CMJ 2008: Day 3

Sam Champion | The Bell House

Brooklyn’s Sam Champion has spent much of their career fighting off comparisons to both Pavement and the slightly creepy Good Morning America weatherman of the same name. (The general consensus is that they’re not as good as the former, but more fun to listen to than the latter). But after honing their sound through years of constant touring, the band has slowly come into its own, and even become a sort of local institution. While they’ve yet to shed their obvious Pavement influence, the band has also added classic rock, Americana and new wave to the mix on their new album “Heavenly Bender,” which was played extensively during the set. Openers The Jealous Girlfriends, fronted by the exceedingly confident (and cool) Holly Miranda, are going to blow up! Safe money.