CMJ Music Marathon (Day 5)
Saturday I woke up feeling great! I was well rested and recharged! It also didn't hurt that I knew tonight I was going to get to see The Fall!
I spent most of Saturday with my wife, who because of me being at CMJ, I hadn't spent much time with this week. Next year I really need to get her a press/photo pass also. Not just so I can spend more time with her, but also because she normally does all the photos on my sites, and does a much better job then I (as you will see with my sub par quality photos below).
Anyway, I hopped a 4:30 train into NYC, and immediately headed down to Hiro Ballroom @ Maritime Hotel. I knew that if I didn't show up early, and hang for all the opening acts, I was unlikely to be able to get in when the Fall actually went on at 9:15.
When I got inside Hiro, I was amazed at how pretty, and spacious the venue was. Gorgeous Asian design and art everywhere. The lights were paper lanterns, there was a wooden staircase at either end of the back wall that arched inward, leading to a balcony area. It was just a really nice looking venue. Of course, like most things that look nice, it was pricey. Seven bucks for a beer? I don't care if it is from Japan! Looks like I won't be drinking much tonight.
At about 7:20 the first band came on, but was not the band listed in the CMJ guide. Apparently the schedule had changed, and maybe for the better, as this first band was awesome! Restaurant, a band hailing from Texas, is a duo, with a lead singer alternating between slide guitar and banjo, as well as sometimes playing the harmonica, and a percussionist, keyboardist and backing vocalist, who played some very strange homemade looking variations of the drums (looked like found boxes and other assorted things, taped together to make some amazing sounds). Occasionally they employed some programmed loops too. Their sound reminded me a lot of R.L. Burnside's collaborative album with Jon Spencer. What a way to open the night!
The next band, Women and Children, just bored me. They were mellow, and really seemed like an odd choice to be on a bill with the Fall.
It really sucks when you're there to see one band (in this case The Fall), and you have to stand there and endure another band that really does nothing for you. Of course this happens pretty regularly if you go to as many shows I as do, but it's worth mentioning once in a while, nonetheless.
Another interesting thing to note about tonight is both Restaurant, and Women and Children, each mentioned their band name between almost every song. This is a smart thing to do when you are playing a festival, as people keep walking in and may have no idea who they are watching. I wish more bands had done this at CMJ, including the 3rd band on the bill tonight.
I have no idea who the third band was, because the one time I heard them mention their name, it was mumbled, so I couldn't figure out what they said. They were mellow indie-rock (again, not sure why there would be such mellow bands on the bill with the Fall), with a male and female vocalist. Their music was better than the band before them, but didn't make me want to run around trying to find out who they were. At that point of the night, it would have been hard for me to run around anyway, as Hiro Ballroom had became packed with wall to wall people waiting to see the Fall. Luckily I had scouted out probably the best spot in Hiro to watch the show from, the platform at the top of one of the staircases to the balcony.
Finally it was time for the Fall...or so I thought. First, we got to be annoyed by a 15 minute audio/visual turntable mess, that just sounded like noise. It was long, it was boring, and apparently I wasn't the only one, as you could hear several people yelling for the "DJ" to get off the stage, and that he apparently, "sucked".
That debacle over, there was another long 15 minutes of waiting for the Fall to take to the stage, but when they did, they rocked! The band came out and started playing. I immediately noticed that all the band members looked to be way too young to have been in the original line-up, but that's ok, because the band was always about Mark E. Smith. When he took to the stage, the venue erupted. The Fall ran threw some great songs, and Mark, as usual, stumbled between 4 mics, constantly throwing them to the ground and picking up another one. The show was entertaining and exciting with their experimental punk sounds.
I never realized until last Saturday how much Mark E. Smith's vocals remind me of William S. Burrough's spoken word.
For those wondering, here is the setlist (from the Fall's website):
My Door
Scenario
Pacifying Joint
Theme From Sparta F.C.
Hungry Freaks Daddy
Mountain Energei
I Can Hear The Grass Grow
After 30 minutes, the band abruptly left the stage. The house lights did not come back up, and the place fell silent. No music over the P.A., nothing. People started chanting, "we want more", and I assumed we would get more...5 minutes passed...10 minutes...15 minutes...nothing. Finally I decided to use the bathroom and leave, figuring they were being pricks. I was pissed they only played 30 minutes, but the 30 minute set was enjoyable.
A few days after the show I went onto the Fall's website and saw this posted about their show at Hiro, "The set had to be finished early due to technical problems - apologies." Not sure if that's bullshit or not, as the sound was fine during the set, and I could see the soundguy from where I was standing and he didn't seem to be trying to frantically fix anything. The Fall's site also had a lot of posts from angry fans feeling gypped. If I had paid $25 to see a 30 minute set, I'd be pissed off too.
And so my excursion to CMJ Music Marathon came to a close, with the short set by the Fall. I guess, in a way, it's kind of analogy for my week there, although I don't feel gypped at all. The week went by too quick, but it was full of energy, and fun, and great rock and roll!
However, next year I really need to get a hotel in NYC for the week. I kind of felt like I was back in college, only this time I was a commuter student, instead of living on campus. I know I missed a lot of good shows because I just didn't have the money to get a hotel in NYC, and was beholden to train schedules. Hopefully next year I'll be better off financially, because CMJ Music Marathon is certainly worth going to.
