Category: Festivals

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Features Festivals

Introducing Tinted Windows

Take Taylor Hanson from 90s pop brother trio Hanson, former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos, and Fountains Of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger and you have new power pop group Tinted Windows.

Rolling Stone debuted their first track, “Kind of Girl” earlier this week and you can listen to it on their MySpace. Definitely a strong blend of pop-rock with Hanson on lead vocals and catchy “oh-oh-whoa-whoa’s,” the song is bound to be in heavy rotations on radio stations soon. What do you think?

Their self-titled debut release drops in April. In the meantime, they’ll be performing at Austin, Texas’ South By Southwest music festival as well as New Jersey’s Bamboozle festival in May. Will you be attending?

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Festivals

Introducing Asa

Paris born and Lagos raised singer-songwriter Asa‘s debut self-titled release is a record that begs the listener’s attention. With poignant lyrics intertwined throughout each song, Asa is the most brutally, yet beautifully honest record I’ve heard released in 2009 thus far. Every song on her album is a new gem with moving lyrics mixed in with Afro-beats and soulful reggae influences. In fact, she has already been compared to Bob Marley and Erika Badu and it is no wonder that she has most recently opened up for Femi Kuti on several of his tour dates.

That’s not all either. Asa has had great success in Africa and Europe, most recently being awarded the Prix Constantine for the Best New French Artist of 2008. Things have been picking up for Asa in America as well. While her album was released last week in the US, first single “Jailer” has caught much attention throughout the airwaves as well as recently appeared on NPR’s “All Songs Considered.”

Asa begins the album with “Jailer” and lyrics, “Am in chains you’re in chains too/I wear uniforms, you wear uniforms too/Am a prisoner/You’re a prisoner too Mr. Jailer.” With light guitar strumming and keyboard features, the story within the song jumps out to the listener. She continues her tale, “Life is not about your policies/All the time/So you better rearrange your philosophies/And be good to your Fellow man.”

Her one-sheet described her as a “culturally conscious singer-songwriter” and I couldn’t agree more. Tracks like “Fire On the Mountain” and “No One Know” are fitting examples of Asa’s cultural consciousness. Lyrics such as “I wake up in the morning/Tell you what I see on my TV screen/I see the blood of an innocent child/And everybody’s watching” and later, “Tell me who’s responsible/For what we teach our children/Is it the Internet/Or the stars on the television?” within track “Fire On the Mountain” demonstrate this.

During “No One Know” Asa sings, “Tell me what’s the need to go to war/All the killings just to settle some one else’s score/When the victory isn’t even sure/No one knows tomorrow.” Seemingly fitting for today’s world issues, Asa continues to leave an impact on the listener track by track of her debut album.

From the look of it, Asa is not just another emerging musician, but one who is here to stay. She brings a much needed awakening to what the music industry as well as the media have been lacking — truthful lyrics with real emotion and sincerity.

Watch Asa’s music video for “Jailer” below. For more on Asa, be sure to check out her MySpace.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh2vqnok1OA]

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Festivals

Other Lives Impress At CMJ With Debut EP Tracks

“We are the Other Lives from Stillwater,” announced frontman Jesse Tabish to a packed crowd at Mercury Lounge. “Last time I was here I introduced our band as our town. I’m not going to make the same mistake again.”

It’s not always easy for a band to be the first onstage for the night, but Other Lives worked the crowd, and by the end of their set, it was easy to tell that those in attendance were impressed. Playing a solid 35-minute set, the band, made up of guitar, bass , keyboard, drums and cello, had an incredibly rich, deep sound that permeated throughout the room. Many songs had strong instrumental interludes that showcased the band’s powerful musical structure.

The near-seven-minute track “End of the Year” featured Tabish’s deep vocals, as the musical accompaniment was beautifully interwoven into the song. At one point the song became much darker, changing the mood in the room all while slowing down the set before picking it right back up again. The crowd could be seen gazing up towards the stage in earnest, continuously wondering what would come next.

