Country starlets, Aussie rockers, the chic set and a duo from Brooklyn by way of Detroit… Day 3 of the CMJ 2011 Music Marathon and Film Festival in New York was largely spent at the IAMSOUND Showcase, but that didn’t stop the acts from being diverse. A few notes from the night:

Nikki Lane, Bleeding Knees Club & Lissy Trullie, The Delancey

Australia’s Bleeding Knees Club sound and look like a bunch of teenagers having fun in a band, and one of their songs that has received the most buzz is, aptly enough, “Have Fun.” While playing the song, if you looked closely, you could see drummer Matt Woods singing along – not into a mic, but just singing to the music.

Also during “Have Fun” lead singer Alex Wall used his guitar to hump a photographer who had gone onto the stage for a shot. These kids were having fun singing about California eyes and teenage girls, and that energy flowed into the receptive crowd.

Lissy Trullie and her band started their set with a cover of Hot Chip’s “Ready For The Floor” that captured the post-New Wave, retro-modern feel of the original. Unfortunately technical difficulties seemed to break up the flow of their set after their strong opening.

Then Nikki Lane came on stage for their band’s third show of the day. If they were tired or exhausted, they didn’t let it show. Their set felt a little more subdued than they sound on their Walk of Shame album, but may have just been how they were presenting the songs.

And that’s not to suggest anything was lacking from the main draw of the night. Lane, dressed like some sort of country gypsy in a flowing black dress that showed off her tattoos, sang with a sweet and light voice that, especially when laced over a pedal steel guitar, sounded like it could break hearts or tighten a man's resolve, depending on the song.

And as her album designers are well aware, besides Lane’s voice and personality, there are her eyes. Already standing out in the dark basement of The Delancey, Lane’s bright, clear blue eyes could pop with excitement and mirth, or like Paul Newman, be honed into an accusatory stare, as she did while signing “Lies.” She may sound sweet, but she showed another side that men would be wise not to cross. 

The Long Eye, powerHouse Arena

Not officially a CMJ show, The Long Eye were playing the opening of a photo exhibit at the powerHouse Arena. I mention them here because the duo put on an impressive show for a not overly receptive audience.

The bearded and wooly Karl Sturk howled and cavorted while playing his guitar while Patrice Scinta sat stoically at her drum kit and seemed to only emote through her eyes and limbs, with the rest of her remaining still and calm. They put more of themselves into their performance than some bands playing official CMJ gigs have and their Southern Rock by way of heavy power-duo blues belonged in a dingy club full of fans.

-- October 20, 2011

More CMJ 2011 coverage:

CMJ Day 1: Death, Cerebral Ballzy & much more!
CMJ Day 2: The Parlotones, Davila 666, Weekend & more
CMJ Day 4: Kvelertak, Skeletonwitch & more  
CMJ Day 5: Shonen Knife, Pujol & more 

Review and photos by Dan Meade. Dan, the co-founder of the art/travel project The Manic American, has been contributing to GigApe as a writer and photographer since 2010. You can also follow him on Twitter: @DannyUhaul