WRBB x CMJ // 2015

CMJ coverage by Northeastern University's WRBB 104.9 FM

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

// WRBB’s Offical CMJ Playlist for 2015 //

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

TAKEAWAY TRACKS // DAY 5

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

TAKEAWAY TRACKS // DAY 4

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

TAKEAWAY TRACKS // DAY 3

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

TAKEAWAY TRACKS // DAY 2

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

TAKEAWAY TRACKS // DAY 1

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

WRBB 104.9 FM on Instagram:

“Day 1: Fuelin up for #CMJ2015”

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

RECAP: DAY 5

Saturday, October 17th

Given that there were no panels on the fifth and final day of CMJ 2015, we were more than happy to get a late start on the day. After exploring the Williamsburg neighborhood and the many brick and mortar treasures it had to offer, we headed to Palisades in Brooklyn to check out the Run For Cover showcase.

Run For Cover // SHOWCASE

Run For Cover is a Boston based record label started in 2004 by founder Jeff Casazza that is known for its cult following in the punk, indie and emo rock scenes. The venue in which the showcase was held, Palisades, is a hundred-plus year old space that was formerly used as a meat smokehouse and now hosts both local and regional acts on tour in it’s subtle Bushwick location. 

Photo by Brooklyn Vegan

Upon entering the venue, it came as no surprise when the bouncer mentioned that we would the last two allowed into the showcase. Familiar with the typical turnout of anything RFC, this is something we’ve come to expect. As we shuffled through the door we took immediate notice of the crowd’s cemented gaze on Petal’s Kiley Lotz. Playing alongside some familiar RFC faces, Dane McGoldrick and Tom Chiari, employees of the label itself, the event as a whole felt like a family reunion. The Scranton natives showcased a few songs off their upcoming LP, Shame, which is set for release on October 23rd. Before heading out, we were able sets from catch chip-tune rockers, Crying, and this year’s WRBB Block Party Openers, LVL UP.

Communion Records // SHOWCASE

After leaving Run For Cover’s showcase, we ran into some fellow NU alum at the Communion Record’s showcase at Brooklyn Bowl. Not shortly after catching the tail end of Finnish indie pop band, Satellite Stories’ set, headliners POWERS, entered the stage and immediately changed the landscape of the showcase. Playing hits like “Legendary” and “Classic” their energetic dance pop tracks were a hit and electrified the Brooklyn crowd. Followed by a DJ set featuring Communion Records co-founder Ben Lovett, it was a perfect send off to intensely rewarding CMJ Music Marathon.

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

RECAP: DAY 4

Friday, October 16th

WRBB made Brooklyn our first stop on Day 4 of CMJ. Chowed down on some bagels, chugged some coffee and made our way over to CMJ’s home base at Dreamtown for a panel we were particularly excited about.

by adam kenny

FESTIVAL GLOBALIZATION // PANEL

@ Dream Downtown

We sat in on the tail-end of the Festival Globalization panel, which was moderated by Parag Bhandari the Founder & CEO of the New York based UG Strategies & UphoricTV. The panel featured a handful festival executives from across the world. This was an extremely informative panel that covered how and why the global realm of music festival culture has undergone a shift in the past few years. They addressed the concern of the festival market saturation, but emphasized the world-wide festival expansion will only increase and help promote music in the performance realm. Panelists also touched upon how access to these festivals are rapidly changing due to advances in streaming  technology. A great example of this is Parag Bhandari‘s Uphoric TV which has solidified itself as the world’s first television network dedicated to the global music festival circuit.

“We provide an exclusive look into the world of festivals, from backstage to onstage, featuring exclusive artist and music performances, interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, industry profiles, festival food and travel coverage, and much more.” - Uphoric TV

PLANETARY PRESENTS CMJ 2015 // SHOWCASE

We were able to see some of Planetary Group’s showcase at Pianos NYC. The standout of the up-stairs shortlist, was HIGHS. The self proclaimed “Alt-Pop” five-piece from Toronto, Ontario stirred a stuffed crowd (shouts to Planetary for the free food), with their high energy performance coupled with infectious melodies. The band and their set will not be forgotten.

