CMJ 2008: Day 1
10-21-2008;

Day 1 - {[Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5}]

Having been forewarned of the difficulty I might have gaining entry to the Brooklynvegan showcase at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on the first day of CMJ, I craftily secured a press ticket from a publicist (thanks Brooke!). The Hall wasn't packed when I arrived around 7 PM, but coming early proved to be a wise choice as the room steadily filled over the course of the evening.

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- {Emmy the Great}

First, we were greeted by Emmy the Great, the stage name of Emma-Lee Moss, who hails from London and was originally born in Hong Kong. Her backing band, which consisted of acoustic guitars, a xylophone-playing bassist, keys, and a drum kit, could very well have been high school kids, or at least the high school dance band. Violinist Margaret White also lent her skills, as she would many more times throughout the week, appearing with about a dozen other bands performing at CMJ. Moss' voice is sweet and clear, with a slight lilt catching the end of her notes, and doo-wop melodies peppered her upbeat set.

Her songs touched on tongue-in-cheek religious themes as well as travel, specifically to Berlin, which she called "a place to renew" -- not sure Lou Reed would agree with that, but this was Emmy the Great's show, dammit! As she finished her last song, an audience member demanded "18 more songs!" Moss laughed and said, "Okay, just let me go upstairs and write for a while." Emmy the Great might need to work a bit harder on her live show to live up to her name, especially if she's going to continue to support people like Tilly and the Wall and Kimya Dawson. Still, girl's first full-length album isn't coming out till 2009, so I think she's got some time to work on it. Info on the album is scant, but her latest single, "We Almost Had a Baby," is available on Rough Trade.

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- {The Sammies}

The next band began to set up, and I spotted cowboy boots and a guitarist noodling a blues riff during the quick soundcheck. This could be good or bad. The Sammies are from Charlotte, North Carolina, with their drummer explaining, "That's why I sound like this" (referring to his Southern twang). Some middle-aged men waved wildly to my left and I realized that this band of boys had some dads in the house. Aww. The Sammies launched into a set reminiscent of The Black Lips' chaos and The Drive-By Truckers' exuberance, and I'm not surprised when I find these two bands on their MySpace Top 8 later that evening. The bassist owned this band, driving them along at a boot-stomping clip, and the drummer screamed to his heart's content when he managed to get near his mic. The Sammies urged the crowd to "do a social," and they obliged, but the house largely did the standing-still for the set. Too jaded on rock ‘n’ roll bravado? It's possible. The Sammies aren't exactly doing anything new, but for a pack of guys who look like they should still be in a basement somewhere, their chops are disproportionately polished. Sandwich, their second album, is out now on Morisen Records.

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- {Shearwater}

Next came Austin, Texas-based Shearwater, the low-key side project of Okkervil River's Jonathan Meiburg and, originally, Will Sheff. (Sheff was at the show, but sadly, did not play.) Meiburg's voice was operatic and tribal in a live setting, and there was no shortage of interesting instruments cluttering the stage. I stared at what appeared to be a very large viola de gamba turned on its end for quite awhile before realizing that Kim Burke was simply playing an upright bass with a twist. Thor Harris sported a fuzzy drum kit and drew growing appreciation from the crowd when he slung a dulcimer around his neck -- in fact, "I LOVE YOU, THOR!!!" became a rallying cry as the set progressed. Shit, if I was dressed like a caveman with one huge braid in my long mane of hair AND capable of switching my drum kit for the clarinet mid-song, I'd expect people to love me too.

The dramatic, theatrical set was a sound guy's nightmare, insofar as the myriad of instruments needed to create the dense, brooding sound of Shearwater. Meiburg's voice resembled a theremin at one point... I guess there were already too many weird things on stage. During sound check, Meiburg asked, "Hey, can you guys hear the dulcimer up there?" I'd say that pretty much sums up the mood of Shearwater's music. Languid, complicated, and sophisticated, but some of it just weird. I'd take Okkervil River if forced to choose, but that night, I enjoyed every moment. Their latest album, Rook, came out in June on Matador.

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- {Ponytail}

Our very own Judy Berman has sung the praises of Ponytail time and again, so I was pumped to see these kids from Baltimore come on next. Lead singer/noisemaker Molly Siegel sported a combed-down 'hawk, as she yipped into the mic for sound check -- a sign of things to come. As soon as the band kicked off the first song, Siegel was a woman possessed by her own voice, writhing with unspeakable joy and emitting sounds I've never heard from a human being. Her facial express vacillated wildly between a cheek-splitting grin and a grimace, and I could swear she did a bat dance at one point.

Their music is ecstatic, much like Siegel's stage stylings, with frenzied drumming and sugary melodies running up and down scales so quickly you feel like you're hanging on for dear life. "Oh no! I'm late for schooooool!!!" are the first English words I heard after about 20 minutes, and when guitarist Dustin Wong joined Siegel on vocals, the effect was hair-raising in the best way. You know how sometimes you come home from a really bad day at school/work and the only thing that makes you feel better is screaming along to your favorite song and thrashing your limbs around? That's Ponytail. Go get their second album, Ice Cream Spiritual, from We are Free. Even the Brooklynvegan crowd managed to look mildly amused:

Day 1 - {[Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5}]

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