Where do I start?!? First, I had hoped to post this a lot sooner but since returning from CMJ I've been trying to recover from what feels like the worst cold ever or the black death, I'm not sure which.
Anyway, CMJ was an absolute blast. I saw several bands that I expected to be great and quite a few that surprised me. That's the whole point right? In regards to band's that I had never heard of but subsequently blew me away I would be remiss if I didn't mention Judgment Day and Asa Ransom. I caught both of these bands at the Sesac Showcase on Wednesday night at the Delancey. Judgment Day are highlighted by a violinist and cellist who pummeled the crowd with their string metal. It's certainly something to see if you get the chance. As I watched Asa Ransom I felt like I could've easily been watching the next buzz band from NYC. They kind of sound like what I imagine the Jam or Clash would have sounded like if they all grew up in a haunted house. The lead singer told me they've only been playing together since July or so which makes their performance all the more impressive. They've definitely got a nice following already and I'm sure it will only continue to grow.
As I expected, the Terrorbird Media Showcase on Wednesday afternoon that took place at the Cake Shop was packed with great performances. Most notably, Shugo Tokumaru, Tobacco and Women all made my list of highlights after their sets. This was my first time being exposed to Shugo Tokumaru and his brand of acoustic pop. I obviously had no idea what he was singing about but one thing that wasn't lost in translation is that his music is very very good. I've since purchased two of his three albums. I would have purchased all of them but I don't think his 2nd record is available in the US. At least, I haven't been able to find it. Black Moth Super Rainbow member Tobacco didn't disappoint during his set either. The combination of beats and his audio/visual presentation got the crowd moving if not a little weirded out with it's combination of workout videos, 70s porn and haunted house clips. From the sound of things, Tobacco may be revealing himself as the wizard behind the BMSR curtain. Jagjaguwar artists Women were another highlight. The tight quarters and the speed of the sets added an element of urgency to their time onstage and the subsequent buzz surrounding the band. The only thing marring their set was one particularly pushy goon from pitchfork who decided that since he had a video camera we were all required to make as much space as he needed at the front of the stage regardless of how long we had all been standing in the extremely small space. This incident wasn't without a bit of humor though even if the camera guy missed the backhanded comment. Someone asked the pitchfork goon who he was shooting for after he barged to the front and when he said pitchfork the person's response was, "I should have known..." The camera dude seemed clueless to the comment or maybe he thought he was too cool to acknowledge it but I think the comment counted as one for the good guys. The only other downer to the showcase was School of Seven Bells cancelling even though the members walked through the crowd a couple of times. I think some of their equipment may have gone missing or something based on a discussion I overheard as the reason for why they, "couldn't make it," as was announced.
I caught Nikolai from the Strokes doing his solo thing as Nickel Eye the same night in Williamsburg. I was really surprised and impressed by his stage presence. Much different from his demeanor when playing with the Strokes, he was very talkative and joked with the crowd in between several songs. There was a healthy crowd for what I'm pretty sure was his first US show and those in attendance were all very receptive to the music. It appears that Nickel Eye will be another impressive edition to the solo Strokes output we're seeing with Albert Hammond Jr. and Fab's Little Joy project which comes out next week. I mean, he's already scored a #1 on Turkish radio! That's hard to argue with is it not!?!
I also caught Walter Meego at the Mercury Lounge later that night. I was curious to see how the band was live and was really surprised. I mentioned them in June so I was looking forward to finally seeing them but was unsure what to expect. The long and short of it is that lead singer/songwriter Justin Sconza and beatmeister Colin Yarck put on quite a show with the music translating extremely well. The thing that surprised me the most was how glammy Justin's mannerisms are minus any of the glitter. Maybe Walter Meego are at the forefront of an impending space-glam movement. Regardless, Voyager is worth a listen and you should definitely check out the band if they're in your area.
The most mind-blowing experience of the week had to be at the Panache Booking Showcase at the Knitting Factory which highlighted the insanity that can be found at any show booked by Michelle Panache. First of all, I'm pretty sure that whatever I'm currently recovering from came from the Knitting Factory. Whatever substance is keeping that place from falling in on itself should be used to construct the next version of the space shuttle because I'm pretty sure it would be indestructable. Of all the venues I've been to it's certainly one of the dingiest. That being said, it certainly added to the aura of what I was about to witness. I don't know that I'm capable of dreaming some of the music I heard and the bands I saw perform. Insane Japanese psychedelic rock provocateurs DMBQ were downstairs hanging from the ceiling and laying waste to the crowd when I arrived. After that it was An Albatross's turn to blow my mind and eardrums out with the noisiest noise rock ever. All I can say is that the mosh pit is alive and well and can be found in front of any stage at An Albatross show. Next was The Mae Shi. What can I say about them? The music jumps in various combinations of screaming fits reminscient of punk, crazy electronic experimentation and then into huge love-filled sing-a-longs. After sitting through numerous CMJ panels with panelists talking again and again about looking for that special element of a band that leaves the audience thinking about them after a show, I think I witnessed it during the Mae Shi's set. Their devoted following sure seemed to indicate it. All of this madness led up to what was definitely my most highly anticipated show of the week. MONOTONIX!!! I found a spot in the balcony overlooking the crowd so I could get the best view of what was about to go down and also to minimize my chances of injury. I think it was a good decision. It was everything I hoped it would be. Ami swung doused the crowd with numerous liquids, mooned the crowd, swung from the balcony railing, trash cans were tossed as well as the floor tom as if it were a gentle beach ball. The only probably about the floor tom was that it was not a beach ball as was made clear when it split a kids head open about halfway through the set. You can check out some pictures here, here and here that all do a good job of documenting much of the evening including the floor tom vs. head action. It all culminated with drumkits for Monotonix, DMBQ and An Albatross being hoisted into the crowd and played by their respective drummers. All that before Ami decided that all the nights performers should stagedive into the crowd after the show ended which didn't work out as well as he probably hoped as pretty much everyone ended in a giant heap on the floor but it was still a nice gesture. YASOO!!!
