This year’s CMJ Music Marathon kicked off with our friends and sometimes-collaborators at MMN, who hosted an opening night show featuring Yo La Tengo, Screaming Females, DOM and a DJ set from Dam-Funk at Brooklyn Bowl.
We got there just in time for Yo La Tengo’s final moments before the crowd steamed out of the bowling alley, but caught Dam-Funk spinning some funky West coast-inspired cuts for those who stuck around for a little Tuesday night dance party. After seeing dude perform a few times, I always leave under the impression that he thoroughly loves music and isn’t afraid to share his rare gems for the betterment of others.
Every year I miss Pharoahe Monch during CMJ, and considered trekking to Le Poisson Rouge to catch his 12:25 a.m. set. Alas, the trains in New York City aren’t dependable enough for such split-second decisions, so I headed down the block to Spike Hill for local Brooklyn bands Xylos and Pocketknife.
Xylos ran through a set of wistful pop that wouldn’t be out of place as the accompaniment to a hip ’90s teenage love saga, and Pocketknife launched with a cool percussive instrumental before the vocalists hit some impressively high notes for the remainder of the night.
The fest lineup is looking a little slimmer than years past, but the best part of these festivals is always checking out bands you’re vaguely familiar with or discovering something entirely new. More flicks after the jump, and we’ll be back with more highlights later this week.
TOPICS: Plus One