Well, CMJ 2010 is over. It was good while it lasted.

I saw mostly local and small bands this year, although with all the press I did discover some cool new bands that I didn’t get a chance to see due to their already sprawling fanbase.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.is one of my new favorites. Braids, from Montreal, also sounds great. And the hundreds of other bands that played over the past few days that I might not see again for a while, including Battlehooch, Soundhouse, The Static Jacks, SHAPES and Reckless Sons all did a great job.

And to think that just a few years ago I was so disheartened about the state of the musical world. Today, indie music is a full fledged genre and not just an alternative aberration. Lyrics are not any less important than they used to be. The conflation of electronic, rock, pop, hip-hop and indie and every other genre out there is exciting. I’m most stoked to see which of the bands I saw this past weekend make it big over the next five years.

The interesting people I met, the cheap (and more expensive) beer I drank, and the unforgettable music will stay with me for a while. Now I don’t know what to do until SXSW.