Less The Band | The Lo-Down : News from the Lower East Side

Scenes From CMJ at Fontana’s

Desert Sharks, winner of our CMJ Open Call Contest 2011 - photo by thelodownny.com

It was a fun night at Fontana’s on Tuesday. We kicked off the CMJ Music Festival with a Lower East Side-centric event featuring four very talented bands. Here are some shots from the evening.

TLD’s CMJ Music Showcase Profile: Less The Band

LESS The Band

Beginning today, we’ll be offering up profiles of the bands taking part in The Lo-Down’s CMJ Showcase, which is coming to Fontana’s on Tuesday evening. First up — Less The Band, which started off as a fictional group in prolific playwright Adam Rapp’s, “Finer Noble Gases” (2004).

The Lo-Down Presents: CMJ Showcase at Fontana’s

Saadi, "Bad Seeds" (The Soundmen Remix); Redbud Records.

We’re getting excited for The Lo-Down’s CMJ Showcase at Fontana’s October 18th — and you’re all invited! We’ll be kicking off the annual music festival with a great Lower East Side-centric evening curated by Ken Beasley, TLD’s music editor. One of the things we’re passionate about is supporting this neighborhood’s amazing creative community. Our CMJ Showcase is a great opportunity to celebrate their artistic contributions. Here’s the lineup:

Just this week, IFC called LES resident Boshra al Saadi an “indie electro goddess.” A CMJ veteran, this Syrian-born singer-songwriter has been part of the downtown music scene for 15 years — since she was 17. The eccentric, experimental artist says her diverse influences include: Bob Dylan, classic 80′s synth pop, traditional Arabic music, punk rock, Nigerian music and Brian Eno. Check out Saadi’s new video – “Bad Seeds” (The Soundmen Remix).