Berklee Presents the Sixth CMJ Music Marathon Showcase

Berklee College of Music, Heavy Rotation Records (HRR), and Berkleemusic.com present their sixth annual CMJ Music Marathon showcase of alumni and student artists, Friday, October 19, at 92YTribeca. The show features rock, indie-pop, singer/songwriter, electro-pop, r&b, and hip-hop, by Shea Rose, Measure, Red Oblivion (HRR), Gina’s Picture Show, Bent Knee (HRR), and Golden Bloom. The event includes free raffles for a chance to win a badge to attend next year’s CMJ Music Marathon and merchandise giveaways from Heavy Rotation Records (HRR), Berklee’s student-run record label.

Berklee’s all-ages showcase is free for CMJ badge holders and $10 for the general public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. 92YTribeca is located at 200 Hudson St. (corner of Hudson, ground floor, E, 1 or 6 train to Canal St.), New York, NY. For more information, please call 212-601-1000 or visit 92Y.org/Tribeca.

For five non-stop days and nights, CMJ Music Marathon invades New York with over 1,300 artist performances and more than 80 panel discussions. CMJ fills more than 80 of the city’s greatest venues and nightclubs with over 120,000 fans, musicians, and music industry professionals.

About the artists:

Shea Rose has been celebrated for her music and iconic style. The Berklee alumna was chosen by Queen Latifah for a CoverGirl campaign in 2010 and described by music critic Steve Morse as, “that rare artist who can bridge diverse styles such as soul, funk, rock, rap and jazz — and bring her unique stamp to each.” Following an EP and her Little Warrior mixtape, Rose won Artist of the Year at the 2011 Boston Music Awards. She has graced the covers of Boston Globe Magazine 2012 Style Issue, Improper Bostonian, Exhale, and Performer, and made her TV hosting debut on CNN’s international lifestyle show, CNNGo. Rose is also dedicated to music for social change through her initiative My Angel Wears A Fro and the non-profit Music2Life.

Brooklyn, NY, band Measure is based around the songwriting of Berklee alumna Laura Distasi (vocals, keys, synths). Woody Quinn (guitar), Tommy Harron (bass), and fellow alumnus Casey Tuck (drums) round out the group. The band’s first EP began to define Measure’s sweeping, atmospheric, beat-driven sound. Measure just released its first LP, The Air Inside Our Lungs. The album, a mix of electronic and organic instrumentation, was recorded in studios, bedrooms, and living rooms all over New York, Boston and Toronto. Although DiStasi’s minimal yet weighty vocals float effortlessly over the band’s arrangements, the album has a more dynamic and energetic vibe than its predecessor, crossing into indie-pop territory.

Red Oblivion (HRR) is comprised of Berklee student Eden Rayz (cello) and alumni Emma Torres (guitar), Zach Adams (lead vocals/bass), and Carson Groenewold (drums). The Boston-based band made a splash at Chicago’s Lollapalooza Festival in August. With backgrounds in a multitude of styles including classical, metal, world music, pop, and electronic, the group’s evolving collaboration blends a traditional rock band lineup with the heaviness of amplified cello. Red Oblivion recently recorded with renowned producer Paul Kolderie (Radiohead, Portugal. The Man, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr.) for Dorm Sessions 8, upcoming from Heavy Rotation Records.

New York-based Gina’s Picture Show, with Gina Cimmelli at the helm, is a mash-up of sought after musicians, all groomed at Berklee. The band features Jeni Magana (upright bass), Matt Weber (percussion), Stoddy Blackall (keyboards), and Shay Spence (guitars). Cimmelli’s organic harmonies and earnest lyrics hum with a deep sincerity all her own. After the success of her first EP, which won the Vox Pop Award at the Independent Music Awards, Cimmelli recently released Gina’s Picture Show, her debut LP. The first single, “Don’t Be Mad,” is featured on Sirius XM radio’s Coffee House Channel, and has charted on Roots Music Report, The Deli Magazine, and the Independent Music Network.

The dark winters of Boston bore a band that crawled out of the womb and called itself Bent Knee (HRR). Orchestral textures, haunting vocals, dynamic sound and presence are the calling card for this twisted little group. Seven creatures – Berklee students Courtney Swain (vocals, keys), Ben Levin (guitar), Vince Welch (producer, sound design), Jessica Kion (bass), Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth (drums), Philip Eberhart (accordion), Chris Baum (violin) – take to the stage, sawing away on their instruments. Bent Knee’s live show is an immersive journey and an intimate conversation all at once. The group will appear on Dorm Sessions 8, upcoming from Heavy Rotation Records.

Golden Bloom, led by Shawn Fogel’s soaring vocals, shimmering guitar hooks, whizzing keyboards and twinkling sounds, has been featured in Spin, MAGNET and Under the Radar. In 2008, New Jersey-based Fogel adopted the name Golden Bloom for his solo project. Four years later, Golden Bloom is writing, arranging, and recording as a band – including Josh Cohen (bass/keyboards) and Berklee alumnus Jeff Patlingrao (guitar) – making heartfelt pop music that is dynamic, bombastic, and beautiful. Fogel also dabbles in a handful of other projects, including Neutral Uke Hotel, reinterpreting Neutral Milk Hotel’s seminal album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea entirely on ukulele.

Heavy Rotation Records (HRR) gives music business/management majors at Berklee hands-on experience running a record company. The students oversee all label functions, including A&R, marketing, sales, touring, web development, media, and accounting. HRR’s releases since 1995 include Shekinah: 13 Artists, distributed by Epic; Apollo Sunshine’s second album, co-released with spinART; Dorm Sessions 1–7; and Under the Influence. Many up-and-coming artists have appeared on HRR compilations, including Annie Clark (St. Vincent); members of Passion Pit (as the Peasantry); Christopher Barnes (Gem Club); Madi Diaz; Elizabeth and the Catapult; and Big D and the Kids Table. The label also serves as a springboard for careers in the industry. Alumni have gone on to work at Interscope, Capitol, DreamWorks, BMG, Universal, Live Nation, AEG Live, and RightsFlow, among other companies.

Berkleemusic.com is the continuing education division of Berklee College of Music, delivering online access to Berklee’s acclaimed curriculum from anywhere in the world. Berkleemusic’s award-winning online courses and certificate programs are accredited and taught by the college’s world-renowned faculty, providing lifelong learning opportunities to people interested in music and working in the music industry. As the business of music continues to move online, Berkleemusic is taking a leadership role in educating the next generation of producers, performers, and entrepreneurs on this evolving industry landscape. Berkleemusic’s students come from over 130 countries around the world, and include Grammy Award–winners, managers, artists, publishers, music business entrepreneurs, and major international touring acts.

Berklee College of Music, for over 65 years, has evolved to support its belief that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through contemporary music education. The college was the first in the U.S. to teach jazz, the popular music of the time. It incorporated rock n’ roll in the 1960s, created the world’s first degree programs in film scoring, music synthesis, and songwriting, and, in recent years, added world music, hip-hop, electronica, and video game music to its curriculum. With a diverse student body representing over 80 countries, a music industry “who’s who” of alumni that have received 222 Grammy Awards, Berklee is the world’s premier learning lab for the music of today – and tomorrow.