The Nth Degree

Oh, November. How I love and hate thee. The weather in New York is officially cold, teetering on tundra-like, and the Rockettes are breaking out their white tights in preparation for the Christmas season. Tourists start pouring in, retail stores start bracing for holiday shoppers and the city becomes a little more hectic than normal.

However, this November also brings CMJ Music Marathon, which translates into hundreds of the hottest up-and-coming bands playing in New York over the course of a very exhausting week.

Venues are stacked with five-band showcases delving deep into the night. This is the best time to check out the next big thing, be amongst fellow music lovers and take in the city’s nightlife.

Can’t cash in those frequent flyer miles just yet? Then I highly recommend San Francisco’s Birdmonster (birdmonster.com), a band that knows exactly what a live show should be. May you be as lucky to catch this band in a tiny venue like N.Y.C.’s Mercury Lounge before everyone and your kid brother is onto them. Birdmonster’s sound is edgy rock with a smattering of alt- country and a ton of beautiful chaos. Their incredible album, No Midnight, has been causing a stir in the indie circuit, but doesn’t quite capture the electric live chemistry between lead singer/guitarist Peter Arcuni and guitarist David Klein. Though not their first time through the city, the venue was still packed with wall-to-wall hipsters just itching to get home and blog about the magic on stage. The audience was completely engaged for songs like “’Cause You Can” and “Balcony,” and it literally felt like the coolest party in town. These boys are poised for greatness, so don’t miss out the next time they’re in your area.

And remember a guy named Pete Yorn (peteyorn.com)? The scruffy Jersey boy that had you hooked with songs like “For Nancy” and “Life On A Chain?” Well, after three long years he’s back with his third release, Nightcrawler. It was a treat seeing this huge major-label artist in the 250-person capacity venue Mercury Lounge. There was a mixed crowd of 30-something yuppies who thought they were at a kegger, serious music heads and, of course, the ever-present swooning girls. His extra long set was relatively up-tempo with a set list that focused on Nightcrawler, but fed hungry fans with a sprinkling of covers and a good portion of familiar favorites from 2001’s Musicforthemorningafter. Yorn didn’t miss a beat between songs, offering anecdotal stories and humorous asides reminding everyone why they fell in love with him in the first place. Yorn has really matured and become a polished musician, which is evident with his new album, but most obvious in his transformed live performance. Catch him on his headlining tour this month in a venue near you.