The CMJ Music Marathon
Oct. 31 - Nov. 4
Multiple Venues
CMJ Pass: $495, $295 students
www.cmj.com/marathon It’s that time of year again. Once again, CMJ's Music Marathon will cram a ridiculous number of musical performances into a scant five days. By utilizing over 50 NYC venues, roughly 1000 artists will perform for music lovers, hipsters and industry types alike. A pass to the festival costs $295 for students and $495 for general admission but provides access to thousands of bands, industry panels, and advance feature film screenings. This year's CMJ Film Festival will feature special screenings of Sascha Baron Cohen's outrageous "Borat: Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," with an appearance by Cohen as Borat. Darren Aronofsky's much-anticipated "The Fountain" will make its New York debut, as will Jack Black's "Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny." Also on Nov. 1 there is a midnight showing of "Reno 911: Miami," and Nov. 4 marks the world premiere of "Oasis – Lord Don't Slow Me Down," which includes a Q&A session with Noel Gallagher from Oasis.
In addition to the music and film programs, a slew of industry panels will offer discussions about nearly every aspect of the evolving music industry. Some key-note speakers this year include Janeane Garofalo, Insane Clown Posse, Tommy Ramone and CBGB founder Hilly Kristal. Scheduled topics to be discussed include but are not limited to A&R, Digital Media and Major and Indie Record Labels. As the city's premiere showcase for new music, "the Sundance of rock n' roll" offers a chance for New Yorkers to discover the new artists that will play on their stereos and iPods in the coming months. There's nothing quite like the CMJ experience of bar- and band-hopping, wading through the throngs of Lower East Side scenesters only to be told that The Shins show you were trying to see has reached capacity. Luckily, there's probably another great band playing next door, and the excitement of seeing a previously unknown artist who blows your mind often makes up for the disappointment of missing a more celebrated performer. Traditionally a platform for unsigned or up-and-coming bands and artists, CMJ has followed the trend of other music festivals such as Austin's South By Southwest in adding a bevy of well-respected performers to justify the price of the $495 pass. Established acts such as George Clinton, Deerhoof, The Decemberists, The Shins, and The Clipse share stages with unknowns vying to make an impression on the difficult-to-impress New York music scene. If you're able to shell out for the pass, you are free to go in and out of whichever shows catch your fancy. Just be sure to arrive early for the more popular bands as all concerts are on a first come, first serve basis TimesSquare.com has compiled a very basic guide to some of the most promising lineups of the Marathon. But with so many bands playing, and so many different styles, your best bet is to head over to cmj.com/marathon and browse the schedule for yourself. Badges for the show can be purchased throughout the festival at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on Columbus Avenue and 66th Street.
A Beginner's Guide to CMJ 2006 Tuesday, Oct. 31
 The Cardigans
| The Format (8:10 pm)
The Cardigans (8:50 pm)
IV Thieves (11:00 pm)
Metalchicks (11:45 pm)
The Jason Forrest Band (12:30 am)
at The Knitting Factory (74 Leonard St.)
The Cardigans bubbly 1995 hit "Lovefool" was only the beginning for these Swedish pop rockers.
Dodo Bird (7 pm)
Notekillers (9 pm)
Fiasco (10 pm)
Valeze (11 pm)
The GoStation (12 am)
at Crash Mansion (199 Bowery)
Local band The GoStation are consistently named among the top unsigned NY bands, with their Brit-pop inflected sound and instantly hummable choruses.
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (8pm)
Medeski Martin and Wood (9 pm)
at Hammerstein Ballroom (311 W. 34th St.)
Get out your inner hippie with the amazing musicianship of jam-oriented Medeski Martin and Wood.
The Primms (8 pm)
The Glass (9 pm)
The Heights (10 pm)
Locksley (11 pm)
We Are Wolves (12 am)
at Fontana's (105 Eldridge St.)
Montreal's We Are Wolves specialize in jittery dance punk, therefore, this show is sure to be populated by lots of hip indie kids. Wednesday, Nov. 1  The Knife
| The Knife (11:30 and 6:00 pm)
at Webster Hall (125 E. 11th St.)
