cmj – News on Shuffle

CMJ 2014 – The Final Post

Alright, time to buckle in folks, because I helped TJO Presents run not one but two monster shows as my CMJ finale. There are lots of pictures to share and a final message at the end to wrap everything up in a nice little bow. Also as a side note, I might not have loved everyone who played, but I at least enjoyed everyone I saw to some extent and don’t have anything bad to say about them, so unless there’s a story to share I’ll probably just post names and photos instead of repeating myself a lot. Without further ado, however, let’s go on with the show…

Our story starts at Rock Shop for a day show with 8 (!!!) different bands. First up was Brian Bonz, who I remember seeing several times before paired up with one of my favorite local artist, Kevin Devine. You know it’s going to be a good day when you can boast something like that.

I got to speak with Brian after the show and found him to be quite enjoyable to talk to. I look forward to seeing him again in the future.

Next up was Charles Ellsworth:

Next Bree and the Whatevers. One critique I have here is that Bree has always struck me more as a performer than just a singer. There’s always a lot of energy on stage and a feeling that she loves every minute of her time there. I love that about her and think it’s what makes this band more enjoyable than average.

Daniel Sage:

Hot Jam Factory:

These guys were a fun mix of a lot of different things, but the hint of Arcade Fire was what I think really sold it for me.

Next up, End of Love, which included members of a little band called “Wilco”…

Next act was Andre Obin, who offered an odd transition from the previous band but I enjoyed nonetheless.

Last band for the night was The Netherlands, but unfortunately we had to run to get two evening shows up and running. One of them was at Bar Matchless, but I was only really there for a few minutes to make sure things were running smoothly. The show I mainly was interested in was at Muchmores. Before I delve into all the bands who played that evening, I have to say at the end of the night I got a chance to chat with the owner and he is incredibly nice and bright and overall a great dude. I would love a chance to work with him in the future. Honestly the concept he has going for him now is one I’ve had for awhile and the fact he makes it work so well gives me hope that there’s still a chance I can too one day. In the meantime I wish Andy Muchmore great success. You will definitely see me hanging out in those parts again.

With that little bit of sidetracking done I will now continue to give you lots of pictures and stories from Saturday night.

First up were some very good friends, Out of System Transfer. This band always brings the fun in, so if you ever get the chance I definitely suggest checking them out.

These guys were followed by another good friend, Brook Pridemore. You might know him from the band Brook Pridemore. You might also know him as the guy who does that song about building a death ray. However you know him, be glad that you do, because your musical library probably thanks you.

Moving right along, we have Manic Pixi. This female fronted band had a ton of energy. I really dug their lead singer, and had a fun chat with her later in the night. I have to say I usually hate the color pink, but this girl had matching dress and boots that somehow was awesome and not infuriating to me. Props to you on that one.

Up next we have Fancy Balloons. For a bit of trivia I’ll tell you that this band shares a member with one of the bands from the day show, Bree and the Whatevers. While I might be partial to Bree, I still found Fancy Balloons enjoyable.

At this point I was dealing with a dying camera and a room that was starting to get packed, both signs we were having too much fun and total first world problems, but it did make it harder to keep getting good shots throughout the night. In quick succession let’s break down the next few bands.

The Shackletons:

Grundle Thunder (made up of a bunch of friends from my local bar AND voted one of the best band names this CMJ):

Cosmonaut:

And finally, Great Caesar:

I didn’t know anything about this last band going in, but it was a nice surprise hearing some horns to close out my night. Also was glad I got a final burst of energy both from myself and my camera to enjoy their set.

Thus concludes a very successful CMJ Music Marathon. Shout out to the man in charge of TJO Presents, TJ Olsen. He’s a very good friend, and I was beyond proud of how well his marathon Saturday turned out. Much success to you in the future, good sir. Anyone wishing to follow all the great shows this guy is doing can check out Facebook and Twitter. And if you come out to a show perhaps I will see you there.

