Counter Culture

It’s cool to hate CMJ: If I were an aspiring musician in the city, I would desperately want to get a CMJ gig. It wouldn’t be hard because there are a zillion showcases per night, and I would feel real big about it. But of course the reality is often these tiny sparse shows which are just depressing; I think that’s true for the artists and the industry drones alike. The ‘up-and-coming’ CMJ artists are expected to put on more than a show.  They have to compete with every other venue in the city (many many), handle every obstacle that might come along with live performance, and ultimately they have to make an impression on the stone-faced industry representatives.

Unsurprisingly I missed (or will miss) most of CMJ because it’s impossible to enjoy a show with a migraine, and I try to avoid agonizing pain when possible. But I did catch Reni Lane gracefully tackle an an early set, a tiny venue, and a boring, sober crowd Thurs night at The Delancey. Reni had a single on The L Word called “Place For Us”, which recently got even more love when RAC remixed it. [Download the remix here]. She also put together this video series based on the “10 random things” application on Facebook- renilane.com/10things. If you know me well …the marching-band-nerd video makes me a little competitive. One or two of you know I carried the IHS marching band. So I could definitely challange Reni Lane to a John-Philip-Sousa-off. Let’s go!

~ by lilykane on October 24, 2009.