Hopefully you’ve been eating your Wheaties and dutifully taking your vitamin C, and you’re ready to face this year’s CMJ Music Marathon. But even for the most ardent fan, the five-day onslaught of shows taking place all over lower Manhattan and Brooklyn can be intimidating and exhausting. That’s where we come in. Flavorpill’s resident music nerds have put together this distilled list of “can’t-miss” showcases and artists. If we’ve written about a band or artist previously, we’ve linked to that piece so you have an idea of where these recommendations are coming from. Now go forth and rock!
TUESDAY 10/16
Lawrence Arabia
New Zealand showcase: Six60, Die! Die! Die!, Ghost Wave, Popstrangers, Lawrence Arabia, Tom Lark @ Le Poisson Rouge (6pm)
Mountain Goats and Matthew E. White @ Bowery Ballroom (8pm)
WFUV and Alternate Side present Indians, Savoir Adore, Wax Poetic, Little Green Cars @ The Living Room
Oh My Rockness CMJ Showcase: Chrome Canyon, Metz, Roomrunner, Moon King, Mood Rings, Heavenly Beat @ Cameo
CMJ Party feat. Heliotropes, Leda, Beach Day, Backwords, The Suzan, Easy Lover @ Public Assembly
LEFSE CMJ Showcase: Mister Lies, Psychic Twin, Cemeteries, Mean Lady, Levek, Cuckoo Chaos, Field Mouse, Teen Daze, Way Yes @ Pianos (7pm)
Weekend, So So Glos, Skaters @ Shea Stadium (9pm)
WEDNESDAY 10/17
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Team Clermont presents Matthew E. White, Opossom, Twin Tigers, Grape Soda, Koko Beware @ Union Pool (7pm)
Hype Machine Handpicked presented by Sonos: The Virgins, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Neighbourhood, Indians, Sua, Jjamz @ Brooklyn Bowl (7pm)
Terrorbird CMJ Day Party presented by Impose: Wild International, Win Win, Michna, Flume, Jerome LOL, Mykki Blanco, Prince Rama, Pictureplane @ Cake Shop (12-6:30pm)
Stereogum presents Dum Dum Girls, Guards, Savages @ Glasslands (8pm)
Ghostly/Cascine showcase: Chad Valley, Jensen Sportag, Michna, Erika Spring, Selebrities, Rush Midnight, Heathered Pearls (DJ Set) @ Le Baron (9pm)
Noisey presents Downstairs: The Orwells, Skaters, Team Spirit, Moon King Upstairs: Flatbush Zombies, Children of the Night, Bodega Bamz, The Underachievers, Haleek Maul, CBG @ Santos Party House (8pm)
Northern Spy showcase: Devin, Gary & Ross, The Dreebs, Diamond Terrifier, PC Worship, Hubble, Thurston Moore and Loren Connor @ Public Assembly (7pm)
Blondfire, Sky Ferreira, Ghost Beach, Gabriel Bruce @ Union Hall (8pm)
Rosenkopf, Cult of Youth, Slug Guts @ Home Sweet Home (9pm)
NPR/WNYC Showcase: Death Grips, Flying Lotus, Buke & Gase @ Le Poisson Rouge (7pm)
Mobli.com presents HEEMS, Sasha Go Hard, Kitty Pryde, Weekend Money, The Underachievers, Party Supplies, Safe @ Delinquency (7pm)
Silent Drape Runners CMJ Afterparty: Silent Drape Runners (DJ), Dark Sister (DJ), Nike7up (DJ) @ Shea Stadium (1am)
THURSDAY 10/18
Sub Pop Show: Pissed Jeans, King Tuff, METZ, Poor Moon, Daughn Gibson, Debo Band @ Knitting Factory (8pm)
Explorations in Electronic Psychedelia: Blackbird Blackbird, Rioux, Rimar, Maria Minerva, AIMES, Heathered Pearls @ Le Poisson Rouge (7pm)
CMJ Union: Hey Marseilles, DIIV, Little Green Cars, Poor Moon @ Union Square Ballroom (10:30am)
