all words & photos: Alyssa Lesser
CMJ. It’s that time of year where music fans catch a glimpse of the best up-and-coming indie rock acts of the next year. Ludlow becomes as crowded as Times Square, and you run into everyone you knew, know, and ever wanted to know . This year, the once great festival paled gruesomely in comparison to the CMJs of years past. What happened to the CMJ we once knew and loved so deeply?
Many of the more promising bands that have arisen over the last few months were absent from lineups. Seemingly half-assed showcases were slapped together by PR and record companies (…can someone please explain to me what the deal is with Neon Indian, already?!) that DID present a slew of promising acts, but were so underwhelming as a whole that they discouraged people from attending altogether. Parties were sparse and sponsorship was meager. Where was all the hype we had come to expect from years past? Where were all the graciously essential open bars at swanky hotels and not-so-secret warehouse ragers?
I spoke with some bands who had been touring during October who just decided to skip the festival altogether and keep touring. Others just didn’t give a shit. Mostly, many of the patron saints of the New York music scene were too bored with this year’s paltry festival to lend their time.
I can’t decide whether this year’s CMJ was a comment on the insufficient creativity of this generation of musical acts, or whether it was just a product of poor planning. There are some great bands out there at the moment, and it’s frustrating to see them flounder around amidst a shoddy attempt at creating an exciting scene. I miss the days where CMJ was a wholly electrifying opportunity to get excited about music again. If the festival is to continue the way it once did, it needs to pick up its game.
I leave you with some photos I took during the festival of Ava Luna, who did manage to excite me and many others. If anyone else has anything to say about the festival this year, do weigh in…
When people asked me if they should apply to CMJ this year, this is what I told them: Last year, we played an official showcase at a pretty nice venue in Brooklyn. About 10 people watched us, most of whom were friends of band members. They never really got the sound right even though the sound system was more than adequate for the room, and we were paid exactly 12 dollars. It is my understanding this is a typical CMJ experience. By the way, we got this without even applying through the official process and spending the 40 dollars.
It’s disheartening/boring to read so many preemptive obituaries amounting to “This scene is dead,” as soon as anything becomes a little too mainstream.
This year, I saw over forty acts in four days, and while the pace was exhausting, there were enough stellar performances to keep me on the move from venue to venue. I had a badge (but I was there as a member of “the industry,” i.e., the press, so what do I know?), but for every “official” showcase I attended an unofficial, usually free showcase. CMJ is an industry festival, so the official showcases won’t make much cohesive sense when they’re hosted by an agency that represents diverse acts unless you work with those agencies.
I disagree that “Parties were sparse and sponsorship was meager” and there was a lack of “graciously essential open bars at swanky hotels and not-so-secret warehouse ragers.” Maybe this year the free flowing top shelf vodka was replaced by unlimited Southern Comfort and Budweiser, but that’s simply a sign of the economic times, not a death knell for independent music.
I came back from New York completely jazzed. It sounds like we had very different experiences, but I hope that if you go next year you reclaim that magic you used to feel after the CMJs of years past.
Yeah, I dunno. I know there was stuff going on but I didn’t find it to be as overwhelmingly much as years past. I mean, take for example bigger things like the Fader Fort and Pure Volume House – they had some REALLY SHIT LINEUPS (I know there was some good stuff too, but overall wasn’t impressed). Can they really not do better than this?
I certainly don’t think the scene is dead, I just am disappointed in the majority of acts this year in comparison to years past. I feel like the scene is taking a nap. There were some great acts that were part of it this year. And then, there were a lot of acts that sound exactly the same and elicit no feeling/reaction out of me. They don’t seem to be furthering music or doing anything exciting for me (in reference to the hundreds of same old garage bands or indie-acoustic acts). This may be more of the PR and labels’ faults than anyone elses…
Glad some of you had a blast though!
Funny, I felt exactly the same way at this year’s CMJ. Kept thinking: am I getting too old or is this just not as good as previous years? Glad to hear it wasn’t just me.
Badges are free if you are in an official band and pretty much free if you work for a label, pub co, agency, etc (at least paid for by ur employer).
CMJ is a cluster fuck, but for up and coming bands, it’s a networking necessity. If you’re a band well on ur way and dont have any label or sponsor obligations, it might be more trouble than it’s worth.
