My Week with Awesome New Republic

Photos by Karp

The CMJ music festival can be a taxing time. While filled with quality music and new relationships, the arrival of CMJ often means little sleep, meals on the run, and did I mention little sleep? Well, when you spend the week with the gang from Florida's Awesome New Republic - it makes it all worthwhile. It seemed we were all over NYC last week, and with 4 shows the band, label and management took it all in stride.

But of course, it's about the music. What I saw from these three musicians was a fully formed band taking a honed and focused approach to their live show and winning droves of fans in the process. The week culminated in a packed show at R Bar on the Bowery Saturday night. From the opening vocal notes of "Digital World" through the closing snare cracks of "Last Drop," Awesome New Republic were in full stride - captivating the audience with an energy and passion rarely seen from CMJ acts. During "Alleycat" and "Birthday" the entire room was moving.

When the set was over, the week felt all too short. Even after all those shows, I somehow wanted more. Despite the tired legs and sore feet, I could've easily listened to them play for the rest of the night. Thanks for a great week ANR.