Planetary Group is a small music marketing company the provides a variety of services such as online publicity, social media marketing, non-commercial & college radio promotion, web design services, and consultation.

THE DELI INDIE STAGE AT PIANOS // SHOWCASE

After the Planetary Group showcase we took a nice stroll down the stairs to see the start of Deli Magazine’s INDIE STAGE Showcase. A WRBB favorite and Boston goof-sters, Vundadar, were the openers of this showcase. The slowly building New York crowd didn’t let Vundadar’s comedic approach to their performance fool them. They were undoubtedly impressed by the Boston trio’s high energy and dynamic jangle pop compilations.

WRBB caught up with the Vundabar boys after, where they explained that their time at CMJ was more then eventful. Brandon Hagen, lead singer, informed us that he had been playing their shows earlier in week with an 105 degree fever. If that wasn’t too much of a burden, their van had been broke into twice in consecutive nights. On stage, you couldn’t tell. The seasoned sludge-slingers provided a performance that surely caught the attention of CMJ go-ers.

“The band has a great and expansive range of musical ability that sets them happily apart from many other up and coming indie groups – Allston Pudding

by adam kenny

SECRETLY GROUP // SHOWCASE

@ Elvis Guesthouse NYC

Quinn & I made the convenient 8-min trek over to Elvis Guesthouse, which is tucked away underneath some restaurant on Avenue A . There we were able to quickly scoop a nice spot in the front row of the tiny and tightly-packed bar for a sonic glimpse of one our more anticipated acts this CMJ.  Night Beds, via the Secretly Group, were playing their 4th and final showcase of the week. Tension rised as the Yellen brothers, worked in tandem with the sound crew to put the finishing touches on their sound check.

Winston, clad in a black over-sized hoodie, looked curiously reminiscent to fashions donned by  Kayne West. Mr. West’s “Yeezus” is an inspiration that can be clearly heard on latest Night Beds project “Ivywild”.  This acted as the preface, to the most intense set we caught at this years CMJ.

As Night Beds hit the chorus of the first song “Me, Liquor & God”, Winston burst into the crowd weaving in and out of the small sea of people. His energy continuously heightened with each song. From grabbing people to smashing the mic upon his head, Winston was like a man possessed by the intoxicating nature of his own music. The set culminated with Yellen’s aggression peaking in sync with the voices of the crowd as the outro of “Corners” bled out.

Night Beds photos by adam kenny

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

Empanadas Hangover

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

spreading knowledge in bk

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

RECAP: DAY 3

After a late night in Brooklyn bouncing between venues, day three quickly rolled around and it was back to the Downtown Dream Hotel for some more panels....and local brewed over-priced coffee.

PUBLISHING IN THE STREAMING WORLD // PANEL

With the conversation about music in recent years transitioning from piracy to streaming, we were curious to sit in on a panel of industry professionals and have them offer insight into what’s going on behind the scenes of publishers, labels, and artists careers overall. The panel consisted of the following speakers:

Craig Michie - Big Deal Music

Lacey Swain - Sub Pop Records

Susan Busch - Domino Records

Overall, the panel was somewhat informative and eye-opening. With two panelists openly admitting they don’t use Spotify at all, the credibility of the panelists (self-identified experts in streaming) instantly went down. Despite that, there were still several good points made by Lacey and Susan who reiterated the progression of streaming figures into physical sales alongside the predictability of success for the artist. 

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT // Oh, Malô

As a part of their ongoing collaboration between Vanyaland and Berklee College of Music, Oh, Malo was selected as one of the seven current or graduated Berklee students representing the prestigious music school down the street. The showcase was held at the infamous Carroll Place in Greenwich village and featured several other Berklee acts.

