When we’re not making the mag we’re out scouring the headlines, to keep you up to speed on the latest festivals, releases, tours, events, reports of mischief, and various strange occurrences.

CMJ kicked off this week and will carry on through Saturday, with panels and showcases to please the hip-hoppers as much as the indie rockers. An added bonus for festival goers is that they can head over to iTunes and download playlists of each day’s lineup, taking a meaningful souvenir away with them. 

The first night of CMJ also coincided with Halloween, and plenty were out to celebrate the night, though we’ll spare you any of those painful post-event photo sessions here. Speaking of Halloween, Bonobo released his third full-length that day, and you can preview the track “If You Stayed Over” for a limited time at xlr8r.com.

Always up for a party, Justice kicked off their US tour in support of the Waters Of Nazareth EP. San Franciscans, in particular, seemed eager to see the Parisian duo, and promptly stampeded the stage in droves upon Gaspard and Xavier’s entrance. New York and Philly, you’ve been warned. 

Finally, if you’ve got stamina left after Halloween, impromptu stage diving, and fitting your job in between all this music business, XLR8R has your guide to the weekend ready and waiting.