’80s music

Music Park: Lost ’80s Live @ Warner Theatre — 9/21/18

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3-FarringtonMann01 Farrington + Mann impressed as a standout act during Lost ’80s Live at Warner Theatre on Sept. 21, 2018. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

If a theater full of people singing their hearts out to “I Ran (So Far Away)” by A Flock of Seagulls doesn’t move you, I don’t know what else to say! If it sounds pretty exciting, read on for a recap of Lost ’80s Live, the hit-a-minute machine that brought Gene Loves Jezebel, Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow, Farrington+Mann of When in Rome, Animotion, Naked Eyes, Wang Chung, and A Flock of Seagulls to the Warner Theatre on Friday.

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Music Park: The Reflex @ Cathedral Commons — 8/4/17

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JR Russell fronts The Reflex in a show at Cathdral Commons on Friday, Aug. 4, 2017.

“In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground.

Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire…” “THE REFLEX!”

So goes the audio track introducing the DC area’s tuffest ’80s cover band — The Reflex. In all seriousness, The Reflex, who usually perform as a quintet, deliver terrific carefree fun, mixing every single one of your favorite songs from the ’80s into a kitsch-laden show sure to please — as they proved in a Friday evening performance at Cathedral Commons in DC.

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Interview: Howard Jones (on Retro Futura Tour @ Pier Six Pavilion [Baltimore, Md.], 7/30/17)

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Howard Jones (Photo by David Conn)

“Do you feel scared? I do, but I won’t stop and falter.”

So, sang Howard Jones in his smashing 1985 hit “Things Can Only Get Better,” which in my opinion perfectly framed Howard’s ethos. The Englishman is unflappably upbeat and optimistic, and he makes fantastically irresistible music still today.

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Don’t Miss: Retro Futura Tour @ Pier Six Pavilion (Baltimore, Md.), 7/30/17

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RetroFuturaTour

Today is a presale for the touring ’80s festival known as the Retro Futura Tour, which stops at Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore on Sunday, July 30. DC folks may remember it as The Regeneration Tour, but it has been reshaped and rebranded since its visits to Wolf Trap a few years back!

Visit Live Nation and use the presale code MAGIC until 10pm today to get advance tickets to see the 2017 tour with Howard Jones, The English Beat, Modern English, Men Without Hats, Katrina (formerly of Katrina and the Waves), and Annabella Lwin (formerly of Bow Wow Wow, standing in for Paul Young on July 30). Tickets become available to the public on Friday.

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Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Phillies & Cubs, 6/10-6/15/16

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NatsPass

 

11 things to look forward to on the Nationals’ homestand from June 10-15.

Get your tickets here!

1) Da Cubs. After getting swept by the Cubs in four games (May 5-8), the Nationals are ready to show the world (June 13-15) what they are made of. Against the team that has best record in baseball.

2) NatsPass! Get a ticket to every home game in June for just $50! Do it!

3) Bryce Harper. May wasn’t a great month for Bryce. He also sat out a few games after getting hit by a pitch. June will be the month he gets hot.

4) 80’s Night. With the all important free fanny pack on Friday, June 10th.

5) Legwarmers. See a pregame concert (5:00-6:30pm) on Friday, June 10th.

6) Get on the field. Both a Seniors Stroll the Bases (June 11) and a Kids Run the Bases (June 12).

7) Steven Strasburg. Tied for 1st in wins (9) and 4th in strikeouts (100), Steven’s NL Cy Young chances are not out of the question. Although, beating out Kershaw and Arrieta will be tough.

8) Nats love dogs. Keep bringing your Pups to the Park #4 on Monday, June 13th.

9) $1 Good Humor ice cream on Tuesday, June 14th.

10) Fanny pack not enough? Come back on Wednesday, June 15th and get a free Tote Bag.

11) Seriously, the NatsPass. 10 home games in June for $50.

Don’t Miss: Careless Memories: A New Wave Party @ Dodge City, 7/14/16

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New Wave & Punk

Last month, I visited Durham, NC, for the Moogfest 2016 synthesizer festival. Among other things, I caught three nights of synth pioneer Gary Numan as he performed his first three albums.

While in Durham, I also took some time to explore the city. At a comfortable little club room called Arcana, local DJs host a monthly new wave night called “Durham Durham,” imitating the name of top new wave band Duran Duran. (The sign for the new wave club night mimics the cover of Duran Duran’s album “Seven and the Ragged Tiger!”)

Driving back to DC, it struck me: Our fair city no longer has a monthly party dedicated solely to new wave music. We have plenty of retro parties, many of which are very new wave-friendly. But at this time, we were lacking a dedicated monthly party for bands like Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Tears for Fears, New Order, The Human League, ABC, Culture Club, Eurythmics, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Ultravox, Visage, Blondie, Talking Heads, DEVO, Missing Persons, Berlin, Romeo Void, The Cars, and many others.

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Interview: Cyndi Lauper (@ Wolf Trap, 6/1/16)

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Cyndi Lauper (Photo by Chapman Baehler)

The inimitable Cyndi Lauper will soon launch a tour in support of her new album, Detour, a collection of covers of country songs, due out this Friday, May 6, via Sire Records.

For seven dates on that tour, including a stop at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va., on Wednesday, June 1, Cyndi will share a stage with another icon of pop music in the 1980s — Boy George, lead singer of Culture Club.

Earlier this week, Cyndi held a telephone press conference with several music and arts reporters to chat about her new album and the tour. The following transcript has been edited for brevity and focus.

Q: Can you tell us how you came to record an album of country classics?

Cyndi Lauper: These covers and this time in country music are very closely linked to R&B, which is very closely linked to the birth of rock and roll. So it’s the foundation of everything I sing. When I was a kid, these songs were pop songs — Patsy Cline was on the radio, Loretta Lynn was on the radio. We had three radio stations! They were on the radio.

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