Bottom, left: Mr. Dent May, folks.

Wuh oh, it looks like not even ukuleles can keep one safe from the Obama declared national emergency. This time around the swine flu has attacked the immune system of Mississippi romantic Dent May.

He and his magnificent ukulele have been touring with The Fiery Furnaces and Cryptacize. That is, until the menacing H1N1 reared its ugly snouted head. According to his blog, May was forced to cancel a handful of dates; unfortunate news for Hoboken, Northampton, Troy, and Toronto. If you were planning on going to one of those shows, cheer up and watch him perform “Love Song 2009″ live in the Levi’s/FADER Fort bathroom at CMJ. Thankfully, May shouldn’t be contagious come November 10^th where he’ll headline a show at Schuba’s in Chicago and then resume touring with his mates.

Canceled shows:

11.4 Hoboken, NJ
11.5 Northampton, MA
11.6 Troy, NY
11.7 Toronto, ON

Tour Dates:

11.10 Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
11.19 Eugene, OR @ The Lorax
01.16 Melbourne, AS @ Summer Tones
01.19 Melbourne, AS @ The Empress
01.20 Sydney, AS @ Spectrum
01.21 Sydney, AS @ Troubadour

with Fiery Furnaces and Cryptacize
11.11 Ferndale, MI @ The Magic Bag
11.12 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
11.13 Madison, WI @ The Majestic Theater
11.14 St. Paul, MN @ The Turf Club
11.17 Vancouver, BC @ The Red Room
11.18 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
11.20 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
11.21 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre

Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele sure did steam up The Hotbox during last week’s CMJ events. We knew this guy was a charmer, but honestly who else can pull off a rhyme like “I’m going to love you for all time/ I’ll kiss you and I’ll hug you, that’s no lie?” Prettttty smooth. If we had a chance to make this video all over again, we would place lead-singer Dent May in the bathtub, make bubbles with the available conditioners, light some candles, and give him a tropical drink adorned with a little umbrella from which he might  leisurely sip. And the ukulele? Well, that would just play itself in a corner safe from water and fire damage.

In life, the best things are usually the ones you don’t know about, stumble upon and end up enjoying thoroughly. It’s hard to plan. The best things just fall into place. As is the case with music festivals (and CMJ is no exception to this rule) it may be the reason for the phrase. Like SXSW, CMJ is full of unofficial parties, secret shows, and all sorts of RSVP lists that open the doors to epic parties, or parties that could be epic but no one knew about them, and hence, no one showed up. Luckily, we’re going to clear the air for you, and let you in on a few secrets, some choice bands to see, and a few reasons why obtaining an official CMJ badge doesn’t really matter.

Day 1- 10/20

The Pop Tarts Suck Toasted kick off party at Cake Shop tomorrow is a great way to begin the fest. Not only is the blog bringing in Little Girls and Holiday Shores, but also Holiday Shores’ Floridian neighbors Surfer Blood, who’ve been making serious waves, no pun intended, since their trip to NYC almost two months ago. Small Black, Grooms, Sisters, Motel Motel, Dinosaur Feathers, Will Stratton and Seth Kallen round out the Free seven hour show.

Tuesday night there are a lot of options. Between the Underwater Peoples/Olde English Spelling Bee freak fest at Monkeytown and the Best Coast show at Cake Shop, it’s a real tough choice to make, especially since its the first night of the Festival. But if your looking for a way to get into exclusive shows for free, well, there’s an app for that too. It’s called the iPhone app for Going.com and it will get you into the Titus Andronicus, Beach Fossils, Woods, Here We Go Magic show at Webster Hall for free. Sorry BlackBerry users.

Day 2- 10/21

One of the biggest buzz bands in town this week is Best Coast, who’ve been tearing up the Interweb and tape hiss circles since “Sun Was High (So Was I)” hit the Web early this Summer. Throw in hypnagogic allstar Ducktails, NJ riff raff Fluffy Lumbers and the Africa high life riddims of, uh, HIGHLIFE (bka Sleepy Doug Shaw’s groove project, which may or may not feature members of Gang Gang Dance, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti and White Magic) and this is a show not to be missed. Oh yeah, didnt even mention that Alex Bleeker and the Freaks and Coasting would also be making appearances, at the Group Tightener/Todd P event at Monster Island Basement. Not gonna lie, Wednesdays at the Basement have been the jump off recently.

Day 3- 10/22

Thursday is tough. You’re starting to fade from 48 hours of excess but you must keep trudging through the trenches in order to receive either inevitable enlightenment or utter disillusionment. At this point, they are one in the same. You could rage the free DFA party at Brooklyn Bowl, with Murphy & Mahoney spinning as Special Disco Version, always choice. But I’d skip the party, especially if coming from out of town, to see The Beets, Beach Fossils, the Smith Westerns and more at Don Pedro’s. Cover is only $5 and this is a damn good lineup, and taste of the North Brooklyn scene. Beach Fossils haven’t really played outside the City much, and they are a must see, so do yourself a favor and head to Don Pedro’s. Friends at home will be envious in months when you recount the night.

