Over the course of three measly days, Gab, Jessie and I spent every waking moment running up and down the Bowery, East Houston and Bleecker in hopes of squeezing into the packed venues that hosted the stellar shows of this year’s CMJ Music Marathon.  Given that we were there to pay close attention to the Boston acts billed for CMJ, we made it a point to check out our local favorites first before booking it over to the Bowery Ballroom, the Delancey and other hotspots for national acts that are making some serious blips on our musical radars lately.

We arrived back in Boston last night exhausted and incredibly content, so we have yet to conclude our experience at CMJ with a comprehensive wrap-up post.   Saturday, October 24 will forever be known as the day that Bodega Girls stormed a five-story East Village mansion for a sick dance party and the night where we somehow wound up scarfing burger prepared off a grill in a van in the Bronx, but… that’s a story for another time.  [We'll be writing it up ASAP; stay tuned for more details.]  In the meantime, check out our thoughts and photos on Boston bands playing CMJ on Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23.

-Hilary Hughes

3 Girls + 3 Days + 75 Venues + 4786823 Bands: TeaParty Boston at CMJ ‘09, Part I

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3 Girls + 3 Days + 75 Venues + 4786823 Bands: TeaParty Boston at CMJ ‘09, Part II

-Hilary Hughes

Drug Rug played SPIN Magazine’s party at Rockwood Music Hall yesterday afternoon, and their sunshiny, versatile set went perfectly with the cozy nature of the venue.  I had the pleasure of chatting up Sarah and Tommy in the wine bar next door after they made their way offstage [which was a feat in itself, given that Rockwood was positively packed with people], and they were ecstatic about their afternoon show, as well as the evening set they were getting ready for at the Bowery Ballroom.  Sarah, Tommy, Julian and Dan worked the mainstage at the Bowery just as well as they did the crowd at Rockwood earlier that day, and it was the perfect ending to their stint on tour with Portugal. The Man.

We absolutely love the smooth, silky vocals and keyboard combination that Au Revoir Simone’s got going on.  We were floored by their set at TT the Bear’s Place a few months ago, so naturally we made it our business to make sure that we were front and center for the gig at Rockwood Music Hall.  The girls played a “stripped-down set” and left a keyboard or few at home, so they were working with only a couple of the electronic instruments in their arsenal in addition to the gorgeous grand piano that’s a fixture of the venue.  We’re going to be skipping their set at the Bell House tonight in order to dance our faces off with Bodega Girls, but anyone within a ten mile radius of Williamsburg tonight should seriously consider checking these hipster sirens out in their natural habitat.

The Lovely Feathers put on a rowdy set in the basement of Fat Baby, but their material was hardly infantile:  Frontman Mark Kupfert leapt into the audience for an impromptu dance party as drummer Ted Suss nearly stripped down to his skivvies.  We like their grown-up interpretation of an “IMMA PLAY DRUMZ REAL LOUD IN MY MOM’S BASEMENT” vibe, and look forward to checking them out the next time they come around town.

The Wheel, an alt-folk outfit out of Denver, was recently signed to Boston’s own Rounder Records and came strongly recommended by Rounders staffers.  We were nothing short of blown away by The Wheel’s exquisite instrumentation and arrangements and the vocal prowess of Nathaniel Rateliff and Julie Davis.  They had the entire floor at the Bowery Ballroom wrapped around their steel strings, let’s just put it that way.

Temper Trap, an Australian indie act with a penchant for some mondo percussive action, had their audience at the Bowery Ballroom singing along with nearly every song.  There was a huge group of ferociously fist-pumping dudes in the center of the crowd who were way more festive than obnoxious, and it was nice to see such a pleasant, receptive vibe going on.

Real jammy, real hard and real good, Portugal. The Man, though they’ve got a headscratcher of a moniker, completely wowed the crowd at the headlining slot of the Bowery’s Friday Night Showcase.  Indisputably one of CMJ’s top acts to watch, Portugal. The Man is hot off the trail of a bang-up tour with our faves Drug Rug and they absolutely rocked the Paradise Rock Club last week when they were in town.

Heather and Erika of Au Revoir Simone

“There are sirens on stage,” a friend texted from across TT the Bear’s Place on May 28th. Indeed. From the moment the three long-haired, willowy shadows took their places behind their towering keyboards, concertgoers stationed as far as the merch tables on the far side of the venue were rapt in what I had earlier learned to be the “soft glow” that is Au Revoir Simone.

A fan of the Brooklyn-based trio since their 2005 debut, Verses of Comfort, Assurance and Salvation, finally getting to meet the ladies behind the pulsating piano-pop made me nervous—mostly because I was afraid I might get a bit “fangirl,” but I also worried that they wouldn’t be the lovely people that I had imagined weaving their rose-tinted, crystalline voices and tinkling synth melodies into my perfect summer soundtrack. Well, friends, I had worried in vain.

