With CMJ now behind us (thankfully), it's time to catch up on sleep, then use our rested brains to actually process the music, sponsorship tie-ins, and other oddities that descended on New York City last week. We asked one musician who's been performing at the festival for years to give us his behind-the-scenes view, and it follows after the jump.
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Forget temporary deafness brought on by feedback and/or too much bass, this is what's left ringing in our ears after a week's worth of shows: the nagging question of just who's left that really cares about CMJ. Even with the blanket coverage by the Times, Pitchfork, and music blogs great and small, press and promoters alike found it harder than ever to drum up interest this year. But can anything be done about it?
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And it's definitely dudes. And they definitely have beards. And they really like Black Kids. Feeling like we still hadn't hit enough blogger parties this week—yes, we know, CMJ is "not about the bloggers"—we spent the afternoon at R Bar drinking overpriced vodka-based cocktails with the folks who bring you all of your favorite MP3 blogs and the faithful who read them every day for their tastemaking tips. Because nothing says "the future of music" like a slightly depressing red mausoleum/tribute to punk rock's past, with gilded portraits of CBGB's stars and, as one band noted, way more stripper poles than they were used to.
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Well, after three days at CMJ it's official: Judged on the guidelines laid down by New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones, our worst fears are confirmed and indie rock has actually failed at being convincingly "black." It is now the Jamie Kennedy of musical genres.
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With two days left to go at the CMJ Music Marathon and many of the biggest bands scheduled for the weekend, Thursday was, by some estimation, the night where you had to "make your own fun." But there were definitely hot shows going down if you had the energy to seek them out. (And if you didn't mind paying an extra cover charge on top of your badge.) Plus: bare boobies!
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In addition to individual updates as we hack our way through the hype, long lines, and enough bands to form a small rogue nation, we want to give you an overview of what it's like to be in the thick of the CMJ Music Marathon. After the jump, we actually see a bunch of good bands, find out the best way to get people to come to your show is to dangle the promise of free clothes and shoes, and learn that emo brings out the middle-aged pervs.
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The Album: Is It Dead, Sleeping, Or About To Evolve?
Our intrepid reporter offers up more compelling CMJ panel coverage from the wild, untamed conference rooms of NYU's Kimmel Center. In this installment, he listens in as people debate the future of the album.
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