CMJ 2014 – Day 3

Hey folks, just a quick post about some of my CMJ adventures yesterday. I only got pictures of two of the bands I saw yesterday and honestly bounced around so much it’s hard to remember everyone we caught. I made a comment to a friend while standing in the upstairs part of Pianos that CMJ is terrible for people with ADD because there’s simply too much to take in all around you that it’s easy to get distracted and want to keep moving from one show to the next. Having said that, a couple bands/artists did stand out to me, as well as a fun event we attended before I called it a night and my comrades moved on to Williamsburg (but not The Gutter because that show had been called due to Ebola).

First up (and the thing that convinced me to get out of the house) was Wakey Wakey at Rockwood Music Hall. Of course it turned out to be a bit deceiving, as it wasn’t the band but one member who was doing a solo set. It was still good but way more chill than I was expecting.

The other band I was able to snap some pictures of was Fictionist at Arlene’s Grocery. I have to say that was my first time visiting that particular venue and I was pretty impressed. Sure it was loud, but you could still understand everything being said. I also really dug the band, whom I had never heard of before but went on the recommendation of a friend.

The one other thing I feel worth reporting was the unofficial pre-party for Slothrust and The Kills at Bowery Ballroom. The event took place next door at One Mile House and featured Savoir Adore as DJs as well as free food and drink specials. I met some cool people and of course enjoyed the free food, which was mostly passed appetizers including these real tasty chicken sliders and some flatbread pizzas. It was a great way to end my night. Today I’m taking it easy but I’ll be back on the scene tomorrow all day and night.

CMJ 2014 – Day 2

The little blog that could went back out into the field to enjoy some more of what CMJ has to offer this year before going back to our “real job”. I didn’t get as many pictures this time but can report about three bands that wowed me yesterday.

First up it’s Frances Cone, who I saw at The Delancey during the day. Unfortunately I caught the last couple songs of their set, but what I heard I really enjoyed. I also managed to snag a picture just as they finished their set.

This was in the upstairs part of the venue, which was originally supposed to be on the roof but got moved due to the rain. Next up I wandered downstairs to catch what turned out to be the end of Peach Kings set. I still managed to grab a couple quick shots before they finished though, and again, I loved what I heard.

I wandered over to Cake Shop after this for what turned out to be the last band I caught for the day: Field Mouse. The room was packed and we got there a few minutes late, so it was near impossible to sneak up for some pics, but I loved their sound enough to give them a mention here anyway. After that I wandered over to the DL for a networking event on their rooftop, which was quite nice. Tomorrow I’ll have at least a few more bands to throw at you, including hopefully Wakey Wakey at Rockwood Music Hall (which starts at 3pm). Until then, keep rocking!

CMJ 2014 – Day 1

It’s that time of year again, when all us music nerds run around NYC trying to catch as much good and/or new music as possible. This year I’m working a night job every night of the week, so most of the shows I will be attending are during the day. I did manage to catch one good act last night though, in addition to being introduced to two new bands during the day.

First up I went to Pianos to catch this band from Berlin called Mighty Oaks, who absolutely blew me away. After their set I asked about buying their CD and they said I could do so online.

Next up I moved over to Cake Shop to catch a noise pop band from Dublin by the name of September Girls. They didn’t exactly wow me like the first band did, but they definitely had their moments. I think a large part of my problem was they like a lot of reverb and it made it hard to understand all of the vocals. Still enjoyed their set and of course grabbed some pictures.

Unfortunately after this I had to take a break to go to my real job, but I did manage to make it over to Bowery Electric to catch one of the bands I was most excited about seeing this year: Butcher Knives. They have one of the best live shows of any band I’ve seen. The amount of energy they put into each performance is incredible, as were the photos I managed to snap during their set. (hashtag: humble brag)

It was definitely a wild and crazy night, and a great start to this year’s CMJ. Hopefully you had as much fun as the crowd did at Bowery Electric, and you keep on rocking all week.

Jukebox the Ghost Interview

During CMJ this past October I did an interview with Ben Thornewill of Jukebox the Ghost. Due to circumstances beyond my control I was not able to finish transcribing and posting it until now. I am very sorry for the delay. Here it is (finally) for your viewing pleasure.

