CMJ 2009

Generally speaking, I don’t like to mix business with pleasure. This is mostly because I like to give all of my attention to the task in front of me. If it’s business time, then I make sure I handle my business. Likewise, if it’s time to party, then I want to know that all of my business has been handled so that I don’t have any responsibilities holding me back when I go on a wild, booze fueled rock n roll adventure that rages on into the early morning hours.

Of course, that is generally speaking. When we are talking specifically about CMJ, the rules about the separation of business and pleasure do not apply. CMJ is a 5 day orgy of indie music, free shwag and drink specials that goes from noon to 4am every day. There is no way that I can hope to go to that many rock shows and keep a perfectly balanced composure for all 16 hours of each day. I’m not saying that I’ll be chugging bloody marys as soon as they open the doors on the first day show, but sooner or later I’m going to have to start drinking. Combine the free alcohol with a pretty awesome roster of bands, and before you know it, it’s party time.

But you’re not here for stories about drinking. You’re here for the music - which is more interesting, honestly. Because I understand this, (and because I’m a type A personality) I committed to a close study of all CMJ shows - official or otherwise - and came up with this list of recommendations and highlights. Print it out, take it with you, get your freak on.

Tuesday
8:30pm - Free Energy @ The Studio at Webster Hall
A new favorite here at Tough Customer headquarters. These kids from Philly sound like the best parts of Thin Lizzy and T.Rex as mixed by the dudes at DFA. Which is basically what it is.
10:45pm - Black Taxi @ Arlene’s Grocery
An intriguing combination of indie rock, surf rock and Mark Knopfler-style riffs. New stuff sounds like cross between Kings Of Leon and Cold War Kids.
11:00pm - Saint Motel @ Kenny’s Castaways
Kinda like classic rock, but more modern.
1:00am - Heavy Trash @ Santos Party House
Jon Spencer’s new-ish band. Everybody likes that guy.
2:00am - Ghislain Poirier @ Glasslands
“Bombastic bass lines and blazing synths dripping sizzling hot dancehall rhythms.”

Wednesday
7:00pm - The Men Who Stare At Goats @ Clearview Cinema
This is actually a funny, weird-looking movie about a top-secret wing of the U.S. military. Stars George Clooney and Ewan McGregor.
8:30 - Pacific Division @ DROM
New golden era hip hop from the West Coast.
9:00pm - The XX @ Mercury Lounge
Might as well see what all the hype is about…
11:00pm - Ninjasonik @ Le Poisson Rouge
Have you seen the video for Somebody Gonna Get Pregnant? Do you need another reason?
11:30pm - Teenage Prayers @ Southpaw
This is the Futures Sounds/Rumble Party. Those guys know what they’re doing, as evidenced by the fact that they tapped this snarky faux-oldies band to play their showcase.
1:00am - Boogie Boarder @ Glasslands Gallery
Loud, rhythmic garage-y rock.

Thursday
8:30pm - Bottle Up & Go @ The Studio at Webster Hall
“Loud, raw, perfect bluesy mess.”
11:00pm - Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers @ Pianos
Haunting murder ballads. This is what I imagine Tom Waits’ wife sounds like.
12:00am - Tanya Morgan @ Southpaw
Best new hip hop group of 2009. Seriously.
12:00am - Priestess @ Arlene’s Grocery
This is an arena caliber rock band playing in a room the size of my basement. Something will probably explode.
1:00am - Sean Bones @ Mercury Lounge
Who knew that indie rock-steady reggae pop would sound this good? Top 10 album of the year, for sure.
2:30am - Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Public Assembly
Vice Mag late night party. If you’re still up and looking for something to do, this would be a good choice.

Friday
10:30pm - Red Wire Black Wire @ The Studio at Webster Hall
CD release party/homecoming/totally awesome show from Brooklyn’s best electro-pop band.
11:30pm - Yes Giantess @ The Studio at Webster Hall
So smooth. Plus, you’ll already be there for the RWBW set. Might as well stay and watch these guys.
2:00am - The Postelles @ The Pure Volume House
Probably the catchiest band playing at CMJ. Prepare to spend the next week humming “123 Stop” to yourself.

