You're back at home a week of roaming NYC and your whole body is sore and my ears are ringing.
You must have had a great CMJ
We were all over the city (OK, so mainly Brooklyn & LES) and here are some of our favorite things at CMJ Music Marathon.
1. Australia - We're not scholars of Australian history, but we have to imagine that last week might have been one of the best in the country's history. Down Under was beyond well-represented at CMJ. From Sounds Australia curating College Day with rad acts like The Preatures to bands like Alpine, The Griswolds, Sheppard and Mark Wilkinson drawing rave reviews from all attendees, they put out a strong, strong effort. The music was so good that we're not even mad all the Australian BBQ was gone by the time we got to the Australian showcase at The Delancey.
2. Hidden Gems - There's no better feeling at a festival or conference than stumbling upon a band you had not intended to see that totally blows you away. As was the case when we visited the Madison House / Neuro showcase at Rockwood Music Hall on Saturday. We came to see Easter Island and TV Girl (both of whom were great), but we came away as the biggest new fans of Philadelphia's Grandchildren. The orchestral pop sextet featured a spellbinding variety of instruments throughout their set from acoustic guitar to clarinet and trombone and even an appearance by one of my favorite instruments, the melodica. Expect big things in the future from these Philly boys as they are still fresh off the release of their 2013 album Golden Age.
3. Covers - You might remember Rob recommended that you play a cover at a festival. Several CMJ bands adhered to this. The two that stand out most were both set closers and took great sets to another level. Poor Young Things closed with a rocking version of MGMT's Electric Feel & Rah Rah closed their set with a cover of Robyn's Dancing On My Own.
4. New Friends - There's a sense of camaraderie at CMJ that isn't really duplicated anywhere else. Every single band we talked to was as excited to see other bands as they were to play music. At our party alone you had Marshall from Rah Rah walking around with Cultfever's 7" and everyone rooting for Italian band Boxerin Club during their first-ever CMJ set. I have to say that our selfie session with Cultfever was particularly inspired. CMJ is a place where you can see a band kill and have a few bers with them immediately after as another band goes on to do the same.
See you next year!
