Yes, Axis of Live (aka, me) has been making the rounds at CMJ this year, though due to real life obligations, I’m only able to devote 2 days to the madness this year. I believe Olga’s going to the Grates/Mew show tonight, so maybe she’ll have some nice photos of that later on. Anyway, two days, three shows, and thanks to one of them lasting until 3 AM, I’ve got laryngitis today. It’ll make a good story for my grandchildren one day, if I last long enough to procreate.

Here’s some commentary and photos from the first show I went to: BrooklynVegan’s 11/1 afternoon showcase at Pianos.

I wasn’t there for the whole thing. I ended up there at the end of Land of Talk’s set, which sounded really good from the small confines of the corridor leading into the main room. I’d been really worried I wouldn’t be able to get into the show at all, especially when I saw a crowd of people hanging out on the sidewalk in front of Pianos upon my arrival. Turns out I was able to get in easily and those people were just hanging out. The room was too full for me to get a good look at Land of Talk, so I just sort of listened and bopped my head. Soon, Ryan Allen of Thunderbirds Are Now! appeared beside me and we headbopped together. TAN! was the main reason I was there, so it goes without saying that his presence got me very tingly on the inside. Not in a perverted way; not really, anyway. He is super cute, though. He seemed to like Land of Talk, too.

This was positively one of the best concerts I have ever been to in my life!