CMJ event draws big names, bands into city for the weekend
Posted on October 25, 2007
The College Music Journal’s annual Music Marathon and Film Festival in New York City may seem foreign to some, but the DJs from WXJM know all about it.
Students active at the station took advantage of the festival this past weekend, driving a grueling six hours in pursuit of the music played on the airwaves of 88.7 FM every day.
The CMJ Festival is more than five days of music, film, panels and the endless possibilities of New York City.
CMJ is a music publication and events company most well known for the annual CMJ Festival in the Big Apple and the weekly and monthly magazines that work like Billboard for non-commercial bands and radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. CMJ connects artists, fans and industry professionals through online media, print and live events to the massive network of underground, under-represented and inadequately recognized emerging musicians.
The CMJ Music Marathon is a celebration of all of that.
Each fall the festival is held throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. The days are filled with panels discussing pressing issues within the industry and film showcases, while nights are dominated by a scattering of music showcases spanning from B.B. King Blues Club in Times Square to Studio B in Brooklyn.
Students, independent music lovers and other industry employees navigated the subways, armed with only a festival guide and badge from Oct. 16-20 this year and were treated to ground-breaking performances from artists like New Young Pony Club, Justice, Matt & Kim and M.I.A., which was described as “crazy time all over the place,” by excited junior, Rachel Sarah Blanton. They also participated in panels grappling with issues concerning digital distribution and enjoyed films ranging from documentaries about Joe Strummer to Anderson Cooper’s “Planet in Peril.”
But what makes CMJ so distinctly different from most contemporary music festivals is the independence and freedom of both musicians and spectators. Not only is it a celebration of independent music, but also of freedom to choose where to go, who to see and how to take advantage of the massive conglomeration of opportunity the 5 days provide.
Yet, despite the long drive, exhausting days and cramped accommodations, JMU students are already in anticipation of next year’s line-up. Why so excited and ready for next year? Any CMJ participant will have a different answer.
“My favorite part was the freedom of it,” said WXJM DJ John Maturo. “I love the whole New York experience.”
“I’m so excited to go back,” said WXJM junior Carrie Brothers. “It’s an amazing opportunity to meet new people, see new bands and make connections, which is what the music industry is all about…and I really like having adventures.”
That diversity of opinion is part of the beauty of the independent atmosphere of the festival and is obvious throughout the assortment of offered events.
Films were shown and often followed by question and answer sessions by the directors, producers and actors involved.
“The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival, 1963-1965” featured commentary by Academy Award-winning director and producer Murray Lerner and is expected to be available Oct. 30. Other film previews included “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights, Hollywood to the Heartland,” which is set to hit theaters in February 2008 and featured a question-and-answer session following the film with Vaughn and co-star Justin Long. Vaughn was impressively well-spoken and knowledgeable of the industry and joked appropriately, “I didn’t know this was 16 magazine,” when asked about celebrity relationships among more intelligent questions.
Panels ranged by topic from marketing and promotion within the industry, music in Iraq, the state of hip-hop and the dilemma faced by major labels to modern protest music. Each panel offered students a unique look into the subject from various professionals active in the industry, including directors, managers, artists, journalists, CEOs and producers and allowed them the opportunity to personally ask questions and meet each of the panelists following the forum.
However, at the core, CMJ is all about the music and the broad line-up of artists ranging from loud rock to hip-hop proved it. Festival guides were packed with pages of band and venue descriptions, and nightly line-ups of showcases featuring everyone from Counting Crows to Del tha Funkee Homosapien.
CMJ is a celebration of music, city-life, film, knowledge and freedom. It is an opportunity to connect with professionals and peers and to discover a new band, a new place and new people without the many usual boundaries. While the world is growing smaller with Internet connections and instant technology, CMJ allows the tangible equivalent, putting an incredible array of live entertainment, intriguing panels and un-released films at the finger-tips of all attendees.
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