Now celebrating it’s 35th anniversary, New York City’s annual CMJ Music Marathon is descending on downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn October 13-17 with 120,000 artists, music fans, and industry insiders.
Every October, CMJ features over 1,400 live performances in more than 80 of New York City’s storied nightclubs and music venues, exclusive parties and cutting edge conference events throughout one vital week.
Explore all the showcases on CMJ’s website here.
Badges are available for purchase here.
Overwhelmed? We sifted through this year’s line-up and narrowed it down to fifteen shows you shouldn’t miss.
Here are Discosalt’s 15 Must See Shows:
1. Neon Indian
Webster Hall
Wed, October 14, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
2. Tall Juan
Good Room
Tue, October 13, 1:20 AM- 1:40 AM
Elvis Guesthouse
Thu, October 15, 6:00 PM -6:45 PM
Matchless
Fri, October 16, 10:30 PM -11:00 PM
Our Wicked Lady
Sat, October 17, 11:15 PM- 11:45 PM
A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, resident of Far Rockaway, Queens, New York, trusty sidekick to Juan Wauters live band (as well as The Beets), and a fierce lover of The Ramones, Juan Zaballa is Tall Juan. He had just released his new single “Falling Down” recorded by Mac DeMarco. (CMJ)
3. Winstons
Elvis Guesthouse
Thu, October 15, 3:20 PM – 3:50 PM
Matchless
Fri, October 16, 8:15 PM – 8:45 PM
Winstons is a Garage-Soul duo from Virginia, based in Brooklyn, that is steeped in the traditions of American roots music and the legacy of rock n’ roll. They are self-releasing their second cassette tape and digital EP Black Dust on October 2, 2015. (CMJ)
4. Nuns
Bowery Electric
Sat, October 17, 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Nuns is beautiful, swirling power. Its getting loston purposein a thick haze of buzzing, chiming, drifting guitars, then following a distant voice to find your way home. Songwriter/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Hank Hanewinkel III is the heart and soul of Nuns. His debut, Opportunities,is equal parts dreamscape, break-up conversation, and pure electric catharsis.(CMJ)
5. Dent May
The Wick
Fri, October 16, 8:30 PM – 9:15 PM
Mississippi native Dent May writes, performs, and produces homemade pop music from his home base in Los Angeles. A stylistic chameleon, Dent’s recordings echo folk, disco, R&B, psychedelia, country-western, soul, and funk sounds of the past, present, and future. (CMJ)
6. Cosmo Sheldrake
Pianos
Tue, October 13, 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Pianos
Wed, October 14, 8:45 PM – 9:15 PM
Living Room
Fri, October 16, 1:45 AM – 2:45 AM
Cosmo Sheldrake, is a 25-year-old multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer from London. He attracted hype from the blogosphere after the release of his debut single in April 2014, and his debut EP in March 2015. He has toured with Sylvan Esso, Bombay Bicycle Club, Songhoy Blues and more. (CMJ)
7. Diet Cig
Cake Shop
Wed, October 14, 5:15 PM – 5:45 PM
Cake Shop
Thu, October 15, 8:00 PM
Pianos
Fri, October 16, 10:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Pete’s Candy Store
Sat, October 17, 6:15 PM – 6:45 PM
Knitting Factory
Sat, October 17, 1:00 AM – 1:45 AM
Alex Luciano (guitar) and Noah Bowman (drums), New Paltz, NYs Diet Cig made big statement out of a handful of highly infectious pop songs. While recalling the sound of speedy twee-pop groups like Tiger Trap and All Girl Summer Fun Band, the band explores “the innocence of adolescence and infatuation.”(CMJ)
8. Caged Animals
Arlene’s Grocery
Tue, October 13, 3:20 PM – 3:50 PM
Cake Shop
Tue, October 13, 8:00 PM – 8:45 PM
Caged Animals is the alias for Brooklyn-based songwriter Vincent Cacchione’s pop-leaning and spiritual songs. Brought to life by a band featuring his wife, Magali, sister, Talya, and friend Patrick Curry, the band has transformed it’s originally homemade recordings into transcendent, living moments on stage. (CMJ)
9. Coke Weed
Elvis Guesthouse
Tue, October 13, 6:00 PM
Coke Weed is a rock quintet formed in Bar Harbor, Maine in 2010. Having tackled acid-drenched folk-rock and revved-up indie on their first three full-lengths, Coke Weed shift their focus to the 70s on new album Mary Weaver. Namely the seminal art-rock of Bowie, Eno and Ferry. (CMJ)
10. Native Harrow
C’mon Everybody
Tue, October 13, 6:15 PM – 7:00 PM
Rock Shop
Sat, October 17, 8:15 PM – 8:45 PM
“Native Harrow combine the purity of Folk and the DIY of Indie that gives the words and music a determined presence within the dreamlike space of the songs” – The Alternate Root. (CMJ)
11. Sam Kogen
Elvis Guesthouse
Tue, October 13, 6:00 PM
Fat Baby
Sat, October 17, 9:30 PM > 10:00 PM
Hudson Valley-born troubadour Sam Kogon has a sound pulled from NYCs 70s Bowery scene that flourished blocks away from his former East Village abode. Romantic and wistful, Kogons songs with Orbison-esc melodies and new wave tendencies are an autobiographical and imagined blur. Seagreen Records will release his debut album 9/18. (CMJ)
12. Fraser A. Gormon
Rockwood Stage 2
Tue, October 13, 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM
Mercury Lounge
Thu, October 15, 9:00 PM – 9:45 PM
The Wick
Fri, October 16, 7:45 PM – 8:15 PM
The Delancey
Sat, October 17, 7:20 PM – 7:45 PM
After playing a flawless series of shows at SXSW and The Great Escape 2015, he’s now NME approved, hotly tipped by BBC’s Radio 6 and Radio 1 and signed to an international label deal with Marathon Artists who have just released his acclaimed debut album “Slow Gum”. (CMJ)
13. Dashel Hammerstein
Bowery Electric (Map Room)
Tue, October 13, 9:30 PM
Carpenter by day & songwriter by night, Hammerstein makes late night tunes, with swirling sound led by antique keys and Hammersteins suavely wry vocals. An unlikely combination, sort of like putting the Silver Jews into a bar with Wings and The Violent Femmes & admiring what drunken mess you’ve caused. (CMJ)
14. Acid Dad
Good Room
Tue, October 13, 10:30 PM – 11:00 PM
Our Wicked Lady
Thu, October 15, 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM
The Wick
Fri, October 16, 2:00 AM – 2:30 AM
Acid Dad is a psych-punk band from NYC consisting of Dany Gomez, Vaughn Hunt, Kevin Walker, and Noah Kohll. (CMJ)
15. Caverns
Highline Ballroom
Tue, October 13, 11:15 PM – 12:00 AM
Indie alternative pop/rock band Caverns was founded in 2012 by Nicola Wincenc (vocals/guitar), Lucio Westmoreland (guitar/ vocals), Isaac Sleator (keyboard/synth/vocals), Nick Katz (bass/vocals) and Russell Holzman (drums) after they all attended LaGuardia Arts High School in New York together, studying music and film photography. Their sound is heavily influenced by a plethora of bands like Tame Impala, Radiohead, Grizzly Bear and Pink Floyd. (CMJ)