CMJ 2010: Beasts, Bands, Brooklyn? Sure!

(Photo by the beautiful and talented Jess Hodge. More to come!)

Apologies for the delays in posting CMJ coverage, but I promise that your resident audiophile has been up to plenty of antics while running around like a crazy person all over the Lower East Side (and Brooklyn!) since Thursday night. I’ve experienced the perks of CMJ (stumbling upon new bands; dancing all night to fantastic music I’ve recently discovered with friends from all over the place) and the pitfalls (the badge system is, erm, less than ideal, and one of our friends got hit by a cab last night?!), so let’s do a quick recap before I hydrate, shower, down approximately 6 shots of espresso and head across town for CMJ’s final day of showcases.

Here’s what I’ve caught so far

Eli “Paperboy” Reed at Le Poisson Rouge: I figured there was no better way to kick off my slew of CMJ shows than with a high-energy dance fest, and going with Eli “Paperboy” Reed at Le Poisson Rouge on Thursday night was definitely the right move. I’m a sucker for boys with belts (the vocal kind, not the one you wrap around your waist) and horn sections, and Reed and the True Loves definitely deliver on both fronts. The room was packed, the energy was overwhelmingly giddy and the band was thrilled to be back in New York after a jaunt about the country in support of Reed’s latest release, Come And Get It. (I was kind of sad that Reed referred to New York City as home, however -- we get that you left us, kid, but you don’t gotta rub it in as we still have love for you here!)

McAlister Drive: Full disclosure: Christoph Krey, McAlister Drive’s front man, is a dear friend of mine and I’ve been going to McAlister Drive shows since Chris and I met. I’ve classified them as pop rock for forever based on the catchy hooks and lovey-dovey lyrics and radio-hit fanfare associations that their sound conjures up, so I was shocked and a little pleased to see that Chris is getting a bit more experimental and stepping outside his comfort zone with some country and blues flavors in his writing now. I’m happy I got to reacquaint myself with McAlister Drive here in New York as opposed to back home, because the change of scene, the Living Room’s listening room vibe and the eager ears around me all made it a fresh experience that I was able to drink in (as opposed to write off based on familiarity.)  That, and a good look Chris’ ridiculous facial hair is worth the price of admission alone. (Photographic evidence to follow.)

BEAST OF THE NORTHEAST: To say that I’m a proud mama would be understatement of the year, as the Dig‘s first CMJ showcase ever went off without a hitch and was a SMASHING SUCCESS. We threw a day party yesterday with Annie*Rock, a Boston-based booker and band manager, and Ryan’s Smashing Life, an inquisitive music blog that reaches hundreds of thousands of readers far from the blog’s home in Boston. The bands -- David Wax Museum, Son of the Sun, Kingsley Flood, Aloud, Bridges and Powerlines, Mean Creek and Bodega Girls -- were absolutely f*cking stunning. Sarah Hassan, belly dance superstar and aspiring trapeze pro, donned her tribal best and joined Bodega Girls for an impromptu performance. The crowd ebbed and flowed all day, but the room was always full (and we even had a celeb appearance with Adam Duritz from the Counting Crows swinging through. He sat there and listened to every single band and I’m pretty positive he was taking notes. Great friggin’ dude.)  From the entwined voices of David Wax and Suz to the EvRock of Bodega Girls brutalizing the floor with a tambourine, the day kept the crowd comin’ and howling for more. Mike Basu set up a FANTASTIC photo booth, too, so we’ll be sharing those snapshots with you as soon as they’re edited and good to go.  All in all: Beautiful day. Arlene’s Grocery, thanks for having us and being such a terrific spot in general, and Annie and Ryan, high five times a thousand, you guys.

Shayna Zaid: After a quick post-Beast dinner, a crew of us grabbed a bite and then moseyed over to the National Underground to check out Gold Star Morning. Here’s what’s great about CMJ (and festivals like CMJ, in general): You show up early for a band’s set and nine times out of ten you’ll walk smack in the middle of a great set from your new favorite band. Shayna Zaid may not be my favorite (girl, I think you’re great but I can’t love you entirely because you closed with a Train cover) but hot damn, the girl can sing and anyone who throws out random avocado-related trivia during their set is okay by me.

Gold Star Morning: These guys play in Boston all the time and get rave reviews and for whatever reason, I haven’t caught them onstage yet, so it was nice to be up and center for their hummingbird-esque stage antics last night.  Joe McHale’s enthusiasm is just at the borderline of over-the-top and exactly where you want it for rambunctious, straightforward rock. I saw shades of the Kooks in them last night (and I love the Kooks) so I’m pleased to report that I see what all the fuss is about. The band is made up of great players and you can tell because it sounded like one person was playing five instruments, they were that in synch. Looking forward to seeing what they come up with next, and super happy I got to check ‘em out finally, even if it was on neither side of the river.

The Wandas: Disclosure time again: These guys always get me into (and at times out of) trouble in some way or another. We met at SXSW last year, and when I was wandering around like a stray puppy on 6th Street they offered to adopt me and invited me to tag along for a few shows. In Chicago, they happened to be playing the Elbo Room while I was visiting someone, and the lot of us wound up out until 6 am dancing in bars akin to a basement in Worcester and diners in neighborhoods we totally shouldn’t have been in. CMJ kicked off in similar fashion, as we met up at McAlister Drive’s show and then booked it to Williamsburg to check out the guys’ buddy’s DJ set at the Knitting Factory and I wound up home and delirious around 3:30 yesterday morning. Last night brought much of the same, except it preceded a phenomenal set of theirs at the Berklee Showcase at the Bowery Poetry Club. I go to Wandas shows knowing that I’ll get a consistently superlative set, so I won’t bore you with the “I love Keith’s voice! I love Will’s drum part in ‘The Lady’! I love Brent’s guitar solos pretty much always! And I love that Ross is literally grooving with his bass and in skinny jeans no less!’” stuff. What was great, though, was when Keith snapped a string on his Telecaster and Brandon of the Honors (whose set I sadly missed earlier) literally leapt over kids in the front row to grab his guitar from the stack of gear and hand it over to Keith. THAT’S FRIENDSHIP, GUYS.

Anyways. That’s the official Dig scoop on CMJ so far. (Stories of trying to pack 15 people and their gear onto the L at midnight and going in the wrong direction and subsequently getting a member of the party hit by a cab mirror are saved for a better time.) Today: Pretty & Nice at the Delancey, Young the Giant and Savoir Adoir later, Thieving Irons and hopefully a chance to check out Angus & Julia before they come our way for their show at the Paradise on Tuesday.  Jess and Mikey are editing their faces off at the moment, so expect a humongous CMJ photo post tomorrow or Monday. Take care of yourselves, guys, and here’s hoping I’ll make it back to Boston in one piece.

X H