CMJ only seems like a drag if a) you’re in a band that’s playing 3+ shows; b) you don’t know how to navigate the madness. If you’re in a trending band, sorry, we can’t help you make the CMJ easier for you, but we will be looking out for you while on the press prowl! All others, read on for a day-by-day list of the best CMJ parties in Bushwick (+Williamsburg). We’re talking free, cheap, official, unofficial, free booze/food, and all-around madness from Tuesday-Saturday. See our pick show for each day listed first with the show poster!
If you’re looking for bands to check out, lucky you! We laid out 12 bands you HAVE to see this CMJ including TOPS, Dream Police, Splashh, Ages & Ages & more!
If we didn’t include your North Brooklyn showcase, leave it in the comments and we’ll update.
Tuesday 10/21
ExplodingInSound.com Unofficial CMJ @ Palisades ($8 adv, $10 Day of, 8PM)
Roomrunner, Celestial Shore, Heliotropes, Washer
Official Oh My Rockness CMJ Show @ Cameo Gallery (*OFFICIAL* FREE w/ Badge or $10, 8PM)
PINS (12 AM), September Girls (11 PM), Mannequin Pussy (10 PM), Vasudeva (9 PM), Amanda X (8 PM)
Free Show @ Pete’s Candy Store (FREE, 5PM)
Monomyth (7:50pm), Hundreds (7:10pm), Melaena Cadiz (6:30pm), Benjamin Verdoes (5:50pm), Conveyor (5:10pm)
Conflict of Interest @ Brooklyn Bowl (Free w/ RSVP, 8PM)
Cold War Kids, Aurora, Chief Scout, Special Guest
Free Williamsburg Official Showcase @ The Flat (*OFFICIAL* FREE w/ Badge or $5, 6 PM)
Journalism, Lazyeyes, Honduras, Life Size Maps, Hits, Ski Lodge
IMPSUM CMJ @ Trans-Pecos ($7, 8PM)
Native America, Flagland, Life Size Maps, Cousin Brian
Tell All Your Friends CMJ Party @ Baby’s All Right (FREE, 12PM)
Peter Matthew Bauer, Bo Ningen, Happyness, Money, Spires, Slothrust, Strange Names
M is For Montreal CMJ Party @ Babys All Right (FREE, 12AM)
Mystery Lights (2:15 AM), Calvin Love (1:30AM), Homeshake(12:45AM), Honey (midnight)
No Sleep + Brooklyn Vegan CMJ Showcase @ The Paper Box (FREE, 6PM)
Aviator, Rescuer and The Felix Culpa; and it also includes Taking Back Sunday’s John Nolan, ’68, Fake Problems’ Chris Farren, Run Forever, In Between, Foreign Tongues and Maps For Travelers
Gingercore Kills CMJ @ Silent Barn ($5 before 10, $10 after, 5:30PM, $FREE PIZZA)
Pc Worship, Broken Water, Dream Police, Natural Velevet, Psychic Blood, Sediment Club, Chimes
Aputumpu CMJ @ Muchmores ($7, 7:30PM)
Little Racer, Slavve, Gone Quite Mad, Kahli Abdu and the VHS Safari, Loose Buttons, Wonderbitch, How To Be Topp
WEDNESDAY 10/22
Unofficial CMJ House Show @ 315 Seigel St apt 312 (FREE, BYOB)
Wildcat Apollo, Touching, Me Chinese, Room Full of Strangers
City Lights Presents | INSRGNT-[Arts] | Table Three Media at CMJ @ The Acheron (*OFFICIAL* FREE w/ Badge or $10, 8PM)
Slingshot Dakota, Koji, creepoid, off & on, Meghann Wright
Birddog CMJ @ Shea Stadium ($8, 8PM)
TONSTARTSSBANDHT, TOPS, Moon King, Calvin Love, Nicholas Nicholas
Firetalk + Bathetic Presents @ Silent Barn ($8, 8PM)
Woodsman, United Waters, Katrina Stonehart, Advaeta, Isn’t Ours
Ipsum Magazine & Buzz Magazine @ Trans-Pecos (7PM, $7)
Low Fat Getting High, EULA, Robot Death Kites, Weaves, Push Ups, Beta Frontiers
No Shame & Cameo Gallery CMJ Showcase @ Cameo Gallery (*OFFICIAL*, FREE W/ RSVP, 6PM)
Walking Shapes, Mother Feather, Teen Commandments, loveskills, Conveyor, Joseph King, Wild Pink, Desert Stars
Hand Drawn Dracula CMJ Showcase @ Palisades ($7, 7PM)
Wish (11:45pm), Doomsquad (11pm), Beliefs (10:15pm), Lobby (9:30pm), Blonde Elvis (8:45pm), Dead Leaf Echo (8pm)
THURSDAY 10/22
Bushwick Daily + Out In The Streets CMJ Party @ Lot 45 ($5, 8PM)
Seoul, Fort Lean, The Great Void, Rioux, Tomboy, Doprah, Yawn, Zula
The Deli’s Official CMJ 2014 @ Spike Hill ($FREE, 8PM)
