|
CMJ Preview!
Well, kids, it's that time of year again. Time for every rock
star, wouldbe, wannabe, hanger-on, and plain ol' fan to hit town
shaking hands and taking names in a whirlwind cavalcade. That's
right--it's time for the CMJ
Music Marathon. Prepare to be exhilarated by the array of
top-notch musical entertainment! Prepare to be aghast at the bottom-rung
bands that come along for the ride. Prepare to be thrilled by
the crowds of new faces at new places! Prepare to be aghast at
the obnoxious low-level A&R people cutting in line ahead of you.
But,
fear not! We're here to help you sort through the dizzying array
of sights, sounds, and smells of that first week of November.
Find out what the festival has to offer by searching for "CMJ,"
which will produce a list of event and venues in on the game-it's
not comprehensive, but it is updated and augmented on a near-hourly
basis.
This
year's convention will be headquartered at the incongruously palatial
Millennium
Broadway Hotel--usually home to international business trippers,
it will now be overrun with unkempt twentysomethings looking for
swag. The famous panels will be held here, topics to include "The
State of Loud Rock," "Yadda, Yadda, Yadda: Publicists Speak Out,"
"How Do I Get My Record Played on College Radio," and "Techno
vs. Industrial: Can't We All Just Get Along?"
Crucial
Gigs:
Gomez
The Millennium's Hudson Theater will also host one of CMJ's can't-miss
shows: the stateside debut of Gomez. Gomez took Britain's prestigious
Mercury Prize this year with their debut album "Bring
It On," but they aren't another of those mono-dubbed Britrock
next big things (i.e. Oasis, Pulp, Blur, The Verve, et. Al.) Their
sound shows traces of funk and electronic, but is primarily inspired
by American blues-rather than ape the Beatles or the Stones, Gomez
share their influences. With cross-dressing alternarockers Placebo
and hip-pop Swedes Whale. (Hudson
Theater, November 4)
Man...Or
Astroman?
Imagine The Pixies crossed with The Kids in the Hall crossed with
Devo with a shot of Mystery Science 2000 on the side. It'd be
something like Man...Or Astroman? Their mostly instrumental sci-fi
punk surf rock is wild enough, but it's the live show that really
takes these guys over the top into something other than else.
They set things on fire. They drag hecklers up onto the stage
and publicly mock them. They wear spacesuits and wigs. They destroy
satellite dishes. They throw Little Debbie snack cakes into the
audience. They are just plain fun, dammit, and fun is one of the
best things there is. (Aside to all the ladies out there: there's
a very high boy percentage at Man..Or Astroman? shows. But that
should be obvious.) With Trans
Am, Six Finger Satellite, Polyanna, and Shannon Wright. (Irving
Plaza, November 4)
The Afghan Whigs
The Whigs relocated to the oh-so-appropriate town of New Orleans
and are now rolling back up north with a new label (Columbia)
and a new record ("1965"). Led by the mighty Greg Dulli, soul
man for the end of the millennium and not a half-bad standup comic,
the Whigs will crank out their legendary high-powered mix of alternative
and R&B. With the Royal Orleans Review--and watch CitySearch for
an upcoming interview with the band. (Bowery
Ballroom, November 4)
Big Ol' DJ Night
Let me just list the names: Coldcut, Mixmaster Mike, Talvin Singh,
DJ Krush, Neotropic,
Ryuichi Sakamoto, Rob Swift, DJ Spooky, Prince Paul, We, Wagon
Christ, Badawi, and Automator. Giant
Step will bring something for everybody behind those wheels
of steel and you're promised eight hours of it. Quite a glamorous
way to kick off the festival festivities. (Roxy,
November 4)
Chocolate
Genius
Speaking of soul, how about Mark Anthony Thompson aka Chocolate
Genius? His "Black
Music" is one of 1998's best albums and had him written up
in cities everywhere as the missing link between Tricky and Tom
Waits--I didn't realize they even had a link, much less that
it had been lost, but so what? "Black Music" is a personal, passionate
album that can flay you with raw emotion. If he can put across
live half of what he does on disc, this show will be like the
Second Coming. With Andy Bird's Bowl of Fire, Willard Grant Conspiracy,
and Sakana. (Fez,
November 7.)
