I’ve often pondered the thought, “It’s better to give than receive.” When I was younger I didn’t buy it. I’ve often said it’s more fun to give away ice cream to get it, but wasn’t sure why. A month or two ago I realized it was because when you’re getting ice cream it’s one, or two treats, when giving it away its hundreds, or thousands.
For this year’s CMJ Music Marathon “festival” we partnered up with FREE YR RADIO to give away ice cream all over New York City. FREE YR RADIO, by Toyota Yaris and Urban Outfitters, is a year-long project benefiting noncommercial radio stations all over the country. 13 independent stations were chosen and in each respective city, concerts were staged with acts like Sonic Youth, Klaxons, Dinosaur Jr, The Ponys, and dozens more. Toyota also donated a Yaris to each of the 13 stations to raffle off as part of their fundraising drives. Check out www.freeyrradio.com to see live vids from the above bands plus Man Man, Rogue Wave, and Grizzly Bear. You can also purchase a CD featuring a collection of exclusive tracks from the bands that will benefit all 13 stations.
Where I was going with the first paragraph is….. last year I rocked CMJ but slang no cream. This year we slang a ton of cream all over the place and had a ton more fun. Having given away thousands of ice creams over the last few years, I’ve learned that it’s best not to overdo yourself when you’re rocking a multi-day festival. As long as you focus on some of the best gigs/parties/shows and leave some time to be flexible, everything will work out.
I arrived Tuesday afternoon and made quick time to get to the Bowery to see The Most Serene Republic and Miracle Fortress. The good news is we made it in time, the bad was Miracle Fortress didn’t. Apparently there was a mix up at the border and they weren’t gonna be rockin’ CMJ… bummer. The Most Serene Republic made up for it though with lush, over-the-top, keyboard heavy, Canadian pop-rock (wow… I think I overdefined that one). Due to needing to set up shop the next day Tuesday was an early night.
Wednesday had me taking the A train all the way up to the George Washington Bridge then catching a couple buses to get to the Toyota dealership in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey where I was renting a Yaris. Little did I know the Yaris that I was planning putting a lot of stickers on and giving away a couple thousand ice cream out of only had 8 miles on it. Next stop was FedEx where we shipped our custom cooler for the trunk. Even though it cost over $250 to get it out there in a rush, it still hadn’t arrived….argh. Once they tracked down the parcel, the nice lady helping me said it would take an hour or two to get there. I went over to pick up some dry ice and stopped by a catering truck on the side of the road to grab some grub and talk about F1 racing.
Eventually the cooler showed up and I dropped it in then stopped by Kool Man in Williamsburg to load up on cream. Since it was late in the season the selection was a lil’ thin but there was enough to pack the cooler. First stop was a Table Tennis Party in Greenwich Village. It was mid afternoon and with help from Andy the cream went fast. I was trying to get all the stickers applied but it was too hectic so I pulled the temporary Bessita around the corner and finished up over there. That night we headed back to Williamsburg to sling outside Galapagos where the Insound Party was happening. It was great to run into the guys from Holy F_ck, too bad we weren’t able to catch their set.
The Fader parties at SXSW and CMJ are always stacked with the best bands. We cleared some people out of the street and parked right in front of the “Sideshow” where Biffy Clyro was tearing it up. Dryw from Urban Outfitters happened to be there and he snapped some shots while everyone got their treats. We stuck around a bit hoping to sling outside The Abbey a few doors down where The Black Kids were playing. With all the hype, we knew it would be a madhouse. After a half hour or so of trying to make something happen, we gave up and moved on to greener pastures in front of the Mercury Lounge. The lineup that night included Blacktop and Miss Alex White and our not-so-official (or legal) parking spot was perfect. We finished the night in the Lower East Side by parking in front of Pianos which had a ton of traffic rolling by. We saw the guys from Alberta Cross, who rocked the Fader party earlier, and also met some new friends, Dead Confederate. Eventually there was a noise complaint and they figured that, somehow, ice cream was a factor, so we closed up shopped and headed back to Brooklyn.
Friday was a bit drizzly but that didn’t keep Bessita and I from pounding the pavement. I was directed to what I thought was a NYLON party during CMJ to find out it was the offices of NYLON. Everyone came down stairs for goodies then I sloooowly made my way over to the office of Matador Records to kick down folks there. For the record, avoid driving in Manhattan around rush hour, especially near the Holland Tunnel. Miraculously we wrangled everyone together for a group shot then I met up with Kate at the Brooklyn Vegan Party at R Bar on Bowery. The venue was a little shabby but the lineup was the best of CMJ. Islands debuted a bunch of new material, The Black Kids packed the house and NYC hotshots Yeasayer and Saturday Looks Good to Me helped fill out part of the lineup. You’d think parking in NYC would be tough but it’s surprisingly not. Maybe it’s just because we make our own spots and often end up parking in loading or commercial zones. Everyone was at the BV party and after slinging a bunch of cream we pulled Bessita around the corner and rocked all of Islands set, which was much needed. Hopefully they’ll have their new album out this spring and will be making the festival rounds next year.
For Saturday we started things off at The Yard in Carroll Gardens. It’s a weird, open place right on the Gowanus Canal and the perfect spot for a day party. The folks from After the Jump welcomed us into the Yard and we slang from Bessita while grooving to The Lisps and Balthrop, Alabama. Had we not had work to do/cream to sling, we’d have stuck around all day and rocked O’Death but there were parties to hit and we needed to re-up on our goods. Urban Outfitters was hosting an instore event with DJ’s Never Forget and David Bruno and we stopped by there and headed in with a cooler back full of treats for the kids. We stopped by what I thought was the Daytrotter sessions only to find out we were a day late…d’oh. Spoon and The Ponys were playing Roseland which was only a few blocks away so I rolled by there but 52nd Street on a Saturday night is way too nuts to work in some magic.
I cruised by Mercury Lounge again on the way back to Music Hall of Williamsburg where Matt and Kim were headlining the Fleet Team showcase. After half of their set I locked up Bessita and ran in to jump around for a bit. I can’t think of a happier band that’s more appreciative of their success. Their music is so upbeat and positive and the crowd was freaking out and stage diving while some cryptic home movies played behind the band. The night ended with a stop at my favorite bar in New York, Maracuja. It was great to see Charlie and Connie again and wrap up CMJ with Tyler and Kate. Next year maybe we’ll have more trucks there or maybe throw our own party. Either way… I’m sure it’ll be a good time. Thanks to all the folks at 206inc, Winifred at CMJ, Toyota, Urban Outfitters, and all the crew who helped make the cream slinging and this review happen.
