CMJ ’09 | Music Marathon
November 9, 2009 by Dana Bingham
Filed under THE DAILY
To call the CMJ Music Marathon, a marathon is an understatement. There is nothing to prepare you for the music overload you will experience in a short period of time. It is almost impossible to attend EVERY music showcase or concert that week, but you could try. Here are a few highlights of some of the artists or bands JSD checked out and think you should too.
This high energy alternative band rocked the Bowery Poetry Club with their Green Day-ish spunk. Regardless if pumping out original tunes such as Barely Breathing or covering Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling, A Clear Blurr is a band to keep a look out for. Don’t believe us, check out their new album Trigonometry.
Julius C
The rock edge of Queen plus the soulful funk of Jamiroquai equals Julius C! No seat was a bad seat at the Village Underground, for Julius C. Their intimate set was full of crowd participation and of course dancing. If you were having a bad day before you walked in the door, by the end of the night Julius C will have you singing “Oh, yeah! Alright! I wanna party!”
Don’t be fooled by the name. Tanya Morgan is a Rap Group! If you never heard of them, you missed a great introduction at Brooklyn’s South Paw. Tanya Morgan kept the crowd going performing tunes from their latest effort Brooklynati. If you are looking for a fresh update to smooth Hip Hop from the early 90’s, look no further. Tanya Morgan has a fresh flow, blended with smooth retro beats.
The Souls of Mischief burst on the scene in 1993, with their single and album 93 ‘til Infinity, bringing a new flavor to hip hop from Oakland, CA. In 2009, the Souls of Mischief continue to evolve with their soon to be released fifth album, Montezuma’s Revenge. Their performance at South Paw was not a disappointment to a near capacity crowd. No matter if you came for a flash back to the 90s or to be inspired by something new, the Souls of Mischief made sure you got your money’s worth.
One a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest on the Hype Meter, Kidz in Da Hall was an 11 at the Gramercy Theater. The Hip Hop duo from Chicago, IL, never fail to give the crowd what they want and more, performing songs from their mixtapes as well as from their album The In Crowd, like crowd favorites Love Hangover and Diving Down the Block. Even though their set was short, the Kidz in Da Hall managed to squeeze in their new single Flickin.
Need some smooth contemporary jazz on your iPod, but have no idea where to start? Start with Marcus Johnson. With eleven released albums, including his newest Poetically Justified, keyboardist Marcus Johnson and his full band serenaded a late night crowd at the legendary Blue Note. He performed originals such as Doc’s Groove as well as a steamy cover of Floetry’s Say Yes. Although the CMJ Music Marathon marked his debut on the Blue Note stage, Marcus Johnson was made to feel right at home with the guest appearance of sultry singer, Alyson Williams.
