Because we don't have enough pull to get our interns spots as extras on How to Make it in America, we promised them the next coolest New York experience: CMJ, with badges! Naomi Zeichner and Duncan Cooper, our intrepid ears to the street, will be reporting on the giant festival swarming the Big Apple. After the jump, check an IM conversation—apparently young people's form of communication—between the two of them, looking at their own personal city histories (they're locals now), wrapping up the first night and looking forward to their picks. They really like goth keyboards and post-chillwave. Smart cookies!
Duncan: o man gettin kinda nervous like we're goin on stage
Naomi: dude fuk that cause we can edddit out. i was born to txt
Duncan: yaaaaa
Naomi: alright so now? when did you move to new york?
Duncan: two months ago, like three days before i started grad school
Naomi: i didnt know you were in grad school. are you straight in post undergrad? studying what?
Duncan: media studies, film stuff i guess. it was brutal tho, the last day i was moving out of my old place i threw my iphone down the elevator shaft. i couldnt find anything, im the worst at directions. really looking forward to getting lost this week
Naomi: thats my worst nightmare. im sick with directions; luv maps. get kind of competitive about it somethings. *sometimes. left my iphone in the ace hotel bathroom this morning. realized 10 minutes later and PANIC b then it was just there
Naomi: SO ARE YOU STOKED FOR CMJ?
Duncan: yeah our schedule is ridic
Naomi: xcept you punked out on night 1! whats your excuse?
Duncan: i was getting behind on my photo blogs i had like 800 rss posts i had to go though first. what did you go to?
Naomi: the group tightener party at shea stadium [full disclosure, this is the label of Sam Hockley-Smith, a FADER editor]. it was mostly rad. have you ever seen Dead Gaze?
Duncan: no wow lookin at this group tightener lineup, there's a big ass pink lightning bolt on the flyer, looks gr8
Naomi: i love that flyer! its like a haiku of our times because the design is so bad. your eye wants to mix the names so its like: how to small dead nude secret raft beach colors black gaze
Duncan: here it is btw http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_laaa23drl71qa35lco1_500.jpg
Naomi: the story of our lives
Duncan: :(
Naomi: SO my boyfriend bought me some pizza and then we showed up halfway through dead gaze. they played forever b they're great. jon caramanica totally reviewed the set this morning and basically just called r. cole furlow, the lead singer, fat. but i guess also noticed his sweet pop voice. the songs are so sweet! lead dude writes and records them alone in mississippi b had two guys with him last night. the drummer was such a spaz! but they were working and sweating so hard!
Naomi: the songs kind of reminded me of the smashing pumpkins, like 'today' era. kind of made me want to listen to garbage (not trash b the band)? can't explain. so they played too long but were the highlight anyway. rezound played fu-gee-la between sets which was appreciated at large
Naomi: Porcelain Raft was probably the most at-capacity moment. I missed Small Black after and was kind of bummed by How to Dress Well so left after a couple songs. Beauty Sleep! There was a puking by the door. a kid puking
Naomi: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SEE L8R?
Duncan: k today is cloud nothings... blair... braids... beach fossils. cute swamp shit
Naomi: in park slope. been there before?
Duncan: no i havent been anywhere thats the fun part. i think i chose that one because its closest to my house
Naomi: yes! i'm pro brooklyn based CMJ. all the writing about CMJ is like "and cake shop was so crowded, it was CRAZY'
Duncan: ya looking forward to sweating and stuff
Naomi: a hobby of mine i've been deprived of for the 12 minutes of fall we've experienced so far
Duncan: what was i gona say
Naomi: you were going to xplain what 'cute swamp shit' is
Naomi: Dead Gaze could maybe fall under that banner. I'm so for them! Southern boys are the best. If i lived in Miss would want to ride passenger with them and be very close but not in any kind of long term relationship. they'd make a good sitcom. Scruffy garage sanger, hyphy beardo, straight guy
Duncan: oh ya. "cute swamp shit" is... all the cmj stuff i want to go to, as opposed to maybe most of what i listen to, is like, blog rock / "lo-fi" / "new jersey" / who-else-can-i-alienate. what if i dont know the moves? like regarding sweating, i think that and "feelin it" are gona be my main modes of expression
Duncan: maybe disregard that
Naomi: im confused
Naomi: blog rock: the reason CMJ seems kind of xtreme sporting to me is because youre like, taking the risk of what this shit looks/sounds like IRL, not just hyper controlled by one weirdo on his computer. like, salem live is not salem recorded, we know. so how do you/people behave in those rooms
Duncan: i've been watching a lot of preparatory live videos
Naomi: calisthenics of one kind
Naomi: i feel pretty unprepped for this show at the delancey tonight
Duncan: which one
Naomi: the i guess im floating/lefse records show. i'm tryna see wise blood at 10
Duncan: omg im at the site now http://myspace.com/hazemotes
Naomi: thats a man that sounds good on the internet
Duncan: im listenin to "2 ALL THE GIRLS WHO HAVE TRUSTED ME" this guy is gr8. his only myspace friend is cassie
Naomi: Thats a little 2 cute b ill forgive because communicating your self via myspace is hard to read. yeah have you heard that Physical Therapy remix of Alicia Keys/Drake "Fireworks"? That song is inspirational! And led me to dude. they are in the same universe
Duncan: post a link, im deep in this bandcamp right now
Naomi: http://kickkicksnare.com/2010/07/15/physical-therapy-remixes/
Naomi: re; wise blood. feel like it puts me in a good mood because its so fuzzed out you can forget the the guys voice is actually too earnest and annoying. melody for people who grew up only tolerating rap
Duncan: ^ thats good
Naomi: maybe a relevant thing for the whole situation
Duncan: gettin jealous.... who am i seeing at 10?
Naomi: park slope is far from the LES dude (competitive mapping)
Naomi: so also hope to stop by the Ballers Eve party at Orchard Bar. more southern men
Duncan: ballers eve, the east village radio show? lol
Naomi: yes, the premiere internet-only waystation for southern rappers
Duncan: your lineup today is so focused, im kinda tip-toeing in
Naomi: http://governedbyloyalty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/BallersEve7YearInvite2time-709x1024.jpg Grip Plyaz nightcap, 1am; because thats the only logical thing to do before waking up at 5am to commute and teach art to middle schoolers
Naomi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEkxfnefBjI
Duncan: i was hoping that was like a teaching vid
Naomi: Ha! thats illegal dude. But you WISH you could see vid of this one kid dancing with this indian drummer. youd never think a chubby kid could be so GRACEFUL
Duncan: omg my earbuds cant handle this. swag. did u already say "nightcap" this is a really good nightcap
Duncan: i'll trade you this blair vid i've been watching since 3pm http://vimeo.com/9219594
Naomi: wireless is bugging, its loading
Duncan: i think i ate all the bandwidth refreshing blair