Thee
Headcoats
When Thee Headcoats take the stage you say "Who are these middle-aged
guys in sportcoats and deerstalker caps and why am I watching
them?" Then Billy Childish hits that first note on his guitar
and-blooey! You're flat on your ass and screaming for more. The
most jaded hipster will shriek like a little girl, the crankiest
music critic will beam like a klieg light when they kick into
their cover of the Beau Brummels' "Laugh Laugh." All those who
foolishly call Rancid "the next Clash" are wrong. The only band
that could ever wear that mantle is Thee Headcoats, with their
mixture of punk, poetry, garage, and blues--they are just that
good. With ? and the Mysterians. (Cooler,
November 7; after the festival at Brownie's on November
9.)
Jungle Brothers/Black-Eyed
Peas/Lewis
Parker
It's the past, present, and future of hip-hop for your one-stop
shopping pleasure. Original Native Tongues posse members, The
Jungle Brothers rode the leading edge of the mid-80's rap renaissance,
when things were sunnier and jazzier and it was too soon for producers
to start sampling The Police. Black Eyed Peas are climbing the
charts by reviving that era's flavor, with their flute loops and
organ bounce, smooth backing vocals, positive themes, and lack
of brand names. Lewis Parker may only be 21, but he's a self-contained
hip-hop machine, deejaying, rapping, and producing. His beats
are solid, and his rhymes are flavored with science fiction and
philosophy. With DJ Mantronix and DJ Hardknox. (Wetlands,
November 7)
The
up-and-comers are harder to call, obviously, though solid gigs
could up the ante for local lounge-noir outfits Lazy
Boy and The
Gunga Din. Another band to look out for (according to the
discerning Kerry Burke) would be Wheat,
who make high art of lo-fi. Also check out The
Interpreters, whose last three scheduled gigs in our city
have fallen through-hopefully they can manage to drag their mod
selves all the way from Philly and not disappoint us this time.
Under
the "What, They're Still Alive?!" category, you'll have the opportunity
to witness The
Misfits, The
Dictators, Vanilla
Ice, and ? and the Mysterians. Mr.
Ice will be showing off his (much snickered-at) new incarnation
as a thrash-metal guy. ?
and the Mysterians have played our area several times over
the last few months, proving that garage grind and Hammond hoot
usually sound better coming straight from the source (though those
orange-lame hiphuggers should probably stay in the closet the
second time around.)
We've
got interviews with these CMJ Artists:
Trans
Am (Irving Plaza, November
4)
Apples
In Stereo (Mercury Lounge, November
4)
Vanilla
Ice (Wetlands, November 4)
Medeski,
Martin & Wood
(Hammerstein Ballroom, November
5)
Snowpony
(Bowery Ballroom, November
5)
The
Donnas (Coney Island High, November
5)
Momus
(Mercury Lounge, November
6)
Meat
Beat Manifesto (Irving Plaza, November
7)
And
reviews of the following CDs:
Neotropic: "Mr.
Brubaker's Strawberry Alarm Clock" (Roxy, November
4)
Gomez: "Bring
It On" (Hudson Theater, November
4)
Solex: "Solex
vs. the Hitmeister" (Loeb Student Center, November
4)
Joan
of Arc: "How Memory Works" (Tramps, November
4)
Black Star: "Mos'
Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star" (S.O.B.'s, November
6)
Lewis Parker: "Masks
and Silhouettes" (Wetlands, November
7)
Chocolate Genius: "Black
Music" (Fez, November
7)
Well,
this should have whetted your appetite for the fun to come.
Check back here for more information, or go directly to the
CMJ website. And if all this
activity frightens you, well, at least you've been warned far
enough in advance to reserve your copy of "Titanic"
at Blockbuster.
|
