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Berklee Steps out at CMJ
Berklee bands proved their mettle at a major rock music conference.
By Danielle Dreilinger
Berklee.edu Correspondent
November 27, 2007
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Annie Clark '04 rocks out at the Knitting Factory. |
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Photo by Nick Balkin |
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If you want to make a splash in the rock world, you could try to lure tastemakers to countless small gigs—or you could go to the CMJ Music Marathon to play for a passel of them at once. This year, Berklee heeded the call.
Founded by College Music Journal, CMJ is a key indie rock industry event. Labels, journalists, music bloggers, and promoters of all stripes show up hoping to find the next Arcade Fire. The five-day conference also has seminars on practical issues ranging from artist management to doing business in China to the iPod's effect on music distribution.
Close to 1,000 bands performed this year. And for the first time, Berklee lassoed some of them into its own corral—presenting its first-ever showcase for student and alumni rock bands on October 20.
Although the sun shone outside, dozens of alumni and fans happily hung out in the dimly lit Ace of Clubs to see five up-and-coming Berklee acts. Berklee's student-run record label Heavy Rotation held a similar event this spring at the South by Southwest festival in Texas.
The showcases underline the college's recent drive to raise its profile in the rock world.
"It exposes Heavy Rotation, gets our name out there," said music business professor Jeff Dorenfeld, who was greeted enthusiastically by several former students.
"What's Berklee going to get? Probably more exposure to a new and, I guess, to a more contemporary music scene," he continued. "It puts them on a new stage. It puts them on a big stage."
Alumna Brooke Fox '98 considered Berklee's increased presence at CMJ a savvy move. "I think it's great. I would like to see Berklee get even deeper into South by Southwest and these other events that are standard for the music industry. It's a great venue to showcase Berklee students and Berklee alumni."
The showcase proved that there's no such thing as a typical Berklee band. The afternoon's sounds ranged from edibleRed's punky pop (think Gwen Stefani) to Elizabeth and the Catapult's cabaret to Kid:Nap:Kin's heavier vibe. Three of the afternoon's bands had tracks on Heavy Rotation's Dorm Sessions compilations.
Igmar Thomas and the Cypher started the day off with easygoing jazz/hip-hop, including some shout-outs to Berklee. Trumpeter Thomas '06, a first-time CMJer, appreciated the opportunity to perform for a wider audience. "I got some exposure," he said. During the conference he also played at the Cutting Room, owned by Steve Walter '78. Now, Thomas said, "I pretty much have an open door there with my band."
"We get to play the showcase for new friends, and it's great," said bassist David Lizmi '05 of Via Audio. The band's dreamy, multilayered music was praised by Death Cab for Cutie in Under the Radar magazine; Jim Eno of Spoon produced their 2006 album.
The showcase doubled as an alumni event; Fox estimated that 25 attended. Kid:Nap:Kin singer/guitarist Daniel Ellis '06 said from the stage, "This is like a Berklee reunion, and we love it."
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Igmar Thomas '06 plays the Berklee showcase with his hip-hop band the Cypher.
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| Photo by Nick Balkin |
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Beyond the showcase...
Apart from the official showcase, Berklee-affiliated bands turned up all over the Lower East Side map. Acts included the Bon Savants, HO-AG, and Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves.
Hallelujah the Hills, with Eric Meyer '04 on drums, packed Arlene's Grocery Thursday for its messy, arty rock. Bandmate Brian Rutledge said Meyer brings "an absolutely stunning sense of tempo and musicality—a combination of melody and harmony that you wouldn't expect from a drummer. He's an absolute machine and a pro."
Zambri's two powerful frontwomen evoked Tegan and Sara Friday with their searing electronica-rock. Four of the five band members went to Berklee, where they contributed to the first Dorm Sessions album. Singer Cristi Jo Zambri '03 said she meets plenty of alumni in New York, particularly in the recording arena.
The Dead Trees landed a plum spot opening for the Walkmen, playing Converse-sneaker (i.e., Pavement) rock with soul. Drummer Noah Rubin and bassist Todd Dahlhoff were taking a break from their studies at Berklee. Dahlhoff said he appreciated Berklee's presence at CMJ and added, "I'm still going to graduate! I have one semester left." (Albert Hammond Jr. of the Strokes invited Dahlhoff to back him up on tour—an opportunity he couldn't turn down.)
The highest-profile Berklee alumna was St. Vincent, featuring Annie Clark '04 on guitar, vocals, keys, and forces of nature. Despite a late start, Clark magnetized the crowd with a set that started fragile and jazzy and turned into a P.J. Harvey-like maelstrom. The New York Times described the performance as "bewildering, in the best sense. The playful chanteuse is also a fearsome shredder; who knows what she'll be next?"
Similarly, Berklee's future record execs and headliners hope the college's participation at CMJ this year created new possibilities—and spurred influential people to anticipate their next moves.
Danielle Dreilinger is a writer/editor in Berklee's Office of Communications.
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