CMJ 1: Das Racist + Kisses + We Are Trees

CMJ started yesterday (duh) and like the young little CMJ virgin I was, I wanted to hit the music thing hard.

First up was Kisses, playing a showcase at Santos Party House. Kisses for all you whos do not know, is a discoy little Cali-chill duo from LA who stole my heart a few months back. I was in a weirdly good mood skipping into Santos, but as I continued to prance danced through their set, my first cherry of CMJ innocence (I have multiple) was popped. The somber industry crowd. I was ready to dance, and for the most part, people weren't. Kisses may have had something to do it. While I really did dig their set, their sound has the tendency of all sounding the same. Especially live, where neither lead-singer/guitarist Jesse Kivel, no keys/vocalist Zinzi Edmundson really brought the fire.

Next, we jettisoned off to Pianos to catch Das Racist do their thang, only to find out their set was still 2 hrs away. Best thing to happen all night. Not only did I get to get back in touch with why I love Pianos, but also got to check out We Are Trees. I was blown away. Using a violin, an acoustic guitar, and a minimalist drum kit, they created an acoustic lo-fi sound that dripped with sincerity and energy. It was beauty that made you want to dance. And it was theirs. That's the highest compliment I can give. Check it.

http://wearetrees.bandcamp.com/album/boyfriend

Last up was Das Racist. The oft-described, hyper-literate, fast-food eating stoner/hipsters who happen to also be brilliant. Their latest mixtape "Sit Down, Man" has been killin' it, and as the temperature starting raising in the room as their set approached, you could literally feel the hype. What happened next...was definitely SOMETHING. Visibly wasted, the dudes turned Pianos into a basement party. Purposefully out of control, the set wasn't about their lyrics or their talent. It was a spectacle. I alternated between dying with laughter at their antics and bouncing hard to their plush bass beats. They led the delighted crowd in chants from "Fuck music!" to "Boo us!" and as the sound guy kept warning the posse to stop smoking, it was as if Das Racist were seeing just how much they could get away with. The set continued to devolve and re-evolve from and into actual music (an impromptu acapella version of Usher's "You Make Me Wanna" highlighting my night).

At the end I was left with the question of a joke. Who's the joke on? The crowd? The industry? Is Das Racist a joke? Is there a joke? My friend Lindley turned around at one point and whispered "Beastie Boys!" And she may be on to something. The "drinking and smoking on a Tuesday night" may just be a cover for some seriously goofy change the game subversive type shit. Or maybe not. You tell me. They're playing tomorrow night at Santos.

Das Racist - People Are Strange

Das Racist - Luv It Mayne

We Are Trees - Final Round

Kisses - Kisses