Tabish’s vocals are vaguely comparable to that of John Lennon’s. In fact, in some of the songs you can almost hear the inspiration of the Beatles as well as bands like Radiohead and Coldplay with each musical interlude.

Most of the songs from the group’s seven-song set can be found on the band’s MySpace or its recently released debut EP. From the crowd reaction Friday night, I think the Other Lives have a lot more music left to be made.

You can read this review originally posted on the CMJ blog here.

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Festivals Interviews

Theresa Andersson

I spoke with Theresa Andersson during CMJ week right before her amazing live performance where she played multiple instruments with the help of two loop pedals, all while dancing throughout her set — truly a sight to see. Theresa spoke to me about her writing process, recording her album in her kitchen, as well as her inspiration which draws upon living in New Orleans combined with her Swedish roots.

If that isn’t interesting enough for you, when listening closely to tracks on her latest album, Hummingbird, Go! you can hear birds chirping outside her kitchen window while sirens are blaring in the background. Not your average recording, Hummingbird, Go! is full of depth and if you listen closely you can pick up much of the surrounding environment. While Theresa is pretty certain her next album won’t be recorded in her kitchen, she does plan on continuing her demos there. And after watching the video below, I can’t wait to hear what she comes up with next.

Watch the video for “Birds Fly Away” recorded live in Theresa’s kitchen below to get a feel for her music and be sure to read the complete interview below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMXqn42AykM]

What can people who come to see you perform expect? I’ve heard your live show is amazing and you use two loop pedals while performing.
I have a pretty interesting setup. It really starts with a big, white shag rug on the floor since I play barefoot so I can turn knobs with my toes and operate the pedals. I have two loop pedals on a big board that sort of looks like a boomerang shaped in front of me. It’s two-layered and there are pedals on either side of the board on the ends of it and in between there’s a whole bunch of pedals for switching pedals and for effects. Then, I have drums to my left, just three drums and some chimes and various percussion stuff. In front of me are two microphones, one I use for looping and one for vocal and then I have a violin and dulcimer and record player onstage. All these things I use to create the songs and build them up and I loop and record everything live.

It’s a very interesting format of playing because the pedals are definitely limiting and in the beginning when I started using them, it was really difficult. I had to spend many, many hours just figuring things out. I would spend 8 to 10 hours a day for weeks and weeks. It takes about three weeks to four weeks to really get a song in my body. I can rehearse them quicker then that, but to really feel like they’re me. I actually ended up having to break everything down to the beat. I had to figure out what to do with each beat. On some songs, especially when I set them up, between the first and second instrument I might do nine or ten different things. I have to switch things, turn things on and off and I do all that all with my toes while I’m playing it so I had to really think everything through. It became this dance with the pedals that I had to work out. After a while I started thinking of it as a dance, that’s when it really became fun. I actually ended up falling a lot in the beginning. I’ll be standing on one leg and I’ll stretch the other one out, skip steps or jump. At one point I have to stand on my heels and hit two pedals at the same time, so I couldn’t keep my balance at first. I had to take dance lessons from a friend of mine, just to figure out how to do it, how ballet dancers do it. Sometimes when I’m here in the city I’ll see shows. Recently I saw the New York City Ballet. When I saw them, I was like, “Okay, they can do all that, I should have no problem learning to hold my balance.”

So much concentration goes into every performance. Are you ever scared you’re going to mess something up or push the wrong button?
If I push the wrong button, what I’ve learned to do is to keep playing without making a mistake. I’m so comfortable with it now that the loop pedals are more of an instrument to me now since I’ve done it for a while. I play it like it’s an instrument so if I make a mistake it’s not such a big deal. It’s impossible to make it perfect at all times, but that’s what gives it a charm and that’s what gives each performance its uniqueness. The two pedals don’t synchronize with each other, so I have to do all the synchronizing. I think the loop pedal itself, there’s nothing new about it. It’s been around for a really long time and many people have used it. It’s perhaps the way I use it that’s a little bit different.

