Dave Wakeling will be playing both acoustic and full-band sets on the opening day of CMJ (photo © Eugene Iglesias)
Multiple venues
October 16-20
www.cmj.com/marathon
The 2012 CMJ Music Marathon begins Tuesday, kicking off five days of hundreds of bands from all kinds of genres playing venues all over the city, in addition to panel discussions and conferences on the state of the industry. There are a few main ways to go about attending CMJ, especially for those who have either gotten a ShowPass ($149), a Student Badge ($325), or a Full Badge ($549). One is to scout out a specific location, say, the Lower East Side or Williamsburg, and then just wander from club to club, checking out groups along the way. Another is to pick one hot showcase and just hang out there all night long. But you don’t have to have a badge to get in; the majority of CMJ shows are less than ten bucks for the general public. There are not as many major acts as there have been in recent years, with the marathon getting back to its purer, more indie roots, although day one features both an acoustic and full-band set by Dave Wakeling and the English Beat, who still put on quite a show. Here are our recommendations for Tuesday, October 16.
Reybee / Mezzoforte / A-Sides Showcase: Dave Wakeling acoustic (5:00), Luther (6:00), Glocca Morra (7:00), No Way Josie (8:00), Wild Adriatic (9:00), Brick + Mortar (10:00), Teen Commandments (11:00), Basement Batman (12 midnight), Spike Hill
The English Beat, B.B. King’s, 9:00
Live Stand-Up featuring Robert Kelly, Joe Derosa, Colin Quinn, Rich Vos, Keith Robinson, Comedy Cellar at the Village Underground, 9:20
The Mountain Goats, Bowery Ballroom, 10:00
The Ettes, Santos Party House Basement, 11:00
Alex Winston, Santos Party House, 11:15