News on Shuffle (NoS): interview with Ben of jukebox the Ghost. So, first question for you is about the album: How different was it working on the new one now that you’ve been kind of established and have a fan base?

Ben: The main difference w/ this record is the amount of time we got to spend on it, and how the time was spent. So instead of doing the first record, doing a record in 12 days, which is how we did the first record, we recorded and mixed, which is crazy in the recording world, we got to spend 40 days on it and really take our time. and it wasn’t 40 straight days, it was like we’d go in during the week and have the weekends off

NoS: it wasn’t biblical?

Ben: It wasn’t biblical no. Making a record it feels like a task of biblical proportions.

NoS: It came out good though. it came out very good.

Ben: I am very pleased with it, yeah.

NoS: Do you listen to your music at all?

Ben: I haven’t listened to the record in a long time actually. You listen to it so much when you record it and so many variations of the songs and the mixes that by the time the record’s out you’re plum sick of listening to it.

NoS: Do you have a favorite song off the album?

Ben: I think the interlude came out really well, and I think, I mean all the songs came out fairly well. I really love the build-up in Summer Sun. It’s only about 10 seconds of material but I think it came out incredibly well.

NoS: On both albums, actually, I really like how a lot of the songs kind of connect to each other and one goes right into another.

Ben: We’re all about that sort of thing.

NoS: A lot of bands right now, because you just mentioned how people don’t listen to CDs anymore, and a lot of bands keep that in mind and just make singles, and you’re one of the few bands I know that still makes albums.

Ben: Yep, absolutely.

NoS: I really, really appreciate that. On the song So Let Us Create, it might just be a total coincidence, but I thought I heard a little George Harrison in there.

Ben: It is total coincidence, and I had obviously heard that song but I don’t think I ever really listened to it until after the fact and then found out it was the same chord progression. It happens. And it’s a different statement of it, but the chords are the same, I hope the key’s not the same. I’m not sure there.

NoS: I don’t think it was. It was similar enough that you could hear it, but it wasn’t like “oh that’s the same song”.

Ben: It was not at all on purpose. It was only one of those after the fact, oh it happens to be the same chord progression.

NoS: Moving on to the tour – how was this one?

Ben: Really good. Full, all around the country and people were at every show and it was really encouraging.

NoS: Do you have a best moment? Worst moment?

Ben: Worst moment was Milwaukee. It was a late show on a Tuesday night. It was 21 up, and there were people there but it was just weird. Some shows are just strange. Highlights are two was in New York, in Chicago it was sold out.

NoS: New York was a great show too.

Ben: New York was a great show too, but there was a tornado and there was some stuff in the way. But Chicago was amazing, and San Fran was amazing. really all around. It was a great tour.

NoS: Obviously there’s a lot of traveling with a tour. What were some ways you guys kept entertained on the road?

Ben: On this stretch for the first time we had wireless internet in the van, which was completely life-changing. So we got to keep up with things. It’s crazy, internet in the van.

NoS: So some of the stuff like the Tumblr and all that you did –

Ben: Almost every single Tumblr or Gumblr review we did from the van.

NoS: I noticed a lot of “loves”

Ben: A lot of loves. It’s hard to hate something.

NoS: So you’re done with the main headlining tour now, right? And next is opening for Guster and Barenaked Ladies.

Ben: We do four shows with Guster coming up next week, and then hit the road for three weeks with Barenaked Ladies.

NoS: How exciting is that?

Ben: I can’t wait.

NoS: Any other bands in the future – if you could tour with a band, it would be…?

Ben: It will never happen but I would love to tour with Vampire Weekend.

NoS: Never say never. Because they will hear that and surprise you. And you will find out that they are huge fan of yours and will want to tour with you.

Ben: That would be really nice.

NoS: That would be really nice. I would totally go to that tour. I dig Vampire Weekend.