Tell me about recording your album. You recorded it all in your kitchen?
Yeah, that’s right. It wasn’t really planned. I wrote the record in New Orleans, most of it, and I ended up downloading everything in my kitchen. I have a laptop and I used Garage Band. It has its limitations too, so I would just use it to make the sounds and make it feel good when recording the demo. When the producer heard it, he really liked the way it sounded and he asked me, “Where did you record this?” and I said, “In my kitchen!” and he said, “Well, let’s make the record in your kitchen.” So we made the record in the kitchen.

I also had played all the instruments on the demo, but I didn’t really think that we were going to keep me as the only musician on the record. I thought, for sure we’re going to have a drummer and a bass player and all these things. Tobias Froberg, who produced it, he had seen me play the solo show when it was in its infancy and he really wanted to capture that vibe of one person doing something and he encouraged me to play everything so we went that route. I’m really glad we did because it has been a wonderful experience so far.

Do you have a favorite song that you enjoy playing live?
I love “Birds Fly Away.” Actually, each song is unique and they all have a specific role in the set. I really wanted to bring the listener on a journey when they listen to the set. I always think its best when you hear it from beginning to end because it goes into different spectrums of the musical language I use. “Birds Fly Away” is a really good song. I like playing “Hi-Low” a lot too, that’s probably the most complicated song I play, it’s a fun song to play too.

How long did it take to put together your live show?
I completed my rig after the record was mixed, so that was in March and then I really went into rehearsing a lot and then I hit the road. I spent maybe a month completing the show, but then it took a long time of playing to really get in my body. I would make a lot of mistakes in the beginning, I would be really nervous, but maybe those mistakes were something that I recognized. To me, I’ve reached the point where it’s really a musical instrument to me. It’s just another way of playing songs and playing music. I want the audience to really feel like they’re in the music and not worry so much about, “Oh my God is she going to fall or step on the wrong pedal?”

What is your typical songwriting process?
Well, I found a new way of writing on this record. I thi
nk because I started with thi
s looping thing, I started thinking of music in different ways. It sort of broke me out of my habits a little bit. So I decided to do the same thing for my writing. I started collecting ideas for a long time and I would spend a lot of time just working on melodies first and singing little snippets of stuff and not be so judgmental with myself and just collect ideas and go back and listen to them again. And not try to finish stuff and just be playful and have fun with it.

I would really be inspired by different textures of things. I see music in colors and textures a lot. So, I might sit and look at this board behind us here and try to sing that or I would draw something and try to sing it and make a melody out of something I was drawing, just to break my mind out of its normal habits. And I found that it was a really enjoyable process and it took the pressure off somehow. It was really playful and in the end, I think I gave myself more freedom and the end result is a lot more pleasing to me. It also felt like definitely my most personal songs on this record as a whole, the fact that I wrote all the music and I explored all these different ideas. It was very exciting.

I love your song “Japanese Art.”
Tobias actually wrote the lyrics to that song. He sat in my kitchen and I have a book about Japanese Art and he looked at it and he just started flowing. We’re both from Gotland, so we had to put Gotland in there and we both travel a lot. It was a little bit of a whimsical song, but it definitely plays up the joyfulness of that song. That’s what I was trying to do, I was trying to write music that would say something and then the lyrics would fall in place. I didn’t write any of the lyrics on this record. Tobias wrote a few of the lyrics and then I worked with a female poet from New Orleans, Jessica Faust. She’s phenomenal. She’s actually a professor at UNO. And I had asked her to help me find some female poets and she gave me some of her own poetry and I was floored. I cried when I read it and it moved me so much. I asked her if she’d be interested in trying to do something like this. I gave her finished melodies and asked her to write words to fit my melodies. It couldn’t have been easy, but she did a great job. I feel like it came out of me, she did such a great job.

