CMJ - Brooklyn Vegan Showcase at the Music Hall of Williamsburg

Ah, it's that time of year again -CMJ. And you know what that means. The city is overrun with five days of marathon concert events, a bevy of industry people, wide-eyed college kids, and irresistible drink specials. We chose to kick our week off with the Brooklyn Vegan Showcase at the Music Hall of Williamsburg and spent the subsequent six hours drinking three-dollar beers while trying to find your next favorite band.

England's Emmy the Great kicked the night off and managed to even live up to their name a hard task to do for a relatively sober seven o'clock opening slot. The British indie-folk pop collective, lead by singer-songwriter Emma-Lee Moss played a mellow set of lovely, lilting songs that ebbed and flowed with mandolin, violins and plenty of heartbreak. But it was Emmy's sweetly girlish voice that truly impressed us.

Next up was The Sammies, a rock band from North Carolina that reminded us a lot of the Strokes circa 2001 –unpretentious and fun. Except with Southern accents and facial hair. Despite their occasional tendencies to veer toward country jam-band territory, they probably would have been way buzzworthy half a decade ago. About halfway through their set I found myself getting antsy for the next band Shearwater, who were the recently announced special guest band of the night and wow, did they not disappoint. Lead singer Jonathon Meiburg's expressive, nearly operatic voice often strained to its falsetto heights and filled the venue to haunting effect, backed by a dramatic array of obscure percussion, woodwinds and strings. Gorgeous, gothic and baroque are really the only apt adjectives that come to mind when describing just how darkly beautiful their music is.

The much-hyped Ponytail was up next and could not have provided a more jarring and antithetical change of pace. The Baltimore four-piece play what some call experimental art-rock and what others more simply call noise. With their prickly riffage and intense drum banging, they get a lot of comparisons to Deerhoof, but the thing that really sets Ponytail apart, for better or worse is Molly Siegel's vocal stylings, which are unique to say the least. To call it singing would be a great injustice –monosyllabic grunting is probably a more accurate term, or just plain screaming –that works too. Also despite being an adult she looks about 14 years old, but then again so do all the members of this band. Also one of the guitarists kept hopping on one foot for the entire duration of the set, alternating legs while still playing the guitar. It was exhausting to watch, yet the indie kids loved it. While I kept feeling like I was missing something, one thing's for sure –Ponytail is the kind of band that'll either keep you young or make you feel old, very old.

I was happily surprised with the next band, Passion Pit. They were yet another extremely buzzworthy young group, the kind that CMJ-ers eagerly anticipate on their five day quest to hear the next-big-thing. But Passion Pit brought what none of the other acts of the night had brought –a beat! They played highly rhythmic electro-pop, the kind that allows even the most disaffected hipster to bob their head and tap their feet. Four hours into the night, it was nice to finally dance.

Endearing Swedish pop star Jens Lekman kept the dance floor going with his specially billed "Singing DJ" set. There was much speculation as to what a "singing DJ" set would actually entail. (Would he sing while DJing?) Turns out first he spun a set of crowd-pleasing party tunes –everything from Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" to hipster faves like Lykke Li's "Dance Dance Dance" (who was actually playing a set of her own at the Bowery Ballroom that night). And then once the crowd was wildly moving, he segued into spinning –and singing- a handful of his own songs, thus singing AND dj-ing.

We didn't stick around to see the Phenomenal Handclap Band, as we were a little dizzy from all the dancing (not to mention 3 dollar drink specials) but we're guessing there were lots of handclaps involved.

1 day down, 4 to go.

Tags:   cmj, music hall of williamsburg

92Y Tribeca officially opens

92Y Tribeca, a new downtown arts, entertainment and cultural center with an eco-friendly café officially opened this weekend. To celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, the venue offered up a stellar night of indie rock, comedy and even a dance party kicking off its "18 Nights of Inspiration" – a series of 18 opportunities to sample nightlife between now and December 18th at the Y.

Comedian Michael Showalter of Wet Hot American Summer fame (which was actually screened earlier in the evening) kicked the night off with an offbeat stand-up set that ranged from the political to the personal –the best jokes were direct quotes taken straight from his middle school yearbook. Apparently 11 year old girls like ponies and rainbows and boys love ska music, even if they have no idea what that is.