Saturday
5:00pm - Red Wire Black Wire @ Braur Falls
In case you missed them the night before and feel bad about it.
8:00pm - Pig Destroyer @ Rocks Off Concert Cruise
Bone crunching speed metal - and it’s on a boat!
9:00pm - Rumspringa @The Studio at Webster Hall
Just drums and guitar, but they manage to squeeze a lot of genres into their sound.
9:45pm - Turbo Fruits @ Union Pool
This is what I wished the Black Lips sounded like.

(Highly recommended shows in bold.)

New York, electro rock, electro-pop, hip-hop, indie, indie rock, metal | 18.10.2009 0:10 | 1 Comment

The Sweet Serenades

When it rains, it pours. At least that’s what it says on the side of the salt shaker, and lately I’ve found it to be pretty true. I won’t bore you with the details of my personal life, but I will say that in a matter of months I have gone from having not much to do to being busier a pimp on payday. Between freelance work, label work, and trying to rebuild my house, I figure I’ve been averaging about four hours of sleep a night. I haven’t seen my friends in months, much less gone out to do anything fun. And my inbox. Jesus Effin Christ. My inbox is like a rouge wave threatening to pull me into the deep.

Sadly, that’s what happens when you run a music site that is basically a labor of love. When people offer you money to do other things - or when a lot of people offer you a little money to do a lot of other things all at the same time - your priorities shift. This blog lies neglected while I get sent out to write stories about lesbian sex wrestling and how neck size affects sleep quality (I’ll tell you about it later). And meanwhile the records just keep coming.

I try to be systematic about it, but when I have 279 unopened music submissions from the last month alone, I basically just have to start from the edges and work my way in. Sometimes I’ll go to the end of the queue and sometimes I’ll start from the beginning. It’s rare that I will say this, but in this case it’s a good thing that so much of what I get is crap. It allows me to separate the wheat from the chaff that much more quickly.

Anyway, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel as things start to wind down toward the end of the year. I’m still crazy busy, but at least I’ve had a moment to catch my breath, get a flu shot and dig through my email. I was picking through the pile yesterday, and I came upon yet another gem of a Swedish rock band.

Seriously Sweden, WTF? Are you guys trying to steal Brooklyn’s mojo or something? It seems like every rock band, singer or DJ you send our way is fucking golden. It’s making me rethink everything I ever thought about your country - which, to be honest, wasn’t much. But now I’m thinking about getting on an airplane and checking you out. We all know you’ve got hot girls and good vodka, and now it appears that you are a musical force to be reckoned with as well. All you have to do is wait for this global warming thing to pan out and you, Sweden, might beat out Brazil for the top spot on my vacation list.

Assuming I make it over there, the first band I’m going to check out is The Sweet Serenades. This band does indie pop rock as well as, if not better than anybody from Willaimsburg or Silver Lake. Phoenix would be a pretty accurate comparison, but The Sweet Serenades are a little more gritty and lo-fi in a way that makes them more likeable. Their new album Balcony Cigarettes is full of jangling guitars, crisp 1970s drum lines and a panoply of hand claps, keyboard riffs, and Cheap Trick-esque vocal melodies.

Again, I don’t know what life is like in Sweden these days, but judging from the music they’re putting out, Swedish youth are just now living through the coolest part of 1979. I think it’s safe to say that Brooklyn better watch its back. Same goes for Portland, LA, Austin and Seattle. Stockholm is coming up fast behind you. Their bands are as good as yours and their beards are just as scraggly. If I didn’t know better I would say they are just one pair of skinny jeans away from usurping your indie rock throne.

In fact, I’m so far behind, this might have happened already. If that’s the case, would somebody please let me know? Send me an email - I’ll get to it in a couple of months.

MP3: ‘On My Way’


Sweden, indie rock, pop | 5.10.2009 12:27 | No Comments