Another Swedish import, The Knife plays dark electro-pop and has lately garnered major hype.
What Made Milwaukee Famous (7:00 pm)
The Bird And The Bee (7:45 pm)
Robbers on High Street (8:45 pm)
Elvis Perkins (9:30 pm)
Dr. Dog (10:25 pm)
Cold War Kids (11:25 pm)
Tapes n' Tapes (12:30 pm)
at Bowery Ballroom (6 Delancey St.)
Tapes n' Tapes broke out of the garage last year with their excellent debut disc "The Loon" Toothfairy (8:00 pm)
Laura Gibson (8:30 pm)
Jeff London (9:00 pm)
Super XX Man (10:00 pm)
Shelley Short (11:00 pm)
Casey Dienel (12:00 am)
at The Living Room (154 Ludlow St.)
This Hush Records showcase features a number of the Northwest's best songwriters - most of these acts carry a strong folk/country influence. The highlight of the night is Super XX Man, whose new album, X, may see him breaking through to a larger audience. And be sure to show up early for Hush founder Chad Crouch's (Blanket Music) electro-folk side project Toothfairy.
Lexie Mountain Boys (8:00 pm)
WZT Hearts (8:45 pm)
The Peppermints (9:30 pm)
Beach House (10:15 pm)
Over The Atlantic (11:00 pm)
First Nation (11:45 pm)
at Cake Shop (152 Ludlow St.)
First Nation are a New York band who blend noise, pop and folk into an impressively coherent sound of their own; Over The Atlantic is a New Zealand duo that crafts electronic gems that should appeal to fans of The Postal Service; Beach House's eponymous 2006 album is a warm and intimate affair that recalls shoegaze greats like Slowdive and Galaxie 500.
The Whigs (7 pm)
Hello Stranger (8 pm)
Mobius Band (9 pm)
Daylights For The Birds (10 pm)
Canada (11 pm)
Figurines (12 am)
Girl Talk (1 am)
at Mercury Lounge (217 E. Houston St.)
Indie rock stalwarts Figurines open up for amazing mash-up artist Girl Talk, who'll have you dancing to your favorite 80's grooves and make you ask yourself, "What is that song from?"
Thursday, Nov. 2
Loney, Dear (7 pm)
Oxford Collapse (8 pm)
The Elected (9 pm)
CSS (10 pm)
The Thermals (11 pm)
The Album Leaf (12 am)
The Shins (1 am)
at Bowery Ballroom (6 Delancey St.)
One of CMJ's best lineups of indie rock features the spaced out beauty of The Album Leaf, Portland, OR rockers The Thermals, and Portlanders-by-way-of Albuquerque The Shins, who are one of the bright stars of the indie pop scene.  Hot Chip
| Shy Child (7 pm)
Gang Gang Dance (8 pm)
Hot Chip (9 pm)
at Webster Hall (125 E. 11th St.)
Hot Chip and Gang Gang Dance both put on amazing high-energy shows at this summer's Siren Music Festival and promise to do so again at CMJ.
Angela Deveaux (7:30 pm)
Pit er Pat (8:15 pm)
Archer Prewitt (9:00 pm)
Arbouretum (10:30 pm)
Califone (11:15 pm)
Bobby Conn and The Glass Gypsies (12 am)
at Tonic (107 Norfolk St.)
Califone brings their brand of acoustic-based experimental rock to NYC all the way from Chicago, while fellow Chicagoan Bobby Conn brings us back to some Bowie-style glam rock. Friday, Nov. 3  Deerhoof
| Excepter (6:00 pm)
Mary Timony (6:45 pm)
Erase Errata (7:45 pm)
Deerhoof (8:45 pm)
at Hiro Ballroom at the Maritime Hotel (363 W. 16th St.)
