your guide to CMJ, Thursday October 23, 2008

October 23, 2008

Sharon Van Etten

Even if you don’t have a badge, CMJ (Oct 21-25 in NYC) can be overwhelming… especially these days with the proliferation of day parties, unofficial showcases and afterparties. Running around like a crazy person trying to catch everyone you want to see can be fun, but sometimes it’s not such a bad idea just to pick one place and stay there. With that in mind, I’ve picked one day party and one evening showcase for each of the five days, as well as late night parties where applicable. The guide to Thursday (10/23) is below…

DAYTIME: Towing the company line, the Brooklyn Vegan day party at Pianos does have a lineup that lines up pretty close to what I’ve written about here (The Muslims, Wye Oak, UK dance-rock act Friendly Fires), not to mention Crystal Antlers, Peasant, Sebastien Grainger, Phosphorescent, and more. Try out a song from every band on the bill:

time (PM), band, stage
12:00 Pretty & Nice (downstairs)
12:15 Twi the Humble Feather (upstairs)
12:45 Eagle Seagull (downstairs)
01:00 James Jackson Toth (upstairs)
01:30 The Muslims (downstairs)
01:45 Shad (upstairs)
02:15 Japanese Motors (downstairs)
02:30 Peasant (upstairs)
03:00 Friendly Fires (downstairs)
03:15 Sharon Van Etten (upstairs)
03:45 Crystal Antlers (downstairs)
04:00 Pwrfl POWER (upstairs)
04:30 Sebastien Grainger (downstairs)
04:45 Wye Oak (upstairs)
05:30 Phosphorescent (upstairs)

EVENING: If there’s one place to be Thursday night, it’s the giant night of rock scheduled at Music Hall of WIlliamsburg: Indie rock legends Mission of Burma, wild man King Khan and the BBQ Show, and Jay Reatard (one of his many CMJ shows), with a break from the noise care of Seattle’sThe Dutchess and the Duke (who also play Pianos on Friday).

LATE NIGHT: Hit Studio @ Webster Hall for one of my favorite new NYC bands, Amazing Baby, plus Japanese Motors who also play the BV day party earlier in the day. It’s free with RSVP.

—