Do you have a favorite city to play?
I love playing in New York. I love it! It’s always fun here. Sometimes you just stumble on places and you have a magical night. It depends on all the circumstances too. I played in Milwaukee opening for Mason Jennings and it was a wonderful show, I really loved the audience there. The other night I went to Knoxville, Tennessee, to play a radio show and ended up playing a benefit that night and that was a great experience too. I like New York because it’s a very diverse crowd; it changes every time I come.

What can fans expect from your next album?
I feel like I’ve really found myself and really arrived here with this album. I really think that all the time that I’ve lived in New Orleans combined with me letting all my Swedish influences and my Swedish roots come back out is something that I really enjoy and I’m going to keep working on that. I’m very influenced by New Orleans rhythms as you can hear on “Birds Fly Away,” I’ve even sample Smokey Johnson on there. I’m going to keep working on that. I’m also going to keep working on my textures. I have some big ideas in my head and I’m going to play around with it around Christmas time.

Is your showcase at CMJ different than the typical concert?
My show is so intense that unfortunately, for me to put something new in the show, it’s hard to do unless I have some serious rehearsal time. In the past, I could just get together with the band and do a two-hour rehearsal and then be able to play that. I actually have to get into rehearsal space with all my gear, do a couple days of rehearsing and I haven’t had the luxury of that. My show is pretty much worked out. Of course no one knows how tonight’s going to happen. I am excited because I know there are a lot of special guests in the audience that are invited by my publicists so that’s going to be nice but of course I’m a little bit nervous. I want to make a good impression. In New Orleans you don’t get so much of that, you don’t get so much industry and you don’t have high pressure situations all the time. It’s been challenging to be in those situations to really have to bring my super A-game every time I perform. But, I love challenges and I love to step up. I’m just hoping to make the audience feel like they’re able to step into my world tonight with everything else that’s been going on.

You’ve been getting some great press. Rolling Stone featured you recently.
Yes! I know, I’m so excited! When I started this record, I really erased any kind of ideas of wanting to fit into a format or trying to be something or have a specific sound, any of that stuff, just out of my mind. None of that. I really tried to just make a record that I could be proud of and a record that was personal and real from the heart.

And, I think when you listen to Hummingbird, Go! you’ll agree. For more on Theresa, be sure to check out her MySpace and see when she’s playing a tour nearby. It will surely be a unique performance you will never forget.

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Concert Reviews Festivals

Transcendent Canadians The Dears Capture Hiro Ballroom

Orchestral. Dynamic. Atmospheric. I’m not really sure how to best explain the show I saw Thursday night featuring Canadian indie-pop band the Dears. It’s one of those sets that you just have to watch, taking in the entire experience. The band, literally a few feet in front of me, had the audience intently listening to every word sung and every chord played, some dancing, some singing along, some making out.

Taking the stage shortly after 8:30 p.m., the Dears entered Hiro Ballroom while their first song of the night, “Disclaimer,” was playing over the loudspeakers. Seconds later, each band member picked up their respective instrument and chimed in. The group’s musically rich set seemingly took the audience into a trance with the blue and green lighting only adding to the distinctive aura surrounding the room.

Categorized on MySpace as Other/Other/Other, it is hard to place the Dears into one specific genre of music. Natalia Yanchak, one of the group’s core members, describes their music as “Orchestral Pop. Boom.” However, even this portrayal doesn’t seem sufficient. Either way, the crowd loved them.

Most of the Dears’ set was comprised of songs from latest album, Missiles, including “Money Babies,” “Berlin Heart” and the beautifully angelic “Crisis 1 & 2” as well as some older obvious fan favorites by the way the crowd was dancing around me.

Clearly experts at a festival like CMJ, Yanchak said this year was their fourth time playing CMJ. “CMJ was the first music festival outside Canada we’d ever played, but that was back in 2000,” she says. “Compared to other festivals, the shows at CMJ are more like regular gigs rather than big, organized showcases. Our gig was kind of like that . . . part of CMJ but more like our own gig.”

