Wake Up and Smell the CMJ, NYC!

“Whoa. What are all of these people doing here and why do some of them have guitars?” a friend of mine asked herself when she walked into the ACE Hotel to study yesterday, not realizing she was actually walking into KEXP’s (awesome) CMJ party instead. Poor, poor friend didn’t realize it’s NYC’s week to turn as many spaces as possible into a loud, crowded rock show that you are at whether you meant to be or not.

Fortunately, ignorance can be bliss since my pal caught We Are Augustines and “Clap Clap! We’re Clapping!”, or what the rest of us call Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I could do a Must See at CMJ list, but I truly think it’s more fun to wander around poking your head in and catching shows serendipitously. Badges are nice but not usually required, and almost all shows are free with some kind of drink promo going as well. So go forth and explore, broke-asses!

CMJ lists the full schedule here if you like things a little more orderly, so does Oh My Rockness here. I’ll also be tweeting cool shows during the days via @BAStuartNYC. Good luck out there! And please wear earplugs.

CMJ Music Marathon
Mostly Free. October 18-22nd
All over NYC!