After some confused texting, I met up with Erika Forster and Annie Hart, to be joined later by bandmate Heather D’Angelo. Tea from local co-op Harvest in hand, they told me about their experiences in Boston and on tour in Europe, and about their new album, Still Night, Still Light.

OPENING ACT: THE TEAPARTY 10

What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?

A: Oh oh Heritage Flakes.

Heritage Flakes?

A: Have you had them?

E: I’ve had them.

I’ve never heard of them…

E: I like Barbara’s Puffins, because I’ve been experimenting with a gluten-free diet.

A: Experimenting?

E: …sort of.

Who would you rather punch in the face, Mouth from The Goonies or Long Duk Dong from Sixteen Candles?

A: I don’t remember either character…

E: I remember Long Duk Dong…didn’t he like fall out of a tree or something? Wait…which one from The Goonies?

Mouth.

E: Oooh Mouth!

A: Oooh Mouth! I wanna embrace Mouth! I am very serious. I have a lot of feelings for Mouth.

E: Yeah I would have to abstain from answering that… I don’t really want to punch anyone.

A: They are both very endearing characters.

If Au Revoir Simone was a kitchen appliance you would be…

A: Easy Bake Oven!

H: I agree with that.

Why…or?

A: You have to figure it out!

OK, OK. I see it.

A: Think, “soft glow.”

Yeah I can see that.

A: Soft glow.

E: Is that a catch phrase from Easy Bake Oven?

A: It just came out…

If Au Revoir Simone was a muppet you would be…

E: A muppet?

A muppet.

A: definitely not Elmo…maybe Big Bird, because he’s wise and cuddly.

E: Big Bird’s a muppet?

H: Muppets are more like…Miss Piggy, Kermit, Gonzo…

A: if it was individual I would be Cookie Monster.

You can do individual if you can’t think of one…

E: I don’t know what one I’d be.

A: You’d be Snuffleupagus

E: That’s not nice! I’m not a scraggly…fat…

A: Snuffleupagus was the coolest! He was just sweet.

H: [To Erika] If Fozzi was pretty I think you’d be Fozzie the Bear.

E: Oooh Fozzie. I could be Fozzie.

A: You would be Fozzie the Bear! You’re so Fozzie.

H: Gonzo, I’m a little Gonzo.

E: You’re a little Gonzo.

A: [To Erika]You’re the Count!

E: The what?

A: The guy who counts..!

E: I love the Count! OK I’m the Count.

If Au Revoir Simone woke up after a long night with a tattoo, what would it be?

E: Don’t you think of waking up with a tattoo it’d always be either a butterfly or an anchor?

A: Maybe we’d get tattoos of keyboards. Maybe we’d get little keyboards tattooed on us. I think we could fit all three on.

H: It’d be something keyboard-related.

E: Well probably, OK… we have a lot of love for each other and our band…We’d probably tattoo each other’s initials or something.

H: That was one of the first things I thought of! I’d end up with an E and an A on my back or something.

E: No it would be something all intertwined… all three initials.

A: Yeah

E: What is that called…? It’s not a crest…

H: An insignia?

A: You guys are insane! We’d all get naked mermaids. [makes forearm “dance”]

E: OK naked mermaids with our initials…tattooed on, um, their belly buttons.

H: Yeah.

A: Agreed.

You guys should write this down too.

What is your dance-around-in-your-underwear song?

E: For me it’s Lavender Diamond’s “Here Comes One.”

A: I can’t really answer this question because I pretty much do that to every song.

H: Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

E: Just music in general.

H: Music in general, yeah.

E: We’re pretty much always in our underwear. Just kiddinnnnng.

H: Haaaaa

If Au Revoir Simone was a cheese you would be…

A: Uhhh… Gouda.

H: Gouda?! No way, brie.

A: No way! We’re not BRIE.

H: Gouda?!

E: What about emmental?

A: Maybe emmental. I can compromise with that.

E: E-m-m-e-n-t-a-l?

A: Oo what’s that Swedish cheese??

E: Oooh soo good. Sooo good.

H: it’s called, like, gudstenglotzen…or something. No, it’s called voltzen something…it starts with a D. You guys will never remember the name of it. I looked it up online I tumbled it. It starts with a V, it’s really long. I put it on Tumblr.

E: You can look it up!

[It’s Västerbotten --Ed.]

H: We might have to be two parts mozzarella because we’re Italian.

A: we’re the mozzarella! [in Italian accent]

E: and I’m, like, a sharp cheddar. I’m the Count…I’m cheddar…

If Au Revoir Simone was a type of facial hair you would be…

H: a clean shave.

A: Yeah. If close shave is an option I’ll go for that.

H: Definitely not mustache.

A: Yeah. And DEFINITELY not soul patch.

E: Or chops.

H: No chops.

A: In fact, if I see a soul patch, I want to leave the room.