But yes, parking a van and trailer in LES is no bueno.
As for music fans just going up there to see music, CMJ is like partying on new years eve. It’s for fucking amateurs.
Neon Indian has like 3 publicists. You have heard of him because he (or someone) has paid a lot of money to put his name out there. see: http://www.imposemagazine.com/bytes/how-many-publicists-does-neon-i
Also, CMJ is always a cluster fuck. And always a blast if ur in a band. The showcases are all pretty weird, but remember they are designed for industry not listeners and fans (hence the badges).
And I know the badges are free for “industry” folk…but I meant that they are a ripoff in the sense that they don’t work for half the shows!
You raise a lot of good points here Alyssa. I think a lot of folks have realized that the game has changed. Thanks to the blogosphere, there are very few genuine surprises at CMJ and SXSW. In addition, festivals like CMJ and SXSW are a logistical nightmare. Limited parking, heavy traffic, venues with sound systems of questionable quality and no guarantee of a crowd = potential waste of time. Never mind the fact that you have to pay to apply to CMJ and SXSW. The whole thing is a bit of a pyramid scheme. There’s no way that the organizers listen to every group that applies. You’re not gonna get signed or hyped if you play “The Show” or 20 shows in a row. In fact, you’re better off grinding. Organize and play a good NY show and promote the hell out of it. Set up a little tour, a big tour, whatever. Just don’t delude yourself into thinking that CMJ is the way forward.
the badges aren’t designed for people in the industry – quite the opposite.
no one in the industry uses a badge because they know they are a ripoff. the badges were designed to make money off of people outside of the industry (i.e. – not record execs, writers, etc. – just people wanting to go to the shows) who felt that they were saving money by buying a badge on going to shows. in actuality, a badge pretty much guarentees you can’t gain entrance to half the shows you actually intended on seeing.
i think that the shows USED to be more industry geared, but now they are branching out and trying to make more money off of them (hence the lack of free booze), and then it becomes more difficult for people like me (who have legitimate intentions to photograph and review bands) to access the shows. problem # 300.
it’s also not really a blast always if you are in a band. sometimes it is, if you don’t have scheduling conflicts or too many obligations. sometimes it is very stressful and horrifying when you play a showcase that no one shows up to.
basically: fuck this festival!!!
So, lots of promoters organized great events this year. Even one promoter brought up a bunch of DC Artists (Alvin Risk, Nouveau Riche)!!! It was a really weird vibe this year though… Neon Indian didnt even play an encore… as fans asked for it.
This was my first CMJ, and while there were a lot of setbacks, I had a great time. With ~700 acts (and those are just official CMJ) I think its pretty hard to call it this year’s festival “paltry” based on one personal experience. Not so secret warehouse ragers, open bars, surprise performances by the biggest names in music, as well as new exciting acts: it was all happening. In fact, this rant only mentions one_single_performance and the rest is mopey blanket statements of some imaginary bygone era.
@Colonel K : re: SXSW, SXSW is a bummer BUT the SXSW unofficial event scene is so vibrant that it’s well worth a trip. I have been going for years and I tell everyone to skip the badge and just go to all the unofficial stuff.
This time around probably didn’t seem as huge because there weren’t big as many names, and rightly so. Shouldn’t CMJ and SXSW be about lesser known bands anyway?
Another reason might be that most bands who play SXSW and CMJ never repeat year after year, with the exception of some international bands. They usually get burned out from all the hassles involved, whether they’re big or small bands.
Bad/no soundcheck = enough of a reason for most bands not to play.
There were free open bars at hotels (and if that’s what you’re going to CMJ for, then you really shouldn’t be commenting on the state of the bands there) and there were secret warehouse parties. It sounds like you just didn’t know about them.
This was my 5th CMJ, and it was much better than last year’s lineup. Did you hear about the time Daft Punk played with Phoenix? Or when Kanye showed up at a $10 party? What about NYC’s first Making Time in 10 years? My group of friends was overwhelmed by how many awesome, and yes, “up-and-coming” bands there were to see. Neon Indian was not on a single one of those bills.
OH DID DAFT PUNK PLAY W/ PHOENIX? KANYE WEST TOO? WOW THAT WAS SO INDIE ROCK I AM GLAD IT HAPPENED AT CMJ!!!