musicians

My father, brother, and I have an annual vacation to New York City every October. My brother, Executive Director by day and musician by night, suggested one year we go see a band play. That night we found out the band was playing as part of a weeklong music festival that takes place at several music venues across the city. Since then, we plan our trip around CMJ Music Marathon.

CMJ Music Marathon, a music festival and convention, is run by CMJ Holdings Corp., a music events and online media company. Besides organizing the festival, they run CMJ.com. They also publish a weekly online magazine CMJ New Music Report, which features interviews and reviews of well-established musicians and unsigned bands.

Methyl Ethyl's Saturday set at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn. — Methyl Ethel’s Saturday set at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn.

I am drawn to bands just gaining traction because shows are more intimate. Also, at five foot two, I have a better chance of actually seeing the the stage at smaller shows. Somehow at large venues six-foot tall people always find their way in front of me. Another bonus of smaller shows is room to dance!

Even though the festival spans over the course of a week, we always catch the tail end from Friday to Sunday. Over the years we have stayed in several areas of the city. Each year we have moved closer to the music. The majority of the shows are at venues in the Lower East Side (LES) and in Brooklyn. This year we chose to be right in the thick of it; walking distance to music venues that usually have great CMJ showcases each year.

Creative artwork on a building on Rivington Street in the Lower East Side. — Artwork on a building on Rivington Street in the Lower East Side.

The Lower East Side is a gritty chic neighborhood—a little sketchy but artistic, trendy, and historic with a great bar and restaurant scene. It might be described as a hipster party area. Located in southeast Manhattan, the boundaries run from Canal to Houston Streets and the East River to Bowery St. Main drags include Bowery, Delancey, Ludlow, and East Houston Streets.

LES is bordered by Chinatown, NoLita, and the East Village. It is historically a working-class immigrant neighborhood filled with Irish, Italians, Polish, Ukranians, and Germans. It was once known as Little Germany because of the sheer number of Germans living in the area outnumbered other ethnic groups. The area is also well known for having a large Jewish population.

In the 2000’s gentrification spread from the East Village into the Lower East Side. The area is now lined with uniquely decorated boutiques, coffee shops, several art galleries, and trendy bars.

If you like live music and are visiting LES, I suggest checking who is playing the following venues:

We stayed on Rivington Street in the thick of it all. The first morning I set out on my own before my family woke up. I found a great coffee shop, Black Cat LES, where I could read TIME magazine’s latest issue while lingering over coffee. It had eclectic décor with old clocks, mismatched couches and chairs, and lots of artwork on the walls. It doubles as a comedy club and serves beer. I opted to try their homemade oatmeal, which did not disappoint with its creamy consistency topped with fresh fruit. As I read, there was a group of people filming what appeared to be a documentary.

Leisure morning at Black Cat LES, a coffee shop on Rivington Street with great homemade oatmeal.

Later that morning my family and I grabbed coffee at an Italian-style coffee shop, Café Vita. In true Italian form, there were no chairs and everyone stood to drink their coffee.

We walked down to the East River and looked out past the Williamsburg Bridge toward our next destination, Brooklyn. Baby’s All Right was having a day party chock full of great bands with free everything: entry, beer (first keg, at least), sunglasses, and lip balm.

View of the Williamsburg Bridge from a park along the East River. — View of the Williamsburg Bridge on the East River.

On our first night, we also went over the bridge to The Wick in Bushwick. This music venue is fantastic—open space, high ceilings, and $4 beer.

Below I have compiled links to songs from bands we liked at CMJ.

Methyl Ethel

https://soundcloud.com/methylethel/lagotto-romagnolo

https://soundcloud.com/methylethel/rogues

https://soundcloud.com/methylethel/twilight-driving

Michael Rault

https://soundcloud.com/michael-rault/lost-something

https://soundcloud.com/michael-rault/sets/ma-me-o

https://soundcloud.com/michael-rault/i-dont-need-no-help-gettin

https://soundcloud.com/michael-rault/the-things-you-said

Mothers

https://soundcloud.com/mothers-1/no-crying-in-baseball

https://soundcloud.com/mothers-1/it-hurts-until-it-doesnt-2

https://soundcloud.com/mothers-1/fat-chance-live

https://soundcloud.com/mothers-1/nothing-live

https://soundcloud.com/mothers-1/mother-and-wife

Sam Cohen

https://soundcloud.com/easysoundrecordingco/sam-cohen-kepler62

https://soundcloud.com/easysoundrecordingco/sets/sam-cohen-cool-it

https://soundcloud.com/easysoundrecordingco/01-let-the-mountain-come-to

The Albumn Leaf

https://soundcloud.com/the-album-leaf/descent

Gramma’s Boyfriend

https://soundcloud.com/graveface/i-live-my-broken-dreams

https://soundcloud.com/graveface/forget-the-stones

Check out my brother’s band, Crooked Mirror.

