamsburg thanks to Fat Wreck Chords.
The Paper Box, 317 Meadow St.
Heardcase
6:00pm – The Elephant in The Room
6:30pm – Exes of Evil
7:15pm – Kaliedo
8:00pm – Gemini Club
8:30pm – Spirit Animal
9:15pm – The Virgin Marys
9:45pm – The Blackfires
10:45pm – The Skins
11:30pm – Oxymorrons
12:00am – Shinobi Ninja
1:00am – The Death Set
Party XPO, 929 Broadway (unofficial/free for badges)
My Social List/FreeWilliamsburg
7.30pm – Yvette
8.30pm – Dark Sister
9.30pm – Plastic Flowers
10.30pm – Weekend
11.30pm – Black Marble
12.30am – Vapauteen (Shawn / Led Er Est)
8:00pm – The Raw Men Empire
9:00pm – Leaf Bird
10:00pm – Shivering Timbers
11:00pm – Goodmorning Valentine
The Deli Mag
7:00pm – Poor Moon
7:50pm – Ava Luna
8:40pm – The Luyas
9:30pm – Murals
10:20pm – Foxygen
11:10pm – Snowmine
12:00am – Mac Demarco
12:50am – Young Magic
1:40am – Hundred Waters
Pianos (upstairs), 158 Ludlow St.* (venue review) (official/free)
The Deli Mag
6:15pm – Shy Hunters
7:00pm – New Myths
7:45pm – Anya Skidan
8:30pm – Robert DeLong
9:15pm – Moon King
10:00pm – Tashaki Miyaki
10:45pm – Field Mouse
11:30pm – Ex Cops
Panache Booking
8:30pm – The Paperhead
9:20pm – Mac Demarco
10:10pm – Dent May
11:10pm – Turbo Fruits
12:40am – Twerps
Panache Booking
8:15pm – Levek
9:00pm – Gap Dream
9:50pm – Dignan Porch
10:40pm – Xray Eyeballs
11:30pm – Vockah Redu
12:20am – Violent Bullshit
R Bar, 218 Bowery*
6:00pm – Lauren O’Brian
7:00pm – Avi Wisnia
8:00pm – Jay Stolar
9:00pm – Gary Knox & The Streethearts
10:00pm – Jessie Wagner and Envy
Rock Bottom, 177 Stockholm Street (unofficial)
Aputumpu
6:00pm – Fast Years
6:00pm – Cool Serbia
12:00am – The Denzels
6:00pm – Jangula
6:00pm – Osekre n TLBS
6:00pm – EULA
6:00pm – Gypsy Wig
6:00pm – The Micks
6:00pm – Dances
6:00pm – No Shoes
6:00pm – N’ere Dowells
Feeling Anxious PR/Galuminum Foil
8:00pm – Ruin/Renewal
8:45pm – Hannah Vs. The Many
9:30pm – Tatiana Kochkareva
10:15pm – Matt Singer
11:00pm – Nick Africano
11:45pm – Dead Stars
12:30am – Casey Shea
Rocks Off Concert Cruise – Aboard The Star Of Palm Beach (venue review)
Metal Insdire
7:00pm – For Sleeping or Jumping
7:00pm – This Or The Apocolypse
7:00pm – Prong
7:00pm – Eminence
Get off of dry land with a (metal) Rocks Off Concert Cruise.
Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 1), 196 Allen St.* (venue review) (official/free)
Monkey Rock
6:00pm – Jennah Bell
7:00pm – ECHOREV
8:00pm – Wilsen
9:00pm – Tall Tall Trees
10:00pm – Julia Haltigan
11:00pm – Freddie Stevenson
12:00am – Holy Ghost Tent Revival
1:00am – The Stone Lonesome
2:00am – Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes
Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2), 196 Allen St.* (venue review) (official/free)
Communion
11:30pm – Mother Feather
12:30am – Lily & The Parlour Tricks
1:30am – The Gold Magnolias
S.O.B.’s, 204 Varick St.
