CMJ ended without much to-do last night on the Lower East Side, where the usual crowd of hipsters and scenesters poured on to Stanton and Houston ready to party. Over the course of the evening, which took me to three different venues and spanned the LES periphery, I saw only two other CMJ badge holders. I guess everyone was over at Terminal 5 seeing Justice?

9:00 p.m. My first stop was Pianos. The bill had 11 bands on it, but I only stayed for one — a pop-rock group called Tiny Animals, founded by a brother and sister. It was refreshing to see a female musician up there, even if her drumming was a little raw and overpowering. The vocals were strong, but not enough to compensate for the guitarist and bassist who stood awkwardly to the left on stage, a little unsure, perhaps, of what they were doing there. I learned later they were relatively new stand-ins. There’s clearly good writing behind the songs, and a few of the tunes were even memorable, but the disjointed performance left the audience shrugging. Although in their defense, Pianos is not a forgiving venue. It can’t make you sound any better than you are, but it’s the burden of the performer to compensate.

10:00 p.m. Next stop, the Indaba Music Loft, an apartment turned music performance space for the “yet to be discovered.” I came here to catch a threesome out of D.C. named Jukebox the Ghost. I’ve seen them perform before, but I was curious about the venue. It actually felt more like a frat house party, to be honest. The room was packed with college kids, clearly friends of the band, and the kegs were flowin’. I actually bumped into the lead singer of Illinois, another band showcased during CMJ. I missed their sets because of Mute Math, but apparently their show was “one of their best.” If you ever get a chance to see Illinois live, I recommend you do so. Jukebox themselves turned out a lively show, and while I’ve seen them play better, the room didn’t really demand it. Ben Thornewill, on vocals and keys, is an animated frontman who probably makes more uncanny facial expressions than John Mayer. His and guitarist Tommy Siegel’s songs range from heartfelt to nonsensical. But Jukebox’s music demands a lighthearted approach. Ben Folds said when his band broke up that nobody cared about piano rock anymore, and while that might be the case, Jukebox and their fans still do. With a little polish, these guys might be ready to convince more followers.

11:00 p.m. While Rockwood Music Hall was not an official CMJ venue, Atomictom was registered as a band for the event, so I figured I’d stop by. Atomictom frontman Luke White likes to refer to their performances as “melting faces” rock shows. Last night, he went in a different direction and was joined onstage by Philip Galitzine on upright bass and Nate Campany, a local singer/songwriter who has written with national acts including Tyler Hilton. With two acoustic guitars and an upright on stage, White and Campany traded off on lead vocals and original works. White’s songs, many of which were stripped down Atomictom tracks, translated surprisingly well into deep, melodic strums that had steady, simple bass lines, highlighting White’s thick vocal style. The contrast with Campany worked oddly well, as his songs were composed of delicate melodies that often allowed the guitars to sing in the presence of his timid voice. Campany himself admitted at one point that he sings softly because he does not sing well, but what he lacks in vocal ability, he compensates for in the heartbreaking quality of his songwriting. I’d say Nate Campany writes like a man in love.

On a final note, the cover charge at Pianos last night was about $10 for the entire 11 bands, while the Indaba Loft and Rockwood were free. In fact, I brought a friend along who didn’t have a CMJ pass. So if you missed out on CMJ this year because you didn’t want to shell out the ridiculous badge price, you can probably catch a lot of the shows next year without one. But local acts like Tiny Animals, Jukebox the Ghost, and Atomictom play often in the city, so you won’t even have to wait a year to catch them. Which I think begs the question, what exactly is the point of CMJ?

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