CMJ 2005 Preview

It's that time of year again. The humidity lifts, the smell of fall is teasing us from just around the corner, we really really want to buy school supplies (it's a nostalgia thing)...and, of course, musicians from all over descend upon the city and replace our quiet evenings with some rock. Okay, so our evenings aren't usually as quiet as we'd like them to be, and they do usually involve rock, but CMJ will multiply our norm by about 8 gazilion.

The lineup is mind-rattling and despite our efforts to plan out a schedule, we'll likely do what we did last year and play it by ear. You can check out the list of performers right here. Artists we'll make it a point to check out are Cloud Cult, Laura Viers, Dungen and of course last years CMJ sweethearts the Arcade Fire. One more thing we are planning on adding to our schedules are the daytime KEXP in-studio shows. They've started to announce their lineup, you can sign up for those right here.

On top of the shows, CMJ also offers a selection of panels. Including panels on Street Smart Art: The History of Grafitti in New York, Credibility in Criticism: Responsibilities of the Music Media in the Age of Blogs and MP3s, and one we'd really love to attend called: Music Photojournalism 101 (how to photograph musicians) - we could really use some tips. A full list of panels can be found here.

If you'd like to volunteer at the marathon, there are more details here. If you'd simply like to attend then you can register for a pass here.

Of note: This years keynote speaker is Rev Run.

Previously: Gothamist hits the CMJ 2004 circuit, catching the Arcade Fire (& interviewing them), the Thermals & more.