Photo by Erik Hess

Communist Daughter at the Lyn-Lake Festival, earlier this year.

The CMJ Music Marathon is a yearly underground music assault on New York (and Brooklyn too), and several performers with local ties are making the trip out to the East Coast. Much like South by Southwest, CMJ has a huge industry component attached to the glut of semi-discovered talent lurking in pretty much any place that can call itself a venue. As an ex-intern can attest, it's definitely not a race, it's a marathon.

Nestled amidst the many tempting offerings (including Solid Gold and Bloodnstuff also in the mix) is a showcase backed by Radio K and City Pages featuring a team of well-traveled musicians. Communist Daughter, Har Mar Superstar, Sean Anonymous with Dream Crusher, Enemy Planes, and Me and My Arrow are all taking part. We heard from M&MA's Brian McDonough, who helped organize the showcase. His thoughts on returning to New York and the lineup schedule follow.

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Photos by Allegra Oxborough

Doomtree's Mike Mictlan

Brooklyn took two heaping spoonfuls of Minneapolis this Wednesday at the CMJ marathon. Early in the day the Green Room Music Source booking agency curated an all-Minneapolis showcase at Spike Hill in Williamsburg. 
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The Body prepare to pummel the raddest drum kit

​Between Pitchfork's eyeball-stealing #Offline Fest and the unmitigated excitement surrounding Kanye West's surprise appearance, the runaround given to badgeholders (the things cost $500 and come with no guarantees), the far-and-wide distribution of the most desirable shows (Chinatown to Brooklyn to LES to Brooklyn to LES to Brooklyn...), and the overwhelmingly tepid waters of Lake New Music 2010, CMJ's 30th birthday and it's unaffiliated lampreys were at least underwhelming, if not frustrating.

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Jaill joke around at Webster Hall's the Studio

​There's something to be said for sleep deprivation amidst towering talent and charming people. Thursday's marathon was completely dominated by women; shredding, bellowing, musing, and farting. Day three was a doozy.

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Baths, ready to go at the Cake Shop

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A panel discussion with some of the best and brightest in music writing, much disappointment, and an ex-straightedge legacy act. What is he talking about?

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Amidst discussions of its relevancy and efficacy, assaults on its cool factor, and a bubbling undercurrent of general malaise over the pace and current of culture, CMJ 2010 kicked off yesterday in New York City. Some bajillion-odd bands are here, and some of those will be sustainably popular for many web years to come, and most will go home empty-handed. No reviewer or critic can or will claim they really "succeeded" here because no one quite knows what they're doing, save following their nose. So here we go.

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Music festivals are an odd thing, and College Music Journal's annual New York buzzathon is absolutely no exception. Well over a thousand bands play officially and unofficially during its four days, attempting to attract some of the game-changing eyes milling and handshaking around lower Manhattan and west Brooklyn.

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