The Dears have been around for quite some time. When asked about their longevity, Yanchak says, “It’s really a spirit that lives on. We’ve had over a dozen musicians come and go, then some return, and leave again.” She continued. “The Dears really is about the moment, about an incarnation, and connecting with musicians that are able to channel the music. As long as the inspiration keeps coming to Murray [Lightburn], The Dears will remain.”

As for her favorite song to perform, Yanchak says, “It really depends on the moment, the vibe in the room and on stage. I can’t predict that until the show is happening. But I’ve been loving playing all the songs in our set.”

Many have talked of their latest album as being a major transformation from their previous releases, but Yanchak says every release is an evolution and progression to another place. “Missiles definitely falls into this pattern of growth. That said, there’s something innocent and brutally honest about this album that was missing on Gang of Losers. Just a journey, like life, choosing a path and trying along the way to stay true to who you are.”

As for her best advice to festivalgoers, Yanchak suggested planning ahead, but leaving room for spontaneity. “Festivals are always about heading out to see one thing, bumping randomly into people and ending up somewhere else. Also don’t just go see all the familiar bands. It’s always fun to discover something new, so be open to that.”

And I have to agree. I discovered the Dears Thursday night and it definitely was a transcendent experience to a genre of music I probably wouldn’t have covered if not for CMJ. So, thank you, CMJ, and thanks to the Dears.

You can read this post originally posted on the CMJ blog here.

Special thanks to Wendy Hu for the amazing photos!

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Festivals

CMJ Wrap-Up

This is my last post about CMJ . . . for this year at least! Hopefully next year I’ll be able to attend again and cover even more shows for the blog. If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out the official CMJ blog here. There are many great posts from all of the UWire correspondents, including myself, and tons of interesting things went on last week so read all about it!

Feel free to check out my preview on Virginia-based band Ki: Theory here. You can also read my coverage of two panels I attended: Web 2.0, Music 2.0, and the Blog Factor, which the title pretty must sums up and Gadgets for Tweakheads and the next big thing, again pretty self-explanatory.

I still have one review to finish up as well as transcribe my interview with Theresa Andersson so be on the lookout for those. I’ll be interviewing Hellogoodbye and Ace Enders next week as well, so if you have any questions for either feel free to email me or leave some comments! Should be a great week! Also, don’t forget not to make any plans for next Saturday and come out to Maxwell’s for an awesome night of music! I’ll post another banner this weekend to remind you. Thanks for reading!

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Concert Reviews Festivals

Bring on the Swedes: Theresa Andersson, Tobias Froberg

Wednesday’s lineup at the Living Room proved to be quite an unconventional night of music. Comical Swedish artist and producer Tobias Froberg took the stage shortly after 8 p.m., while phenomenal one-woman band Theresa Andersson followed soon after.

Drawing laughs from the audience by prefacing each song throughout the night, Froberg ended each song introduction saying, “and I wrote a song about that because I’m a singer-songwriter,” with Napoleon Dynamite-esque glasses and a voice that recalls Ben Folds. The crowd loved his never-ending sarcasm and anxiously waited on the edge of their seats to hear what he said next.

When listening to the lyrics behind each song, a more serious side of Froberg was revealed while playing piano and acoustic guitar. Before beginning “She Is Becoming Her Mother Again” he said, “Sometimes when I call my mother and father I find myself sounding exactly like them. Even though you love your parents, you don’t want to become them . . . but you do.”

Before playing last song of the night, “God’s Highway,” accompanied by Theresa Andersson and Ane Brun, Froeberg informed the audience that after the show, “I’m going to sit downstairs in the basement and sniff some glue” to which the crowd erupted in laughter. Definitely the comical performer, Froeberg kept the audience attentive throughout the somewhat more mellow songs in his set.

