By Jesse Cataldo
Impossible as it may seem, New York City will be even busier next Tuesday as swarms of keyed-up kids pack the streets in anticipation of the day’s events. Opportunely or not, Halloween falls on the same day as the opening of this year’s CMJ festivities, adding an air of macabre confusion to a festival that, thanks to its sheer size and breadth, is already nearly impossible to navigate.
For one week each autumn, The College Music Journal (CMJ) monopolizes the city’s venues, creating a ceaseless carnival music that’s frustratingly difficult for non-badge holders to gain access to. The coveted passes, available for sale until Friday (Oct 28) grant limited access to all shows and panels, but at $295 with a student discount, they’re not an option for everyone. With that in mind, the best alternative is to buy early, since the highlights of the festival, especially the following shows, will sell out fast.
Tuesday The Rapture (with The Presets and Holy Hail) at The Bowery Ballroom – 9 p.m. This is a critical time for The Rapture. With a new album that’s gone largely unnoticed, they need to put on quite a show to prove themselves more than a DFA-constructed centerpiece for the dance-punk movement. Without a star producer or surging trend to ride in on, the band will be forced to rely on the blandly conventional indie stylings that made them a middlingly popular scene fixture in the first place. A prime spot at a big location on opening night, however, might be enough to wash the bitter taste of their new album from fans’ collective mouths.
WednesdayThe Knife at Webster Hall – 11:30 p.m.Bands like The Knife, a sublimely weird brother-sister duo from Sweden, are the reason CMJ was created in the first place. Here, the duo will have a chance to spread their uniquely off-kilter brand of pop to the masses, with a choice booking on Wednesday night.
ThursdayThe Shins, The Album Leaf, The Thermals, CSS, The Elected and the Oxford Collapse at The Bowery Ballroom – 7 p.m.The massive Sub-Pop showcase provides a long evening of majestically safe power-pop, (highlighted) by The Shins, The Thermals and a number of other bands that may change your life if you’re so inclined. Brazilian band CSS (Cansei de ser Sexy) promises to be a highlight, with their spicy dance-fusion serving as a jalapeno wedged in between this peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Friday Deerhoof & Erase Errata (with Mary Timony and Excepter) at the Hiro Ballroom @ Maritime Hotel – 6 p.m. Destined to be one of the festival’s less predictable shows, San Fransisco’s Erase Errata, with their penchant for improvisation, team up with city-mates Deerhoof, whose astonishing style of noise-meets-kiddie-pop is like a bomb in a Lisa Frank lunchbox.
SaturdaySaul Williams, Stephanie McKay and Cody Chesnutt (with Shawn Hewitt) at Canal Room – 7:30One of the festival’s main faults seems to be giving short shrift to rap and R&B artists, a situation summed up by this crammed, out of the way lineup on Saturday night. Either way, the combination of Saul Williams, with a set of razor-edged, enlightened socio-political rap and Cody Chesnutt, the end result of 30 years of great black music, should be enough to draw a sizeable crowd.
Panels -Acting Up – Music Activism in 2006-Moderator – Janeane Garofalo. Panelists – Chuck D, Steve Earle and others.
Film Premieres-Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazhakstan – Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. -The Vice Guide To Travel – Wednesday at 12 p.m. -Wild Tigers I Have Known – directed by Gus Van Sant – Wednesday at 1:15 p.m. -The Fountain – directed by Darren Aronofsky – Thursday at 4 p.m.
