CMJourneyz: FADER Interns Tackle the Music Marathon

October 20, 2010


Because we don't have enough pull to get our interns spots as extras on How to Make it in America, we promised them the next coolest New York experience: CMJ, with badges! Naomi Zeichner and Duncan Cooper, our intrepid ears to the street, will be reporting on the giant festival swarming the Big Apple. After the jump, check an IM conversation—apparently young people's form of communication—between the two of them, looking at their own personal city histories (they're locals now), wrapping up the first night and looking forward to their picks. They really like goth keyboards and post-chillwave. Smart cookies!


Duncan: o man gettin kinda nervous like we're goin on stage

Naomi: dude fuk that cause we can edddit out. i was born to txt

Duncan: yaaaaa

Naomi: alright so now? when did you move to new york?

Duncan: two months ago, like three days before i started grad school

Naomi: i didnt know you were in grad school. are you straight in post undergrad? studying what?

Duncan: media studies, film stuff i guess. it was brutal tho, the last day i was moving out of my old place i threw my iphone down the elevator shaft. i couldnt find anything, im the worst at directions. really looking forward to getting lost this week

Naomi: thats my worst nightmare. im sick with directions; luv maps. get kind of competitive about it somethings. *sometimes. left my iphone in the ace hotel bathroom this morning. realized 10 minutes later and PANIC b then it was just there

Naomi: SO ARE YOU STOKED FOR CMJ?

Duncan: yeah our schedule is ridic

Naomi: xcept you punked out on night 1! whats your excuse?

Duncan: i was getting behind on my photo blogs i had like 800 rss posts i had to go though first. what did you go to?

Naomi: the group tightener party at shea stadium [full disclosure, this is the label of Sam Hockley-Smith, a FADER editor]. it was mostly rad. have you ever seen Dead Gaze?

Duncan: no wow lookin at this group tightener lineup, there's a big ass pink lightning bolt on the flyer, looks gr8

Naomi: i love that flyer! its like a haiku of our times because the design is so bad. your eye wants to mix the names so its like: how to small dead nude secret raft beach colors black gaze

Duncan: here it is btw http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_laaa23drl71qa35lco1_500.jpg

Naomi: the story of our lives

Duncan: :(

Naomi: SO my boyfriend bought me some pizza and then we showed up halfway through dead gaze. they played forever b they're great. jon caramanica totally reviewed the set this morning and basically just called r. cole furlow, the lead singer, fat. but i guess also noticed his sweet pop voice. the songs are so sweet! lead dude writes and records them alone in mississippi b had two guys with him last night. the drummer was such a spaz! but they were working and sweating so hard!

Naomi: the songs kind of reminded me of the smashing pumpkins, like 'today' era. kind of made me want to listen to garbage (not trash b the band)? can't explain. so they played too long but were the highlight anyway. rezound played fu-gee-la between sets which was appreciated at large

Naomi: Porcelain Raft was probably the most at-capacity moment. I missed Small Black after and was kind of bummed by How to Dress Well so left after a couple songs. Beauty Sleep! There was a puking by the door. a kid puking

Naomi: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SEE L8R?

Duncan: k today is cloud nothings... blair... braids... beach fossils. cute swamp shit

Naomi: in park slope. been there before?

Duncan: no i havent been anywhere thats the fun part. i think i chose that one because its closest to my house

Naomi: yes! i'm pro brooklyn based CMJ. all the writing about CMJ is like "and cake shop was so crowded, it was CRAZY'

Duncan: ya looking forward to sweating and stuff

Naomi: a hobby of mine i've been deprived of for the 12 minutes of fall we've experienced so far

Duncan: what was i gona say

Naomi: you were going to xplain what 'cute swamp shit' is

Naomi: Dead Gaze could maybe fall under that banner. I'm so for them! Southern boys are the best. If i lived in Miss would want to ride passenger with them and be very close but not in any kind of long term relationship. they'd make a good sitcom. Scruffy garage sanger, hyphy beardo, straight guy

Duncan: oh ya. "cute swamp shit" is... all the cmj stuff i want to go to, as opposed to maybe most of what i listen to, is like, blog rock / "lo-fi" / "new jersey" / who-else-can-i-alienate. what if i dont know the moves? like regarding sweating, i think that and "feelin it" are gona be my main modes of expression

Duncan: maybe disregard that

Naomi: im confused

Naomi: blog rock: the reason CMJ seems kind of xtreme sporting to me is because youre like, taking the risk of what this shit looks/sounds like IRL, not just hyper controlled by one weirdo on his computer. like, salem live is not salem recorded, we know. so how do you/people behave in those rooms

Duncan: i've been watching a lot of preparatory live videos

Naomi: calisthenics of one kind

Naomi: i feel pretty unprepped for this show at the delancey tonight

Duncan: which one

Naomi: the i guess im floating/lefse records show. i'm tryna see wise blood at 10

Duncan: omg im at the site now http://myspace.com/hazemotes

Naomi: thats a man that sounds good on the internet

Duncan: im listenin to "2 ALL THE GIRLS WHO HAVE TRUSTED ME" this guy is gr8. his only myspace friend is cassie

Naomi: Thats a little 2 cute b ill forgive because communicating your self via myspace is hard to read. yeah have you heard that Physical Therapy remix of Alicia Keys/Drake "Fireworks"? That song is inspirational! And led me to dude. they are in the same universe

Duncan: post a link, im deep in this bandcamp right now

Naomi: http://kickkicksnare.com/2010/07/15/physical-therapy-remixes/

Naomi: re; wise blood. feel like it puts me in a good mood because its so fuzzed out you can forget the the guys voice is actually too earnest and annoying. melody for people who grew up only tolerating rap

Duncan: ^ thats good

Naomi: maybe a relevant thing for the whole situation

Duncan: gettin jealous.... who am i seeing at 10?

Naomi: park slope is far from the LES dude (competitive mapping)

Naomi: so also hope to stop by the Ballers Eve party at Orchard Bar. more southern men

Duncan: ballers eve, the east village radio show? lol

Naomi: yes, the premiere internet-only waystation for southern rappers

Duncan: your lineup today is so focused, im kinda tip-toeing in

Naomi: http://governedbyloyalty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/BallersEve7YearInvite2time-709x1024.jpg Grip Plyaz nightcap, 1am; because thats the only logical thing to do before waking up at 5am to commute and teach art to middle schoolers

Naomi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEkxfnefBjI

Duncan: i was hoping that was like a teaching vid

Naomi: Ha! thats illegal dude. But you WISH you could see vid of this one kid dancing with this indian drummer. youd never think a chubby kid could be so GRACEFUL

Duncan: omg my earbuds cant handle this. swag. did u already say "nightcap" this is a really good nightcap

Duncan: i'll trade you this blair vid i've been watching since 3pm http://vimeo.com/9219594

Naomi: wireless is bugging, its loading

Duncan: i think i ate all the bandwidth refreshing blair

Posted: October 20, 2010
CMJ
CMJourneyz: FADER Interns Tackle the Music Marathon