Following Showalter was a set by "the nicest man in indie rock" John Vanderslice, during which, the analog-obsessed, singer-songwriter did little to dispel his moniker. He enthusiastically gave home-baked cranberry almond cookies to the audience and even went so far as to hug quite literally everybody in the room (yours truly included). He also raffled off gummy vitamins (yes, such a thing exists) to whoever could answer a trivia question about your favorite political pawn/plumber, Joe.After he performed, Vanderslice proposed what only seemed a natural way to follow up his set of quiet, lyrically-thoughtful, acoustic songs –a dance party with an emphasis on the new Lil Wayne album. Cue the DJ! And yet the odd transition was a perfectly complete way to end the night.

Upcoming events in the 18 Nights of Inspiration series include: punk-meets-garage girl-band Care Bears on Fire (Nov 6); comedians Aasif Mandvi (on his new movie, Nov 19), Greg Giraldo (on the election, Oct 29), Zach Galifianakis (Dec 10), and Eugene Mirman (Nov 5); a night with the cast of Broadway’s [title of show] hosted by Ira “This American Life” Glass (Nov 5), and “Byte Me,” a series on digital gaming that kicks off with a talk and tournament (Oct 25). For more information visit www.92Ytribeca.org

Tags:   92Y Tribeca

Of Montreal @ Roseland Ballroom, October 10, 2008

Those familiar with glammy electro-poppers Of Montreal know the band always puts on a visually dazzling live show. There are always wacky props, surreal scenery, multiple cross-dressing, costume changes and more glittery eye shadow then anyone should rightfully own. But nobody –nobody– could have prepared the audience for the circus-like spectacle that took place during Friday night's show at the cavernous Roseland Ballroom.

There were also dancing ninjas, a re-enacted hanging (complete with a noose and a coffin) and a whole lot of guitar players in animal masks. The level of surrealism bordered on the absurd. It was as if a Dalí painting came to life and was backed by soundtrack of a sexy, synthed-up rock. Despite the concert ending days ago, I'm still trying to take it all in.

Tags:   concerts, of montreal, roseland ballroom

Okkervil River at Webster Hall, October 8, 2008

Okkervil River's two-day Monday and Tuesday stint at Webster Hall was an epic success. Lead singer (or perhaps yelper would be a more apt term) Will Sheff wallowed in sweat and spit and those of us in the front row reveled in it. Never, never have I seen a band pour that much of themselves, quite literally on stage. And they continued to play heady and head-banging folk-rock for over two hours playing song after song after song. Sheff howled his highly literate lyrics with a hysteria usually reserved for victims of fatal disaster, while his bandmates followed suit providing equally shambolic, yet elegant melodies.

Oh and the band's biggest fan? A little black cat who was first in line. No word on whether or not he got in.

Tags:   okkervil river, webster hall

Women, Wisdom and You at the Times Center

Saturday’s Women Wisdom and You expo at the Times Center was a day-long event dedicated to enriching the souls, and based on all the shoes on display, soles of women of all ages. But the highlight had to the be the celebrity panel in which a diverse array of highly accomplished ladies including paralympic athlete Aimee Mullins, radio talk show host and life coach Mel Robbins, fashion designer Eileen Fisher, Grammy award-winning singer Mya Harrison and model and activist Magali Amadei shared all the bits of advice they wish they’d known prior to their success. The women were interviewed by moderator Ellyn Spragins who recently authored “If I’d Known Then: Women in Their 20s and 30s Write Letters to Themselves” to which all the panelists contributed.

It‘s always comforting to know you weren’t the only one to experience those painfully awkward years of adolescence, to find out that even future pop stars hid in the library during their high school lunch period and future radio personalities floundered in their post-collegiate life. But it’s even more inspiring to know they turned out all right, and chances are you will too.

These inspirational stories were topped-off with delicious cocktails and a lovely gift bag. Nothing like words of wisdom and free swag to boost a girl’s self-esteem.

It's also worth noting that a portion of the proceeds went to Girls Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold.

Tags:   times center