One-woman band Theresa Andersson took the stage at 9 p.m. playing a 50-minute set. With the stage covered in a white shag rug, Andersson could be seen utilizing two loop pedals with her bare feet throughout her entire performance, syncing up each instrument she played — guitar, drums, violin, dulcimer, tambourine and chimes.

“I’m not going to talk. I’m just going to make some noise,” Andersson told the packed room. “Welcome to my kitchen by the way. You’re getting the whole show tonight.”

Definitely not your average performance, Andersson explained her set as being somewhat like a dance. “After a while I started thinking of it as a dance, that’s when it really became fun.” She even took dance lessons from a friend in preparation for her live show. “I actually ended up falling a lot in the beginning. I’ll be standing on one leg and stretching the other one out, skip steps or jump. At one point I’ll have to stand on my heels and hit two pedals at the same time, so I couldn’t keep my balance at first,” she says.

Spending about a month putting together her live show, Andersson said it took a while to really get the music in her body. “I would make a lot of mistakes in the beginning. I would be really nervous, but maybe those mistakes were something that [only] I recognized,” she says. “To me, I’ve reached the point where it’s really a musical instrument. It’s just another way of playing songs and playing music.”

Andersson’s soulful vocals and friendly onstage banter made for an enjoyable set. At times, the audience seemed to be intently and silently watching her performance to which she said, “Don’t be shy. There’s just one of me and so many of you out there.”

Before her show, Andersson explained that she wants the audience to “really feel that they’re in the music and not worry so much about, ‘Oh my God is she going to fall or step on the wrong pedal?'” She seemed to get this across by her second song of the night and current YouTube sensation, “Na Na Na.” A fun and upbeat song, Andersson had the audience relaxed and at ease watching her dance around the stage all while playing multiple instruments.

One of Andersson’s favorites to play live, “Birds Fly Away,” is a New Orleans-inspired song which samples Smokey Johnson and has that soulful ’60s feel, reminiscent of the Supremes. Definitely the crowd favorite, the audience was clapping along with Andersson throughout most of the song and screams could be heard towards the end of her performance.

“Each song is unique and they all have a specific role in the set,” Andersson says. “I really wanted to bring the listener on a journey when they listen to the set. I always think its best when you hear it from beginning to end because it goes into different spectrums of the musical language I use.”

And Wednesday night she definitely brought the audience on a unique journey. Ending her set to thunderous applause and a standing ovation, Theresa Andersson is one artist who stands out from the crowd.

You can read this post originally on the CMJ blog here. Check out the video of Theresa Andersson’s song “Birds Fly Away” below, performed live at home in her kitchen.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMXqn42AykM]

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Concert Reviews Festivals

Chicago Duo Show Festivalgoers What CMJ Is All About

Possibly the most anticipated act of last year’s CMJ Festival, the Cool Kids brought their energy to CMJ once again, this time at the Blender Theatre Tuesday night. Having graced the pages of Rolling Stone last year as an “Artist to Watch,” the Chicago rap duo “Chuck Inglish” Ingersoll and Mikey Reed proved that they still have it going on.

Taking the stage shortly before 10:30 p.m., the Cool Kids brought their tight hooks and bass-heavy beats to the stage with “Delivery Man.” Cameras were flashing and every hand was in the air having anxiously anticipated their entrance, for many, since 8 p.m.

Ingersoll and Reed got the crowd energized during their set, which featured their infamous hit “Black Mags” as well as “Box of Rocks.” Even Mickey Factz joined the duo throughout their set, jumping around the stage for “I Rock.”

The night was full of surprises as one fan threw Reed a box of cereal to which he eventually emptied into the crowd. Later, fans jumped onstage for a dance-off contest to win copies of their album in addition to jokes being told, the best comedian winning an XBox game. Their second year at CMJ, the Cool Kids continue to bring something new to the table. I can’t help but wonder what it will be next year.

While most in attendance were anxiously awaiting the Cool Kids performance, Toronto natives the Carps, kept the crowd energized.

