CMJ Music Marathon madness descends on NYC
- Oct 23, 2008
Every year, the music industry descends like hawks throughout the bowels of New York City for a week in October. 100,000 people watch 1000 bands perform in 65 different venues for CMJ (College Music Journal)'s Music Marathon. Bands crash in vans and on floors in Brooklyn, bloggers crash on couches and under their computer desks, and no one gets enough sleep. It's pretty much musical mayhem as well as euphoria for indie rock lovers and journalists like myself because CMJ remains one of the only really true "taste-maker" festivals (like SXSW and POP Montreal). True, 80 percent of the bands you see, you'll never hear of again but it's the sweet 20 percent you savor: those unfound music ingenues who will set the trends for the year and become legends in two years. Daftpunk, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Spiritualized, the Foo Fighters, The Beastie Boys, Lenny Kravitz and L L Cool J all performed in a small dank bar somewherein CMJ's 28 year history.
This year, CMJ the schedule includes: A Place To Bury Strangers, Beach House, Broken Social Scene, Cool Kids, Crystal Castles, Deerhoof, Donavon Frankenreiter, Gang Gang Dance, Jay Reatard, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Lykke Li, Minus The Bear, Roisin Murphy, Mark Ronson, The Dears and Yo Majesty.
Like last year, I am shooting CMJ for CMJ, so I'll be sure to fill you music.virgin.com peeps in on the best and worst performances, the drama behind the DJ booth, and any or all inappropriate dance moves. To give you a taste, I included my favorite shot last year of most 'memorable moment' of Philly-based rapper Spankrock kissing a random audience member upside down; let me know what you think. (I might add that night, Spankrock, who performed with Santogold, invited half the crowd onstage and then towards the end of his performance, simply curled up behind the DJ booth and passed out.)