So after Barenaked Ladies, do you have any other plans? Or are you just taking a break?

Ben: We have about a week off for Thanksgiving and then we’re back on the road for another two weeks doing another headlining run in a bunch of cities we didn’t hit during this previous headlining tour.

NoS: Alright, so all of those people complaining “You didn’t hit my city”…

Ben: We’re coming back, yep.

NoS: Keep an eye out on the website, which came out really good.

Ben: Thank you

NoS: It was under construction for a long time, but it was worth the wait. Speaking of “online” – a lot of promoting with bands now is social networking – Twitter, Facebook, all that stuff. But then you find that it’s hard to keep a separation between the public band stuff and then the personal –

Ben: yeah, the line definitely blurs, especially with Facebook. I haven’t taken myself down yet, and I get friend requests pretty much every day from fans, and it just is what it is. But I keep my friends and my stuff in one place, and the band stuff is somewhere else.

NoS: And then, the people that are friends with you on Facebook – Do you find that a lot of times you’ll get comments on photos or something from people that you haven’t necessarily even met yet? Does that get kind of weird?

Ben: Not photos. I mean, when I do big postings about like, like when we did Letterman I got tons, and half were from close friends and family and half were from strangers. But that’s stuff meant for the public.

NoS: Last question – What’s your favorite music, artist, band, whatever that you like to listen to? And do you think that you are influenced at all by them?

Ben: Influence is such a funny thing. Yes, I do think, I would say – the last artist I really fell for was St Vincent. That’s close to a year and a half ago now that I really fell for this band. And it’s not like I emulate or try to write songs that sound like her, but I use – somewhere in my subconscious is the stuff that she does and knowing how she does it. And I use that sometimes as a reference point. But I think you’d be hard-pressed to dig into a song and find a quote-on-quote influence directly related to St Vincent.

NoS: Thanks a lot.

Ben: You’re welcome

CMJ Day 5 in Photos

This morning I gave you my recap of the final day of CMJ, thinking I would not be able to get around to posting photos until earliest tomorrow morning. Well, folks, I was kinda wrong there (alright, technically it’s 12:30am, but I wrote most of this before going to Muse. Just had to add labels). I’ve gotta say, I am really impressed with how on top of things I’ve been this week. The version of me that first started this blog would have just done a very short post at the end of CMJ instead of the daily recaps I ended up doing. I have enjoyed getting more of an opportunity to write about the things I love the most, and only hope I can keep doing it in the long term. So – without further ado – here is the final installment of my continuing coverage of CMJ from this week.

Brooklyn Vegan party @ Public Assembly

Wild Nothing

Titus Andronicus

Say hello to an unbelievable crowd

A Million Years @ Spike Hill

TJO Presents showcase

Sydney Wayser

Matt Koziol

Endway

In Cadeo

Like Trains and Taxis

Alyson Greenfield

Hank and Cupcakes

CMJ Day 5 – The Conclusion

The last day of CMJ for me began with another Brooklyn Vegan party at Public Assembly. Unfortunately I arrived too late for Ted Leo, but I heard the line for that was out the door. Saw Wild Nothing for the second day in a row this week, and they were really good. I knew I liked them from the first time I saw them at Pianos, but I wasn’t sure how much until I heard them here again. After they finished, Titus Andronicus began to set up to play to a very packed house. It’s amazing to me how far they’ve come this year. Between this and headlining Webster Hall, I am very impressed. The band was possibly the biggest draw on the line-up, at least in my opinion. This is why it surprised me when the band was given an incredibly short set of approximately 20 minutes. They weren’t even really given much of a warning, simply told they were done and had to get off the stage. I thought the whole situation could have been handled much better, but I’m just a humble blogger…

I lost my interest in the BV party after the Titus incident, so I didn’t stay for the whole thing as originally planned. Instead, I hung out in Spike Hill for a bit to see this band called A Million Years. I couldn’t stay for their whole set, but what I heard I really liked.

