CMJ '08: Cool Runnings

I wasn't exactly sure how to approach my first CMJ experience when I arrived in New York on Tuesday morning. Should I pace myself and gradually become acquainted with the atmosphere, or should I dive headfirst into the performances and risk running myself ragged? Naturally, I chose the latter.

Forgoing the afternoon panels for some music, I headed to the WNYU broadcast studio for an exclusive on-air performance by indie-rock starlet Marnie Stern. A grand total of three other people showed up to the event, and as we sat in a cramped control room and watched Stern run through her soundchecks, I felt very foolish, as if I had already made a wrong decision about what to check out at CMJ.

It turned out that Stern validated my decision. Playing songs from her mouthful of a new album, "This Is It & I Am It & You Are It & So Is That & He Is It & She Is It & It Is It & That Is That," Stern was ferocious, fingers flying up the neck of her guitar and pink shoes constantly stomping to the pulsating drumbeat. I enjoyed her 2007 LP "In Advance of the Broken Arm," but these new songs sounded meatier, like the most uncompromising Sleater-Kinney tracks. She thanked me for coming after finishing her set; I thanked her for kicking off my CMJ in grand fashion. 

The Cool Kids had blown me away when I saw them open for M.I.A. last December, and now that their "Bake Sale" EP was an underground hit, I was anxious to see how they'd handle the spotlight at the Blender Theater. The crowd was surprisingly small, but that only sweetened the pot for me, since I was seemingly miles away from the stage the last time I saw the duo and knew that they'd be even more engaging up close.

While "The Bake Sale" is solid but not groundbreaking, the Cool Kids' live show might be. The two rappers dominated the Theater, with more energy than any hip-hop performance I've ever seen. Chuck Inglish and Mikey Rocks ran all over the stage and spit lines with delirious urgency during cuts like "88" and "Gold and a Pager," while the crowd shouted each line right back at them. The performance was both a celebration and a coming-out party; I don't know if The Cool Kids will ever cross over into the mainstream hip-hop universe, but they've got the skills and swagger to last a while on the indie-rap circuit. -- Jason Lipshutz