I made it out a bit earlier to CMJ yesterday, stopping by the Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square, from where Seattle indie-stalwart KEXP has been broadcasting live this whole week. This marks KEXP's tenth year at CMJ, and they've been kind enough to put together a stellar lineup of live sets each day. Yesterday's sets included Au Revoir Simone's all-girl dream pop and Ski Lodge's kinetic guitar rock.
In between, I had time to stop by a panel on some of the challenges facing college radio in the digital era, which featured an animated exchange between young station directors and seasoned vets. Among those on the panel were WSOU's Mark Maben and WFMU's Ken Freedman, who, in nearly three decades as general manager, has almost singlehandedly changed the game for how radio stations are able to license music for airplay. I got to chat with Ken afterwards, and he was as smart and funny as you would expect the director of the nation's greatest free-form radio station would be.
Occsionally, the day job has its privileges. As such, I was invited to a private party at Millennial Media's offices on West 22nd Street where, after a generous cocktail hour featuring deviled eggs, rye cocktails, and Halloween-themed desserts, we were treated to a stripped-down acoustic show by Seattle's The Head and the Heart, whose upcoming shows at Terminal 5 and Webster Hall are both sold out. They played for the better part of an hour, and casually hung around afterwards sipping on rye before finally gathering their gear and heading out to Brooklyn for their sold-out headlining slot at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Here's hoping these guys don't ever lose their laid-back cool.
After, I made a quick stop by the Berklee School showcase at Sullivan Hall, where I caught a high-energy set by Sylvana Joyce and the Moment, mixing jazz, blues, R&B, and even a bit of Klezmer—all cemented by Joyce's irrepressible vocals and above-average piano chops. Being a Berklee product, the girl clearly has talent, even if her sound is a bit all over.
My last stop of the night was around the corner at (le) Poisson Rouge, though not for an actual CMJ event. It was, of all things, a Met Opera-sponsored recital of songs by Britten, Handel, and Nico Muhly, who served as curator/pianist/host/comedian. Nico, whose Two Boys opened at the Met on Monday, seemed more or less calm—all things considered—no doubt buoyed by the stunning performances by Met Opera veteran Patricia Racette, as well as Kathleen Kim (soprano), Joseph Kaiser (tenor), and Iestyn Davies (countertenor), who are all featured in the Met's current production of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Davies stole the evening with his pure, moving performance of Nico's Four Traditional Songs (2011), a melodic tribute to his kindred spirit, Britten.
More pics from CMJ and Nico's show on the photo page.