VANYALAND & BERKLEE SHOWCASE LINEUP:

Oh, Malô

Honeysuckle

Eternals

mar | co. 

“Oh Malô (oh-muh-LOW) presents colorful soundscapes through their eclecticism and dynamic arrangements. Delicate vocal melodies are met with intertwining ambient guitars and driven by powerful, aggressive drums. Oh, Malô pulls influence from such bands as Bombay Bicycle Club, Radiohead, Local Natives, Daughter, and Jeff Buckley to create a consistently unpredictable blend of timbres and arrangements.” - Oh, Malô band site

ATYPICAL BEASTS & AUDIOFEMME // SHOWCASE

@Pianos 

Just making it in time for the start of the show, we headed off to Pianos (Upstairs) to catch the Montclair, NJ indie-folk band, Stolen Jars, play a few tunes. Balancing three vocalists, two guitars, a drummer and a bassist on top of complex rhythmic layouts, this young band set the tone for the fast-paced, exploratory nature of the rest of the night. The showcase also included the following bands who played earlier....

SHOWCASE LINEUP:

Marlon Williams

Idgy Dean

Multimagic

Outfit

Lena Fayre

NEON GOLD // SHOWCASE

@ Webster Hall

One of the more hyped-up events of the week, Neon Gold Records presented it’s larger than life label showcase Thursday night at Webster Hall and held some of the most captivating performances we saw all night. Notable standouts include LA-based indie-folk band, Bird Dog and enigmatic New York natives, Lewis Del Mar. We even caught a the Disney legend  Joe Jonas walking around before his gig with new band, DNCE!

photos of Bird Dog by Adam Kenny

Neon Gold Records is a New York City-based boutique record label founded in 2008 by Derek Davies and MSMR front-woman, Lizzy Plapinger. The label has championed the early careers of artists like Ellie Goulding, Passion Pit, HAIM, Icona Pop and more. 

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

RECAP: DAY 2

Wednesday, October 14th 2015

CMJ PRESENTS’ COLLEGE DAY 

We attended CMJ’s College Day which celebrates the progress made by CMJ’s college radio contingency. It featured a full day of college radio programming and panels consisting of members from fellow college stations who provided insight on what college radio means to them and their respective schools. Sounds Australia showcased live music of exciting new Australian bands, such as SAFIA & Tuka.

Music Directors Summit // PANEL

We sat in on an extremely interesting panel featuring Music Directors from a handful of stations across the country, Anthony Spak of WXOU, Chloe Doyle of WMUA, David Wolfson of WVFS and James Calvet of KVCU . They discussed their roles as Music Director and how station operations varied from school to school. Following the discussion, they took questions from the crowd about what their role can do to help shape and change a station, providing insightful feedback.

“Often the most demanding job at a station, the music director position is also the most coveted because it’s the one that puts you in the middle of the action, balancing all facets of the radio station, from listener ship to staff to the music industry as a whole.” - CMJ thoughts on the role of Music Directors         

CMJ College Radio Awards // PANEL

The Radio Awards highlighted the best of college radio this past year. Here are some of the winners for the 2015 ceremony. HINT: we didn’t make the list!

Station Of The Year: WWVU (Morgantown, WV)

Music Director Of The Year: Elizabeth McIntrye (WWVU)

Promoter Of The Year: Allan Benedict (The Syndicate)

Specialty Music Director Of The Year: Cody Roane (WWVU)

Biggest Champion Of The Local Scene: WXIN (Providence, RI)

Most Creative: WFMU (Jersey City, NJ)

Small Station, Big Idea: WMUA (Amherst, MA)

Best Student-Run, Internet-Only Station: WVAU (Washington D.C.) - MAJOR HOMIES

Biggest Improvement: KWCW (Walla Walla, WA)

Above is a picture of our new homies @ WVAU accepting the award for Best Student-Run, Internet-Only Station of the year.

