New York – Mark Foster commanded the stage like a cult leader at Friday night’s Foster The People show at the historic United Palace. Such a grand venue was the perfect setting for the band’s brief CMJ stop. The gilded stage was populated by synths and drum sets creating a visually staggering environment within the
Brooklyn – Secret Someones have made vocal harmonies a science. The voices of the indie band’s guitarist Bess Rogers, synth-player Hannah Winkler and bassist Lelia Broussard very possibly sound better live than they do on CD. While they all bring equal skill to the band and Winkler could surely sing Rogers’ part in “Chase Your
Brooklyn – In an age when many young popular bands are a series of nice haircuts and boyish good looks, Twin Peaks is a welcome change. Drummer Connor Brodner, bassist Jack Dolan, guitarist Clay Frankel and guitarist Cadien Lake James all look straight of out high school, but sound like seasoned musicians. Well, maybe not
Chicago – Philly’s Restorations was born from punk, bred in emo, and matured in full-fledged rock ‘n’ roll. Singer and guitarist Jon Loudon, guitarist Dave Klyman, bassist Dan Zimmerman, keyboardist and guitarist Ben Pierce, and drummer Carlin Brown make up this band that defies categorization. Restorations blended genres and created a unique sound right from
New York – CMJ Music Marathon marches sleeplessly on in Gotham, and on Wednesday hit what was possibly the extravaganza’s pinnacle performance. Event organizers had preempted the Webster Hall concert with caution, a sort of this-night-will-be-packed-so-don’t-expect-entrance-is-a-given kind of mentality. And though they said it couldn’t be done, CMJ badge holders turned out in droves to
Chicago – Grizfolk brought their sweet folktronica to the Windy City. The LA band was excited to be playing the Aragon for the first time in their careers and it showed! The stage and the audience buzzed with electricity throughout the set, making it clear why Grizfolk was handpicked by Bastille to open on select dates for
Nashville – The Twilight Sad is a band that seems to have trouble fitting in. Critics and listeners give their music broad generic labels such as “post-punk” and “indie rock” that really tell nothing of their mature sound and their growing following. Ever-gaining popularity on both sides of “the pond,” this Scottish trio is back
New York – Being the opening act can be a difficult role. Whether you’re a singer songwriter taking the stage alone with an acoustic guitar or an indie band the size of a pit orchestra, playing the first slot can mean playing to either an empty house or, if there is an audience, playing before
Brooklyn – We’re in the heart of CMJ Music Marathon here in the city that never sleeps, and as up-and-coming musicians flock to the metropolis in droves, the volume of shows on deck is preposterous. So, to apply an imagined filter of intimacy to this massive and sprawling extravaganza, Best New Bands caught a quieter
Austin – This headline guarantees Charli XCX a spot on a pink card in some future edition of Trivial Pursuit. More immediately, it seems like a looming, hilarious instance of the career-launching/overshadowing single—“Creep” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” come to mind. Before “Boom Clap” and the Icona Pop collaboration “I Love It,” British pop singer