RethinkPopMusic CMJ Promo Video

RethinkPopMusic hosted a CMJ showcase at The Bowery Electric on Thursday, October 20th 2011.

Artists performing that evening were:

The Yes Way
Black Taxi
Courtesy Tier
The Aviation Orange
Viva Mayday
Beast Make Bomb
Man on Earth
The Ruby Spirit

CMJ Night 2 feat The Yes Way

Surprisingly, I had not experienced The Yes Way live prior to CMJ.

Frontman Aaron Mendelsoh narrates a journey ranging from undeniably catchy, melodic pop, through spaced-out psychedelia, landing at times for hardcore garage-style grunge. All the while, it’s a tightly guarded secret hidden behind a coy smile what direction he might guide the show next.

I’ve only seen Radiohead do it better. Their New song “Anchor” appears to be an instant fan favorite, with all 6 feet and 6 inches of Nick Burleigh showing that his mastery of the guitar also translates to the spacey and reverb ablaze violin.

The word mastery absolutely applies… if Aaron is responsible for telling the story, than Nick certainly delivers the subtext with tightly-honed skill. Kudos are also in order for bassist Ian Mellencamp who didn’t miss a beat in just his second show with the band. This should probably be half credited to the flawless, yet often off-tempo drumming style of Jesse Bilotta, which one could imagine if even a note were missed the entire song would fall deep into a noisy abyss.

The Yes Way remain a change-up from what the rest of NYC has to offer and a cut above nearly any comparison you could make.

RethinkPopMusic CMJ Night 1 Recap

As CMJ week draws to a close, major media outlets everywhere will scramble to decide which acts won big and what “buzz band” is destined to be the media darling of the year. To believe that the newly crowned kings, whoever they may be, rose like cream on the merits of talent and performance alone would be akin to believing the most qualified person in the country is elected President. The former may involve the same degree of corporate interest, politics, and backroom dealing as the latter. While some past “buzz bands” like Arcade Fire have proven to worthy of such accolades, we here at Rethink like to connect with artists based on what they bring to the table musically rather than who’s in their back pocket. It was with this fan mentality that we assembled a stellar line-up of artists for showcases on back-to-back nights at Spike Hill and Bowery Electric.

We christened CMJ 2011 with an explosive performance from Virginia natives We Run. Their “foot on the gas”, guitar driven tracks grip everyone within earshot and shake vigorously. I was amazed to learn this only marked the band’s second show. Clearly they have been spending copious amounts time tightening their sound, which provides an edge similar to The Vines and a pure rock & roll spirit in the mold of Thin Lizzy—a noted inspiration according to the band. We Run have recently claimed NYC as their new homeland and I’m ecstatic to have the opportunity to watch them slice their way through the Big Apple.

Little Racer next took the stage and reshaped the mounted energy with a California twist, losing none to spoilage. While actually hailing from Brooklyn, the band harkens to surf rock of the 60’s with a style similar to Weezer encompassing a wide range of sounds, from tropical to harmonic. (reference something they played)

Emily Greene blessed the Spike Hill crowd with her rousing pipes and finely tuned keyboard skills. Her backing band allows her greater versatility than comparable acts like Imogen Heap or Feist while matching them with the power of her hallowed voice. There is an incredible sweetness to her stage presence that presents a very intriguing dichotomy when she goes all Jerry Lee Lewis on the keys.

I profiled Hollis Brown leading up to CMJ and was even more impressed with what they brought to the stage in their live performance… no small statement, as I was blown away by their recorded material. Somewhat less blues based, their up-beat guitar driven brand of neo-southern rock had the crowd up and dancing for the entirety of the set. While I would usually advise bands to steer clear of Beatles covers, Hollis Brown brought the house down with a true-to-form performance of “Come Together” delivered with vocal conviction by front man Mike Montali.

It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of The Yes Way. While I plan on detailing their face-meltingingly wonderful CMJ set in part II of our CMJ afterglow, I couldn’t possibly recap night one without mentioning them. Blame the procrastination on my lungs and liver which are still struggling to understand what happened over the past week.

RethinkPopMusic Announces CMJ Lineups

RethinkPopMusic will host two official CMJ showcases this year featuring seventeen of our favorite artists. We will be writing a personalized blog on every artist, so “Stay Plugged In” for more info on all the incredible bands.

The Yes Way “Loves You All” especially Zoe Hiigli

The Yes Way are currently on hiatus until CMJ while Jesse (drums/vox) recovers from a broken hand that required surgery to have pins put in. Fortunately, the lack of any live performances from the band in August and September prompted our good friend Zoe Hiigli to make a video for “I Love You All.” We are really digging this one as the colors burst like an acid trip and the spastic pace of video is perfectly in time with the track. Thanks for this one Zoe! For more information on Zoe visit ZoeHiigli.com where her full body of work is beautifully on display.