CMJ 2011

Welcome to Part 1 of our 2011 CMJ picks.  We teamed with My Social List (The Most Blogged About Shows this Week) to give you the rundown of some of the best shows of the fest.  First off, a quick tip: This year CMJ show-only badges are $150; in years past (unless you were a student), trying to get an all-access pass could cost you three times that much. Meanwhile, we’ll try to help you save a few bucks by recommending primarily cheap and free shows.

This list includes official CMJ shows & unofficial shows alike.  We tried to throw in some counter-programming so that those who don’t partake in music (losers!) or those sick of it can still be entertained.

Tuesday Evening Shows:

6PM: Live4ever Media CMJ w/ The Duke Spirit, Damndogs, Figo, Pint Shot Riot, The Minutes, Fifth Nation, 1,2,3, Le Blorr, The Dirty Grand, LA Riots DJ set, VHS or Beta DJ set, Boyhollow DJ set @ Brooklyn Bowl – Free with RSVP

7:30PM: Car Park / Paw Tracks Showcase w/ Class Actress, Dent May, Cloud Nothings, Young Magic, Adventure, Jimmy Whispers @ Public Assembly – Price TBD

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There’s no justice, it’s just us!

The song is called “Two Rivers” and comes courtesy of the forthcoming Small Black mixtape called Moon Killer. Heems from Das Racist gives a relaxed, mellow freestyle over the reverb-ed out Small Black synths. Could this be the Indian Summer jam of 2011?
(via The FADER)

Do you like to shop? Do you like to drink?  Well then why don’t you do both at the same time this Sunday October 16th at the Vintage Crawl‘s premiere event: the Fall Crawl.  The Vintage Crawl is a self-guided shop and bar hop through Williamsburg and Greenpoint–this premier event will feature a designated bargain hunt through the best vintage shops- men’s, women’s and home- in the neighborhood.  All of your favorite neighborhood bars along the route such as the Commodore, Manhattan Inn, High Horse Saloon, Huckleberry bar, the Gibson and Soft Spot will be featuring various drink specials during the Crawl from 12-6pm– there will also be an after party for the the Vintage Crawl at Union Pool starting from 6pm onwards!

All involved shops will be offering special discounts to crawlers– all you have to do is show them the map to redeem. You can download and print the map here and/ or get it on your smart phone from the new Williamsburg app, Domino, at hellodomino.com. Its free and fantastic!

Below are some previews of Vintage Store discounts:

Watch this Rock N Roll epic from hometown heroes, Workout, shot on the mean streets of Bushwick.

Have you ignored the protest thinking this was a short-lived fluke? Woken up and realized the protest is almost three weeks in and getting as much coverage as Jobs’ death? Realized its time to catch up so you have something to say over the water cooler?

Here is a primer, folks. It is far from being totally inclusive but the amount of articles being written and photos being taken are becoming unmanageable. Now is the time to save on some rent money, sublease your apartment and join them to really understand what’s going on.

I haven’t checked out the scene in a few days, but this video, “Right Here All Over” shows a huge group. If they got a masseuse hanging out, this has gone prime time.

-Notables are coming by! Jeff Magnum played but Susan Sarandon, Former Governor Paterson, Michael Moore have all also stopped by.Penn Badgley too. But don’t call him a celebrity, he’s a public artist.

The protests are all over the country! Mother Jones is updating an interactive map of the 60+ protests that have sprung up.

-The New York Observer has been on the ground, covering the event before it was cool to cover the event. They are still plugging away, too.

-Slate takes a stab at explaining the finances behind the 1% that Occupy Wall Street reviles.

-There’s been a lot of criticism over the lack of demands. Douglas Rushoff argues on cnn.com that this is not as big of a problem as mainstream media is making it out to be. Here is the “living document” the protestors are working on to define what they are working towards.

-Yours truly has been dropping by since day one and I’ve kept up taking photos and tweeting up a storm I got interviewed in a podcast, which is a little dated at this point but a good overview on the beginnings.

-Their are protestors who say they aren’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future. To keep up with the growing moment, the group’s website and twitter are good starts.

James Blake

We apologize for our tardiness today; we are toiling away at our list of CMJ shows to make sure you have the best and most choices available. There is a lot of great stuff in our Top 10 this week, so instead of pontificating, we’re getting right to the chase.

You can be thankful you’re a New Yorker this week, as you get the opportunity to see the two J’s: Jens Lekman & James Blake.  The shows are both sold out, but we’ve heard that StubHub now accepts kidneys in exchange for Ticketmaster tickets.  Bonus if you are in Brooklyn, as both are playing at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.  Other awesome options include Twin Shadow at Diamond Rings at Webster Hall, and Screaming Females at Bowery Ballroom.

10. Ladytron @ Terminal 5 w/ VHS or Beta and Sonoio
Saturday, October 8^th at 7pm – All Ages, $25 -> tickets

9. Screaming Females @ Bowery Ballroom w/ Underground Railroad to Candyland and Shellshag
Saturday, October 8^th at 8pm – 18+, $13 -> tickets (more…)

Friend of the site and The Moth favorite Jeff Simmermon has a combination storytelling/burlesque/comedy show tonight at Union Hall. Go out and give him some love. Here’s a sample of Jeff in action:

Dan Lopatin has made a name for himself as the obsessive synth man (both as avante Oneohtrix Point Never, as well as super catchy Ford & Lopatin/Games) He’s made his own record label. (Software) And now, prior to releasing his new record Replica next month, Lopatin has decided to go further and dip his toes into the zine game. Because what makes sense to someone obsessed with vintage synths and 80s pop hooks? Outdated printed media! (but seriously, we love zine culture and are excited whenever an amazingly creative person branches out into a new thing.)

The zine will be called Cool Drool. Volume 1: Our Drool and Why features contributions from Cory Arcangel, Jon Rafman, Prurient/Cold Cave’s Dominick Fernow, Laurel Halo, Robert Beatty, Megazord, and The Wire’s Derek Walmsley. The whole thing will be available through Lopatin’s Software imprint this fall for required cold weather reading.

At the Occupy Wall Street Protest it’s a bit crowded, cold, and the distinct smell of the unwashed is as bold as the political fervor.

There are those who see the protests as a popular movement against institutions and corruption. Others criticize the movement for lacking focus or goals, but those there last night were treated to a surprise solo acoustic set by none other than the notorious troubadour, Jeff Mangum

He even took requests. “Sing it if you know it,” he yelled. “Hello my name is Jeff from Neutral Milk Hotel, and I’m occupying Wall Street,” he said to livestream cameras capturing the impromptu performance.

Mangum played All Tomorrow’s Parties festival last weekend in Ashbury Park. Maybe this is a sign his infamously reclusive days are waning.

From Pitchfork:

“He lead singalongs to Holland, 1945″, “Ghost”, “Song Against Sex”, “Two-Headed Boy Part 2″, “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”, “The King of Carrot Flowers Part 1″, and “Oh Comely”. The “we know who our enemies are” line in the latter song got an especially big cheer. He also covered the Minutemen’s “Themselves”

After performing, he said, “You guys have done a beautiful fucking thing.”