CMJ 2015: Joe Jonas, Broken Hands, Alex Vargas, Perfect Pussy, Downtown Boys, & more

CMJ can be the most grueling week for up and coming acts trying to get their name out there. They arrive by the truckload (vans, really) from all over the world in hopes of making a lasting impression on savvy New Yorkers and journalists. They’re matched by equally exhausted writers and photographers who don’t want to miss the next big thing. We’re all about the hustle so keep reading for our favorite acts at this year’s CMJ.

We were never really Jonas Brothers fans so we approached DNCE, Joe Jonas’ new band, with some apprehension. They really know how to put on a show! Jonas is quite a dancer, bopping around stage alternating between cool falsettos and raspy one-liners. His bass player Cole Whittle is absurd in the best way. Phoebe Ryan, one of our ON THE RISE artists, also played the Neon Gold Records showcase and didn’t disappoint. She remarked that she actually used to live and go to school in the area. For Ryan and her fans, it felt like a homecoming party.

Over in Brooklyn, AdHoc Car Wash featured an afternoon packed with punk bands. We’ve waited a long time to see Perfect Pussy in action. Lead singer Meredith Graves is charming, funny, and beautifully honest. She alternates between inspirational speeches and blasting the U.S. government for violating women’s reproductive rights. Downtown Boys aren’t all downtown boys at all. Describing themselves as “bilingual political dance sax punk party,” the Providence band is led by Victoria Ruiz who literally gets in the crowd’s face forcing them to listen. She’s a remarkable frontwoman and we can’t wait to hear more from them.

Our final CMJ stop was at Communion’s showcase at Brooklyn Bowl. Very much in the spirit of CMJ, we met one of the bands, Broken Hands, at another show and they urged us to check them out. A bit psychedelic and dark, the Canterbury band worked with Royal Blood producer Tom Dalgety on their debut album “Turbulence.” The first thing you notice about Satellite Stories is that they’re super Scandinavian. Rocking almost white locks, the members of the Finnish indie pop quartet hail from a fairly large northern city called Oulu. They’re apparently well known in Europe so we may be late to the game. They remind us a lot of Two Door Cinema Club which was a bit bittersweet (where are TDCC?!). Alex Vargas stunned us with his voice. He played the very tail end of a long showcase to about 50 screaming women. They’d all suffered through the other bands just to hear him. We caught him by chance but we’re glad we stayed til the end. He’s as much a vocalist as a producer and it shows.

Check out photos of these and other awesome bands below.

AdHoc Car Wash

Perfect Pussy