The final act of my CMJ experience was the TJO Present showcase at Bar Matchless. This is the one I mentioned before that my friend was running. The turnout for this one was really good, as was the response from audience members about certain bands. I was the photographer for the evening, so I have a ton of pictures to sort through before I post anything.

Yesterday was a great end to a fantastic week. Pictures from the final day will be posted (hopefully) soon. Tonight I’m going to see Muse at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, so look for a review of that soon as well.

CMJ Day 4 – feat Brooklyn Vegan & Force Field showcses

Yesterday included a bit of borough hopping between Brooklyn and Manhattan. First up was the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at Public Assembly. This included two rooms of free music and free alcohol (if you like Blue Moon or Firefly). There was also a table selling BV shirts, proceeds of which go towards “Music Has Power” (The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function). Good music + a good cause = good party by the Vegan. There’s another one today that has a sick line-up. Gonna head there first thing today.

One other thing worth noting about that BV party is one of the bands: Shrag. This band was from the UK, which got me thinking about how many bands travel from all over the world (especially places like the UK and New Zealand) just to come to CMJ. I think it’s really cool how this festival gives people a chance to experience music from not just all over the country, but from different parts of the world as well. Because let’s face it, how many of us are going to be visiting New Zealand any time soon?

Next stop was the Impose showcase to catch the band Dark Dark Dark. They were really fun, and had lots of different instruments (including accordion, trumpet, and clarinet). I really enjoyed this band and would definitely want to check them out again.

Final stop for the evening was the Force Field showcase at Pianos. The line-up included Lord Huron, La Sera, Violens, Woven Bones, Wild Nothing, and The So So Glos. I really went to see Violens and So So Glos, but all the bands did a pretty good job (although I definitely enjoyed some more than others). Wild Nothing are playing that Brooklyn Vegan showcase today, in case anyone is interested in checking them out. If you’re looking for a recommendation, consider this it.

One more thought before I bring this one to a close.

You all know how much I enjoy talking about my favorite band, Jukebox the Ghost. Well, I found a great conversations starter for this topic has been the tote bag I bought from their Music Hall show last month. It was because of this bag that I met someone from The Wild Honey Pie and got a great conversation about blogging and the band and music in general. Later that same night I got another comment from someone who knows the guitarist’s sister. So there are two lessons we can take from this: 1) a band’s merch makes for really good promotion and conversation starters, and 2) it is a small little world that Jukebox the Ghost is slowly taking over.

Speaking of promotion – let me take this final opportunity to invite you to Bar Matchless tonight for the TJO Presents showcase, featuring Matt Koziol, Sydney Wayser, F. Stokes, Stuedabakerbrow, Incadeo, Like Trains & Taxis, Alyson Greenfield, and Hank & Cupcakes. It’s going to be a great night, and it’s FREE. Two reasons you should come out and party with us.

CMJ Day 3 – feat. Yep Roc Records showcase @ Bowery Electric

Last night was a late start for me, since I had to wait till after class to get to the city. Once I got in I met up with a friend and we walked over to The Living Room to check out McAlister Drive. Got the tail end of their set, but liked what I heard. It was after 11pm at this point, so I headed over to Bowery Electric for the final two bands on the Yep Roc Records showcase: Drink Up Buttercup and Jukebox the Ghost. I knew I dug Drink Up Buttercup from seeing them before, but I had forgotten just how much I love them. They have a ton of energy when they play and are incredibly fun to watch. I had been feeling sick with the allergies all day, but I totally forgot about that once they got into their set. Funniest moments included the addition of a trash can as an instrument for one of their songs (which immediately reminded me of Stomp and how they use lots of things like that to make music), and the drummer’s obvious enthusiasm through most of the night (especially the last song). I think I mentioned this from the last time I wrote about this band, but dude gets really into his playing. You can say that about all of the members, but it’s especially true for him.

Speaking of drummers I enjoy – nice segue – Jesse from Jukebox the Ghost is possibly one of my favorite drummers ever. I have had a couple conversations with different people this week about how he really adds something to the band and isn’t just a beat in the background. It’s more like he adds the heartbeat to them, and he deserves a little shout-out for that.

