CMJ 2009: 20 bands to not miss!

Sebastien Grainger performing at CMJ

Crappy Richard Gere terminal disease vehicle aside, we love October in NYC. Watching football at bars and sipping spiked cider at harvest festivals really makes us happy. But what makes us most happy is the CMJ Music Marathon. Once a year (Oct. 20-24) thousands upon thousands of bands hit the bars, clubs and hotel conference rooms of our city to play short and punchy sets for boozed up radio programmers, journalists and music fans. You fall into one of those categories, no? Get excited!

But with that excitement comes the daunting task of working through the official schedule. It’s massive. It’s sometimes ugly. It includes bands called Bin Laden Blowing Up and No Eye Contact. Rough. So here’s a minor assist—a list of 20 bands we think you should make an effort to see, and when they are playing—schedule subject to change. We’ll be covering the week just like last year. See you there. By Kirk Miller, Jason Newman and Matt Rodbard