Some of the more memorable quotes heard from the various stages of this year’s CMJ Music Marathon.
“You guys on the sides, sitting at the tables — you need to stand up, because sitting is the enemy of rock.” – Jason Forrest, mash-up artist
“‘Where’s the hammer?’ We’re the hammer. I thought you knew that.” – Rye Coalition’s Ralph Cuseglio
“We heard that since we’re playing this festival, that means we’re about to get signed. So I brought a Sharpie, and after we’re done, anybody who wants to can come over and sign me.” – Say Hi to Your Mom’s Eric Elbogen
“This next song’s called ‘Long Way to Go.’ It’s got a lot of metaphors in it, so I hope you guys can fuckin’ handle that.”- Limbeck’s Robb MacLean
“What’s this? Oh, it’s an acoustic guitar. I had something in my hands, and I didn’t know what it was. But then I strummed it, and I figured out it was an acoustic guitar.”- Limbeck’s Robb MacLean
“All right, come on now. It’s three minutes — not even three minutes, it’s a short one. Can you get through one more song without it going to shit?”- Lucero’s Ben Nichols (to Lucero guitarist Brian Venable)
“See my new tuner? It only weighs four ounces, and it clips right onto my guitar, and … it doesn’t work. And you don’t care about my tuner. I’m not very good at this, talking between songs. I’m just trying to cover.”- John Vanderslice
“Can we get some more of the drums in the monitors up here? Because, well, he’s pretty good, and we’re missing out.”- Turing Machine’s Justin Chearno to CBGB’s soundman
This article appears in Sep 28 – Oct 4, 2005.
