If you’ve ever heard of College Music Journal (CMJ), then you would know that every year, the online magazine throws a music marathon that takes place at different places throughout NYC that celebrates everything music. The event’s key demographic is the college crowd, and its musical focus is what’s new, what’s undiscovered, what’s interesting, and what needs to be heard. If you didn’t know any of that, well, you must look something like this now:
(It’s okay if you suddenly feel like you’ve been living under a rock for a long time, I didn’t know about the event either until about a month ago. But if you’re anything like me, you’re definitely going to want to keep a space open in your 2014 calendar for this one.)
CMJ’s marathon is hundreds of bands strong, featuring up and coming artists as well known as The Neighbourhood and Royal Teeth, to some you may not have heard of like Bear Mountain, Them Swoops, Happy Fangs, and City Riots. The event also features daily panels like, “How To Survive as a Musician in 2013” and “Music Journalism in the New Media World.” Between the panels and the concerts, the event rages on for the better part of a week, this year, from October 15 to October 19. Sparked your interest? I thought I might. So where does this magical event take place? At different venues all around New York City, from Terminal 5, to Bowery Ballroom, to The Brooklyn Bowl, and countless other stages, making the CMJ Music Marathon one of the biggest musical events to hit the east coast all year.
So now you might be asking why I’m telling you about this. Well, due to the wonders of being an intern at The Syndicate this semester, I am fortunate enough to have been able to gain access to all CMJ events for free. Again, you probably look something like this now:
That was about my face when I found out. The Syndicate throws their own CMJ bash every year: the “Conflict of Interest” party. With my badge on reserve, and VIP access to Conflict, this was probably the perk of all internship perks, and needless to say I was fairly stoked. If you were ever thinking of doing an internship in the music industry, or any internship really, I urge you to go for it. CMJ access is the perfect example of how internships not only help you gain invaluable experience, but also provide awesome opportunities for you to do things you never would have been able to or thought to do before, like be on the VIP list at a major music event.
Alright, my internship spiel is over, now back to the music. After getting a little dazed and confused trying to navigate the treacherous subway on our way into Brooklyn, I finally made it to The Brooklyn Bowl, the venue where the Conflict party was being held. Now, this was my kind of party. Not only was there a bowling alley, there was also a photo booth, a seating area with food service, and my proverbial home for the night: the concert floor. The stage before me was set up like a gypsy fortuneteller’s fantasy wagon. Thick curtains hung behind an array of instruments, microphones, and speakers, and a giant crystal ball hung center stage, reflecting the light like a small moon. I got as close as the crowd would allow, and pretty much just as I arrived, the house lights went down and the first band went on.
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Conway. This band had a front woman the likes of Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, except she was a little less sassy and a little more whimsical. First let me say this: the girl wasn’t wearing pants (just lacey biker shorts). I had to commend her for being that confident. And her stage presence was killer, jumping, kicking, bouncing, and dancing to the music, like singing and moving all happened in one fluid motion as easy as breathing. Her vocals sounded spectacular throughout too, which is pretty awesome to think how much she was actually moving. The drummer was just as energetic, but she just let all of that momentum run through her arms to her drum sticks, like they were all connected on one synapse. I don’t know, maybe I’m just a fan of female drummers in general, but she was spectacular, every beat on point, every hit piercing from the speakers to your body, forcing you to get up an dance to the up beat rhythm. The songs were great too, although my one complaint, was that the base was too loud and it was hard to hear the vocals over it. You had to strain a little to get the words, which were very well put together into the up-tempo, pop-hook based alternative melodies that were really fun and moving at the same time. The songs were great, but my other complaint was that the male members, I must say, were rather stale in their performance, almost unnecessary. The guitarist and the bassist didn’t do much of importance, and when it was their time to shine, they were rather underwhelming. Overall though, a good performance and an exciting way to start off the night and CMJ.
The second CMJ band I saw was also at Conflict of Interest: Lucius. When I say this band has power, I mean they stole the CMJ show with pure, unadulterated, raw power. As soon as the first song was over, the crowd didn’t know what hit them, but they were begging for more. Everyone was on their feet cheering, listening closely, and allowing the bands tight harmonies and great melodies to penetrate down to their core. These guys had it all: two lead girls with the harmonies so good I wouldn’t even know how to begin describing them, and then three other guys backing them up instrumentally. The sound was classic-meets-modern while crossing over genres in waves from bluesy bars to country twang to electronic builds and rocky rolls. I don’t have much to say about these guys except that you NEED to get them on your iPod, stat. I wish I was closer, but I couldn’t really get a good video for you guys; so instead, here’s a link to their title track on their debut album (that JUST dropped, lucky you) “Wildwoman.”
The last CMJ show I got to see was The Neighbourhood at Terminal 5. I saw them back in late August, and these guys are always great. With such a fun stage presence and the ability to always get the crowd involved, they sound better live then on the album, which says something because their album is great. I definitely suggest taking a listen to this band, who’s songs go from calm to fire-all-phasers in a matter of a stanza. Their great for a mellow deep listen and their live performance is just plain fun. But what was really surprising about this show, actually, was the band that opened for them: Lovelife. These guys were very fun to watch because you can tell they were having a great time. Without the vocals, the music was awesome. The mix of electronic and alternative was very well paired, and the polyrhythms in the drums made you want to get up and dance to every song. Now, put on top of that a well-executed falsetto and harmony from the lead and backup singers, and you have quite an act. This band was so impressive actually, that my best friend who I went with actually thought they were the headliners. They were so good, you couldn’t tell the difference between a band that has an established fan-base and one that is just getting discovered.
Overall, CMJ was a great time and I highly suggest that you guys check it out for next year. My schedule didn’t allow for me to go to a lot, unfortunately, but Conflict of Interest was a great show and so was The Neighbourhood, so it was definitely worth it. Tickets are slightly expensive, around $550, but they have a discount for students! Which is pretty significant, at $330! There’s never to high a price to see great music though, and I would definitely say it was worth it and would go back if given the chance!
If you guys want to learn more about CMJ or want to see the featured artists from this year, check out: http://www.cmj.com/marathon/. And if you want to check out the pictures and other cool stuff from Conflict of Interest, check out: http://conflictparty.com/.
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