» cmj

Oct
31stA-Sides with Jon Chattman: Join the Kopecky Family, Say goodbyemotel, and Cringe with Cringe

It’s Halloween today, and you’ll be reading or seeing highlights of the day on most sites. Gee, I can’t wait to find out who Katy Perry dressed up as this year! Oh, sarcasm. You are a wonderfully loyal friend. Anyway, costumes aren’t all that’s going on in the world. There’s, of course, a bitch of a storm named Sandy who is still causing problems on the East Coast. But, I’d rather not focus on the former or the latter. And since Hurricane Sandy has screwed up so many lives, I’d rather focus on music because, you know, it has a healing power like nothing else. This week’s A-Sides sessions feature three vastly different artists, who should find a home on your iPod playlist very soon. First up are the Kopecky Family Band, a Nashville-based six-piece who just dropped their debut full-length album “Kids Raising Kids” last week. The band, who aren’t family but clearly have a kinship in music, formed back in 2007, and released three EPs prior to this release. On the eve of their album release date, the band (Gabe, Kelsey, Steven, Corey, Markus and David) filmed two songs and an interview at the Music Conservatory of Westchester. Watch their performance of “Heartbeat” below followed by a brief chat. Oh, and for an exclusive performance of “Change,” visit www.asidesmusic.com. Get on this train now before everyone jumps on.
Oct
18thExclusive CMJ Sessions With Teen Commandments, Brick + Mortar, and Luther in Brooklyn

Teen Commandments Perform “Dancer”: TC Interview: Two Members of Luther Perform “An American Gothic”: Luther Interview: Brick + Mortar Perform “Heatstroke”: BM Interview: About A-Sides with Jon Chattman Jon Chattman’s music series features artists (established or not) from all genres performing a track, and discussing what it means to them. This informal series focuses on the artist making art in a low-threatening, extremely informal (sometimes humorous) way. No bells, no whistles — just the music performed in a random, low-key setting followed by an unrehearsed chat. In an industry where everything often gets overblown and over manufactured, I’m hoping this is refreshing.
Nov
23rdGet ‘Close’ With Butch Walker and Do “Cocaine” With DAMNDOGS

Does anyone remember that old skit on In Living Color about the Jamaican family whose members continually try to one-up each other by namedropping how many jobs they have? Of course you do. Well, Butch Walker would fit in that fictional family quite well dreads or no dreads. Walker is a sought-after music producer, whose worked with Avril Lavigne, Pete Yorn, and Weezer to name a few. On top of that, he’s a respected musician in his own right who is currently touring in support of his new album The Spade, which he released with his band of “Black Widows.” If that weren’t enough, the singer/songwriter also released his debut memoir Drinking with Strangers: Music Lessons From a Teenage Bullet Belt. “Hey mon… how many jobs you have?” OK, I’m done with that analogy. Moments before taking the stage at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City, Walker performed a tune off his new record and chatted briefly about it in typical “A-sides” and “asides” fashion. “Closest Thing to You I’m Gonna Find” [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf35CwYnMHs&w=460&h=315] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-UJX7LZuCE&w=460&h=315] …and now for something completely different. DAMNDOGS hail from Australia and have much more of a rock and even dance work ethic than Walker. The band, who recently released their debut EP Strange Behaviour, consists of Mitch McIvor, Louis Macklin, and JET bandmates Chris Cester and Mark Wilson. As Cester told me in New York City — just days after their CMJ show at Bowery Electric, DOGS aren’t merely a side project – [...]