Hilly Eye at 285 Kent // photo by Nina Mashurova

Today we present the final video from our CMJ show at 285 Kent last month. Although all of the bands on that showcase were incredible, I do believe we've saved the best for last here. This video is of "Amnesia" by HILLY EYE -- the new post-punk duo of singer/guitarist Amy Klein (formerly of Titus Andronicus) and drummer Catherine Tung.

Potty Mouth at 285 Kent // Photo by Nina Mashurova

Yesterday, we posted a video of Brooklyn's HEAVEN'S GATE playing at our unofficial CMJ show last month. Here's another video from that show: Northampton's POTTY MOUTH playing a new song, "Shithead". Also check out a new music video the band released on Halloween for "Superfriends", a cut from their Sun Damage EP released earlier this fall on Ride the Snake, Puzzle Pieces, and Feeble Minds

Heaven's Gate playing the Phoenix/WFNX CMJ show at 285 Kent.

Two Sundays ago, the Phoenix and WFNX presented an unofficial CMJ showcase at Brooklyn's 285 Kent. If you missed it -- no worries -- we'll be rolling out a stream of videos over the next couple of days. First, here is a video of Brooklyn noise-pop 5-piece Heaven's Gate playing "Screams".

Heaven's Gate at 285 Kent -- one of the best sets I saw at CMJ. Hey you guys, come play at my house.

After several years of attending the CMJ Music Marathon as a college radio music director, I've learned that wandering around on Ludlow Street hoping to "stumble upon" new music is a waste of time. Festivals like CMJ, in general, are ineffective ways to "discover" music -- these day they are mostly only a nice platform for international touring bands to work a tour around, since they can often receive government funding and logistical assistance to play showcases curated by their national arts councils.

Tomorrow, the Phoenix and WFNX are presenting a free, unofficial, daytime CMJ showcase at Brooklyn's 285 Kent. No badges are necessary and all ages are welcome. The line-up is stacked with some of our favorite bands from New York, Massachusetts, and beyond. Read on for a guide to the line-up, and if you're in New York, come by and say hey.

Much like SXSW, the annual five-day CMJ Music Marathon brings together hundreds of international artists and industry types, with official and unofficial parties happening all over Brooklyn and Manhattan.

It’s only three days into this year’s marathon, but some potential “winners” are already surfacing: the ethereal, outsider pop of Claire Boucher, a.

Armed with a vocal dance and a cavalry of loops, drums, drones and beats, JULIA EASTERLIN is heading down to the Dirty Apple for CMJ with a full slate of Massachusetts pride. The recent Berklee College of Music graduate teamed up with Paul Kolderie for two tracks on the school's Under The Influence covers record, lending her solo spellbinding take on tracks by THE PIXIES and RADIOHEAD

I’m not packing clothes for this year’s CMJ Marathon in New York City. In fact, I’m not even bringing down a laptop. Instead of spending five straight days inhaling various poisons, feverishly blogging on the same nonsense that everyone else is covering, and ransacking my weathered eardrums with out-of-tune guitar shreds and swollen bass lines, I’m limiting my trip to one day and two nights, and seeing how much I can cram in.