StarBeat Music: CMJ 2009 Day 4 Photos: Ume, Naam, Hellado Negro, Kiss Kiss, Emilyn Brodsky

All photos by StarBeat

Ume

October 23, 2009

The first band I saw of the day was Austin's Ume, a trio who rock so hard it's ridiculous-in the good way. Singer Lauren is so intense. The band reminds me of a heavy The Start, the Aimee Echo fronted band from L.A. CMJ described them as "An attention-grabbing trio with strong guitar and a punk edge," and I'd have to agree. What stood out was how much Lauren would move around and how loud they sounded for just a three-piece. She'd head bang, totally rockin' out and her vocals were so strong. Eric and Jeff rocked to. The night before they played a VICE party at Public Assembly and apparently did an encore- now I see why.

Naam

After them Naam went on. I can attest that they do indeed destroy faces. This groovy, psychedelic rock will leave you with goosebumps. Fuckin' check out this band.

Next I headed to Crash Mansion for the second Beyond Race showcases where I saw the circus-punksters Kiss Kiss at their tightest yet, Helado Negro with their indie Latin goodness, and Pete and the Pirates with their folk rock from the UK. Kiss Kiss were impressive and I couldn't help but headbang. Felt like the only one doing so, but that didn't matter, I kept going.

Next I made a pit stop to Yippie Cafe where the Agent, Hostage Calm, Coughing Fit, Deafeter, and others would play. But the show was running late, so I didn't have a chance to see any bands. I did met up with some cool friends, which was nice. I was then off to Public Assembly where I saw Emilyn Brodsky solo, Kiss Kiss, and ShiraGirl. Emilyn was entertaining, good seeing her twice in two different settings. Kiss Kiss thankfully played a different set then the earlier performance at Crash. ShiraGirl put on a hell of a show. They get tighter each time I see them. They played a bunch of songs off Spit! Scream! Sing!, as well the new single "Sick Day," and a cover of "Suck My Kiss." Also, they did a mo-town inspired intro to "Anthem" and closed with the heavy "Lights Out." Lead singer Shira would jump all over the place, pump up the crowd, and get into the crowd and sing to people. It was great.

I don't have photos but I also caught part of the Infinity Cat Records showcase at the Charleston. I saw Heavy Cream plus JEFF the brotherhood again! Good way to end the night, on a groove. That's rock n roll. Being pressed up against others in a basement of a bar rockin' out to an awesome band with a $4 yueling in one hand and raising your first with the other, yelling out the lyrics to the songs and not giving a fuck, if just for that moment. CMJ was crazy. Let's see. Official/unofficial/pre/anti CMJ shows from 10/19-10/23: Saw 34 bands. 5 bands twice. 13 venues. 5 days. NYC.

Thanks to everyone I met and all the bands I saw for moving me in some way! It was an awesome experience.

More pics below.

Ume @ Fontana's