Friday night was a special CMJ night as I had the privilege of seeing a lot of personal favorite musical artists. First off, I made a stop at Arlene’s Grocery to check out the quick-risers, Atomic Tom. Whether or not you’re familiar with their music, you may be familiar with their YouTube video that features them performing their song “Take Me Out” on a NYC Subway. But these are more than just four dudes that sat on a subway and made a cool video.

The set was absolutely incredible, making it obvious that these alt/pop rockers know how to command a packed crowd. With everyone singing the songs in unison, this had to be the most electric atmosphere I witnessed at CMJ.

Onward from there, I headed to Mercury Lounge to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. for the second time. Theirs has to be one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2011 for me, given what I heard on their Horse Power EP. Their track “Simple Girl” has been featured on blogs and on Sirius Satellite Radio (the band also paid a visit to their studios to record a few live tracks). The sound that Josh Epstein and Dan Zott make is incredibly intricate for a duo, and they definitely impressed the hundreds that turned out to see them at both of their appearances.

For me, the highlight of my CMJ Friday came as Nada Surf went on stage. A personal favorite from my days growing up in the 90s, Nada Surf played for over an hour to a slightly inebriated, but still lively Mercury Lounge. The group broke out all of their classics such as “Popular” and “See Those Bones”, and when they left the stage after 2 in the morning, they were called back out for a short encore. Despite the sermons between songs, the crowd enjoyed the nostalgic memories this show brought out.