Fanfarlo @ Piano's
Fanfarlo were impressive with their instrumentation. This is what I like about indie bands. They look outside the box. Rock is no longer just guitar, bass, and drums and I think indie bands work to make their music a little more interesting. The indie folk 5-piece use trumpet, violin, and mandolin. They played songs off their latest release Reservoir such as "I'm a Pilot" and "The Walls are Coming Down." It would've been cool to hear a Neutral Milk Hotel cover, but they only had a 30-minute and they played well. The tiny room of Piano's was packed. I would've seen them at their next two shows if I could. They come back to NYC in December.
Grooms @ Cake Shop
I saw Grooms for their last song and liked it, but it wasn't enough to write any sort of review.
Surfer Blood @ Cake Shop
Surfer Blood played about 10 shows the week of CMJ in NYC. This indie-pop 5-piece from Florida delivered a great set that had me wonderng why more people weren't dancing. Again, I would've caught this band more if I could. They tour with Art Brut in November.
Pics of Lights Resolve, Demander, Denise Barbarita, Jukebox the Ghost, and more below.
Lights Resolve @ Bowery Ballroom
Lights Resolve jumped on this bill last minute according to singer Matt. It had been over a year since I've seen this 3-piece New York band, so it was definitely a treat to see them at CMJ. I had forgotten how energetic this band is live and how fun they are. Their songs are rockin' and getting you dancing. "The Hills and Michael Jackson" started it off nicely. At one point Matt put the tambourine around his bassist Luke's neck who kept on playing. Also, Matt called the crowd closer so he could sing to them. It was also nice to see the band smiling for practically the whole set, especially drummer Neal. It's good seeing bands moving around, getting into the music, and putting their all into their performance. Bravo.
Demander @ Crash Mansion
I had heard of the New York based Demander for months because a few of my friends had booked them for shows, but it wasn't until this evening at CMJ that I actually saw the band live. It's hard to describe their sound but rockin' is simple one. Their myspace says "rock/indie/happy hardcore," so take that for what you will. I think that's mostly correct. Singer and bassist Karen, guitarist Dave, drummer Sivan, and the new keyboardist come together very nicely. They have a great groove that makes you want to move around and "Books" is an amazing song that had me hooked. Karen's vocals are pleasant with the catchy "oohs" and the songs have a punk/folk feel to them, but they aren't very much of either. Karen used to play bass for World/Inferno Friendship Society so that might say something.
At one point during the bands set the mic stand either fell or lowered (can't recall) and someone in the crowd either caught it or adjusted it and I remember seeing Karen stare at that person for at least a minute as if saying thank you with her eyes and looking so happy. It was pretty amazing to see and after the song finished she gave a verbal thanks. Karen moved to her drummer at one point all that way in the back (the stage was huge) and played next to her, which was cool. Also, Sivan smiled for most of the set. Demander has a great combination of good songs and good performance that make them one of the best surprises of CMJ, not because I didn't expect it to be good and then it was but because they got me into their music just from their first song, that's something not too many bands can pull off.
Sydney Wayser @ Crash Mansion
Sydney Wayser reminds me of Regina Spektor! Not sure if this is a good or bad thing. The music was pleasant.
Jukebox the Ghost @ Bowery Ballroom
Jukebox the Ghost seemed to play mostly new songs. The keyboard pulls you into the music quickly and watching singer Ben play is something. The band has little ghost hanging around on stage, appropriate for a band with ghost in their name and with Halloween coming up. It was a cute idea. "Hold It In" was a fun dancing along to. The new songs sounded great.
Denise Barbarita and the Morning Papers @ Crash Mansion
Denise Barbarita performed with the Morning Papers for a rocking set that included song off her upcoming release A Beautiful Mess and from the older album Chaos and Congeniality. The band sounded tight and it was great to finally hear the songs come to life, as I've only heard Denise acoustic solo. "Hush Hush" was a great one and also the angry closer, I believe was titled, "I Don't Like."
Yula Beeri and the Extended Family @ Crash Mansion
Great punk rock instrumentation! Lots of fun seeing this band. Yula is a great frontwoman and very entertaining. See the show and meet the extended family.
