CMJ Day 3

Okay, on with Day 3:

I'm running on very little sleep. My hosts, although gracious, have a penchant for VERY LOUD alarms starting at 6 AM.  I'm starting to feel run down, but since there is so much more CMJ and New York to see, I soldier on. 

Ed from CTD recommends that I eat at Mamoun's.  Since he is a native New Yorker and has good taste in general, I take him up on it.  Plus, the location he says I should go to is near where all the CMJ panel's are located, so I really don't have any excuse. 

Much like my favorite falafel joint in Chicago, Sultan's Market, there is a "hurry up and order" vibe, and I get a little flustered. There are people piling behind me to order at the shoebox sized restaurant, but I order a standard falafel sandwich, and ask the girl next to me if I could use her hot sauce.

I obviously took this picture before I thought that dousing my falafel in the third-level-of-hell hot sauce all over it. While I nearly died from my folly, it was a damn good falafel and I ate all of it. My stomach is a tad upset and my lips feel like they've burned off - but I attend my last scheduled panel:

"Seasoned Experience in a New Music Industry" is the panel I attend - I figured it would be a good way to hopefully get some new ideas to implement for our releases at the CTD compound. Speakers included Michael Goldstone, the owner of Mom + Pop, and Richard Gotteher, the co-founder of The Orchard.  Hearing their stories were interesting, and I did receive some insight into what some successful industry owners have accomplished both at home, and overseas.

Later in the evening I check out some bands at Pete's Candy Store, an intimate venue in Williamsburg. One that stuck out in particular, was a Chicago band called Leaf Bird.  Coincidentally enough I went to high school w/ one of the band members.  It's a mixture of Sea & Cake and Tortoise, added with many, many pedals and effects. (release on Plus Tapes!)

My friends and I need to pop over to Manhattan for a little bit, and this is my first and time I venture into the city in the evening. We stop by a venue in the East Village because my friend needed to pick up a coat he left there a couple days prior.  My best friend used to live in this neighborhood nearly a decade ago, and a lot has changed since then. What used to be what I perceived as a little run down and funky, has turned into a major hub of fratty type night life.  We also head to Chinatown to visit a place called Santo's Party House - a place that controversially touts "the best sound system in New York," and is also co-owned by party king Andrew W.K.  This is also a CMJ venue, but in the evening it has been replaced by typical repetitive club beats and awkward dancing.  Two overpriced drinks (with added gratuity) later, we call it a night.

Friday night was fine, but also kind of a wash.  Saturday ends up being a much better day, and more on that in the next installment...