Iceland Music Export X Iceland Airwaves // SHOWCASE

@ Black Bear Brooklyn - Sponsored by Brennivin and Icelandic Glacial

Post-panels, we made our way from Dream Downtown to Brooklyn for a showcase brought to us by Iceland Airwaves Music Festival and Iceland Music Export to bring Iceland’s best up-and-coming talent to America.

It featured a line-up of...

LINE UP:

Mammut Fufanu DJ Flugvel og Geimskip

Bowery Electric Presents’ // SHOWCASE

@ The Bowery Electric

Happy to catch our good buddies in Del Water Gap, play a mesmerizing stripped down set at The Bowery Electric @ 8:30PM.

photo by Adam Kenny

HILLYDILLY x CMJ // SHOWCASE

@ Good Room, Brooklyn, NYC

We headed over to Brooklyn to catch the first-ever Hillydilly showcase at CMJ. This showcase bolstered a strong line-up of electro-infused pop bands and singer-songwriters. Stand-outs for the boys of WRBB were Kevin Garrett & Lauv.

“Aquilo’s goosebump-inducing sounds, the high-octane electronic-pop of Crooked Colours, the incredibly soothing Kevin Garrett, pop expertise with Lauv, the electrifying and upbeat POWERS, the epic-sounding SAFIA, the silky-smooth and unique Tora, and, last but not least, the immersive electronic of TAPES” - Hillydilly

Hillydilly.com is a online music blog that prides itself on the discovery of new music, pushing only the best in hopes to connect with the average music fan.

photo by @seayoo

Sugarmama BK & Little Dickman Records // SHOWCASE

Before passing out from exhaustion, we managed to drag our lifeless bodies over to Legion in Brooklyn to catch the end of an unofficial CMJ Showcase presented by the Asbury Park, NJ based indie-label Little Dickman Records & Brooklyn’s Sugarmama.

LINE UP: Dead Stars The Battery Electric Sharkmuffin Dentist Dinowalrus No Ice  Black Flamingos

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

RECAP: DAY 1

COLLEGE RADIO MIXER @ Baby’s All Right

CMJ hosted a small mixer at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn, NY. It was great meeting fellow college radio reps across the country. The mixer was in conjunction with a showcase hosted by New Zealand Music Commission. Caught the set of kiwi two-piece, called carb on carb.

co-sign 2015 CMJ Rooftop Bash // SHOWCASE

Co-sign is an artist development agency specializing in radio promotion, licensing, street marketing, and brand strategy. The company works with artists, record labels, and brands to execute campaigns focused on commercial music releases, tour dates, and music driven marketing initiatives. - co-sign

SHOWCASE LINEUP:

Beach Baby Dilly Dally Oscar MONIKA

UTA Showcase @ Webster Hall NYC

Alex Vargas Safia Howard Lawrence Sebastien Mikael Cheatahs

Capped the night off with two extremely promising young acts. Howard, Brooklyn natives (who we mentioned in our preview) pulled the packed out Studio of Webster Hall in with their emotionally tugging folk-electronic tunes. To follow, Alex Vargas, a soulful pop crooner from London, blew the crowd away with his effortless vocal range and driving beats with heavy-electronic influences.

The host, United Talent Agency, is a talent and literary agency with offices in Beverly Hills, California and New York City. UTA is one of the largest talent agencies in the world, with 200 agents representing actors, writers, directors, producers, recording artists, below the line talent, IP rights holders, emerging technology companies and corporate brands in a variety of practice areas including film, television, music, digital media, intellectual property, computer and video games, commercials, fine arts, voiceovers, endorsements, branding & licensing, corporate consulting and entertainment marketing. - wiki

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

What is the CMJ Music Marathon 2015?

Good Question! As this will be our first official appearance, we felt it would be helpful to explain exactly what CMJ & their Music Marathon is.....

