CMJ: Tuesday At Rockwood With Christopher Paul Stelling

It’s that time again. Another year, another CMJ, and no better place to me to kick things off than at Rockwood Music Hall. Nestled in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Rockwood has proven to be the perfect spot to catch a wide variety of musicians in a relatively short period of time. My four hours spent there treated me to Caitlyn Mahoney, Hooton Tennis Club, Son Little and Christopher Paul Stelling, and I honestly could have asked for a better time.

Kicking things off at Stage 3, Caitlyn accompanied Bex Gaunt on violin and Susan Mandel on cello plus, special guest Niall Connelly, Caitlyn wowed everyone with her powerful vocals, despite being a bit under the weather. Playing selections from her recent release Spin, Caitlyn had amazing control over her voice, especially during the higher notes and left me impressed. Garnering comparisons to Ingrid Michaelson, Norah Jones and The Staves, Caitlyn more than earned this praise, as her lyrics come across entirely genuine and unflinchingly upbeat, regardless of the subject matter.

Caitlyn Mahoney

Next up, the boys from Liverpool, UK – Hooton Tennis Club. While these boys aren’t that great at playing tennis as their name might suggest, they were great during their set of fuzzy, lo-fi indie rock. Having just come from Caitlyn’s subdued set, this was a bit of a slap in the face, in the best way. I’ve had their song, “P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L.P.I.E.R.R.E.” on repeat for the past few days – it’s just that catchy. Unexpected tempo changes, plus abundant wah wah pedal made their 40 minute set feel a lot shorter than it was. Their straightforward, easy going lyrics was just what the crowd needed to hear judging by the smiles and applause.

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In between set changes, the crowd began converging on the stage just in time to see Son Little and his band begin setting up. I’ve seen Son Little a number of times, both with and without a band, and this is probably the healthiest crowd I’ve seen assembled ahead of his performance. Perhaps he felt the same way, as he snapped a crowd selfie minutes before his set began. Son Little has a gift for injecting tons of emotion and soul into each note he plays and sings as was evident on “Joy,” a somber, introspective tune that set the mood just right. Fusing elements from rock, hip-hop, reggae and soul, there is definitely something here for everybody to enjoy, as proven by a guy who overzealously yelled out “MAN, THIS GUY IS GOOD!” in between songs and banter.

Son Little

And last but certainly not least, Christopher Paul Stelling. I have done myself a grave disservice by not listening to his music before this day, I must say. He’s got such a powerful voice, but uses it with such control and restraint; it’s mesmerizing. He’s also one of the most skilled fingerpickers I’ve seen in a while. With a tireless tour schedule taking him back out on the road just the next day, CPS left everything he had onstage, mercilessly breaking 2 strings on his guitar and continuing on like nothing happened. His set was the best way to end Day 1 of CMJ, hands down.