It may be superficial but there’s a prideful moment for a band when they can say they’re playing CMJ. It’s a huge, internationally recognized, festival and despite competition from loads of other events (SXSW namely) it still seems to carry a considerable amount of clout. That being said, it’s nice to see some Nashville representation on the list of accepted bands. Most of them are Infinity Cat related in some way so whatever bad you may have to say about Be Your Own Pet, you can also thank them for raising Nashville a little farther out of the stereotyped dredge of country music.

According to some SonicBids press releases, some talking around town and my own browsing here is a short list of Nashville bands playing sometime in the Oct 20 – 24th of CMJ.. feel free to let us know anyone overlooked.

• And The Relatives
• Denney and the Jets
• Natural Child
• JEFF the Brotherhood
• Daniel Pujol and Some Beaus
• Heavy Cream

Addendum: Turbo Fruits

Next Big Nashville 2009 is right around the corner (Oct 7 – 10th) and they’re amping up their Internet presence in anticipation of the affair. First and foremost, they’ve unveiled the official schedule – so you can browse through the events and check your priorities of where you need to be each night.

They’ve also updated their panel offerings and the official listing of parties and other miscellaneous events should debut any time now. Attendee’s looking to get a deal on a VIP Badge can enter “SPNBN” as a discount code on this page for $25 off the marked price.

For what it’s worth the festival even got a little namedrop from Pitchfork News.

Sometimes music and weather work together perfectly. If it were bright and sunny outside I probably wouldn’t have the same appreciation for the latest Lake Fever Session from The Low Anthem.. but since we’re in Day 8 of torrential downpour and it’s the fifth wettest September in the history of the state I’m finding myself pretty entranced by it. It’s the perfect companion to the rainfall and slowing things down.

• Ticket Taker
• Charlie Darwin
• This God Damn House

Even if you’re not a fan of his music you must admit that Keegan DeWitt is doing a fine job of promoting his latest endeavors. His full-length album, Islands, was released this past Tuesday (okay, re-released.. as it was out on Theory 8 already) and he’s been on the road playing shows like a dutiful artist should. However, he’s also got his own Daytrotter Session (with some fantastic string arrangements) as well as a PASTE Session to check out.

Add to all that, he’s keeping people up to date via his Twitter and official site. Self-promotion may not be an easy task for an artist but it’s a necessary evil that works well when done right.