The company was started by Robert Haber in 1978 as the College Media Journal, a bi-weekly trade magazine aimed at college radio programmers. Now, College Music Journalism is a music events & online media company which runs not only runs a website but also hosts an annual festival and other music-centric events in the New York City area. In the past they published CMJ New Music Monthly a monthly music magazine with interviews, reviews, and special features published from 1993 to 2009.

CMJ Music Marathon, now celebrating their 35th anniversary, is a week-long festival & conference held annually every October, it is now considered a vital platform for the discovery of new music. The conference will run from October 13th to October 17th and feature over 1400 up-and-coming artists from countries all over the world as well as esteemed panelists from various sectors of the music and entertainment business speaking on a variety of topics.

by adam kenny

[wrbbxcmj-blog]

CMJ 2015 // Artist Preview

To help sift through the abundance of musical offerings at CMJ this year, here is a small list of acts hand picked by ya boys.

Each featured act, will be performing throughout the Greater New York City area this week. Click here for further artist information and show scheduling.                                     

DAN BETTRIDGE

STANDOUT TRACK:  “Third Eye Blind”

FOR FANS OF: Hozier, Van Morrison, Ben Howard

LOCALTION:  Wales, UK

Since Dan Bettridge’s first release, 2013’s Hunters Heart his songs have been played on both BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2, placing the 22 year old at the center of A&R flurries. For his latest release, “Third Eye Blind”, Bettridge teamed up with famed REM producer Charlie Francis and delivered his most tasteful track yet.

 SJOWGREN

STANDOUT TRACK:   “Seventeen”

FOR FANS OF: Best Coast, The Joy Formidable, Day Wave

LOCALTION: Bay Area, CA

Chances are you’ve never heard of Sjowgren nor can you pronounce their name. The indie trio (two guys from LA and one girl from Nashville) all went to high school together, split for college, and reconvened to make some music for fun. They released their first EP in March. Don’t let sjowgren’s measly 900 Facebook likes faze you, Sjowgren is going places. Their music is laid-back, sweet and mellow, and insanely relaxing. 

VUNDABAR

STANDOUT TRACK:  “Chop”

FOR FANS OF: The Growlers, Thee Oh Sees

LOCATION:  Boston, MA <3 <3

Putting a finger on the pulse of local Boston band Vundabar is a daunting task. The Boston trio has been described as jangle pop and often compared to the likes of The Pixies and Thee Oh Sees for their quiet/loud dynamic and pop sensibility but that just doesn’t quite capture the quirky likeability that the trio demands. Known for their energetic live sets and comedic approach to performances, this young group is sure to win over many fans this week as they play a grueling eight gig schedule in the coming six days. Alongside their critically acclaimed sophomore album, Gawk, Vundabar are destined to have a “wonderful” career ahead. 

 NIGHT BEDS

STANDOUT TRACK:  “Me, Liquor & God”

FOR FANS OF: Night Beds (previous selves), The Weekend

LOCATION: Nashville, TN / Colorado Springs, CO / Portland, OR

After much commercial success and critical acclaim over the past few years, Night Beds might seem like a weird addition to a list of “up & coming” artists of 2015. That weird feeling would be justified if you haven’t been paying close attention to the most recent version of this project called Night Beds. Since the release of their debut album “Country Sleep”, Night Beds have undergone an intense transformation. Winston Yellen, along with his young brother and now permanent band mate, Abe Yellen, have shaken off the shackles of their Folk & Country roots, fallen asleep and awoken in an electro-R&B dream state. This abrupt sonic transition can be heard on their Sophomore album “Ivywild”, which was released on August 7th, 2015 via Dead Oceans. Is this a permanent switch? That has yet to be decided, but one thing will always remain unquestionable. As long as Night Beds is in existence you can expect that Winston’s sultry voice & catchy songwriting will always prevail. 

