NYC is architecturally grounded on hidden marvels – the solidarity and suspense echoing over the course of chaos, daily. As though the city hides magical abodes from itself to be rediscovered in fits of refurbishment like that 50 bucks you stashed in a French dictionary. With this in mind, I present to you Vaudeville Park.

In the flesh, Vaudeville Park’s a storefront on the corner of Bushwick and Devoe. White walls alternately adorned with art or vivified with the quintessential light of vehicles passing by night. A succulent baby grand in the corner.

Vaudeville Park is the frenetic Ian Colletti. A labor of love and oracular insight into the future of musical presentation. What transpires here self sustains: artistry is the powerful currency, which is to say, it’s not for profit. Reciprocation between artists, organizers, audience in the name of sublime intervention and community involvement, which is to say, contact between these parties is direct, via a collaborative desire to preserve creative constitution.

The artists and curators working within this space are spectral in a way that only develops inside the rushing core of art for art, even if it requires eating icing in a spacesuit. Art for the sake of not only art but the complications of survival, the revelry of urban stenography, the urgency of creating in the moment. Also, this is happening as part of CMJ. Find a list of contributing artists spanning the gamut of classical composition to room-scale installation to hysterical theatrics, on VP’s website.- Valerie Kuehne

Caged Animals, a relatively new project by Soft Black frontman Vincent Cacchione, creates music that is poppy and infectious, yet slightly unsettling under the surface. The songs weave atmospheric flourishes with electronic quirks, pitch-shifted and distorted vocals, and catchy hooks. Although Caged Animals could easily be described as “chill-wave” for its bedroom-recording aesthetic and penchant for synth lines and electronic drums, there’s more to the music then that. Cacchione isn’t afraid to venture into the odd psychedelic landscape here and there, and some of the songs sound almost alien, haunting the listener with otherworldly vocals and odd, discordant bits of noise. Check out “The Way It Feels to Be Hunted” (embedded here) to get an idea. Caged Animals create some forward-thinking pop music, and will hopefully be released into the wild to find a wider audience in the near future. –Bill Dvorak

Caged Animals will headline at The Deli’s CMJ electronic stage at The Delancey on Tuesday October 18 with Computer Magic, Psychobuildings, Pretty Good Dance Moves, and other awesome NYC electronic artists – full lineup here.

 

Kicking off their tour with Viva Brother on Oct. 13, glitch folk band Motopony will have their song "Seer" make its TV debut on  HBO’s "How To Make It In America" this Sunday at 10:30pm.  The Seattle-based group has quickly gained momentum since they debuted their self-titled LP in May,  which is available now on tinyOGRE Entertainment.

MOTOPONY TOUR DATES

October 13        The Horseshoe Tavern          Toronto, ON*
October 14        Le Petit Campus                    Montreal, QC*
October 15        DeLuna Fest                          Pensacola Beach, FL
October 16        Johnny Brenda’s (21+)          Philadelphia, PA*
October 17        The Middle East (21+)           Cambridge, MA*
October 18        The Met                                 Pawtucket, RI*
October 19         Bowery Ballroom (19+)         New York, NY*
October 21         Rock and Roll Hotel               Washington, DC
October 22         The Club at Water Street       Rochester, NY*
October 24          The Basement                       Columbus, OH*
October 25          Lincoln Hall                           Chicago, IL*
October 26          Triple Rock                           Minneapolis, MN*
October 31          Turner Hall Ballroom             Milwaukee, WI?
November 9         Marquis Theatre                   Denver, CO?
November 10       The Black Sheep                 Colorado Springs, CO?
November 14       Café du Nord                        San Francisco, CA?
November 15        Belly Up Tavern                   Solana Beach, CA?
November 16        Bootleg Theater                     Los Angeles, CA?
November 19        Aladdin Theater                      Portland, OR?

Next week many attendees of the CMJ Music Marathon in NYC will suddenly realize that they developed a desperate need for hand claps and wave balloons along the coast of San Francisco – and for Silver Swans’ delicately melancholic music. This video was selected to be projected in between bands at The Deli/INDMUSIC CMJ Music Marathon Shows with 35 others.

Rock at heart, NYC’s Outernational reaches out to reggae, ska, punk, dub, polka, mariachi, hip-hop, and world music, much like their forward-thinking predecessors and audacious musical idols of the 60s to the present. Outspoken and outstanding, this revolutionary ensemble comprised of Miles Solay (vocals), Leo Mintek (guitar/back vocals), Jesse Williams (bass/back vocals), and “Dr.” Jesse Blum (trumpet/keyboard/electric organ/harmonium/accordion/clavinet), have been hard at work on their first full length record, “Welcome To The Revolution” and “Todos Somos Ilegales" EP – recording with Chad Smith behind the kit.” The group’s passion for their mission is even more apparent when they perform with an impassioned and fiery force. Outernational stands by their hopes and dreams for a “ radical vision for the future of a world without borders,” a stance that has continued to blossom since their first EP, “Eyes on Fire” and only becomes stronger as the band’s grabbing music and message recruit fans and followers. The band will be headlining The Deli’s Alt Rock Stage official CMJ show on Tuesday October 18 at The Delancey with Lily and The Parlour Tricks, Raccoon Fighter, The Nico Blues, and The Suicide Dolls (Boston). More info here.

Turkuaz – who placed 4th in our Best of NYC emerging artists 2010 poll – has again successfully ventured into the dark heart of the jungle of funk with their latest release “Zerbert.” In this mesmerizing chronicle, horns clash and scamper, wah-guitars chirp and flutter, harmonies howl, and bass grooves snarl and snort like warthogs in heat. Renowned for their raucous dance-party shows, their signature stampede of sonic fury is elegantly captured and preserved like an elk head on your study wall. Funk is a genre all but extinct in the aural wilderness of modern indie-tedium. However, this band of rare specimens are giving the dodo a fresh chance at flight. Their rhythms are primal, their melodies relentless, and their weirdness charming. They celebrate Zerbert’s release this coming Saturday October 15th at the Mercury Lounge— animal print is encouraged.  -=brokeMC

In the video of their single "Antihero", Brooklyn Folk Poppers Futurist make the most convincing argument for "So You Think You Can Dance: Williamsburg" we’ve ever seen. The band released their debut album "War Is Yesterday" in June, with a party involving over 50 (fifty!) interdisciplinary artists. This video was selected to be projected in between bands at The Deli/INDMUSIC CMJ Music Marathon Shows.