And so it goes. CMJ is over. I can't say I'm too disappointed. I'm behind on sleep, work, sobriety, etc. It was a blast and I'm proud of myself for making it to at least one show a night. Met a bunch of cool people and saw a lot of great bands. I must say that I'm glad this is only once a year, and I'm glad I only know of one show I'm going to this week. I think I need a second to breathe.
So the day started out yesterday a little later than usual, but I made my way up to Times Square to catch the screening of Elizabethtown. Cameron Crowe was supposed to be present for a Q&A session following the film, but could not make it because he was back in the editing room. For good reason. I may be one of the biggest Crowe fans, but I'm not going to make something out of nothing. It's not a great film. It has its moments and naturally a killer soundtrack (Ryan Adam's seems to be the muse for this one). Prior to seeing it I thought Kirsten Dunst would bother me, but she was okay. Orlando Bloom, while nice on the eyes, should never attempt an American accent again. I don't know why he was chosen for the film. Apparently an edited version will be released in theaters, so I'm curious to see what Crowe changes. Needless to say, I was quite dissapointed after waiting awhile for this film.
After the flick, I jumped on the subway and dropped my stuff off at Georgia's apartment before running (literally) to CB's Gallery for the Dovecote Records showcase. I missed Tim Williams but made it for The Late Greats, a fantastic band from the UK. Their music is a unique collection of eclectic pop and power rock that seem to blend together seamlessly. Watch out for these guys.
From there I was off to Scenic for the first time since it opened. Very cool venue. Small space but great sound. I ran into
Karen and the yummy
Five O'Clock Heroes boys who were also there to check out
We Are Scientists. Unfortunately things ran late (like usual) and I had to leave but I caught a few songs. They are impossible not to like. I just want more.
Liz was waiting outside so I had to run. Beginning to feel the alcohol run through me but knew the night was young. We made our way down to Crash Mansion for the consistently wonderful
GoStation. Liz wasn't drinking so she wasn't her usual crazy self but that didn't stop moi. The boys debuted some new material which on first listen was pretty strong. Hopefully it won't take them another 2 years to release another EP.
We stuck around for a little while to embrace the couches and space that we knew would be lacking at Mercury. But we said our goodbyes and walked across Houston to catch
Dirty on Purpose. Made it there with only two songs left but two songs is better than none right? Love the environment that band projects both on record and live. It's like stepping into a dream world of melodic pop.
Although I was quite intoxicated at this point I was still standing and not going anywhere (thankfully). Next up? Australia's own
Youth Group. I've been in love with this record since I purchased it in London and seeing them live was like icing on the cake. They are just super good, need I say more?
And then it was time for the closer of the night and one of my favorite local bands
The Upwelling. I made my way up to the front because I was drunk enough that I didn't care if I was seen singing along to every song. It had been a good three months since the last I saw these guys, which is perhaps the longest I've ever gone. Never to be disappointed, the songs sounded better than ever. So good, in fact, that they blew a speaker right into the last song, "Diamond Ring." But Ari was on top of things, and opted to sing a song solo sans mic. Made for a unique set and an even more pleased crowd. Kudos to them.
It was definitely time to go home after that. I hopped in a cab for the first time in awhile up to Georgia's apartment. Thank god she let me crash there or else it would have been an interesting subway ride back to Brooklyn. We traded stories of our nights and then very quickly passed out.
I hope up early this morning and thought that I was dead. Not just the usual next morning headache, I felt like my entire body was going to explode at any given second. I swear they need to put warnings on pint glasses. I met Liz for brunch at Schillers which felt great at the time, but quickly resulting in being in rough rough shape. We walked around the Lower East Side for a bit until I felt the need to lay down. Luckily, we found a bench.
I almost was about to just hop on the subway and head home but felt the need to end the weekend on a high note. I very slowly made my way over to Pianos to catch the annual post-CMJ show. After chatting with
Carter I got myself a nice big glass of water and sat down. Who did I see come straggling into Pianos? The one and only, the infamous
Anton Newcomb. I stood for a second in shock and then was about to say hi but feared I might get kicked in the head if I said something stupid. Within those 10 seconds he walked in and he walked out. I missed my change.
Caught
The Late Greats for the second time in less than 24 hours but had to step outside half way through their set. My head hurt. Met up with Susan and Sof and returned back to the stage for
A Brief Smile. They got a nice sized crowd in for a Sunday afternoon. But as soon as the set was down and after sharing some delic french fries with Sof, all I wanted to do was get myself home.
Here's to doing laundry, work, sleeping and detox. Work begins again tomorrow morning, perfect timing. See all the pictures from this weekend
here.CMJ, see you next year.
Download:
Took me a while to warm up to this band. I was overly exposed with signs everywhere in London proclaiming me that this was Britain's newest and greatest act EVER. Naturally, I was skeptical. But I bought the album willing to give it an un-biased listen. At first I wasn't that impressed. Somewhat catchy, yes, but not instantly likeable. Although completely different bands, it was a similar experience with CYHSY. A lot of hype. But both albums aged well in my music collection. And both are truly works of art. 
I tend to dislike Pitchfork. I tend to disagree with them often. The Cribs is one perfect example. They gave the album a 3.0 and said that it is "less deserving of ire, and yet no more deserving of a listen." And what a surprise? They compared them to the Strokes. Come on! This lo-fi album is a gem of today's true brit rock. It's gritty but accessible. And musically it's incredibly impressive from a young band (and might I add superior to the Strokes). It may have flaws, yes --but this is just the beginning. I'm very eager to hear what this band does next.
I bought this album just prior to my departure and it was on heavy rotation during the summer. I fell in love with the song "Skeleton Jar" and then I fell in love with the entire album. Can't wait to see if they can pull it off live next week at CMJ. Although I've heard mixed reviews, I think it’s a beautiful record from start to finish. Something about it screams warm summer nights sitting on a beach with a bottle of wine. It's peaceful, intricate, and everything I love about music -- it brings me somewhere else.