For a two-piece, bassist Neil White and singer/drummer Jahmal Tonge held their own. An unexpected pairing with Tonge providing smooth and soulful vocals, at times reminiscent to that of Usher, and White cartwheeling onstage during their performance, the Carps’ vigor was impressive.

The Carps played a half-hour set comprised of eight songs, including a solid cover of Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison” as well as their interpretive song, “Compton to Scarboro,” which Tonge explained being about gun violence. Tonge captivated the audience’s attention by telling the story of a man robbing a convenient store as he and White acted out the parts, White convincingly falling to the ground dead as the song progressed.

The lights engulfed Tonge and White onstage in an eerie glow as their catchy R&B; beats got the crowd clapping along during their set. While the crowd seemed uninterested at times, Tonge evoked attention with his constant, and sometimes curious, onstage banter. “Listen to your parent’s kids, sex is overrated,” he said at one point, later asking the crowd, “Do you love us yet? I just need your love.”

With the upcoming election on everyone’s mind, even at CMJ, the band made their stance known. “Make sure you go out and vote Barack,” Tonge said. “We just elected another conservative in Canada and I would hate to see that here.”

Cartwheeling onstage before their last song, the Carps ended their set with just as much energy as when they began. While it’s often hard being part of such a diverse festival line-up, the Carps worked the stage as if they were the headliners and who knows, in a few years they just might be.

To read the original Cool Kids review posted on the official CMJ blog click here. To read the Carps review, click here.

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Festivals First Person

CMJ Lessons Learned

Now that CMJ is officially over I can rest a little bit easier and not plan my entire day around trying to show up to work and be productive all while scheduling in various interviews, panels and concerts. But, let’s be honest I’d much rather have my day job be an ongoing music festival . . . how can I go about finding that job? Hmmm . . . time to do some serious research.

I put together a brief outline of things I’ve learned this week for my amusement on my commute throughout the week. Be sure to keep checking out the CMJ blog, as I’ve been compiling all my reviews and interviews and much more should be posted this week!

Top 5 CMJ Lessons:

1. Don’t assume that just because three fellow CMJ badge holders are on the same subway as you that you’re going to the same place.
I know, stupid right? But it was my first time covering CMJ and I didn’t realize just how huge CMJ was. So, when I saw three guys from a college radio station with their CMJ badges and welcome bags, I assumed we were all going to the same meet and greet and asked if I could tag along. Little did I know until we got off the subway stop at Delancey that we were going to two entirely different places. Not a huge deal, just jumped back on the subway and got off the stop I was supposed to get off at originally.

2. People like to talk, whether it be a band, a cab driver or managers.
This seems obvious. Everyone likes to talk about themselves. I pride myself in being a good listener, and being a journalist this often comes in handy. One of my professors used to always say, “Don’t be afraid of silence.” Sometimes during an interview, if you pause for a bit after the interviewee answers a question he will continue his thought or will bring you to an entirely different direction that you never considered. This is often the best part of an interview and you’ll find out something you never thought to ask. It’s so easy to go through the motions during an interview by asking the same questions over and over again. But, every so often you’ll make a connection and the interviewee will bring out an insecurity they may have that lets you get to know him a little better and see where he’s coming from. This is priceless.

3. You can sleep when you’re dead.
This has often been my catch phrase throughout college when roommates wondered if and when I ever slept. Sleep is important of course, but not always realistic when covering a festival like CMJ. Some drink coffee or Redbull to keep them awake, I haven’t found the best caffeine fix for myself yet, still working on that.

4. Make sure you’re allowed to video tape at a venue BEFORE you get there.
I had no clue that some venues make you sign wavers or release forms to film. They basically want to make sure you’re not selling your interview or sound check footage and making money off it. I never thought of even looking into this before an interview since for the most part I do audio interviews. You have to learn the hard way sometimes. Now I know for next time.

