CMJ Music Marathon (Day 3)



Day 3 - Thursday November 2nd

I skipped day 2 of CMJ, because of needing to be at my day job, and co-hosting (with Jersey Beat's Jim Testa) our monthly Folk You! show at the Goldhawk, which incidentally had an awesome line-up of Chris Avello (from the Hot Cops), the NJ return of the Crayons, and Matt Colligan. But I was ready for day 3, and even another long boring train ride into the city, marred by a 20 minute delay between Newark and Secaucus, with no explanation, couldn't break my spirits.

Finally getting into NYC at 1:45pm, I didn't have time for my leisurely walk up to Lincoln Center if I was going to catch a 2pm set by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. This was a band I had recently come to learn of thanks to my friend Jared Migden, music director at WRSU. I had heard him play them on his show a week before, and was blown away by their fun sound. So, to make it on time, I hopped on a subway for the first time in years...mind you I don't have a problem with taking the subway, except that I didn't know the train routes very well, but thanks to the handy CMJ guide, I had a map with the trains and their stops. I'm not an expert on the subways now, but I can get around ok on them. Thanks CMJ! :)

Arriving at the hallway area outside Avery Fisher Hall just minutes before SSLYBY started, I scoped out a good spot to watch from a floor above the stage...at least I thought it was good, until I realized they set the stage up so right behind it was the sun, burning my retinas if I didn't position myself to let a building across the street block it.



Regardless of my problems with the blinding sun, my only problem with SSLYBY's set was the muddled sound in the hallway made it difficult to hear the vocals clearly. Otherwise, their indie-pop rock was infectious and fun, and their cover of Arrested Development's, "Mr. Wendel", was a hoot. I must make sure to see these guys again in a better sounding venue.

Near the end of their set I actually ran into Jared, along with Jeff from WRSU. But I couldn't talk to them for long, as I was already running late for a mid-day CMJ party sponsored by Yep Roc Records.

CMJ parties are the norm, offering free food, drink and music. This particular one I wanted to catch because Yep Roc has such brilliant artists on it's roster as Billy Bragg, Bob Mould, and Legendary Shack*Shakers, among countless others. The party was down in Bowery District at Piano's, so I had to hop the subway to get there. On the subway I got to hear more music, this time from to Spanish guitarists and singers busking for change. I must admit, they weren't bad.

A few blocks from the subway station I passed a line which wrapped around a building...yet strangely this was not at a CMJ venue. I looked in the big windows of the place and saw this place were doing some special chance for people to play the new PS3. Whatever, I have a PS2, and most of the games I play on it are classic 80's video games I grew up on. I found it funny though that people would wait on a long line just to play a game system they could buy in stores in a couple of weeks. Then again, they probably would laugh at me waiting on line to get into a club to see a band.

By the time I got to Piano's, the free food was gone, and since the choice of free beers were both no-name canned beers, I nursed one foul tasting Scottish ale the entire day. I had also missed American Princes set, but I had seen them earlier this summer, and while they weren't bad, they were nothing special either. However, the band playing when I got there, Heavy Trash, was certainly special. Classic rhythm and blues, rockabilly soul, these guys were incredible! And no surprise, seeing as the band featured Jon Spencer. I only wish I had gotten there earlier to catch their entire set and not just the end of it.



After Heavy Trash finished the tiny back room at Piano's emptied out some and I was lucky enough to find a stool to sit on for the remainder of the show., which became particularly handy when the crowd packed back in when the next band started.

Cities looked promising when I saw the lead singer/guitarist pull out a Rickenbacker guitar...sadly, the band failed to excite me. They played a dull slightly whiney indie-rock, that occasionally got more upbeat and added some rhythm, but mostly didn't do much for me.



After a long break, and an almost excruciatingly long attempt for Yep Roc to do some prize bag giveaways...they ultimately just gave some of the bags to the people up front, which I don't think was fair as I was there most of the day and had a ticket, and with over $800 in prizes in the bag, I felt a little gypped. But I got over that as the Apples In Stereo took to the stage to play their fun, happy, energetic, upbeat brand of pop-rock/Brit-pop. Can I use any more adjectives to describe their music? Probably, but why bother, you get the idea. The Apples In Stereo are awesome! The majority of their sadly short 30 minute set was comprised of new music from their forthcoming album (due out in Feb. 2007), and let me just say this is a band whose new material is as good, if not better, than their classics. I can't wait to get this new album to play for all of you on Lazlo's Den!



With an hour to kill before the next show I wanted to hit, I walked over to my favorite pizza place in NYC, Two Boots. It's always nice to get a slice of Tony Clifton there.

As with every night at CMJ, there was no way I could hit every show, and with my wife home sick, and myself not feeling so great, I decided I'd likely make an early night of it, and would skip such shows as The Shins, The Walkmen, Darryl Jennifer's Blacknova, Mohair, John Medeski meets Kid Koala, and La Rocca, among many other choices I had. I instead went back to Blvd to catch a set by a NYC musician I've been playing on the Den for some time, Rachel Sage.

I got to Blvd, and found that the area I had been in there on Tuesday night, was apparently not their regular stage area. Instead, this very small weird backroom, that Rachel later described as being very James Bond-esque, was where the show was being held. it was a better set-up then the main room in the fact that the blaring music from Crash Mansion didn't filter up, and there was no distracting TVs. Instead, this room had weird lights projecting off the walls, and the back wall, directly opposite the stage, was a huge picture window. Weird room.

Arriving at 7pm and making myself comfortable for what was supposed to be a 7pm set, but Rachel didn't arrive until 7:20. Talking to her for a moment before she went on, as I was one of the few people in the room there to see her, she said she had never played here before and didn't know where it was.

I actually need to apologize to Rachel, if she reads this, as I'm afraid I probably was yelling at her, rather then talking. Not an angry yell, just trying to talk over the music playing in the room. I have a rather loud voice to begin with, a combination of hearing problems when I was young, and having to yell to be heard over my parents (something I'd likely be telling a shrink today, if I had one LOL!). Add to that that I had already put in my earplugs (which I always were at concerts to avoid more hearing loss), and I realize, in hindsight, I was probably yelling, Sorry Rachel.



Finally taking to the stage at 7:30, Rachel Sage, and her new back-up band the Sequins, featuring a stand-up bassist and a percussionist, accompanying her piano and vocals, I am happy to say that her performance was worth the wait. Rachel has this incredible presence on stage, not unlike the way Tori Amos looks playing the piano and singing, but Rachel's music is less bizarre, more accessible. Her songs are extremely catchy, and there is true poetry to her lyrics. Watching her set made me feel good, when before she started I was starting to feel sick and ready to go home.



However, when her set ended, it was time for me to call it a night. Time to go home, see how my wife was feeling, and try to get a good night's sleep so I could get back into NYC on Friday for more CMJ fun.