Pitchfork

Hear that? The call of the wild, indie-paved streets of New York City is beckoning, as today marks the first day of the 2007 CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival. From now through Saturday, October 20, participants, patrons, and performers alike will eat, drink, sleep, and breathe the college rock (if such a term can be used anymore), lapping up old favorites while clamoring to be the first to geek out over the next next big thing (the next big thing being so SXSW). It is a beautiful time to be a lover of music.

With all that's going down over the next five days and nights, it's also an easy time for a lover of music to completely wig out. With that in mind, Pitchfork has put together these few paragraphs here to help give you some footing during the CMJ maelstrom. The festival's website, of course, will gladly fill in the gaps for you.

Showcases

This is where hype is born, and where existing hype either lives up to itself or is duly laid to rest. So temper your expectations accordingly and have a look.

Tonight's (October 15) best bet is probably the Voxtrot/Rosebuds/Dean & Britta bill at the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at the Bowery Ballroom, which also features the promising Bon Iver and Miracle Fortress.

Wednesday, October 17, you may wish to split yourself in two so you can catch both the Windish Agency showcase featuring Deerhunter/Dan Deacon/No Age/White Williams/Ponytail at the Bowery Ballroom and the Fool's Gold showcase featuring Cool Kids/A-Trak/Kid Sister/KavinSky at Hiro Ballroom. The Kill Rock Stars showcase with Xiu Xiu/Marnie Stern/Mary Timony/Mika Miko ain't a bad bet either.

Thursday presents quite a few options as well. Will it be Spoon with the 1990s and Datarock at Blender Theater at Gramercy? Islands with Enon, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Yo Majesty, and the Octopus Project at the Kork showcase at Highline Ballroom? The garage rock of the Dirtbombs, Jay Reatard, Miss Alex White, and Turbo Fruits at the In the Red showcase at the Mercury Lounge? Or perhaps the mellower lineup of St. Vincent, His Name Is Alive, Bowerbirds (formerly signed to Pitchfork staffer Grayson Currin's Burly Time imprint), Papercuts, Speck Mountain, and Le Loup at the Force Field PR/Aero Booking showcase at the Knitting Factory is more up your alley?

Friday finds a fine hip-hop bill at B.B. King's that includes Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Devin the Dude, and Coughee Brothaz. M.I.A. also plays Terminal 5, and Spank Rock, the Noisettes, Yo Majesty, Earl Greyhound, and Santogold play Irving Plaza. The Knitting Factory turns into one big shitstorm of noise, with Sightings, Japanther, Old Time Relijun, Ruins, AIDS Wolf, Yip Yip, HEALTH, and Aa, among others, taking over all three floors of the venue.

Saturday, finally, offers a Sub Pop (and affiliates) showcase with Band of Horses, the Brunettes, and Le Loup (again) at Bowery. Spoon returns to play the Roseland with the Ponys. Justice and Midnight Juggernauts rock Terminal 5, while Erol Alkan spins at Studio B. Or maybe you're ready to say "fuck it" to all that's trendy and edgy and cool by the end of the week. Friend, Saves the Day and the New Amsterdams are waiting for you at Knitting Factory.

Among the many, many others to check out: Jesu, Yeasayer, Q-Tip, Mates of State, Cadence Weapon (aka former P4k scribe Rollie Pemberton), Centro-Matic, KRS-One, British Sea Power, Simian Mobile Disco, Imperial Teen, UNKLE, Holy Fuck, the Walkmen, Matt & Kim, El-P, Brother Ali, Flosstradamus, Black Kids, Slaraffenland, O'Death, Clockcleaner, the Capstan Shafts, Georgie James, Professor Murder, the Black Swans, A Place to Bury Strangers, Hallelujah the Hills, Gowns, Wild Light, Essie Jain, MGMT, and Bound Stems.

Whew.

Panels

Those not cruising for parties or sleeping off hangovers during the day should most certainly swing by a few of the CMJ panels, several of which feature celebrity musician guests. Highlights: the always entertaining David Thomas of Pere Ubu moderates a panel titled "Disposable Content", which asks whether and to what extent the Internet devalues music; Smiths bassist Andy Rourke and Grandmaster Mele Mel sit on a Robert Christgau-moderated panel on "Iconic Songs"; Mike Watt talks about the Clash; ex-Television guitarist Richard Lloyd and New York Doll Sylvain Sylvain tell us why "Punk's Still Not Dead"; KRS-One helps give "The State of Hip-Hop Address"; Yo Majesty discuss "LGBT Music & Media"; and Dan Deacon partakes in the "Indie Rock Taste Test".

Have fun out there, folks, and stay tuned for daily Pitchfork dispatches from the front lines.