One of the most anticipated performances of the festival will be Deerhoof at the beautiful Hiro Ballroom. Their relentlessly creative indie rock should pair well with the avant-garde improvisational rock of Erase Errata. Tenki (8 pm)
Shapes and Sizes (9 pm)
The Blow (10 pm)
Apples In Stereo (11 pm)
Architecture in Helsinki (12 am)
at Irving Plaza (17 Irving Place)
Architecture in Helsinki is an ambitious Australian collective whose sound is both indie pop and orchestral at the same time. Apples In Stereo were an important part of the Elephant 6 collective, and will be releasing a new album in 2007 after a five year hiatus. And don't miss The Blow, a catchy and danceable avant-pop band whose vocalist Khaela Maricich sometimes recall 50s girl groups with her half-sung/half-spoken melodies. Alasdair Roberts (8 pm)
The Decemberists (9 pm)
at Hammerstein Ballroom (311 W. 34th St.)
The hyper-literate folk rock of The Decemberists is full of narrative tales about the sea, chimney sweeps, and the like, ornamented by acoustic guitar and accordions. After their recent signing with Capitol Records, they'll have to prove that they still have cred to all the indie kids. Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds (8:00 pm)
Bang Camaro (8:45 pm)
Last Man Standing (9:30 pm)
Drugs (10:30 pm)
George Clinton & the 420 Funk Mob (11:30 pm)
at Crash Mansion (199 Bowery)
It seems unfair to the little guys that legendary funkster George Clinton is part of a "new music" festival, but any chance to see his wild show (and hair) is worth your while. Saturday, Nov. 4 |
 Saul Williams
| Shawn Hewitt (7:30 pm)
Cody ChesnuTT (8:15 pm)
Stephanie McKay (9:00 pm)
Saul Williams (10:00 pm)
at the Canal Room (285 West Broadway) Saul Williams was one of the early innovators of the slam poetry movement, rising out of the hip-hop scene with rhymes that were more like rapid-fire poetry than rapping. Stephanie McKay is a talented and soulful vocalist who has worked with everyone from Tricky to Soulive to Chocolate Genius. Cody ChesnuTT is a criminally underrated songwriter who melds rock with soul, pop, R & B, and hip-hop. His home recorded two-disc opus, The Headphone Masterpiece, is a must-own for any music afficionado. Sybris (5 pm)
Colour Revolt (5:45 pm)
Daniel Andriano (6:30 pm)
Chris Conley (7:15 pm)
Straylight Run (8:05 pm)
at The Knitting Factory (74 Leonard St.)
The first of two recommended shows at The Knitting Factory, this lineup of emo and pop-punk may have a younger audience than most CMJ shows, but former Saves The Day frontman Chris Conley brings the goods. Straylight Run was formed out of the ashes of the venerated Taking Back Sunday.
The Clipse, Trae, Kidz in The Hall, Jokaman, DJ Chill, Catchdubs, Flosstradamus (10:30 pm)
at The Knitting Factory (74 Leonard St.)
After teaming with the Neptunes to produce the huge single "Grindin'," The Clipse's career was thrown into flux by the Sony-BMG merger. They return with a vengeance however, on this year's release "Hell Hath No Fury." The Deadstring Brothers (9 pm)
Willy Mason (10 pm)
The Watson Twins (11 pm)
Oakley Hall (12 am)
Shooter Jennings (1 am)
at Irving Plaza (17 Irving Place)
A night of country rockin' at Irving Plaza is headlined by Shooter Jennings, who carries on the tradition of his father Waylon Jennings, but in his own rambunctious style. Oakley Hall is ostensibly an alt-country band, but founder Pat Sullivan brings a touch of experimentalism to the mix, probably inherited from his former group Oneida. The Watson Twins are best known for backing up Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis on her solo debut, but tonight they perform as a duo. The Films (8 pm)
Pagoda (9 pm)
Surefire (10 pm)
Priestess (11 pm)
Diamond Nights (12 am)
at Bowery Ballroom (6 Delancey St.)
There's not a lot of hard rock or metal in this year's marathon, but this is one lineup sure to please the headbangers out there. Priestess brings their AC/DC/Sabbath-style rock from Montreal, while New York boys Diamond Nights rock hard while maintaining a melodic, AOR, song-based sensiblity.
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