I'm a bit early for tonight's show at Bowery Ballroom, so I head for the Indie strip along Ludlow. Cake Shop has a showcase hosted by LA's XLRT, which kicks off with an electro-duo called Rainbow Arabia that sounds a lot like other acts that fill their holes with pre-recorded tracks (think: High Places, without the inventiveness.) But, next door at The Living Room, a singer-songwriter named Ryan Lauffenberg is singing his heart out – quiet, tender and true. He plays piano and guitar while his partner switches between Gibson and cello. (And, he's just off a flight from California.) If only all of CMJ were this sublime.