H: Yeah, it’s that bad.

A: I have very strong feelings about soul patches.

E: except for the few people who can pull it off…

What about accidental soul patch… like someone hasn’t shaved  in a few days?

A: Come ON. That is no accident.

E: That might be what they tell you…but you know.

What is your favorite word?

A: That’s funny, I  was just in a discussion about our least favorite words.

H: YES.

Yes?

H: Yes.

E: I can’t think of it because there’s so many.

A: There’s some really good words out there that I think about all the time but now I’m drawing a blank.

E: We were doing an interview with a dude who was like “Say a few words about keyboards” or something like that… And I wanted to say “silky.” Because…really think about. Their keys are so glossy.

A: Yeah, some are silkier than others.

E: My two keyboards are silky.

THE MAIN EVENT: TPB AU REVOIR SIMONE INTERVIEW

Welcome back to Boston! You guys are here pretty often. Do you get to explore the city at all?

Erika: Whenever we come to Boston we get lost in the same route… it’s like “this is where we got lost last time! Which way did we go last time? Right or left?” and then it’s like “oooh this is where we went last time…” We always turn on Sturrow Drive. By accident. We had a weird Sunday once with We Are Scientists. We walked from the Paradise to the IMAX theater. It’s really far…We walked by the Polaroid Factory….

Annie: Rest in peace.

Erika: …yeah. And we went to the IMAX movie and it was about Greece and I literally watched like 5 seconds of it and….zzzzz. It was…it looked pretty and but…That was our first real tour and we were staying out late a lot and partying.

Annie: It was worse when we had a driver in England– we would just stay out all night.

Do you feel like the crowd in Boston is any different from other cities? Do you like performing here?

E: We play a lot at the Paradise…. But I think there is a different audience depending on the venue or the mood or whatever. I think we like the Paradise the best. But the Boston crowd is so laid back and…fun-loving? And that’s what we like as a band. It’s not so serious, it’s just about having a good time.

A: Yeah! They’re just having fun, and they give a lot of love.

E: And we’ve met a lot of younger fans here I think, too, because it’s such a college town. There have been a lot of, endearing, sweet young people at our shows.

Besides performing, do you ever go out around here?

A: We go to Harvest to get tea. But then also, this [Boston] is our first stop [on tour]—I guess it was our first stop last time, and we usually go there [to Harvest] and stock up on stuff for tour. But we don’t go out after the show.

You just hang out at the venue?

E+A: Yeah.

E: Well, like one of the best times on the European tour,  we met some friends from a different band at the venue in Sweden, just a bunch of new people and they invited us to their friend’s house and it was just so nice to be in a living room… to look at somebody’s family pictures and little objects.. and you’re sitting on the floor in your socks.

So about Europe– When you were there and opening for Air, what was that like?

A: We were just there last month headlining, but touring with Air [in November 2008] was AMAZING. They were perfect gentlemen and they took really good care of us. The tour was very relaxed. They taught us so much about people…and life.

E: They were really nice. They were older than us and, I don’t know, just tried to impart some wisdom and we really appreciated it.

A: They were very French. They had, uh, a different lifestyle than we did. “Of course we only drive four hours in between shows! Of course we have two meals a day! We are civilized…what do you think this is?” They’ve become very good friends of ours. They are generous people who are really thoughtful.

E: And the feeling of being around someone that you admire so much, but they don’t act like they are above you or any different than you, you just feel great. It’s an amazing feeling. And there’s so much chatter in life, there’s so much talking that happens constantly. When you’re around someone like that, every single word they say, you really want to take in. It’s such a nice focus, I think, to be around people you admire

What are you guys listening to right now?

A: Gosh…

E: I just got the new Peter, Bjorn and John, which is great. And also there’s this woman named Frida Hyvonen…it’s h-y-v-o-n-e-n. She’s a Swedish piano player. And she’s very…emotional and sensual– her lyrics are really, really brilliant. And I really like the production, the way she puts an album together.

Well, about Still Night, Still Light, tell me about that. I listened to the whole thing at work today—it’s great.

A: Tell them that, that’s what I wanna say about it.

What?

A: “Jessie likes it!”

Heather: I’m really proud of it.

It seems a lot more grown up, to quote pretty much every reviewer, was that a conscious move?

H: I think it’s just that we are older.

A: Yeah but I think that the biggest difference was that this was our first time working with a producer who was able to translate what we were thinking into sound. And honestly, we were trying to sound like that on the other albums.

H: I think that technologically we were able to do what we really want. I think it’s really great and that’s why I’m proud of it.

You guys are big into your keyboards. You’ve said that every album is like a love letter to your keyboards…

All: YES!

…but then you also said that there was some bass guitar on this last album… did you feel like you were cheating on your keyboards?

E: Nooo.

A: It’s an open relationship. It’s no hard feelings.