BLONDIE

BY KAREN HEERINGA

Going on a world tour in support of their new album Ghosts of Download is ambitious, but Blondie must know how necessary it is for their aging fans to see them live before they get too old to dance. The first single off the album, “Fun,” is legit and for those who aren’t totally familiar with Debbie Harry’s voice, one would assume it’s a new band with no history. The song mixes a bit of Blondie’s disco era charms with something you might have heard on the radio in the ‘90s (no, not Chumbawamba.) Come for the classics, stay for the potential of the new album.

WITH GARBAGE + EXENE CERVENKA AND JOHN DOE
6:30 PM LISTEN
$38-$90 TICKETS

BETH DITTO

BY KAREN HEERINGA

The brash self-proclaimed “fat feminist lesbian from Arkansas” is back. Once one-third of the influential riot punk band Gossip, Ditto releases her solo album Fake Sugar this summer. Her first single on the album, “Fire”, has bits of her roots peeking through as the riot grrrl sound of Olympia blends with a bit of country from the Ozarks to create an odd combination that is actually quite pleasant on the eardrums. Always outspokenly political and a constant defender of body-positive imagery, Ditto seems to always have something smart to sing about.

8 PM LISTEN
$17 TICKETS

AIR

BY ANGIE MARTIN

If you haven’t witnessed Air play “Cherry Blossom Girl” with gigantic beach balls being bounced from person to person in a crowded outdoor venue, then you haven’t really lived. Also, if you haven’t seen Sophia Coppola’s debut film The Virgin Suicides and the soundtrack by Air that accompanies the spooky flick, then you are really missing out on the essentials of life. The veteran duo from France that’s been delivering sexy downtempo electronica for over two decades clearly knows how to make music about life and death. Though we may not have a lot of control over these two things, we can listen to music that makes both of them better. And Air makes the time between life and death pretty damn amazing.

7:30 PM LISTEN
$40-$100 TICKETS

GUIDED BY VOICES

It started in Ohio. Of course it did. Having released a ridiculous amount of music (25 albums, 39 singles, and 1,600+ songs) since the 1983 formation of seminal Dayton garage rockers/binge drinkers Guided By Voices, the hard rocking/hard swilling underground icons could actually be more famous for their (several) farewell shows. One show in particular could be the biggest goodbye they gave, at Metro on New Year’s Eve in 2004. The show was a staggering four hours long, eventually turning into something akin to a Bruce Springsteen or Barbra Streisand concert, only way cooler. In all, they played 63 songs.