10:30pm – Rudimental
Santos Party House (downstairs), 96 Lafayete St. (venue review)
Paradigm Booking
8:00pm – Into It Over It
8:00pm – Merriment
8:00pm – The Front Bottoms
8:00pm – Cheap Girls
Sidewalk Cafe, 95 Ave. A (official/free)
The Deli Mag
7:30pm – Kung Fu Crimewave
8:20pm – St. Lenox
9:00pm – Mal Blum
9:45pm – Bird To Prey
10:30pm – Go Love
11:15pm – Ben Pagano Band
12:00am – Crazy & The Brains
Baeblemusic
7:00pm – Letting Up Despite Great Faults
8:00pm – Admiral Fallow
9:00pm – Apollo Run
5:30pm – Caged Animals
5:30pm – Gold Fields
5:30pm – Solid Gold
St. Vitus, 1120 Manhattan Ave. (free)
BrooklynVegan
7:30pm – Kirin J. Callinan
7:30pm – Absolutely Free
The Standard, 25 Cooper Sq. (RSVP)
The Agency Group
7:00pm – Kishi Bashi
7:00pm – Jinja Safari
8:30pm – Citizens!
6:45pm – The Midnight Beast
7:30pm – Blondfire
8:15pm – Lovelife
9:00pm – Beast Patrol
10:00pm – JJAMZ
11:30pm – Deluka
12:15am – Robert DeLong
Suburbia, 330 Melrose St. (unofficial)
Topshelf Records/Greenvans
8:00pm – Prawn
8:00pm – Diamond Youth
8:00pm – A Great Big Pile of Leaves
8:00pm – Slingshot Dakota
Sullivan Hall, 214 Sullivan St.
Big Picture Media
7:00pm – Socratic
7:45pm – Mercies
8:30pm – Jacob Jeffries Band
9:15pm – The Ugly Club
10:00pm – Lily & The Parlour Tricks
Tammany Hall, 152 Orchard St.* (official/RSVP)
dF
7:00pm – Calvin Love
7:45pm – Cam Meekins
8:30pm – Brett
9:15pm – American Royalty
10:00pm – Capital Cities
10:35pm – Goldroom
11:25pm – Viceroy
12:25am –
special guests
1:25am – Jerome LOL
2:25am – Flume
8:00pm – Strange Talk
9:00pm – YACHT
10:00pm – The Presets
Trash Bar, 256 Grand St.#
8:00pm – Bear Trap
9:00pm – The Blackboard Nails
10:00pm – Fenster
11:00pm – HUMANS
12:00am – Zerobridge
Inland Empire
8:00pm – Weeknight
8:45pm – We Can’t Enjoy Ourselves
9:30pm – Slowdance
10:20pm – Sinkane
Vaudeville Park, 26 Bushwick Ave. (official/free)
7:00pm – Feast of the Epiphany
8:00pm – Baby Copperhead
8:45pm – No Sky God
9:30pm – Strawberry Hands
10:30pm – Point Reyes
Villain, 50 N. 3rd St. (free)
Pitchfork
7:00pm – Angel Haze
7:00pm – LE1F
7:00pm – Hundred Waters
7:00pm – Daughn Gibson
7:00pm – Merchandise
7:00pm – Metz
7:00pm – Holy Other
7:00pm – Joey Bada$$
7:00pm – DIIV
7:00pm – Death Grips
Amonly
10:30pm – Hook N Sling
10:30pm – 12th Planet
10:30pm – Egyptrixx
10:30pm – AraabMUZIK
10:30pm – Dallas K
10:30pm – Tokimonsta
12:00am – The Stepkids
12:00am – Kimbra
The best lady of New Zealand since Xena, Kimbra (
QRO live review) comes to Webster Hall late at night.
Wicked Willy’s, 149 Bleecker St.
7:00pm – Everyboy
8:00pm – Ballroom Jacks
9:00pm – BELT
10:00pm – Animal Talk
11:00pm – Casey Desmond
By Robert James
8:00pm – Shining Mirrors
8:00pm – Linfinity
8:00pm – U.S. Royalty
8:00pm – Kendra Morris
8:00pm – Caveman
ZirZamin, 90 W Houston
PledgeMusic
8:00pm – CALLmeKAT
8:45pm – Jillette Johnson
9:30pm – Mieka Pauley
10:15pm – Sydney Wayser
11:00pm – Will Dailey