Hard Nips, Juniper Rising, Le Rug, Low Fat Getting High, Charly Bliss, The Teen Age, The New Tarot, Baliff, NoPop
Portals + Stadiums & Shrines Unofficial CMJ Showcase @ Lutheran Church of the Messiah ($FREE, 7PM)
Nicholas Nicholas, $3.33, SAINT PEPSI, Heathered Pearls, R.L. Kelly, Yohuna
KXLU & Burger Records’ CMJ Showcase @ Death By Audio ($FREE, 7PM)
White Reaper, Meatbodies, Girlpool, L.A. Witch, Las Rosas, John Wesley Coleman
Bushwick CMJ Party at A New Venue @ 266 Bleeker St ($8, 8PM)
Zula, Yokan System, Goldbloc, Tele/visions
Captured Tracks x Omnian Music Group @ Baby’s All Right ($FREE, 1PM)
Widowspeak, Juan Wauters, Dinner, Homeshake, Mega Bog, Alex Calder, Girl Tears
FLOOD CMJ Showcase @ Brooklyn Bowl ($FREE w/ RSVP, 7PM)
Beach Fossils, Small Black, Wardell, and Fiance
Communion CMJ @ Glasslands (*OFFICIAL*, $FREE, 8:30PM)
Twin Peaks, Bear’s Den, Gossling, Colony House, Lia Ices, Marian Hill
Impose and Lyynks Music present @ Palisades ($FREE, 8PM)
Open Eagle Mike, HEEMS, Princess Nokia, Louis Logic, Malportado Kids, Yung Gutted, Chris Gethard, Greer Barnes, The Lucas Brothers
Dull Tools Records Showcase @ Silent Barn ($7, 8PM)
PC Worship, Future Punx, Eaters, Beth Israel, B-Boys
FRIDAY 10/22
Miscreant & Father/Daughter present: Conscious Coupling CMJ Party @ Silent Barn ($5, 2PM on)
Small Wonder, Mitski, Amanda X, Bent Shapes, Girlpool, Rivergazer, Leapling, Running In the Fog, Nicholas Nicholas, more
Siren Sounds @ Spike Hill ($FREE + free beer, 7PM)
Max Jury, The Teen Age, The Rooks, Northern American, goodbyemotel, Ron Gallo , Camden, The Foreign Resort
Culture Collide @ Knitting Factory ($FREE with RSVP, 12PM)
Hunters, Gingo Star, FLowers, September Girls, Splashh, Wytches, Pins, Paws, Beverly, Solander
Official Campers’ Rule 2014 CMJ Showcase @ The Flat (*OFFICIAL* $FREE w/ badge or $7, 7PM)
Pony Farm, Holy Tunics, Spirit Plate, Norwegian Arms, Shy Hunters
Sacred Bones CMJ Showcase @ Trans-Pecos ($12, 8PM)
Moon Duo, Marissa Nadler, Amen Dunes, Dream Police.
Ipsum & Heavy Trip @ Shea Stadium ($10, 8 PM)
PAWS/Solids/Heat/Meat Wave/Washer
Orchid Tapes Official Afternoon CMJ Showcase @ The Shop (*OFFICIAL*$FREE w/ Badge of $5, 12PM)
Foxes in Fiction, Mister Lies, Emily Reo, R.L. Kelly, Yohuna
Saturday 10/23
A VERY GIGAWATTS CMJ @ HOT 97.4 ($FREE, 2PM on)
Happy Lives, Honduras, Palehound, Cosmonaut, Journalism, O-Face, more
PaperCup Official CMJ Showcase @ The Shop (*OFFICIAL* $FREE with Badge or $5, 11:30 AM)
Raccoon Fighter, BOYTOY, GAL PALS, Tennis System, The Teen Age, Needle Points, The Muscadettes
Wild Honey Pie @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar ($FREE with RSVP, 2PM on)
Twin Wave, HIGHS, Yellerkin, Salt Cathedral, Modern Rivals, Zella Day, Little Daylight
Northern Spy & Clandestine Media Present an Unofficial CMJ Day Party @ Trans-Pecos ($FREE + free beer, 1PM on)
Split/Red, Shilpa Ray, Yonatan Gat, Zula, Brandon Seabrook + Greg Fox Duo, Creature Automatic
Arbutus CMJ Showcase @ Shea Stadium ($10, 7pm)
TOPS, Mozart’s Sister, Lydia Ainsworth, Solar Year, Agatha Dimm
EXPLODING IN SOUND RECORDS THIRD BIRTHDAY PARTY + UNOFFICIAL CMJ SHOWCASE @ Silent Barn ($8, 2PM)
Krill, Grass Is Green, Two Inch Astronaut, Ovlov, Roomrunner, Geronimo!, Broken Water, more
TJO presents, Behind the Curtains Media and DHM Agency CMJ @ Muchmore’s (*OFFICIAL* Free w/ Badge or $7, 7PM)
Great Ceaser, Cosmonaut, Grundle Thunder. The Shackeltons, Fancy Balloons, Manic Pixi, more
Team Clermont CMJ Showcase @ Union Pool ($8, 8pm)
Leverage Models, Yonatan Gat. Stranger Cat, She Keeps Bees, Celestial Shore
BREAD AND CIRCUSES OFFICIAL CMJ SHOWCASE @ Paper Box (*OFFICIAL* Free w/Badge or $10, 8PM)
The Wiskey Bitches, Old Monk Bikini Carwash, The Living Kills, Room Full of Strangers, more
