Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today.

Highlights from CMJ 2005

yes, it's that time of the year. the post cmj sunday
hangover. i've slept about 15 hours in the past 5
days and drank more free beer than should be allowed.
i've seen more bands live in the past 5 days, than i
did in the past three months. one of the best parts
about running around is finding those hidden gems of
bands, you never thought you'd find and seeing the old
mainstays, you might not have seen in some time.

Idlewild at the SCB on Tuesday. Man, they rocked the
house. A great mix of old and new. Apparently, they
couldn't get their keyboards on the small stage, so
they decided to have a punchy rock set. This is the
liveliest I've seen of them in years. Great show.

Wednesday, Beans rocked the house at the Bowery
Ballroom. Accompanied by Holy Fuck as his backing
band, he added a great live element to his unique hip
hop sound. It added so much depth to his songs, and
they had some instrumental interludes on their own.
I'm interested in seeing their own live set. It was a fantastic warm up for Devendra Banhart's set. The new stuff sounds amazing with a backing band. It adds so much depth and an interesting twist to the older songs as well. Mommy
and Daddy played a great set of electropunk, with the
two members alternating bass, electronics and vocals.
Grizzly Bear on the same night was a surprise. their
folky/dreamy hybrid and crazy instrumentation was a
treat, as I cought the end of their set at Pianos.
Immediately afterwards, Amusement Parks on Fire
destroyed the house and my eardrums. Possibly the
loudest show of the week. Expansive guitar rock with emotive lyrics and crushing melodies.

Thursday, I had the pleasure of catching Most Serene
Republic at the Fader Lounge. Definitely one of the
best young indie rock outfits. Their spastic frontman
sounds like the bastard son of j.mascis and benn
gibbard. Their songs are pretty and they play with
intense energy. Immediately afterwards, I jumped over to the Bowery Ballroom again to check out a great set from Canadian's The New Pornographers. This band just keeps getting better every time I see them. Later in the evening, I caught The
Exit. A band I've known for a long time. It seems
they've finally realized their full potential.
Drummer Gunnar pounds the skins like his life depends
on it. And their combination of pop, raggae and indie
creates some of the catchiest songs out there.

Friday was a scattering of bands, early on in the day, I caught a great set by North Carolinians, The Rosebuds at the cmj daystage. The wife/husband duo of Ivan and Kelly first caught my attention at MacRock, 2003. It's amazing power pop w/ a slight country tinge to it. Worth checking out, if only for the sight of Kelly. Also the day's highlights included the double at the frying pan, which is a anchored on Manhattan's West Side. I swear, it still moves and made me a little woozy. Celebration, a hot new band produced by Dave from TV On The Radio killed at our very own CMJ Party. Of course, that was the night that took the most out of me.

Saturday was some funtime action at the fader lounge where i caught a glimpse of favourite sons, celebration and soft. Later on that evening,I managed to head over to Mercury Lounge to see a 2nd Amusement Parks on Fire set. Not as punchy at the first show, but still loud and interesting enough. Later on in the evening, I saw Australian's Youth Group for the very first time. I've been addicted to their album, the Skeleton Jar since I first heard it months ago. They did not dissapoint. A tight set, late that night, with lots of emotion and jangly guitars, plus singer/songwriter Toby Martin’s melodies float around in a hazy kind of heartache.

Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?

Seven Things I Think I Think

1. cab drivers talk on their cell phones too much

2. i need to get me that new ipod cell phone

3. just got a new pair of paper denim jeans. man these are nice and comfy.

4. hurricane katrina and the aftermath, is like the craziest thing i have ever seen

5. the sound at the warsaw sucks ass

6. the new england patriots looked scary good the other night. i dont think they can be stopped. brady looks better than ever,
dillon ran the ball well. branch played well. the defense started slow, but then turned it on, and shut down moss and collins

7. kanye west is bigger than god right now.