With day four of CMJ I decided to take a different approach to seeing bands. I figured why not just pick two showcases and spend more time at each one. The key is to find showcases that are so great you just don’t want to leave. Fader Magazine is notorious for throwing some pretty good parties and picking a slew of quality indie acts.
The Fader Fort was set up in a vacant retail space at Delancey and Forsyth Streets, a kind of pop up shop right on the border of the Lower East Side and Chinatown. Actually, one of my favorite dumpling places (C&L Dumpling House) is a five-minute walk from the venue. Considering there was an open bar at the Fort, dumplings were a perfect snack after several beers.
The first act I saw was Homeboy Sandman, a hip-hop artist from the New York area. It was actually nice to hear some hip-hop thrown into the mix of CMJ since I’d had only been seeing rock bands at the festival.
After a set change, the next band to hit the stage was Cleveland rockers Cloud Nothings. The Fort was unusually quiet considering it was a Fader party, but there was still a decent turnout. Cloud Nothings are headed to Europe to play some dates with Veronica Falls and others with Ice Cream Man favorites Les Savy Fav.
The crowd at the Fort picked up and was fairly packed for the highly anticipated performance of the French band Jamaica. Yes, I know that sounds like an oxymoron, and no, they don’t play reggae. It was really good electro-pop by Antoine Hilare (guitar/vocals) and Florent Lyonnet (bass guitar/vocals), although Lyonnet wasn’t performing due to a back injury. Their debut album No Problem was co-produced by Xavier de Rosnay (Justice) and Peter J. Franco (live engineer for Daft Punk).
My next stop was the Green Label Sound/Cornerstone/Fader party (part deux), at the Backstage Bar. All three groups that performed were top notch. The headliner was Neon Indian who I’ve seen a number of times now, and who always put on a great show. I’m still in shock from their epic Bonnaroo performance this summer (which included random scantily clad girls dressed in Native American costumes who jumped on stage for a song or two). The Backstage Bar was a tiny venue and front man Alan Palomo’s synth set up was almost off one side of the stage. It was a very intimate performance for the lucky few who RSVP’d for the private event. Palomo’s energy had the crowd packed and dancing to their lo-fi sound. I do have to mention that I miss Ronnie’s day-glow light up guitar. Please bring it back!
The two opening bands I saw were a stellar pick. Both Freelance Whales and Theophilus London are from New York, very different from each other, but so complementary to see back to back.
Freelance Whales have such beautiful melodies in their music, using instruments such as a glockenspiel, banjo, and harmonium to compliment your typical drums, bass and guitar set up. Some songs reminded me of The Postal Service (Starring) and others were similar to Modest Mouse (Ghosting). Generator 1st Foor and 2nd Floor are such beautiful tracks if you haven’t heard them yet, and lead singer Judah Dadone has a sweet voice, it will almost put you in a trance.
Seeing Theophilus London live is like watching a reincarnation of Al Green, Marvin Gaye, and Bootsy Collins. His fusion of 60’s soul, funk, and hip-hop is refreshing to say the least. Not to mention that I don’t think he stopped moving/bouncing for the whole set, constantly high-fiving audience members. If you’re looking for entertainment at a show, this guy is one to watch. Fans were definitely in attendance as you could hear people singing/rapping along with the lyrics, which were too quick for my ears. The stage set up was simple with one drummer, beats from a MacBook and Theophilus on a mic, but it allowed for lots of room to move, and boy did he move.
