If we took a shot for every time we said “I can’t believe I didn’t know about this band!” during CMJ, we’d be…well, white girl wasted. Supporting local talent is huge, because there’s a lot of it and they deserve it. The exposure CMJ gives us to bands that we might not have heard of otherwise is essential to a band’s growth, and our playlists. The process of randomly checking out a band you’ve never heard of, to falling in love with them, to following them on Songkick, and becoming a true fan is one of the most exciting things about live music. Cereal+Sounds got excited over these local bands during CMJ, and we can’t wait for you to too!
Vundabar is Freakies (discontinued in 1976) Bow down to these Bostonian boys (and yes, we’re considering them as local), because Vundabar made even the coolest hipsters groove a little at Pond Mag’s CMJ showcase at Arlene’s Grocery. With charisma and stage presence just as undeniable as their sound, Vundabar is definitely a band we’d like to see more of in New York (although we definitely wouldn’t dismiss the idea of road trip to see them). Listen here Catch them here
Acid Dad is Rocky Road (discontinued in 1987) Local boys Acid Dad shredded the shiitake mushrooms out of us when we caught them at Our Wicked Lady amidst the mom-jean-wearing Brooklynites during CMJ. The combination of haunting vocals, addictive melody’s, and raw instrumentals truly sets Acid Dad a part in the NYC music scene, and we can’t wait to rock out at more of their shows. Listen here Catch them here
The Britanys are Honey Nut Cheerios These “City Boys” are definitely deserving of that rock & roll fame. When we caught The Britanys‘s at Pond Mag’s CMJ showcase at Arlene’s Grocery, we had no idea we would become totally obsessed with the Alex Turner-esque vocals and body possessing instrumentals. These Brooklyn boys are just as cool as Britany with one ’t’, and we’re stoked to be new fans. Listen here Catch them here
Furnsss are Quisp Despite being barely out of high school, Furnsss have the “how to write great songs” thing all figured out. The Burlington, CT teens released their excellent EP, New Moves, over the summer and have been supporting band like LVL UP, Fern Mayo, and playing right before Nai Harvest at CMJ. Their jaunty fuzz pop is reminiscent to proto-slacker rock with glimmers of the hazy drawl of dream pop. If music has a “prospects ranking” for rising talent like baseball (it should right? with all these listicles), we’d have Furnsss right at the top. Listen here Catch them here
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