CMJ Music Marathon Unveils Full 2011 Lineup



In three weeks, the 31st annual CMJ Music Marathon will kick off in New York City. From October 18th to the 22nd, 75 of New York City's venues will be home to hundreds of musicians who will showcase the future of the music landscape. The initial lineup announcement featured the likes of Neon Indian, Wild Flag, Talib Kweli, Portugal. The Man, Metronomy and CSS. The second announcement brought another slew of exciting talent, including Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Bag Raiders, 1, 2, 3, Young Buffalo, and Free Energy. Today, the third round of CMJ artists was announced, and there is a lot to be excited about.

Among the newly announced additions, notable acts include Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Jr., araabMUZIK, Braids, Cerebral Ballzy, Exitmusic, French Montana, Gauntlet Hair, Hindi Zahra, Islands, Jacuzzi Boys, Kate Miller-Heidke, Lord Huron, Main Attrakionz, Nina Nastasia, Outernational, Parts & Labor, Quilt, Rusted Root, Seekae, Twin Shadow, Unstoppable Death Machines, Vockah Redu, Weekend, Xylos, Young Prisms, and Zambri. Just when you thought there couldn't be more, CMJ will be announcing even more additions to the lineup in the weeks leading up the festival, and rest assured we will keep you posted.

Other acts that will be appearing at the festival include Datarock, The Wombats, Zola Jesus, Mr. Dream, Trash Talk, Cassettes Won’t Listen, Crocodiles, ANR, Canon Logic, D’eon, Locksley, Emil & Friends, Funeral Suits, Jenny Owens Young, Look Mexico, Shout Out Out Out Out, The Japanese Popstars, Xylos, Exitmusic, Gauntlet Hair, and The Pass. You can head here to see the full lineup.

CMJ 2011 passes are available to purchase on the festival website. As well, all of us here at Some Kind of Awesome will be attending the festival, so expect a significant amount of coverage of all things CMJ.

[CMJ 2010] Heypenny @ Matchless 10/20/2010

Heypenny ended up being my last stop of the night and I must admit, I feel like I wasn't prepared enough for this show. I think a Redbull and a few handfuls of candy might have possibly done the trick, but it's hard to say. Having said that, for a Brooklyn show deep in the heart of hipsterville, these guys were crazy amounts of energetic and it resonated throughout the crowd. In addition to their energy and musicianship, they also went the extra mile to put on a memorable show. Strewn across the stage were various televisions that displayed corresponding visuals with each song. The visuals were not overpowering of the performance by any means, but you could see how well everything was carefully thought out for each song. For example, during "CopCar", as singer Benjamin Elkins was interacting with the crowd during the bridge, I noticed that the moose graphics on the TVs were singing along with the crowd during their parts. That's precise timing AND clever visuals.My only complaint was that sometimes the lead vocals seemed drowned amongst everything else, but it's hard to say how much of that was their fault vs. Matchless'.

Heypenny are also playing tomorrow night at Crash Mansion at the Rethinkpopmusic Party at 12:30am. If there is a way that I can schedule my night around seeing them again, I totally will.

Check out the video I shot from last night's show of "CopCar" and tell me what you think!

[CMJ 2010] Bad Books @ Bowery Ballroom10/20/2010

Next stop was Bad Books at Bowery Ballroom. This was their first public appearance and the guys seemed to have more fun on stage than the fans did! Lots of cracking jokes and fun covers, including Built To Spill ("The Plan"). If you thought the record had a lot of energy, well wait till you see them live! I must admit, it took some getting used to seeing Kevin Devine amongst the Manchester guys, probably about two songs, but after that it was like they've always belonged together. That includes how tight they sounded, too. Nothing sloppy from what I could tell (granted, I don't know the album inside and out...yet).

Make sure you check out their live acoustic performance from earlier on Wednesday if you haven't already.

You can check more photos here.

[CMJ 2010] Lucius @ Rockwood Music Hall 10/20/2010

 My first stop of the night was at Rockwood Music Hall to catch Brooklyn-based Lucius. The two singers, Jess and Holly, sing sweet and soulful songs accompanied by a small handful of musicians at any given time. I love how they bring music back to the basics - back to a time of things like clapping, stomping and humming along without anything overly flashy going on. No gimmicks. No costumes. Just two ladies sharing their hearts with you the best way they know how.

One of my favorite songs of theirs, "If I Were You", is a timeless tune about a girl who is anxiously waiting on the guy she's currently seeing to tell her that he loves her. "Baby, we've played this game for quite some time, tiptoeing on the same fine line" the girls sing in perfect harmony during the chorus. The scenes they paint in your mind, laying in bed next to someone you love, counting their freckles while they're sleeping, finding the scent of them on your pillow, etc. really give you a warm lovey feeling by the end of the song. If you're looking for a new "fall" band to snuggle up to as it starts to get cold, I would most definitely suggest this one.

More photos here.

Lucius - "If I Were You" by Some Kind of Awesome