Moving right along… I thought Jukebox had a much better set here than they did the night before. That’s not to say the previous show was bad, it just wasn’t as good. For one thing, last night’s set was a lot longer. For another, I like the sound at Bowery Electric much better than at The Delancey. There also seemed to be a lot more energy from both the band and crowd at this place. The band played mostly songs off the new album, but upon request ended with a few older one’s, including “Beady Eyes” and the fan favorite “Good Day,” which had a little something special about it this time around (again, I mean more so than usual). They also called Drink Up Buttercup on stage for a cover of one fo their songs. Afterwards I made my usual rounds to catch up with people. I mentioned on Twitter last night that Shervin asked me if I was their biggest fan. Said person would be their tour manager/go-to-for-just-about-everything person. He was the first person I met who was connected to the band, and I always enjoy seeing him at shows.

That about wraps up my coverage of CMJ Day 3. All that’s left is a few thousand words in pictures.

Drink Up Buttercup

Jukebox the Ghost

Jukebox the Ghost Set List:
Schizophrenia
Interlude/The Stars
Nobody
The Sun
Popular Things
Summer Sun
Empire
Half Crazy
Hold It In
Drink Up Buttercup cover
Beady Eyes
Good Day

CMJ Day 2

Day 2 of CMJ was packed with enough cool things for two people to go too… and then some. I chose to spend my afternoon at the Sneak Attack Media showcase at The Delancey. The line-up included Kitten, PVT, Kids of 88, Cassette Kids, and Jukebox the Ghost. Unfortunately I was running errands in midtown that took longer than I thought they would, so I missed the opening act. A friend told me they were good though. Not surprised, the whole line-up for this show was exceptional. I especially dug Kids of 88. They have a ton of energy. I got my hands on a copy of their cd and hopefully will get a chance to review it soon. Of course it goes without saying that I enjoyed seeing Jukebox again. They didn’t play for that long, but it was still a fun little set. The real news with them though is I got a chance to interview Ben, so look for that to be posted sometime next week. The only reason it has to wait that long is because I’ll be too busy giving you the latest CMJ news (and helping on one showcase Saturday).

PVT

Kids of 88

Cassette Kids

Jukebox the Ghost

After the Sneak Attack showcase finished we got dumpling from Vanessa’s (highly recommend – cheap but good eats) and moved on to Fontana’s to catch a few minutes of Fort Wilson Riot. From there I was lucky enough to get into the sold out Bad Books show at Bowery Ballroom. The band was dressed to impress, and boy did they impress me. It’s worth noting here that I have not had a chance to listen to their recently released album yet (although it is on my laptop waiting for me to do so). This meant I was experiencing the band in much the same way as my first experience with Kevin Devine – not really knowing what to expect but being really impressed within the first few songs. It is also worth noting that there was much more banter at this show than there was for Kevin’s show at Music Hall last night. They announced they “are not a one time band” and will be releasing another record at some point. That was one announcement that was music to my ears. The set ended with most of the band filing off stage, leaving Devine and Andy Hull. Things I learned on this night: Kevin Devine knows how to play the drums. They performed one last song before ending their main set. The encore was a combination of Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra songs, Hull picked the KD songs and Devine picked the Manchester material. Another thing I learned on this night – “Just Stay” is equally good the second day in a row. Same goes for “Cotton Crush”.

Bad Books Set List:
Highway of Death
Baby Shoes
Holding Down the Laughter
How This All Ends
Wouldn’t Have To Ask
Please Move
The Plan
Mesa, AZ
I Begged You Everything
Texas

Encore:
Just Stay
Now That You’re Home
Cotton Crush
Your A Mirror

I’m not sure which part of this night was cooler – seeing Kevin Devine two nights in a row, or seeing him and Jukebox the Ghost on the same day. All I know is CMJ has been a blast so far, and it is just getting warmed up. Tonight is the Yep Roc Records showcase, where I will see Jukebox again as well as Drinkup Buttercup.