CMJ 2008: Kickoff Party

Jason Reece (right), And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

You're from Austin. How are SXSW, that town's music fest, and CMJ different?
SXSW is very centralized; seeing music is just like bar-hopping, CMJ is spread out, so you have to plan your evening out. But the caliber of the music is as good.

Do you have a CMJ memory?
Yeah, Trail of Dead were on tour in New Orleans, and all our equipment got stolen, our van was stolen...we were in dire straits, worst situation possible. We got a friend to lend us a car, we piled what we had at home, and drove all the way straight to New York, to play The Continental with Nebula—they loaned us equipment. Rowdy show. We were just starting out, it was very important for us to play that show. All that desperate energy, it made sense to get up there. And we finished our whole tour that way.

Editor's note: Frontman Conrad Keely was feeling shy. We think he went for a dish of fro-yo instead.