CMJ 2009 Roundup: TAS' Alisa Ali Looks Back On Five Days of Band Bedlam

CMJ 2009 is now a distant memory, aside from some bands and fans who might have awakened Monday morning feeling as if they'd been run over by a tour bus. The Alternate Side's Alisa Ali reflects on what cheered her up and brought her down over five days of music industry madness.

The dust of this year's CMJ Music Marathon has finally settled and I am still trying to make sense of what happened. Here are some random thoughts about the experience.

Location vs. Location:

The Lower East Side was the easiest place for me to be, which was of some disadvantage. There were a bunch of bands scheduled to play in Brooklyn venues, but logistically speaking, it was really hard to coordinate getting all the way out there and back to Manhattan in time to see all the bands I was most interested in catching. Unfortunately, bands that were playing in Manhattan probably got a lot more face time just because of proximity.

When I finally did head out to Brooklyn - to the Trash Bar - I saw a good band, The Shackeltons. Unfortunately, due to some tough CMJ competition on Thursday night, the group played to crowd of about five. I did a quick interview with lead singer Mark Redding and he seemed a little down about the poor attendance. It was a tough break for a band that will be kicking off a tour with Cage The Elephant next week. The exception to the Brooklyn rule, at least as far as my CMJ experience was concerned, was Music Hall of Williamsburg, where I saw Aussie buzz band The Temper Trap do a really rockin' set to a huge crowd.

Badges vs. Tickets:

I did get shut out of a few shows - the xx, The Antlers and Atlas Sound. A lot of the venues allow only a few badges in and reserve the rest of the tickets to sell. This is worth noting because if you want to go to a show that you anticipate will be popular, get there early. Really early. Also, if you have a friend without a badge, they should be able to get in also. Remember that badges are not required for these shows.

Music vs. Music:

Here is a quick list of my faves from the fest:

Drink Up Buttercup Drink Up Buttercup put on a raucous show. They bang on garbage cans so voraciously that you'd think they were trying to crush them into a recyclable size. Needless to say, they like their percussion. They jump into the crowd and do sing-alongs. Their music is conducive to trouble making. Which I enjoy.

You can catch Drink Up Buttercup on tour with Stellastar next month, including at gig at Brooklyn's Union Hall on November 12.

Apache Beat have a great front woman in the band who aims her angst, aggression and hips right at your face. She is mesmerizing and the drummer is great too. Nice guitars & bass, but I didn't really notice too much of an impact coming from the keys. They reminded me of Pretty Girls Make Graves. On the whole, an intense experience and very worthwhile.

Apache Beat's debut album is due out in early 2010 with members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Rapture and Lightspeed Champion.

Real Estate have great, great guitar harmonies. They are a shy group of guys who are unlikely rock stars, but they certainly get the job done. Their songs are very catchy and easy to get into right away.

Real Estate tour with the Vivian Girls beginning October 30 in Storrs, Connecticut.

Local Natives Local Natives were my favorites in the festival. The vocals in this band are tremendous. They all have beautiful voices which blend so nicely together. They reminded me of Bon Iver or Fleet Foxes, but more upbeat. In addition to guitar, bass and drums they also have keyboards, mandolins, shaky percussive things and a bunch of other stuff that sounds essential, never excessive. A very humble bunch of guys who all live together in a house in California. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from them in the future. Plus they're going on an array of tours this fall and winter with White Rabbits, Fool's Gold and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes.