With my prized press badge, I began this year’s CMJ experience by catching my buddies, Goes Cube (whom I have covered for Beyond Race), at Crash Mansion on the Bowery. The trio was as deafening and powerful as ever, and their straightforward, organic brand of hard rock is exactly what New York needs. Goes Cube carries an essence of truth, and watching them perform with absolute passion and precision was a treat to the ears and eyes. Vocalist/screamist and guitarist David Obuchowski thoroughly engaged the crowd, announcing brand new songs, while bassist Matthew Frey was serene and silent, and head-to-toe tattooed drummer Kenny Appell pounded the drum kit at full speed, breaking two sticks, which he tossed off the stage and into the crowd, narrowly missing my head both times! The band didn’t play a single song off their previous EP, Beckon the Dagger God, and instead played two ones from their latest effort, Hutchinson, as well as never-before-played-live material that was written after this CD’s pressing. Previously known for using numbers as titles, the band put an end to this formula around Song 70 and actually began naming tracks (though Goes Cube Song 50, 54, and 57 made it onto Hutchinson). Watching this band evolve and prolifically churn out intense songs has certainly been rewarding.

For the rest of CMJ, my legs kept carrying me across Houston to many venues in the Lower East Side. I saw Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains at good ol’ Mercury Lounge, and caught a few songs from Walter Meego just before them. Fun and funky in an MGMT manner, the three-piece blends keys/synths and sound effects with bass and guitar to make poppy, electro, ’80s inspired tunes that are like sonic candy! Sebastien Grainger (formerly of Death from Above 1979) headlined the showcase with his Mountains. An incredibly passionate performer, Grainger, wearing suspenders and a cap that promptly fell off, played tracks off his self-titled debut, and the enthusiastic crowd danced to songs like “By Cover of Night (Fire Fight)” and “Who Do We Care For?” which slip absolute groove into rock and roll harmony. The set was rife with energy and watching Grainger break a sweat on stage as he screamed, fell to his knees, and threw his guitar around, at one point holding it up to the mic so the instrument could feedback, was one of my CMJ highlights. 

During daylight hours, I attended a panel discussion called “Current Independent Culture Through the Eyes of True Indie Pioneers,” moderated by Village Voice editor Rob Harvilla, and featuring DJ Spooky, Dave Allen (Gang of Four), Walter Schreifels (Quicksand/Rival Schools), Dave Derby (Dambuilders/The Silver Men), and Aaron Lazar (The Giraffes). The room was packed as people crowded in to hear about what makes music truly “independent” nowadays, and how to define “indie” music (basically, the conclusion was that there is no musical definition of the term, though Derby suggested that it’s “slightly off-tune” and Juno-esque). The panelists discussed recent changes in the corporate music world and the way we come across new music, as well as what it means for a band to find success. It would seem that iPod commercials are now the crème de la crème, and scoring one might actually allow bands/artists to make a buck!

In the evening, I hopped over to Kenny’s Castaways, just around the corner, to watch jazz-pianist Marco Benevento. The man is a complete master of his craft and his fingers dance across the keys with ultimate ease and nimbleness. His first two songs were experimental in nature, as he looped the piano back onto itself using effects pedals manipulated by hand (often, his left hand was still playing the piano, while his right hand twisted knobs to layer the sound or make it swirl, bend, warble, or echo madly). The experience of watching him experiment organically and electronically was thrilling, though he also played more standard jazzy pieces, using far less sustain. His best moments were those of expansion and also melodic melancholy that only a piano can truly achieve.

I left his set a bit early to bounce back to the LES and catch Skeletonbreath as the first band playing the Ernest Jennings label showcase in the hip basement of Cake Shop. I had seen the band years back in Westchester and remembered the inspiring performance. Self-described as “Transylvanian surf rock,” this three-piece instrumental group, based both in Brooklyn and Philly, are hard rockers and gypsies all at once, with complex songs that make you want to pound the ground. Electric violinist Robert Pycior kept hitting his bow against the lights that hung from the low, foam-covered ceiling, as he stroked, plucked and basically attacked his instrument with extreme gusto, consistently needing to pull frayed strings from the wounded bow; drummer Tris Palazzolo made the most pained and concentrated expressions as he gave the drums a ferocious, yet meticulous, beating; and bassist Andrew Platt held the intricate, multipart songs together, uniting percussion with melody. They alternated between songs from their previous album, Louise, and newer material that should be released soon.

I stuck around for the next few bands of the showcase, the most worthy of which were Pegasuses-XL, an electronica meets rock meets indie hip-hop band that totally grabs at the senses, and The Albertans, a lovely ’60s throwback with six American-Apparel-model players (on the tambourine, keys, sliding guitar, drums, bass, and other random handheld instruments) supporting lead singer/ guitarist Joel Bravo. The three girls sang sweet backing vocals, and littered the ground with fake flowers to create a free-love atmosphere for their soothing, friendly indie pop.

On my last CMJ adventure, I found myself at Pianos for the Suicide Squeeze/ Sub Pop/ Hardly Art showcase. Upstairs, I watched a riotous girl band appropriately called The Coathangers (one of those ironic chick-band names, you know…). In the vein of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, their high-energy musical antics matched their alternating punky-cute and terrifically squeaky voices, and as they bounced around, switching up instruments and microphones, they were incredibly fun to observe. I especially loved the pink baby carriage sign that read “‘It’s a Girl’ BAND” and the way they lit candles on the floor near a toy pony and cat statue. I had a little trouble getting into the downstairs Sub Pop showcase, but I did manage to see Death Vessel, who, despite a rather hardcore name, provided quite a contrast to all of the screaming! The audience was completely calm, as this hippie, “neo-traditional folk” band lulled everyone with a combination of acoustic guitars, upright bass, mandolin, and banjo. Lead singer Joel Thibodeau sings beautifully in a high-pitched soprano register, and if you didn’t spot the facial hair, you might wonder if the man was actually female. Their songs were full of serene longing, and I could almost smell patchouli through the layers. All in all, certainly a varied CMJ for me.