Sometimes before you go official, you’ve got to screw around a bit unofficially— not just in college relationships— and that’s why CollegeOTR kicked off CMJ in true contrarian form: with the Not-CMJ Show at Brooklyn’s venue-that’s-not-a-venue, Death by Audio. Out of the lineup of thirteen bands, CollegeOTR’s top three Not-CMJ Show bands:

Boo and Boo Too, as a band name, may sound like a snippet from Dr. Seuss or the blathering of a psychopath infantilized by excessive prescription drug intake, but their music is sophisticated indie-punk. With expansive vocals over powerful drumming and the occasional stringent riff, Boo and Boo Too builds a trajectory at once wistful and confident, gorgeous and rough, vulnerable and uncompromisingly defiant. The Kansas band was the surprise climax of the Not-CMJ Show.
 

Indie favorites Rahim gave a rollicking, stomping, knee-popping performance at the Not-CMJ Show, with plenty of hair tossing to boot. Muscular drumming drove the irresistible musical romp. A melodic indie band with a pop sensibility, Rahim played several songs from their new album Laughter, and exceeded their record with an energetic live performance. Ironically, their most lively song during the set was Tired Man. Oh hipsters.

The three members of Dinowalrus have somehow managed to meld together thrash, Asteroids (the vintage video game), and a colorfully youthful glow. They’re a little bit sci-fi and little bit rock ‘n’ roll, an unexpected and thrilling combination. Unfortunately singer Pete’s insistence upon cultivated stage eccentricities such placing a flashlight under his neck and vainly attempting to touch the ceiling, as well as poor transitions between songs, made their performance slightly awkward and disjointed. Dinowalrus undoubtedly has quite a bit of polishing left to do, but their willingness to musically innovate make them the Not-CMJ Show band with the most yet-to-be-tapped potential.