The Walkmen with Dum Dum Girls @ Terminal 5 (8pm)
High Road Touring Showcase: You Won’t, Houndmouth, Ex Cops, US Royalty, Foxygen, Winter People @ Bowery Ballroom (7pm)
My Social List and Domino Street CMJ Showcase: The Intelligence, Roomrunner, Wild Yaks, Royal Baths @ Public Assembly (1:30-5pm)
ZZZ’s, Blue Hawaii, Tops, Jack Ladder and the Dreamleaders @ Bowery Electric (3:30pm)
Terrible Records presents Mirror Mirror, Regal Degal, Kirin J. Callinan, New Look, Leda @ Shea Stadium (9pm)
FRIDAY 10/19
Angel Haze
Underwater Peoples showcase: Maria Minerva, La Big Vic, Future Shuttle, Ian Drennan, Limited @ The Delancey
Savages, Choir of Young Believers, Daughter, San Cisco, Emma Louise, J. Thoven @ Mercury Lounge (7pm)
Kanine Records CMJ Day Showcase: Valleys, Beach Day, Bleeding Rainbow, Eternal Summers, Zambri, Moon King, Suburban Living @ Cameo (12-7pm)
Ernest Jenning Record Co. CMJ Showcase: Wild Yaks, Dinosaur Feathers, Takka Takka, MiniBoone, Daytona @ Grand Victory (7pm)
Panache Booking Showcase: Twerps, Turbo Fruits, Dent May, Mac Demarco, The Paper Head, Violent Bullshit, Vockah Redu, X-Ray Eyeballs, Dignan Porch, Gap Dream, Levek @ Public Assembly (8pm)
Sea Wolf, Jim White, Hey Marseilles @ Le Poisson Rouge (6pm)
Ad Hoc Showcase: Mykki Blanco, Physical Therapy, LE1F, Maria Minerva, Prince Rama, Solar Year @ 285 Kent (8pm)
Windish presents Penguin Prison (DJ Set), Icona Pop, Born Ruffians, Free Energy, Chad Valley, Flume @ Brooklyn Bowl (8pm)
Passenger Peru, Wojcik, Quiet Loudly, pow wow! @ The Gutter (9pm)
Pitchfork presents Death Grips, DIIV, Joey Bada$$, Holy Other, Metz, Merchandise, Daughn Gibson, Hundred Waters, LE1F, Angel Haze @ Villain (8pm)
SATURDAY 10/20
Ava Luna
The Bowery Presents CMJ 2012 Day Party: The Orwells, Savages, Foxygen, Born Ruffians, Little Green Cars, Ava Luna, J. Thoven, San Cisco, Sky Ferreira, Opossom, Murals, Zulu Pearls, Blessed Feathers @ Pianos (12pm)
Aussie BBQ: Old Fields, Jinja Safari, Strange Talk, Rufus, Flume, Winter People, San Cisco, High Highs, The Oyster Murders, Dancing Heals, The Trouble with Templeton, Teeth & Tongue, Big Scary, Skipping Girl Vinegar, Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders, Lowlakes, Emma Louise, The Stanleys, Dune Rats, Goodbyemotel, Outerwaves, Satellite Sky, The Hiding, Capelle @ The Delancey
Consequence of Sound: The October Party with Free Energy, Delicate Steve, Hundred Waters, The So So Glos, Conveyor @ Public Assembly (8pm)
Life or Death Official CMJ Showcase: Kilo Kish, Maria Minerva, Sky Ferreira and Friends, Mac DeMarco, Slug Guts, Jozef Van Wissem, Twerps, Starred, Dogbite @ 92YTribeca (6:30pm)
Windish CMJ Showcase: Com Truise, Poolside, Bonde do Role @ Gramercy Theater (10:30pm)
She Keeps Bees, Heliotropes, Roomrunner, Mr. Dream, Sleepies, Yvette, Speedy Ortiz, Pile, Young Adults, Fat History Month, Ovlov, Geronimo, Trabajo, The Flag, EULA, Slothrust @ Paper Box (8pm)
Wild Nothing, Braids, Weekend, FORMA @ Bowery Ballroom (8pm)
Unicorn Kid, Mike Simonetti, Jerome LOL, Jensen Sportag (DJ) @ Glasslands (11:30pm)
FIXED: Holy Other, Vatican Shadow, Autre Ne Veut, Orthy, JDH & Dave P @ Le Poisson Rouge (11pm)