SnowGhost Music

The CMJ festival is officially over, which means bands can get back to playing more than 5 songs at a time, fans can stop looking at maps and schedules and worrying about guest lists, and those of us involved behind the scenes can either pat ourselves on the back and start looking forward to next year, or we can curse ourselves and vow to do a better job next time. We at SnowGhost will be patting ourselves heavily and getting our video and audio offerings ready for public consumption, but while we’re waiting for the entertainment to arrive (as CMJers are no doubt used to doing by now), we can enjoy the FIRST ANNUAL SnowGhost CMJ Pro and Con Fest!

Pro #1: New York City is a really fun place. Every time I go there, I understand how people can fall in love with the place and want to live there. There’s always something to do, some place to go to get something that you need, and somebody to talk to. From the random street crosser who flipped me off to the Vietnam vet who wanted money so he could buy us beers to share under a corner awning during a rainstorm, there’s no shortage of interesting people waiting to share their thoughts or expressions with you. There are also a ton of bands and plenty of people with excellent taste to appreciate them with. I will term this musical camaraderie, and NYC has very high levels of it.

Con #1: NYC is the strip club of city-going. No matter how much cash you bring, you end up needing to go to one of those mini-ATMs located conveniently everywhere , you just can’t seem to keep track of time or figure out where your friends wandered off to, and at some point the next day, you will swear that your wallet was hijacked and you shouldn’t be responsible for its abuse. There are ways to do it on the cheap, but at some point you want a lap dance, especially if everybody else is getting one too.

Pro #2: 30 to 45 minute sets provide ample opportunities to see many bands in a limited amount of time. There were literally thousands of bands playing all over the place in less than a week. If you had a badge and a schedule, you had a lot of options.

Con #2: 30 to 45 minute sets provide ample opportunities to feel shortchanged, even if you are watching a band play for free. Also, it's always difficult to go from a band that you were thoroughly enjoying to a band that is thoroughly annoying. Unless of course you are hung over from the night before, in which case it is easy. You simply walk away and return to bed.

Pro #3: Bands can amass all types of longevity cred. I’m not sure which band played the most shows over the week, but I know of a few who played 3 times in one day. If you can play 3 shows in one 8-hour period, then how hard can it be to play 6 shows over 7 days? Take that, booking manager, and run with it! I had opportunities to catch Jay Reatard 3 nights in a row, and I went 0 for 3, but that didn’t stop me from respecting his gig cred just a little more, especially because of the varying venue size.

Con #3: Bands can burn out. There’s only so many rock-solid 37 minute sets you can do in a week without the aid of musical sherpas. I don’t care how much coffee or red bull or uppers you can stuff in your face. At some point you won’t be 100%, but hopefully that will happen during soundcheck.

Pro #4: There is no substitute for musical camaraderie. Just when you think that you’re all alone in your indie-band iso booth, along comes a festival that brings together thousands of like-minded musicians for a week of fine taste and good times. It can be very inspiring to know that so many other people appreciate the same sounds and ideas that you do.

Con #4: It can also be a little depressing to see so many great bands and know that they are all better than you or at least more successful. It’s easy to be semi-competitive about things when there is a common goal. This is of course a bad attitude, and it is usually caused by too much self pity, which is usually caused by too much drinking, which is often caused by spending too much time in clubs.

Pro#5: The word festival is only used for fun. If this wasn’t going to be fun it would be the CMJ conference or CMJ convention. Conventions and conferences require name tags and ass-kissing. Festivals involve VIP lounges, all-access passes, wee-hours, shouting, lots of food, and maybe some illicit activities. All in all, we’d way rather be festival-goers than convention attendees. And because festivals are so positive, I will offer no rebuttal, thus leaving the final tally in a decidedly Pro CMJ victory. Bravo CMJ, and bravo everybody we hung out with or saw perform. You all truly put the fest in festival.