Tag Archives: chris stein

Elvis Costello & The Imposters and Blondie Announce Co-Headlining 2019 Tour

While it’s been a pretty chilly Spring so far, the Summer Tours are slowly being announced and while we generally focus on the Metal ones here, when there are classic acts that define the term performing together, we aim to help rally the charge. Such is the case about the just announced Elvis Costello and Blondie Co-Headlining run. Check it out down below.

tour posters, elvis costello, blondie

The Press Release:
Elvis Costello & The Imposters and Blondie will co-headline a coast-to-coast tour this summer. Produced by Live Nation, the 13-city tour will kick off July 20th in Bethel, NY at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and make stops in Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and more, before wrapping August 10th in Seattle, WA.

Artist fan club presale tickets will be available starting today at 12pm local time. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Saturday, April 6th at 10am local time at LiveNation.com.

Elvis Costello and Blondie shared spots near the top of the UK Singles Chart 40 years ago when Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass” sat neck-and-neck alongside Elvis Costello & The Attraction’s “Oliver’s Army” in the company of The Bee Gees, Gloria Gaynor and ABBA. The same week, Blondie’s seminal album Parallel Lines reached #1 on the Album Chart while Costello’s Armed Forces landed at #3.
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“Fun” (Single) by Blondie

Artist: Blondie
Title: “Fun” (Single)
Label: BMG Music/Infectious Records
Release Date: 2/1/2017
Genre: Pop Rock
Rating: 3.5/5

Fans of the iconic New Wave band can breathe a sigh of relief at the unveiling of the first single from the band Blondie’s upcoming album “Pollinator” with the song “Fun” that was released a few short days ago. I’ve downloaded it and have been spinning it via Spotify for a couple of days in order to offer up a little bit of a viewpoint for you. Let’s examine the 2017 return of Debbie Harry and her talented crew of lifers and newer blood. Though the band had released a few things over the recent years I must admit that I didn’t follow the more Electronica themed stuff but really loved the 1999 single “Maria”. I was pretty hopeful for a return to that format.
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PiercingMetal Goes To The “Blondie 40th Anniversary Exhibit” (9/30/2014)

Logo - Blondie

A few days ago I mentioned that there was a display of classic Blondie photographs being displayed at the Chelsea Storefront Gallery only a few feet down from the Hotel Chelsea. It is a part of the Blondie 40th Anniversary Celebration and the exhibit features photos by guitarist Chris Stein, Mark Gruen, Mick Rock, Mark Weiss and more. Since I only had today to see this since it was ending at 8:00pm on the night I was out in the city, I made sure to get over to the gallery. I was heading to the headlining show by Otherwise at The Studio at Webster Hall a little later so this was a perfect additional adventure to partake in.

blondie, blondie exhibit, debbie harry

I’ve handled this in the similar fashion to other narratives of this kind and that means only a little bit of dialogue from me and mostly photos for you to enjoy. Let’s get this party started with the first thing visitors see when they enter the gallery. I’ll talk more about this one at the end of the piece so stick with me.

blondie, blondie exhibit, debbie harry
Continue reading PiercingMetal Goes To The “Blondie 40th Anniversary Exhibit” (9/30/2014)

The “Blondie 40th Anniversary Exhibit” Opens Today

Logo - Blondie

Now this is going to be interesting, and especially if you are a fan of the band Blondie and their singer Debbie Harry. The chart-topping New Wave Rock act is celebrating its 40th Anniversary and as a part of the hoopla, a collection of photographs taken by their founding guitarist and writer Chris Stein will be showcased in The Gallery at The Chelsea Hotel. Check out the poster below and I’ve copied the details from the showings Official Facebook Page.

Photo - Blondie Exhibit - 2014

“Blondie’s 40th Anniversary celebration continues! We’re collaborating with THE MAN in the art scene, Jeffrey Deitch (’80s street art and graffiti run in his blood!), to exhibit pictures, videos, memorabilia and even some of the fan art you’ve sent us over the years. The show features pics from legends Bob Gruen, Annie Leibovitz, Roberta Bayley, Robert Mapplethorpe, Bobby Grossman, Mick Rock, David Godlis, as well as our own Chris Stein, whose photo book – Chris Stein/Negative: Me, Blondie, and the Advent of Punk – will be released via Rizzoli on September 23rd. The exhibit is only up for 7 days (from 1-8pm daily) at the Chelsea Hotel Storefront Gallery in New York City so don’t snooze on this – it’s truly a CAN’T MISS for fans of Blondie, art dealers and collectors, music fans and purveyors of New York City cool alike!”

This sure sounds like a lot of fun and its great that this is open to the public for a whole bunch of days. Given its location right next to The Chelsea Hotel you can easily swing by right after work or maybe even during your lunch hour if you are close enough. I love these kinds of presentations and you can be sure that I am going to try and get there as well to offer up something for you readers who might be states or countries away and unable to attend this yourself. This NYC band really made a mark on music. Stay tuned for that coverage narrative if I can wrangle the time to be there. You can order a copy of the book that they reference right below via Amazon.com and this sure looks like a keeper for fans of the bands iconic images. I think its pretty fun to have all of this stuff to offer fans. I’ve even added a few relevant links to music you should have by Blondie. Back in the day I played my “Greatest Hits” CD err LP to death. Clem Burke was a favorite drummer growing up.

Official Website: http://www.blondie.net/
Official Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1485527328372912/

“Parallel Lines” (30th Anniversary Edition) by Blondie

Artist: Blondie
Title: “Parallel Lines” (30th Anniversary Edition)
Label: Capitol Records/EMI Music
Release Date: 6/24/2008
Genre: New Wave Rock
Rating: 4/5

It’s hard to believe that it has been 30 years since Blondie released “Parallel Lines”, an album that while it wasn’t the bands first, was one that definitely secured them a place in music history for the decades to follow. The main tune on the release as many well know is “Heart Of Glass” and this became a radio staple and has even been referred to as one of the best song’s ever written by Blender magazine. Of course growing up on your more conventional Hard Rock and Punk of the time, I preferred the album’s other offerings such as “One Way Or Another” and “Hanging On The Telephone” for they were more in line with the tempo and styles that I was finding myself into. “Sunday Girl” was another winner, and getting the chance to enjoy them on a new remastered edition of the album was fantastic. During their heyday, I always found myself enjoying some of the musical adventures that guitarist Chris Stein and the stunning Debbie Harry were up to, and I even remember that I used to try and slam out the drumming that Clem Burke used to do for the numbers I referenced earlier. The whole release includes an insightful liner notes booklet and there is commentary from Stein and Harry who explain their thoughts of the time on the album’s creation. If you are someone who still has an old musty vinyl sitting around, now is your chance to upgrade and hear these tunes with the memory of how important to you they once were, and probably still are. Congratulations on the anniversary, it’s great to realize that a New York band like your own had the staying power and that your music still sounds fresh when compared to the current scene.
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