Saturday I woke up feeling great! I was well rested and recharged! It also didn't hurt that I knew tonight I was going to get to see The Fall!
I spent most of Saturday with my wife, who because of me being at CMJ, I hadn't spent much time with this week. Next year I really need to get her a press/photo pass also. Not just so I can spend more time with her, but also because she normally does all the photos on my sites, and does a much better job then I (as you will see with my sub par quality photos below).
Anyway, I hopped a 4:30 train into NYC, and immediately headed down to Hiro Ballroom @ Maritime Hotel. I knew that if I didn't show up early, and hang for all the opening acts, I was unlikely to be able to get in when the Fall actually went on at 9:15.
When I got inside Hiro, I was amazed at how pretty, and spacious the venue was. Gorgeous Asian design and art everywhere. The lights were paper lanterns, there was a wooden staircase at either end of the back wall that arched inward, leading to a balcony area. It was just a really nice looking venue. Of course, like most things that look nice, it was pricey. Seven bucks for a beer? I don't care if it is from Japan! Looks like I won't be drinking much tonight.
At about 7:20 the first band came on, but was not the band listed in the CMJ guide. Apparently the schedule had changed, and maybe for the better, as this first band was awesome! Restaurant, a band hailing from Texas, is a duo, with a lead singer alternating between slide guitar and banjo, as well as sometimes playing the harmonica, and a percussionist, keyboardist and backing vocalist, who played some very strange homemade looking variations of the drums (looked like found boxes and other assorted things, taped together to make some amazing sounds). Occasionally they employed some programmed loops too. Their sound reminded me a lot of R.L. Burnside's collaborative album with Jon Spencer. What a way to open the night!
The next band, Women and Children, just bored me. They were mellow, and really seemed like an odd choice to be on a bill with the Fall.
It really sucks when you're there to see one band (in this case The Fall), and you have to stand there and endure another band that really does nothing for you. Of course this happens pretty regularly if you go to as many shows I as do, but it's worth mentioning once in a while, nonetheless.
Another interesting thing to note about tonight is both Restaurant, and Women and Children, each mentioned their band name between almost every song. This is a smart thing to do when you are playing a festival, as people keep walking in and may have no idea who they are watching. I wish more bands had done this at CMJ, including the 3rd band on the bill tonight.
I have no idea who the third band was, because the one time I heard them mention their name, it was mumbled, so I couldn't figure out what they said. They were mellow indie-rock (again, not sure why there would be such mellow bands on the bill with the Fall), with a male and female vocalist. Their music was better than the band before them, but didn't make me want to run around trying to find out who they were. At that point of the night, it would have been hard for me to run around anyway, as Hiro Ballroom had became packed with wall to wall people waiting to see the Fall. Luckily I had scouted out probably the best spot in Hiro to watch the show from, the platform at the top of one of the staircases to the balcony.
Finally it was time for the Fall...or so I thought. First, we got to be annoyed by a 15 minute audio/visual turntable mess, that just sounded like noise. It was long, it was boring, and apparently I wasn't the only one, as you could hear several people yelling for the "DJ" to get off the stage, and that he apparently, "sucked".
That debacle over, there was another long 15 minutes of waiting for the Fall to take to the stage, but when they did, they rocked! The band came out and started playing. I immediately noticed that all the band members looked to be way too young to have been in the original line-up, but that's ok, because the band was always about Mark E. Smith. When he took to the stage, the venue erupted. The Fall ran threw some great songs, and Mark, as usual, stumbled between 4 mics, constantly throwing them to the ground and picking up another one. The show was entertaining and exciting with their experimental punk sounds.
I never realized until last Saturday how much Mark E. Smith's vocals remind me of William S. Burrough's spoken word.
For those wondering, here is the setlist (from the Fall's website):
My Door
Scenario
Pacifying Joint
Theme From Sparta F.C.
Hungry Freaks Daddy
Mountain Energei
I Can Hear The Grass Grow
After 30 minutes, the band abruptly left the stage. The house lights did not come back up, and the place fell silent. No music over the P.A., nothing. People started chanting, "we want more", and I assumed we would get more...5 minutes passed...10 minutes...15 minutes...nothing. Finally I decided to use the bathroom and leave, figuring they were being pricks. I was pissed they only played 30 minutes, but the 30 minute set was enjoyable.
A few days after the show I went onto the Fall's website and saw this posted about their show at Hiro, "The set had to be finished early due to technical problems - apologies." Not sure if that's bullshit or not, as the sound was fine during the set, and I could see the soundguy from where I was standing and he didn't seem to be trying to frantically fix anything. The Fall's site also had a lot of posts from angry fans feeling gypped. If I had paid $25 to see a 30 minute set, I'd be pissed off too.
And so my excursion to CMJ Music Marathon came to a close, with the short set by the Fall. I guess, in a way, it's kind of analogy for my week there, although I don't feel gypped at all. The week went by too quick, but it was full of energy, and fun, and great rock and roll!
However, next year I really need to get a hotel in NYC for the week. I kind of felt like I was back in college, only this time I was a commuter student, instead of living on campus. I know I missed a lot of good shows because I just didn't have the money to get a hotel in NYC, and was beholden to train schedules. Hopefully next year I'll be better off financially, because CMJ Music Marathon is certainly worth going to.