It goes without saying that New York and its music scene have changed tremendously in the past 35 years. That makes it all the more impressive that the CMJ Music Marathon has stayed largely the same. Each October, it fills venues around the city with up-and-coming bands, while mostly staying away from the big names that many other festivals use as hooks.
In the past, CMJ has given an early boost to acts like Arcade Fire, Green Day, Daft Punk and Eminem. This year, more than 1,000 artists will perform at more than 70 venues around the city. Here are a dozen to keep an eye out for, and some are playing as many as five shows so you have lots of options.
The CMJ Music Marathon runs Oct. 13-17. For the full lineup: cmj.com/marathon.
