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CMJ Week: A Roundup Of The Best Shows

Posted 10/24/11 1:19 pm EST by in Concerts


Lamar

By Steven Roberts

Way back in 20 aught 7 when I started interning at MTV News, CMJ Week was one of the things that got me noticed and helped me stick around. The annual music showcase sees dozens of artists descend – well, some just take the L from Brooklyn – on New York City to try and prove themselves. As an intern, I loved the chance to run around my hometown to cover music. I was doing that already, but this time it was free and I could tell girls I was working for MTV News.

Fast-forward four years, I'm old and jaded, and CMJ isn't that big of a deal. Well, that isn't entirely true. It still provides kids an opportunity to see plenty of up-and-coming acts and it gives those acts a chance to broaden their fanbase. And I wasn't mad at all of those invites in my inbox either.

My co-worker CJ and I decided to compile a list of some of our favorite shows this weekend, read on for more. Read More...

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Suckers Overcome Sexy Distractions, Punching For Memorable CMJ Set

Posted 10/26/09 10:57 am EST by in Music


By Rya Backer

Thursday night, I had the privilege of seeing Suckers, a band I had a fondue party with the night before (you'll see footage of our melted-cheese exploits on this very Web site quite soon). They were incredible, and it was the best show I've seen since I saw Tanlines last month.

First of all, the show immediately took an unusual turn because a dude climbed up on the Studio at Webster Hall's stage and tried to punch lead singer in the face. That wasn't the only bit of extra-curricular weirdness, as later on a couple began ... let's just say they it was inappropriate.

It was a testament to how great Suckers are as a live act, because even with all distractions they still managed to turn in a signature show. Singer Quinn Walker wears makeup but applies it in a way that a seven-year-old on acid might. Quinn and the rest of the quartet — drummer Brian Aiken and multi-instrumentalists Austin Fisher and Pan — form a cohesive, oft-harmonizing unit. I can attest to how genuinely nice they all are, and their live set is well thought-out and passionate.

The band's music is unique, often sounding like a collection of forgotten Purple Rain b-sides. Quinn's vocal range is gigantic, stretching as high as Mariah Carey on "Emotions" and as deep and soulful as that Enigma song where everything's played backwards in the music video. And though opener "Save Your Love for Me" had gorgeously haunting harmonies, the night's one standout was the evening's powerful closer "It Gets Your Body Movin,'" which featured a spaced-out guitar solo, whistles and trumpet.

Suckers will continue to criss-cross the country with the just-as-great White Rabbits for a little while longer, and you should catch them now, because they won't be playing cramped rooms like the Studio at Webster Hall for much longer.

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Samuel Makes The Crowd Shake At CMJ Showcase

Posted 10/23/09 5:00 pm EST by in Music


By Rya Backer

Growing up in Manhattan, the annual CMJ Festival was always a staple, providing a lot of fun gigs in between Yom Kippur and Halloween. This year's CMJ has kind of been a bummer — or maybe everyone who used to be really psyched about CMJ is getting old and boring. But there are still good acts to be seen!

One of which is another born-and-bred Manhattanite, Samuel. Samuel played on Wednesday night (October 21) at the party hosted by Spin magazine (along with the Temper Trap and the Clipse — pretty classic eclectic CMJ booking). According to his MySpace page, Samuel has a musical pedigree, and his live show makes it really evident that entertaining is in his genes. Backed up by two DJs and a drummer (two of whom make up his production partners, the Knocks), Samuel sang through a high-energy (I go tired just watching him dance from one side of the stage to the other) set full of sunny, soulful and sad songs that were all ultimately pure pop.

Song standouts included the Motown-y "Coincidence" (it's a song about a girl, as are most of his tunes), the Postal Service-y "Say Goodbye" and the dance-friendly "Neverland." The crowd responded to the latter the best, shouting along with the chorus: "Until I find my way back to Neverlaaaaaand."

Like a lot of this year's CMJ artists, Samuel is already signed to a major label (Columbia) and has created a grassroots following in NYC, but with a tour scheduled for next year and an album scheduled for release next spring (executive produced and mixed by Greg Wells, who has also worked with Katy Perry and Mika), Samuel may already be on his way to Neverland.

Photo by Ian Witlen

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The Noisettes Talk Afro-Punk, Wild Young Hearts And Their Favorite Artists Of 2008

Posted 12/18/08 4:08 pm EST by in Noisettes


By Daniela Capistrano

The Noisettes want Afro-Punk to come to England.

"We'll look after the lot," frontwoman Shingai winked when we last spoke to the band in October, backstage at the Afro-Punk showcase at the CMJ Festival in New York.

"[Afro-Punks] are such an amazing group of people who are doing something unbelievable," Shingai gushed. "I mean, the standard's good, man. All the events that we've been involved with have had great bands. They put on really interesting, eclectic, amazing events. It's like Earl Greyhound, Santogold, it's great. [Afro-Punk] knows how to show kids a good time. There's nothing like it in England. Nothing."

Guitarist Dan Smith sees the festival as a catalyst, helping to eradicate some old notions. "The [punk] music movement in America has always been perceived as being a white thing, and [Afro-Punk] is making it more inclusive," he said. "It's about people getting a wider understanding of rock and roll and its history and its roots, where it comes from and that anyone can do it. And it can be loads of fun, yeah?"

The CMJ crowd loved the Noisettes' live show (see some of it in the Afro-Punk video below), so we got on the phone with them Wednesday to talk about their new video for "Wild Young Hearts," their spring '09 album of the same name and their list of the artists they fell for in 2008.


We've got the goods on the Noisettes after the jump!
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Are Passion Pit The Band To Watch At This Year's CMJ?

Posted 10/24/08 8:10 pm EST by in New Music Update


By Rya Backer

Passion PitIt's that time of year again — that time of year when music lovers the world over congregate in the hipster throes of the East Village, the Lower East Side and Williamsburg to celebrate all things indie rock and open bar. It's the time of year when, within a week, bands can break out or break up — and all the while, get handfuls of free stuff. Ladies and gents, it's the CMJ Music Marathon.

I'd conservatively estimate that 90 zillion unsigned bands from all genres have played this week. One of the bands we here at MTV News have really gotten a kick out of is Boston — OK, Cambridge — act Passion Pit. Despite having only been around for a year (one of their members joined about two months ago), they're poised to be 2008's CMJ success story.
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