CMJ Preview: Emil & Friends in the Practice Space - BreakThruRadioTV [ep2]

As CMJ fever rolls into New York City, bands scramble to and from venues, lugging their own array of instruments up and down the Lower East Side and Brooklyn or packing tour vans to move on to their next parking nightmare. Audiophiles and fans alike pile into bars and DIY spaces at all hours of the day and night just for a glimpse of the "next big thing." It's a chaotic and crazy couple of days, but it's one of the best ways to experience new music in the city. But before the city loses itself to CMJ's swaths, the festival's 1,000+ bands need to prepare accordingly, so we thought we’d show you how one band preps for one of their most hectic weeks of the year. We spent some time with local "weird pop" band Emil & Friends at Ultra Sound Rehearsal Studios as they polished their live show, which will be chock full of new songs off their recently released debut full-length, Lo & Behold (Cantora Records). Here, they perform a new track, "Endless Waves," and talk festival highlights. /// More about Emil & Friends: Headed by singer-songwriter/pop aficionado Emil Hewitt, Emil & Friends take pride in shattering existing genre barriers. Whether it's nodding to Queen and Justice, or borrowing from French pop and classic jazz, the band is more interested in musical exploration than adhering to whatever buzzes or trends. On Emil & Friends' debut full-length, Lo & Behold -- released October 11th -- Hewitt's love for experimentation takes him through soundscapes of dance, folk, indie rock and everything in between. "C.U.P.I.D." is a warped, sultry track steeped in synths and trickling piano, while "Prescriptions" is a more mellow, whimsical tune. /// Official website for Emil & Friends: http://emilandfriends.fm/ /// Listen: http://www.myspace.com/emilandfriends /// Purchase: http://cantorarecords.com/news/emil-friends-debut-lo-behold-out-now-0