Makeup For The Silence

Edelweiss - Icarus

It’s been a week now, but I feel like I’m still recovering from the 2011 CMJ New Music Marathon, the week-long epic ingathering of musicians, industry pros, college and other media folk, and various and sundry other members of the tribe that takes place each fall.  In addition to tons of panels on every industry topic under the sun (generally interesting, but sadly without much takeaway) and obligatory shmoozefests (the Press mixer was kind of a bummer, really; lots of pr peeps and folks hocking the latest, greatest internet music widget, but few writers and radio folks and even fewer editors/publishers/people worth shmoozing), there are shows that run at virtually every venue in the City — and a number of karaoke bars, hotel bars and, err, bar bars that play venue for the week — from early afternoon ‘til well into the wee hours.

Over the five days, I caught fifty different bands (when they call it a marathon, they’re not kidding!), a mere drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds upon hundreds of bands that play (often times many) shows during the week, but still enough to leave me withered and dazed, ears bloodied, spirit beat-to-a-pulp-but-not-quite-broken, and with a raging case of the CMJ Plague (I swear, everyone I knew had a cold last week).  It was enough to make me never want to see another concert again.  (Oh, who am I kidding.  I actually went to four last week.  And am strongly considering making plans for SXSW so I don’t have to wait til next fall to do it again).

And yet, the very best band I saw, and the biggest surprise, was the very first. Arriving early to The Studio for a band I was looking forward to seeing (who no-showed and thus will remain nameless, natch), I was graced with the presence of five kids (and I do mean kids, turns out they’re all high school aged) from my homeland of PA going by the name Edelweiss, churning out fierce and ferocious Minus-The-Bear-tinged gloomy postpunk.  30 minutes of ass-shakery ensued, and by the end of their set I was having a hard time picking my jaw up off the floor.  

This band is seriously fantastic live.  In that “I can’t believe what I’m hearing right now” sense.  If you live in the tri-state area, you owe it to yourself to check them out. You will not be disappointed, and you will be able to say you saw them before they were huge.  

No, honestly, I’m not sure how much of a market for this stuff there is right now — the same night I saw them, Minus The Bear were playing a sold out show upstairs at Webster Hall; then again, later in the week I saw the also-similar-sounding The Photo Atlas play a ridiculously good set to twenty people at Trash Bar — but if there’s any justice, these guys are gonna be huge.  They’re too good too young not to be.

Edelweiss recently put out a five track EP.  It doesn’t quite capture the manic energy, the careening-just-on-the-edge-of-control sensation that comes along with the live show, but it’s awful good in its own right, a slightly more atmospheric and dour take on the material that still makes for a great listen.

Seeing a show like theirs, being caught totally off guard, that moment of serendipity — it’s moments like those that remind me what I do whatever it is I do.