CMJ: Catey Shaw & Alexander F At The Hall at MP

With the first night of sleep deprivation and ear fatigue in the books, night number two took place in an unfamiliar venue, in an all too familiar area of town, at one of Brooklyn’s newest additions, The Hall at MP. I found myself sitting at a table having dinner with a mix of friends and strangers, but good company all around. One of the best perks of CMJ is getting to see your industry friends that are always super busy throughout the summer concert season. This was the doNYC + Relix Magazine + CEG Presents showcase, so expectations ran high.

First band of the night, Mail the Horse, was more on the Americana side, which means pedal steel, piano, and the kind of rock found in NYC that takes me back to my rural Ohio days. The best part about hearing bands like this – you get a much tighter style of music and harmonies. While they fit a more roots style of rock, there was more of a Doobie Brothers element with this band. In another lifetime their music would’ve been featured on the Easy Rider soundtrack. Think of them as a mix between Alberta Cross and Delta Spirit with a little twang thrown in the mix.

Mail The Horse

Up next was the always-fantastic Brooklyn girl herself, Catey Shaw. Funny story, I seem to hazily remember calling her Emily Shaw on Tuesday night, but that’s a story for another time. One this night we saw Catey and her blue jacket band in a familiar place, dancing around stage to her catchy, singer-songwriter style of pop music. She powered through songs including “Night Go Slow,” “Human Contact,” and “Revolution.”

Catey Shaw

“This song needs to introduction” Catey said while taking a second to catch her breath before the guitar went into the catchy intro riff to “Brooklyn Girls,” the song that threw Catey into the world of Internet popularity.

Catey Shaw

Closing out the night with an absolute killer set, the members of Rubblebucket, Delicate Steve, and Bear In Heaven took the stage under the band name Alexander F. To be honest it doesn’t matter what name the band called themselves, they put on an absolutely electrifying rock show with Rubblebucket member Alex Toth running around, dancing, and shaking like a mad man. Dandy Danielle on bass, Christian Peslak on guitar, and Jason Nazary on drums make for one hell of a rock band, and made for one of the true gem performances of CMJ.