Book Talk: Debbie Harry @ Sixth & I — 12/4/19

Posted on 12/05/2019 by Ari Strauss in Live Review and tagged Blondie, book talk, Chris Stein, Debbie Harry, new wave, New York City, punk, Sixth & I.

Debbie Harry and Chris Stein arrive at Sixth & I on Dec. 4, 2019. (Photos by Ari Strauss; Words by Mickey McCarter)

Debbie Harry had a memory to share of performing in DC, recalling that she was at the old 9:30 Club.

Prior to performing, Debbie left her small dog alone in the green room. She returned after her show to find the frightened dog perched upon the furniture, chased to higher ground by rats big enough to challenge her.

Debbie recounted the anecdote at Sixth & I on Wednesday while on a book talk tour to promote her memoir, Face It, which was published in October via Dey Street.

Live Review: Blondie @ The Anthem — 7/26/19

Posted on 07/30/2019 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Blondie, Clem Burke, drums, new wave, New York City, The Anthem.

Clem Burke (third from right) with Blondie (Photo by Guy Furrow)

New wave legends Blondie dropped by The Anthem recently, and while it was great to see the entire band, it was especially satisfying to witness drummer Clem Burke in action.

At 64, Clem remains a drumming powerhouse, moving with precision and dynamics that surpass that of musicians half his age.

Preview: Elvis Costello and Blondie @ The Anthem, 7/26/19

Posted on 07/19/2019 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged Blondie, Elvis Costello, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, England, mod, new wave, New York City, punk, The Anthem.

Debbie Harry (Photo courtesy Press Here Productions)

Elvis Costello & The Imposters and Blondie co-headline The Anthem on Friday, July 26.

Don’t Miss: CAS DC Presents Blondie Parallel Lines 40th Anniversary @ Songbyrd Music House, 9/16/18

Posted on 09/10/2018 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged anniversary party, Blondie, CAS DC, Classic Album Sundays, Classic Album Sundays Washington, Joe Lapan, new wave, Parallel Lines, Parklife DC, Songbyrd Music House.

Classic Album Sundays celebrates the 40th anniversary of Parallel Lines by Blondie with an immersive listening party and a discussion with Songbyrd Music House owner Joe Lapan and Parklife DC Editor Mickey McCarter.

Join Joe and Mickey for this unique experience at Songbyrd Music House on Sunday, Sept. 16.

Music Park: Blondie @ New York State Fair — 8/22/18

Posted on 08/27/2018 by Ari Strauss in Live Review and tagged Blondie, Chevy Court Concert Series, Debbie Harry, new wave, New York State Fair, punk.

Debbie Harry fronts Blondie at the New York State Fair on Aug. 22, 2018. (Photo by Ari Strauss)

At the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse, New York, you can still get a baked potato for $1 and a cup of chocolate milk for 25 cents (they reportedly dispense over 30,000 cups of milk a day). You also get the unparalleled value of seeing a performance by New Wave legends Blondie, as I did last week.

Don’t Miss: Careless Memories @ Dodge City, 7/13/17

Posted on 07/13/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Blondie, Careless Memories, dj party, Dodge City, new wave, New York City.

Debbie Harry and Andy Warhol circa 1980. (Photo courtesy Ubé)

Looking at the history of new wave music, and more broadly rock in New York City, few bands are more paramount than Blondie. Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and Clem Burke are still going strong today, and to celebrate their upcoming show at Wolf Trap, Careless Memories will celebrate the band tonight, July 13, at Dodge City.

Don’t Miss: Blondie and Garbage @ Wolf Trap, 8/3/17

Posted on 03/20/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Blondie, Deap Vally, Filene Center, Garbage, new wave, post-grunge, Rage and Rapture Tour, Wolf Trap.

Blondie (Photo by Alexander Thompson)

At age 71, Debbie Harry is still rocking out with the best of them, and indeed she will soon release an 11th studio album with Blondie — Pollinator on May 5 via BMG.

To celebrate, Blondie have teamed up with Garbage for a summer tour, the Rage and Rapture Tour, which lands at Wolf Trap on Thursday, Aug. 3.

Don’t Miss: Giorgio Moroder @ 9:30 Club, 5/12/17

Posted on 03/09/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, Berlin, Blondie, Daft Punk, disco, Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, house, italo disco, Italy, new wave, Phil Oakey.

Giorgio Moroder performs at HARD Day of the Dead in Los Angeles on Nov. 3, 2013. (Photo by Gabriel Olsen)

His collaborations as producer for Donna Summer upended not only disco but nearly every pop music genre that followed. He is a surfer of the new wave, the head of the house, and the lord of italo disco.

He’s Giorgio Moroder, and he’s spinning at 9:30 Club on Friday, May 12.

Music Park: SSHH @ The Roxy Hotel (NYC) — 10/18/16

Posted on 10/25/2016 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Blondie, Clem Burke, Glen Matlock, Marky Ramone, Mick Rock, New York City, punk rock, SSHH, Sshh Liguz, The Roxy Hotel, The Sex Pistols, The Who, Zak Starkey.

Sshh Liguz sings while Zak Starkey plays guitar in the background and Glen Matlock plays bass in the foreground at the Roxy Hotel in New York City on Oct. 18, 2016. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Sshh Liguz, she a blonde Australian fury, and Zak Starkey, he the famous musician son of famous musician Ringo Starr, brought their album of covers to the Roxy Hotel in New York City to party down. In doing so, SSHH made a big impression on an elegant if tiny stage in their debut US show in New York City last week, playing a performance for charity Teen Cancer America.

SSHH developed a covers album, titled Issues, with support from PledgeMusic, and it consists of 11 tracks ranging from “Problems” by The Sex Pistols to “All the Young Dudes” by Mott the Hoople to “Private Life” by The Pretenders. (You can support the album or buy a copy here!)

Don’t Miss: Careless Memories @ Dodge City, 8/11/16

Posted on 08/03/2016 by Mickey McCarter in Around Town, Live Review and tagged Blondie, Careless Memories, dj party, Dodge City, Duran Duran, new wave, Talking Heads, The Buggles, The Cars, The Go-Go's.

MTV turned 35 on August 1. (Thanks to Televisione Streaming for the photo!)

Come to Dodge City, and celebrate the early songs of MTV, with our Careless Memories New Wave Party on August 11!

This past Monday marked the 35th anniversary of MTV. Of course, MTV was a very different animal in 1981 than it is today. So it’s a bit easy to forget its cultural impact — which at the time was tremendous!

To celebrate the animal MTV once was, Careless Memories: A New Wave Party, brought to you by Parklife DC, will present selections that helped define an era. In the middle of 1982, the second British Invasion hit US airwaves, and with the help of early MTV, America fell in love with a host of new wave artists. Of course, the underground scenes of US cities like New York and Los Angeles already saw a great deal of guitar-heavy new wave bands bubble up in their clubs. It wasn’t long before the rest of the world caught up!

Watch “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles (the first video ever played on MTV!):

So come out and listen to MTV staples like The Buggles, The Vapors, The Talking Heads, David Bowie, Split Enz, The Cars, Blondie, The Pretenders, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Tears for Fears, Echo and the Bunnymen, the Psychedelic Furs, Adam Ant, and more more more.

Also, this Friday, August 5 at the Warner Theatre, the Go-Gos play their final DC show as Belinda Carlisle and company embark on a farewell tour. So we will have a special salute to the California sweethearts, who also saw MTV embrace their first three albums and their spunky videos.

Watch “Our Lips Are Sealed” by the Go-Go’s: