if this is a post about cmj, why is there a long exposure photo taken in oregon? you'll have to read to the end to find out grasshopper.
last week i discovered what it means to really feel old, grumpy and tired during cmj. three years ago i would have been drinking all day, hopping from show to show and repeating that sleepless schedule for the entire week -- totally unphased. laughing, in fact, in the face of reason, rest and rehydration. this last week i drank lattes, smoothies and vitamin waters until the evening hours, when i would eventually have a tasty rum drink (or 7) in a mostly futile effort to create some sort of faux energy. i got little sleep, waking up early to work then heading to gothamist house for the day/evening and then heading off to meet friends for even more music, drinks and probably a 2am dinner. but it was fun so i can't complain. or...i can complain, because i'm sure i did, but you know...it was still fun. fun!
and now i'm going to be pretty darn open with you about one of the most enjoyable sets i saw last week. please don't judge me, or i'll never be so honest with you again...faceless reader. okay, here we go: i went with a friend to say hi to another friend's band that was playing with a band called saves the day. i had never heard saves the day, but i somehow knew what they were going to sound like anyway. was it good? not really my thing, HOWEVER it was great in that the audience sang along to every single word during their bajillion hour long set (yes, i stayed for most of it). kids just hanging on every single note, breathless and silent between lyrics and exploding with applause at the end of each song. seeing music make people react like that, as opposed to, say, disaffected, really made my little heart pitter and patter to the simple beat of emo. saves the day is emo, right? i don't even know anymore.
okay, but FOR REAL, i also saw other bands. the ones that the popular music weblogs are typing the hype away about. i'm not talking about your black kids or your dan deacon or your yeasayer...i'm talking about pattern is movement, illinois, the jealous girlfriends, the muggabears, sparrow house, jukebox the ghost, the brilliant mr. behrens...and really all of these bands. and i'll give catherine credit for touting mussels so much, they were also quite good. and since this is a full service blog, here is an mp3:
hold_it_in.mp3 - jukebox the ghost
okaysooooooo...what's next, you ask? does it have to do with that photo? well thanks for asking. i am super happy to report that at the end of november i'll be headed to my favorite place in the entire world: oregon! i'll be enjoying a thanksgiving feast out there and then driving back here from all the way across the country. i have never done such a thing before! and yeah, this old lady still has some energy left after all.
below is the 
here comes the lineup for day 3 (of 4) at gothamist house. 
