CMJ 2008: Day 1

Singing DJ Jens Lekman | Brooklyn Vegan showcase

For the second year running, Brooklyn Vegan kicked off CMJ with an intensely diverse bill: In under two hours the sets ranged from bluesy bar rock (The Sammies), haunting border town atmospherics (Shearwater), spazzy and experimental shouting (Ponytail) and rowdy blip rock (Passion Pit). Jens Lekman cleared the house while DJing more than singing (hey, he was billed as the “singing DJ”). But the reason we stayed way past our curfew was the Brooklyn big stage debut of Phenomenal Handclap Band, where bandleaders Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand redefined the concept of the funk jam (not a bad thing at all).