On our way back to Boston we stopped off in New Haven, CT for lunch. We took the advice of a friend and ate at a hybrid bookstore/cafe called Atticus. Yale University Art Gallery is across the street. Entry is free. The modern and contemporary section was great.

Who is your favorite band listed above?

What is your favorite music venue in New York City?

Is there an area of the city you find yourself going to over and over again?

Celebrities, musicians, and presidents’ vacation on an island off the coast of Massachusetts, only accessible by boat and air. Among the long list of well known vacationers are President Obama, the Clintons, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Diane Sawyer, and Ted Danson. The late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Ted Kennedy, and Walter Cronkite all had ties to the Vineyard as well.

Beautiful beaches, restaurants, and nature trails line the island. Locally made artisan goods are sold at outdoor flea markets. Farm fresh eggs and local produce can be found at road-side stands. Combined, the six towns that make up Martha’s Vineyard have a lot to offer.

293224_10100298261857732_254965233_n — Dog Boarding

Originally populated by the Wampanoag American Indian tribe, the Vineyard is now known as an affluent summer destination. Martha’s Vineyard was the name given to a small island south of the main island in 1602 by English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold. Later, the main island took the name Martha’s Vineyard. Martha is thought to have been Gosnold’s mother-in-law or his second child.

English settlers joined the Wampanoag tribe in populating the island when Thomas Mayhew purchased the island from English “owners”, along with neighboring Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands. Mayhew honored the native’s land rights and therefore they were friendly with one another.

Martha’s Vineyard is made up of six towns; Tisbury (which includes Vineyard Haven and West Chop), West Tisbury, Oak Bluffs (incuding East Chop), Edgartown (inducing islands Chappaquidick, or “Chappy”, and Katama), Chilmark (including Menemsha), and Aquinnah (where the Wampanoag tribe is located).

Each town has a unique offering. In Oak Bluffs, where the Flying Horses Carousel is located, children can try their chance at receiving a free ride if they catch the brass ring.

Another notable feature of Oak Bluffs is the community of multicolored gingerbread cottages. The best time to enjoy the cottages is on Grand Illumination Night, when all the gingerbread houses decorate with colorful Chinese and Japanese lanterns and bands play at the Tabernacle.

Lantern in my Aunt's garden reminds me of Illumination Night. — Lantern in my Aunt’s garden, which reminds me of Illumination Night.

My favorite activity in Aquinnah is to walk along Moshup Beach and admire the dramatic red, orange, white, and beige clay cliffs. There is also a lighthouse to explore, fantastic views, and tribal stores.

In Chilmark, as you pass by mailboxes bearing names like “Chillhead,” you eventually find the cozy fishing village of Menemsha, where you can walk out on the jetty and take in a sunset. Chilmark also has Great Rock Bight, a preserve you can hike to get to a rocky beach with rock sculptures.

If you need a break from the beach, check out locally made goods at the flea market, which provide such treasures as sea glass necklaces or framed photographs of the island.

In the largest town, Edgartown, you can catch some waves at Katama/South Beach or do some shopping downtown.

Explore and you shall find... — Explore and you shall find…

Sometimes, though, it is the seclusion that makes the vineyard special. Tucked away, down a dirt road in the middle of the woods, I find my aunt and uncle’s house. Here, I can peacefully lie in a hammock, wander through their exquisite garden, or walk the back trails by a horse farm and admire a tiny pond most vacationers will never see. I can rummage through old records in their basement then dance to them in the kitchen while preparing a meal of island-grown produce.

Swaying Among the Trees — Among the Trees

On this particular morning, I woke up and decided to wander out the front door with a bowl to pick berries to add to my breakfast. As I approach the blackberry briar, I hear some rustling to my right. I look up to see a deer bounding from the blueberry patch into the forest.