It’s a Daft Punk/David Byrne Halloween

Dave and I got off to a good start for Halloween Saturday night with our Daft-Punk-themed costumes, and Dan too with his David Byrne big suit. All musically-themed costumes around here!

  

Daft Punk/David Byrne Halloween

Dave and I got off to a good start for Halloween Saturday night with our Daft Punk-themed costumes, and Dan too with his David Byrne big suit. All musically-themed costumes around here!

  

CMJ Week Ends

Well, last night officially marked the end of the Indaba Music showcase for CMJ – it was certainly a fun and wild (and by wild I mean tiring) week. We finally finished getting the stick of 5 days of beer and dirt off the floor, so we can relax and look back on a job well done. 28 bands played here overall (29 if you count Dan), and if you count the Springsteen concert I was fortunate enough to attend at the Garden Wednesday night, I saw 30 bands in all this week. That might be a personal record for me, although it might tie with SXSW last spring. But I digress. More on point, special, special thanks are due to Rachel Darmanin (Underrated Magazine) and Seth Kallen (This Side Up Sounds). Without them, we wouldn’t have had any of these awesome bands, and we wouldn’t have had the terrific crowds we did either.

I discovered a lot of great bands that I either hadn’t heard at all or hadn’t seen live before – including Beat Radio, Nous Non Plus (awesome French band – so much fun to see live), and Eagle*Seagull. I think I heard a Nous Non Plus song in there called “The World is a Cactus, I Cannot Find a Place to Sit Down.” Or maybe it was just something they said. Either way, it was hysterical. Come to think of it, everything is funnier in a French accent.

As usual, Wakey Wakey played an awesome set. And also as usual, Jukebox the Ghost (here, here, and here) brought down the house. Last night they played one of the most animated sets I’ve seen them give, and the house was completely packed. They included a few songs I hadn’t heard them do live before, which was of course a nice treat.

So, here’s my quick run-down:

• 28 bands
• 21 hours of music
• 6 kegs
• 1 New Zealand rocker swinging from the pipes
• 0 air conditioners

All in all a great week! I’ll put up more pics and videos when I get a chance. For now it’s bedtime.

More from the Indaba Loft

The last few days have been great here at the Indaba Music Loft, we got off to a great start on Tuesday, and Wednesday and Thursday didn’t dissapoint either. Middle Distance Runner, The Undisputed Heavyweights, Seth Kallen (yay for Indaba interns!), Division Day, and Natalie Prass (our favorite Nashville native) all gave stellar sets on Wednesday. My favorite surprise was Beat Radio – I hadn’t heard these guys from Long Island before but they’re definitely going places. Check them out if you can – you won’t regret it. Yesterday packed some great surprises too, including the more chilled-out sounds of Let’s Go Sailing and Tim Williams. Mason Proper, as usual, put on a terrific show and wowed everyone in attendance. Looking forward to more great music today and Saturday here at Indaba, so check the schedule at indabamusic.com/loft and stop by if you’re in NYC!

Beat Radio @ Indaba Music:

CMJ Gets Off to a Good Start

The shows for CMJ at the Indaba Loft got off to a great start yesterday, we had a great crowd and some terrific bands. Quintus, Arizona, Cut Off Your Hands!, Some Velvet Morning, and Matt Singer all played great sets. Check out this short video of Cut Off Your Hands! and come visit us sometime this week!

Indaba on the David Lawrence Show – XM Satellite Radio

Last night Dan and I had the privelege of joining David Lawrence on his radio show – we had a great time and we hope all his listeners did too. We talked about Indaba Music, the new Radiohead release and it’s revolutionary, controversial new pricing model, issues affecting independent artists, and a whole bunch of other interesting topics. If you didn’t tune in last night on XM 171, KBMP Portland, KITZ Seattle, KSBN Spokane, KUDO Anchorage, WTDY Madison, you can download the podcast version here.

Report: ETM Battle of the Bands

Just got back from ETM’s Battle of the Bands, and I must say that the story of the night for me was Little Grey Girlfriend (sorry Dan but I’ve seen you play a few hundred times before). PJ introduced us to them, and also invited them to play at the Cutting Room tonight – definitely glad that he did. They had an original indie-pop sound, and they were a lot of fun to see. Erika (their lead vocalist) has an incredible voice and also wails on the trumpet, not to mention a way of getting into the music that’s certainly unique and and energizing to watch. The rest of the band was great too, and since they ended up winning this battle, I’m looking forward to seeing them in the Indaba studio where they’ll claim their prize of some free recording time. Check out LGG here and look out for them on Indaba soon!

Battle of the Bands to Support Education Through Music

Our favorite non-profit, Education Through Music, is hosting a Battle of the Bands this Thursday, October 4th, at the Cutting Room in NYC (19 West 24th Street). Our very own Dan Zaccagnino, not to mention Seth Kallen will be taking the stage, so if you’re in the New York area, you definitely don’t want to miss it. CLICK HERE to buy tickets, it’s for a great cause!