CMJ last night was incredible. The performances were beyond good. All the bands that played made it a very memorable night for everyone that came to support them.

Rock band, Radical Dads, performed at Pianos last night. Although there was another band playing at the same time in another room, their room was still completely full because they were just that good. Last night, they played a lot of upbeat, bright, “fun in the sun” type of songs that really kept everyone happy. Death Stars followed their performance with the same type of style and feel to their songs. The atmosphere didn’t change much after Radical Dads’ performance, as people were enjoying conversation and listening to this band showcase their recent album and a few new songs.

Mikhael Paskalev opened for Courtney Barnett at the Webster Hall. He is overall a very talented musician; someone that one could probably listen to all day long because he won’t ever seem to get old or tiring. He has a unique vocal style that kept everyone interested in him and buying his album at the end of the night. Maybe its his Norwegian or Bulgarian accent that gives him such a cool, rhythmic, indie sound which everyone seems to enjoy, or perhaps he just knows how to make some really interesting tones and pitches with his voice. Except for the last couple of songs he played with a drummer, he performed solo most of the night.

With an interesting and bizarre animation playing on a screen in the background, Courtney Barnett was a lot of people’s favorite. There is an element in her music that people can relate to that makes her one of the hottest performances at the CMJ last night. Her lyrics are relevant and catchy. She has a very natural stage presence and is also very down-to-earth, which she shows in her on-stage quirky personality.

Mosco Rosco is definitely a band worth talking about. They did a great job performing last night at the Webster Hall, as they had everyone in the room lifted off the floor by their music. They were also one of the hottest bands this year at the CMJ. It was a magical performance, because both singers had their own vocal style but together made a deep indie and a psychedelic, punk rock work tremendously well with each other. It was a very cool experience.

Sam Fermin was amazing last night at the Webster Hall. They were by far one of the best bands that has performed at the CMJ. The vocals were nearly perfect in every way and the instrumentalists were very energetic. Lead singer Allen Tate has a deep, sophisticated tenor/baritone voice that can melt your heart away in seconds, and second lead singer, Charlene Kaye sang like an angel. The crowd really loved them, as the band did so many cool things like have really talented trumpet, saxophone, and violin players break it down in the middle of a few songs. It was extremely exciting that almost everyone in the room was dancing wildly around with one another even to the two new songs they performed that is supposed to be released sometime next year. Sam Fermin truly received much love and support from their fans last night for their excellent performance.

Each day of the CMJ keeps getting better and better, so continue to follow the updates about what’s happening next.

Read mxdwn’s coverage of CMJ 2014 Day One Part One
Read mxdwn’s coverage of CMJ 2014 Day One Part Two