5. Go with the flow.
There is absolutely no way you can possibly see every band you want at a festival like CMJ. By leaving room for the unexpected you may get lucky and discover the next great band at a showcase when you originally only planned on seeing the first band. Who knows, lightning could strike.

Be sure to check back on the blog throughout the week for show reviews and interviews. You can check out my video interview and sound check with Matt Duke below! Special thanks to John Hendrickson for filming and editing this for the UWire CMJ blog.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMwGy2EmqGg]

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Concert Reviews Festivals

CMJ Review: Canon Logic Lure Fans With Catchy Rock Songs, Sunglasses

Playing a 7 p.m. set on a Tuesday night may not be a band’s dream gig, but the Canon Logic worked it to their advantage. With sunglasses give-a-ways creatively imprinted with the band’s name on each pair and free downloads of their latest EP, the Canon Logic played to a packed crowd at Arlene’s Grocery that only seemed to get louder as their set progressed.

While their music has been compared to that of the Beach Boys and even the Beatles, the band brought their A-game to their CMJ Showcase and didn’t disappoint, as they had many in attendance dancing along and singing the words to each song. Drummer Mike Mignano likes to describe their music as “a mint-scented breath of fresh air.” While he admits it’s a corny catch phrase, realistically he says “it’s a gritty blend of harmony-driven pop,” which I couldn’t agree more.

Playing a 35-minute set, the Canon Logic’s performance featured a solid mix of songs from their last EP, “The White Balloon,” as well as songs that can be heard on their full-length album due out early next year. Their first CMJ performance, frontman Tim Kiely feels the set was unbelievable. “The fans were great. We had a blast; we always have a blast onstage. We felt pretty tight.” Guitarist Josh Greenfield agrees. “I could only see the first two rows of people. It wasn’t until the very end that I went up front and realized there was a pretty packed house, so that was cool.”

The five-piece band’s energy was apparent onstage as the three guitarists and bass player jumped around the stage throughout their performance, enticing and encouraging the crowd to do the same. Their set included fan favorite “Avenue of Criminals” as well as “I’ve Been Sleeping With Your Best Friend,” a song off their latest EP, the concept clearly chronicled within the title. “Delia” is one song where their ’60s pop flavor is showcased. With strong guitar, keyboard and drum accompaniment the band seemingly takes the audience back in time.

A diverse and devote fanbase, anyone from parents to grandparents to even Greenfield’s high school-aged sister enjoy their performances and frequent shows. “I think we have a wide range of fans. We like to try and bring everybody together,” Greenfield says. “We’re trying to pull from so many different influences. We really like the classic rock stuff and we also like what’s going on now. I think we have a good balance of the two, which allows everyone to really get into the music.”

Surpassing the band’s CMJ expectations, the early Tuesday set time didn’t seem to deter concertgoers. “It’s pretty cool to know that we can get a good group of people out at 7 p.m. on a Tuesday night and they’re acting like its 11 p.m. on a Saturday; dancing, screaming, singing along. It was a good feeling,” says Mignano.

With hundreds of bands performing throughout the week, the Canon Logic continues to set themselves apart. “I think something that we do, which is the toughest aspect of our music, is having five people singing while also being able to handle the rock attitude,” Kiely says. “I don’t see many bands do it. I don’t know if I’ve seen a band do it and pull it off well. We’re really confident in what we’ve got going and I think that’s what separates us. And we’ve got great songs.”

If one thing is certain, a Canon Logic show won’t leave you bored. “You can expect a little bit of everything; some dancing, some singing along. We have a lot of songs that our fans come to shows to see and they’ve been learning the lyrics; they’re really easy to sing along to so they really enjoy getting into the songs and dancing and also head banging and rocking out,” Greenfield says.

Be sure to check out the Canon Logic’s MySpace and Blog for more info about their next record and catch their next show Nov. 8 at Maxwell’s in Hoboken! Check back in few days for more of my interview with the guys of the Canon Logic.

To read this live review, originally posted on the UWire click here.