Plans are always grandiose during the CMJ Music Marathon, but what happens in between usually stays with you. Such was the case for night three of the fest, in which we happily stumbled across LA band Grouplove at Public Assembly. The quintet ran through a set of confident, catchy songs with each member visibly excited to perform. Kinda rare these days, and so welcome.

Perhaps their giddiness is in fact dedication: Grouplove found each other while globetrotting between NYC, Greece, London and LA, and subsequently all relocated to the latter city to record. Catch them on tour with Florence and the Machine, Two Door Cinema Club and The Joy Formidable.

Though no one moved a muscle during Lower Dens‘ set at the Knitting Factory, the audience was quite appreciative of the Baltimore band’s dark, ethereal vibe. Frontwoman Jana Hunter’s vocals were on point while the rest of the band led the procession into their otherworldy sound. Don’t fret if you miss them during the Marathon; they’re touring the U.S. and Europe through December, playing select dates with Frankie Rose & the Outs, Woven Bones, Bear In Heaven and Beach House.

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.

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Never mind private jets and sipping champagne, how are musicians supposed to pay the bills these days? In a post-MTV world, how should musicians go about building a fan base and letting the masses hear their work in a way that allows them to earn a sustainable living?

For our readers in NYC, next week there’s a panel discussing the resurrection of the music video. Matt Graham of Brnd Mgmt, Dan Navetta of aPk Media and Zone4/Interscope artist Jared Evan will discuss strategies musicians can use to grow as an artist while growing their bank account. And yep, it’s free–just register here to attend.

Screaming Females took the stage before a packed house at Terminal 5 last week, opening for Arctic Monkeys on their quick five-city North American tour. The Jersey trio ran through a distorted set, filled with nimble bass lines and big beats, not to mention wailing, bouncy vocals courtesy of namesake guitarist/singer Marissa Paternoster. There were occasional breaks from the ruckus, with a few quiet, but deft solos before launching into the chorus like it was nothing. Though the young crowd was visibly eager to see the Arctic Monkeys, more than a few necks craned during Paternoster’s stadium-worthy shreddage.

Screaming Females will also be playing a New Year’s Eve show with Brooklyn duo Talk Normal, another powerful female-fronted noise band. The party goes down at Cake Shop in NYC and tickets are $15. Cheers to more women slaying in 2010!

We decided it was high time CMJ bring the rock. No cooing, atmospheric bands tonight. Straight up face-melting shreddage is what we were after on day four of the CMJ Music Marathon. To accomplish this noble task, we proceeded directly to Brooklyn, starting at Trash Bar for Goes Cube. Arguably one of the heaviest bands playing the fest this year, the trio slayed through a handful of songs from their latest, Another Day Has Passed.

In keeping with the theme of the night, we bounced to a venue known for messy basement-style bands: The Charleston. Heavy Cream–three rowdy women and one token dude–wasted no time getting the party started. They’ve got the classic punk rock formula down: raspy vocals, mosh pit instigation and full intent on creating drunken sing along hits. Lines include “Gonna get wasted/gonna get high” and the inevitable, “I’m gonna drink til I puke.”

And here’s where we veer off our badass-bands-only course a little bit, but for good reason. One block over at Spike Hill, Norwegian band Sissy Wish was just finishing their bouncy, whimsy set.  Siri Ålberg was also rocking a vest made entirely of cassette tapes, which doesn’t exactly slay, but is pretty damn cool.

After a little guitar malfunction that had The Bloodsugars in search of an E string (and G strings from willing volunteers…), the band ran through a tight set of bass-heavy indie that ventured into dance territory and at times bordered on jazzy, perhaps due in part to newer drummer Kenneth Salters. They also performed some brand new jams from their upcoming album, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, out November 3. Alright, so they don’t exactly slay, but you can tell these guys  are accomplished musicians. They also genuinely enjoy playing together and the feeling is contagious, a seeming rarity these days. Bands, take note.

Night three of the CMJ Music Marathon began at The Delancey, where we hoped to catch Bear Hands on the Club NME bill. Instead, the show was running behind and we actually caught The Antlers again, which isn’t such a terrible thing. But CMJ is all about discovering new bands, so after watching a few songs we headed out into the night in search of something unfamiliar. The xx were rumored to be the secret headlining guests, but we had our own party to attend.

The UI crew headed over to The Studio at Webster Hall for the MuseBox/PopGun Booking showcase, sponsored by yours truly. Apparently we arrived just in time for the action, though not the good kind. Someone, er, sucker punched Suckers’ lead singer Quinn Walker, while another brawl broke out in the crowd. No word on what provoked the violence, but the band’s team reports all is well today. Gordon Voidwell–not to be outshined by some senseless fight–owned the stage afterward with his quirky, talented ways.

Then it was off the Mercury Lounge, just to see what kind of (non-violent) trouble we could get into. Local Natives were on stage when we arrived, but the main room was packed to gills and filled with a sweaty haze. Such are CMJ shows, no?

We peeked into venues like Cake Shop, Pianos and Fat Baby, then considered the possibility of trekking it out to the DFA show at Brooklyn Bowl. Alas, it was by then late enough in the evening (or early enough in the wee hours of the morning) to see if The xx were indeed playing at The Delancey. We arrived just as the band was loading in, a double letter x on each piece of equipment. Though their set was shorter than the crowd would have liked, the band ran through quiet, syncopated songs. They maintained a very well-controlled sound throughout the set, and it’s easy to see why the duo works so well together. Chilled out, emotive and at ease, the band was the perfect nightcap.

So what if they wear sparkly shirts and pastel hot pants? Ungdomskulen like their music loud, fast and heavy. The Norwegian trio cranked the decibels up at Santos last night as part of the OhMyRockness and Oya Festival showcase. Songs ran the gamut from straight up metal to trippy, mesmerizing rock. Their show was light on the vocals and heavy on the shredding.

Turns out vocalist/guitarist Kristian Stockhaus could have been born Christian Stockhouse instead. You see, a distant relative by the name of Sven once stepped foot onto a boat bound for America. Alas, for reasons you’ll have to imagine yourself, our hero Sven decided to stay in Norway after all. Several generations later, had Ungdomskulen been American, Stockhaus noted, they would definitely be way less cool.

Then it was off to K&M in Brooklyn to catch Warpaint at a private FADER party. The three-piece had the honor of being the only band on the bill and performed for a hot, packed room. Band members didn’t stop after their set either, instead cutting the rug to some dance floor classics.

Much later, Uncensored Interview headed to Le Poisson Rouge for the Green Owl Records showcase. Though The Very Best weren’t able to play due to some travel issues, Virginia brothers Clipse were added to the bil. Ninjasonik and their crew spent a few songs goofing off on stage, and when energy in room died down, what better way to save it than with a Bad Brains cover and a mosh pit?

Theophilus London kept the crowd’s attention though it was after 2 a.m., as did some indie celebrities rumored to be in attendance. Clipse finally took the stage right before 3 a.m. to perform “Grindin’” and “What Happened to That Boy,” plus a couple off their new full-length Till the Casket Drops. Just as quickly they walked off stage, leaving fans not so politely questioning their incredibly short set.