DETAILS ABOUT THIS SHOW & STREAMING COMPILATION OF ALL FEATURED ARTISTS HERE. 

Those looking for a little escape from the craze of the CMJ week will find an ideal refuge at the East Village’s Sidewalk Cafe, where on Friday, we’ll be showcasing seven local singer/songwriters and anti-folk outfits for a free evening of intimate performances and sharp-tongued poetry. We’ ve got the funny, quirky ones like headliner Mal Blum, Luke Kelly & acolytes, a.k.a Kung Fu Crimewave, with their far-fetched stories, Crazy & The Brains, self-defined party-punk four-piece every bit as frantic as the name suggests, and Ben Pagano who touched at a true contemporary issue in one of his latest releases – yes, hipsters. We’ve got the emotional performances, courtesy of St. Lenox, and Bird to Prey who will be releasing her ‘Saved By The Storm’ album, and finally, we’ve got Go Love, eclectic collective of artists revolving around Ray Brown and whatever/whoever may tickle his fancy. Literally most everything we could file under ‘Anti-Folk’ – that is, expect some acts that may change your perception of this fairly versatile label. In the picture: Crazy & The Brains.

Once in awhile I get to listen to a band so ambitious, so full of ideas… it both drives me crazy with envy, and appreciation for what a fabulous scene we have around here. Plumes’ self-titled LP is a carefully constructed Baroque masterpiece, filled with orchestrated meditations on the peaks and valleys of love. This duo have written life’s epic soundtrack, and their vision can’t be overstated. ‘Hero & Leander’ finds you perched to an epic cinematic moment, ‘Kalimba Mountain Song’ luxuriates in a woodwind dreamscape, and album opener ‘Your Train of Thought, through Tunnels’ begins a journey through this feature film. It’s a large statement, and I’m excited to hear how they might possibly take this over to a live situation. I suggest you park yourself immediately and pop this magic in your ears. Plumes… I don’t know where you came from, but thank you. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Cosmonaut is one of those bands that almost seem too good to be true. When I first listened to them, the first thing I thought was… ok, which one of these guys was in a supergroup and is now starting over fresh? Turns out, these guys are all starting fresh. Just out of school, the quartet sounds like they’ve been at this for years, displaying a maturity in their songwriting far beyond their lean years. Sounding something like Pavement’s slack tied together with Cymbals Eat Guitars’ epic emotionalism, Cosmonaut has ‘hype’ written all over them. Just listen to ‘Hurry Up‘ EP opener ‘Your Knife (My Side)’ and hear what could be the envy of Julian Casablancas, coming through singer John Paul Manley’s tenor. Produced by Kyle “Slick” Johnson (Wavves, Modest Mouse), the band’s debut album is everything you want to hear from a young band in line with age old expectations of how classic rock songs is supposed to sound. Their next show is on Friday October 19th at Legion Bar, with Fast Years, The N’ere Dowells, & others. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)