CMJ is upon us, which translates to either the arrival of a complete shit show or (if you’re not really the observant type) venues suddenly appearing slightly more crowded with douchery than usual. Regardless of whether you’re in touch with the less-than-ideal reality for regular show-goers, or prefer to put on chakra glasses and render all those grayscale suits as rainbow zombies, you still gotta plan out this week just a little better than usual– having your friends drag you out of a cab, splash beer on your face, and carefully deposit your lifeless body at your favorite venue’s doorstep isn’t gonna fly. Instead, you’ll need PMA, advanced tickets, and whatever lies beyond this line.
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Aussie Invasion: 7 Acts to See at CMJ While They’re Up From Down Under
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CMJ Announces Lineup: Neon Indian, Titus Andronicus, Panda Bear and More
And here you thought the iPhone 6S was going to be the biggest announcement of the day. CMJ just dropped the initial lineup for this year’s music marathon, coming up October 13 and 17. Among the neon-worthy highlights: local label Neon Gold will be doing a showcase while Neon Indian will be performing cuts off of his first album in four years, due out next month. Local favorites like Titus Andronicus, LODRO, The Men, and Juan Wauters are in the mix, and the international acts range from Australian rapper Allday to Belgian indie rock band Balthazar to Norwegian psych rockers Death By Unga Bunga. Mercury Rev will be repping the old guard while Perfect Pussy is among the more recent breakout acts.
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Exploding in Sound: An Indie Label That’s Blowing Up, You Hear?
Even with our handy-dandy guide to CMJ, it’s hard to know where to head this week — but one thing’s for sure: we’ll be at Silent Barn on Saturday to celebrate the third anniversary of Exploding in Sound.
Dan Goldin started the label in 2011 with money saved up from a desk job at the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. “I didn’t, like, enjoy it,” the Greenpoint resident said of the gig he fell into after college. “But I didn’t hate going in either — it was one of those things where when my day ended, I didn’t have to think about it again.”
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CBGB? CMJ? OMG! Your Guide to The Acronym Invasion
In the coming weeks a flurry of acronyms approacheth the city as CMJ and the CBGB music festival make landfall. Both apparently used to stand for something cool. It’s safe to open your ears now, because we promise our picks have developed a special antibody rendering them resistant to a case of the lames which develops in conjunction with Apple collaborations and/or the advanced stage of Music Industrial Complex infection.
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‘She’s Living This Bohemian Dream,’ Ukulele in Hand
It’s not every ukulele player who goes from being homeless and broke to filling the room at CMJ. But last month at Ella Lounge, the front row was practically treading on Catey Shaw’s toes as she sang. “Watch your feet!” she said. “This is rock n’ roll.”
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The Best Brooklyn Bands We Saw at CMJ
CMJ seems to have been a success this year — or at least, that’s what a handful of Brooklyn club owners said when we spoke to them earlier this week. Peter Shapiro said Steven Spielberg dropped into Brooklyn Bowl, Jake Rosenthal said Glasslands was sold out every night, and Todd P seems to have come around to the fest.
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