Another go-to Thursday show in Brooklyn is at the infamous Market Hotel. By now, its become a staple for bands rolling through town to hit the spot above Mr. Kiwi’s and below the JMZ, and this doesn’t change during CMJ as WNYU is throwing a serious rager with Gary War, Eric Copeland of Black Dice, Amen Dunes, Expo ‘77, and Fluffy Lumbers, who are on so many good bills this week it’d be hard to miss them.

Day 4- 10/23

Back to the LES, Friday afternoon at Cake Shop might just be the place to be. The Chouette Promotions party Friday afternoon is stacked with up-and-comers who should already be household names, depending on who you talk to you. Forrest Fire, whose Survival was named #1 album of 2008 by La Blogotheque, headline the afternoon party, which also features soundstress Julianna Barwick, the Sian Alice Group, HIGHLIFE and Theo Angel. A good way to kill Thursday nights hangover while pre-gaming for Friday nights festivities.

As is usually the case with CMJ, Friday night means running around. Everyone is pulling out the stops and the lineups are stacked to the brim with blogworthy, PR pumped bands from all over. However, if your looking to chill in one spot, and devour a cohesive lineup from one of the best labels going, your best bet is to pop over to Cameo Gallery in Williamsburg for the Paw Tracks showcase. It looks a lot like last years lineup, sans Beach House, but a lot has changed since then, with Dent May touring the world and Tickley Feather on the brink of a new release. Throw in Mrs. Avey Tare, aka Kria Brekkan, the freak show that is Exceptor and Drawlings and you’ve got one of the best label showcases of the festival.

Day 5- 10/24

Got really drunk at the Paw Tracks show and fell asleep in the bathroom? All good, as the fellas from Underwater Peoples will be taking over Cameo Gallery starting at 12 noon on Saturday. It’s a brunch show for all the hungover masses still trying to figure out exactly what happened. Fortunately for us, the collective will have bands playing in the front of Lovin’ Cup and in the back room. It’s a gathering of chillers, complete with the seven man Pill Wonder arkestra, Family Portrait, Frat Dad, Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, and yes, Fluffy Lumbers, who, like I said earlier, are on a lot of choice bills this week.

By Saturday night your bones probably ache. That’s cool. You should feel like shit. And the only thing that will cure your ailing limbs is a long ride on the L train to the deepest depths of Brooklyn, to what is easily one of the coolest places in New York. If you think I’m talking about the Silent Barn, well, you’re right. Tuck a few tall boys into your coat and check out the dope lineup Pop Jew has curated for the closing nights festivities. By the end of the night, which features the likes of A Classic Education, a band from Italy which His Clancyness plays in, you’ll be searching the floor for a valium and a few bucks for a cab ride home. And that’s fine. That’s how it should end: aching, ears bleeding.

Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele is quite a delicious listen, he plays tuneful ukulele-drenched retro pop that will definitely be appealing to any fans of Jens Lekman, Beirut or Sufjan Stevens. His music is a melting pot of influences mainly from the 50s drawing from vintage doo-wop, Tropicália, and a classic American crooner sensibility that is reminiscent of Glenn Campbell.

The Feel Good Music of Dent May is a perfect name for the album. Every song has a sunny ukulele composition and simple yet endearing lyrics that, when augmented by a band, produces a wonderfully laid back vibe. What better way to kick off such an accessible album than a song called “Welcome”? An acapella number where Dent May introduces you to his album and it’s themes, it’s a warm welcome that flows perfectly in to “Meet Me At The Garden” — which is one of the strongest and most charming songs on the record with it’s maracas, ukulele and marimba vibe. “Oh Paris” has Dent adding some horns to the mix, creating a quirky marching band quality that when incorporated with the ukulele and background shooby doobies, generates an appealing backdrop for his thoughtful croon of “I finally know/ That I belong here in this world.” In the bluesy, doo-wop number “Girls On The Square”, dual electric guitars solo together in Queen-like fashion that oddly meshes quite well with the melodramatic vocals of the song. “God Loves You Michael Chang” and “I’m An Alcoholic” are humorous songs that shows Dent’s funny-side and his ability to weave them into his delivery in a thoughtful manner.

Admittedly, the use of the ukulele does get a little repetitive by the end of the album, but the charming quality of Dent May’s composition holds my interest through the full CD. He definitely has a unique style that is as quirky as a Wes Anderson film. For those of you looking for a little feel good music to cheer you up, Dent May has revitalized the classic American crooner for the 21st century and given it a geeky hipster edge that makes this an extremely delightful listen.

Paw Tracks