“In an age where white male singer/songwriter types are five to a dime, Yellen is a true rarity: a singer with both an astounding voice and a unique style. This album takes on the more fleshed out arrangements of its predecessor and blows them up to proportions no one could have seen coming.”– Pop Matters

“I would like people to remember me as a genuinely nice, kind person. No one shows up to your funeral for your art: they show up for who you were as a human being.” - Winston Yellen

HOWARD

STANDOUT TRACK:  “Money Can't Buy”

FOR FAN OF: S. Carey, Fleet Foxes, Gorillaz

LOCALTION:  Brooklyn, NY

Howard, a folktronic Brooklyn based trio, began with just Howard Feibusch. Feibusch was the former singer and guitarist of psychedelic rock band Orange Television, based in Massachusetts. He and his former Orange Television band-mate, Myles Heff, have now teamed with Chris Holdridge on Drums and multi-instrumentalist Alex Chakour to form Howard. Howard’s debut album, Religion, is set for release this November.

“It all comes together in a groove that keeps you guessing, pulling you along or kicking you about until the back end of the track opens up and sucks you into a wormhole of modulated guitar.” – Last FM

PINEGROVE

STANDOUT TRACK: “New Friends”

FOR FANS OF: The Flaming Lips, Hop Along

LOCATION: Montclair, NJ

This band is the most recent signing on Run for Cover Records. With upbeat tempos, jangly chord progressions and energetic vocals with an country twang. Pinegrove offer an interesting departure from the rest of Run for Cover’s roster. The four-piece Montclair, NJ outfit released Everything So Far with Seagreen Records on October 9th. The opening track, “New Friends,” utilizes poppy drums and bright vocal harmonies to tell a relatable story, resulting in a song that showcases a sunny outlook on the darker moments of growing older. “New Friends” has been getting a lot buzz on various music blogs and online must magazines, being most recently featured on SPIN.com. This list would not be complete without a band from Run for Cover, one of our favorite labels out of Boston. Be on the lookout for our coverage on their showcase later this week.

NAI HARVEST

STANDOUT TRACK: “Buttercups”

FOR FANS OF: Foxing, Oasis, Teenage Fan Club

LOCATION: Sheffield, England

Nai Harvest is an indie duo that is constantly reinventing their sound. In 2013, they released Whatever on the UK-based label, Dog Knights Productions, an album that featured twinkling guitar riffs that fit comfortably into the playlists of emo revival punksters everywhere. Fast forward one year and you’ll find a four-song release, Hold Open My Head; you’ll hear cleaner chords driving toward an altogether fuller, tighter sound, all while maintaining their theme of being painfully, yet proudly, misunderstood. This past April, they put out Hairball with Boston-turned-San Diego label Topshelf Records. On this most recent album, Ben Thompson’s vocals take on a distorted brassiness that gives them an instrumental quality. They manage to marry this 90s punk element to their compelling power chords to produce a sound unique to their previous releases, yet still uniquely Nai Harvest. Check in later in the week to find our coverage on Nai Harvest and others on the Topshelf roster at the Topshelf Records showcase.

CASSANDRA JENKINS

STANDOUT TRACK: “Up in Flames”

FOR FANS OF: Tobias Jesso Jr, Fiona Apple

LOCATION:  New York, NY

Singer/songwriter Cassandra Jenkins just recently caught our attention, with an almost perfect rendition of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World”. Upon listening to Jenkins’ vocals, they are with no question, reminiscent that of Stevie Nicks. Through out her self-titled and self-released EP, released on April 18, 2013, Jenkins’ smokey and ethereal like tone drives each track leaving you hypnotized. In addition to here solo project, Jenkins is also the bassist in Eleanor Friedberger's new touring ban.

ELLIOT MAGINOT

STANDOUT TRACK: “Still Alive”

FOR FANS OF: Ruben and The Dark, Hollow Wood, Leif Vollebekk

LOCATION:  Montréal, Québec

The artist who calls himself Elliot Maginot released his first EP in 2013, which featured dark folk songs. In February of this year, he put out his first full-length album, Young.Old.Everything.In.Between, which takes a large step toward dream pop.

Written by Adam Kenny, Quinn Slattery & Spencer Malekian