When Sharon Van Etten, then an emerging singer-songwriter, moved to New York some time ago, she met TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone. Malone, whose brother was Van Etten's friend back in high school, became somewhat of a guide to Van Etten, taking her to venues where she could perform her music.

The friendship between Malone and Van Etten was still evident when the latter performed at New York's Bowery Ballroom this past Saturday, the final night of the CMJ Music Marathon. The indie folk singer, who is originally from Nutley, N.J., and now resides in Brooklyn, was the opening act for Rain Machine, Malone's current solo project.

This past spring, Van Etten released her full-length debut album, 'Because I Was in Love,' a collection of tracks mainly about relationships. She performed some of them at the Bowery Ballroom alone and with her guitar, including 'Consolation Prize' and 'I Wish I Knew.' She also covered a Blaze Foley song, which departed from her own songs for its very rootsy and country-ish sound.

For a musician whose material is heavy on the melancholy, Van Etten was in a humorous and lighthearted mood throughout her set. Such was the case when she introduced 'I Fold' and said it was a song about her moving back to her parents' house and being cool with it.

In addition to the introspective music and Van Etten's affecting voice, the show was interesting for something that happened offstage, as among the audience members near the front who saw the set was Kyp Malone. It seemed like a proud moment of a teacher seeing his student shine.