We love Blonde Redhead so damned much. If you are unfamiliar, you are missing out. Really. Comprised of Italian twins Amedeo and Simone Pace (on vocals/guitar and drums, respectively) and Japanese guitarist/vocalist Kazu Makino, the trio creates a noise that turns rock inside out and stitches it back together again.

Last summer, the venerable indie-rock warhorse was scheduled to play a free outdoor show at the Chelsea Piers. We waited in line during a torrential downpour to get in, but then the show was cancelled due to lightning.

Now they are making it up to us with a concert in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Bandshell. Whooo! Free show! Expect to hear a lot from their stellar 2007 record, 23, and hopefully some new tracks from their upcoming album they are currently demoing.

Here is a quick primer on their almost 15 year recording career:

La Mia Vita Violenta (1995)
After the previous year’s noisy self-titled debut, the group moved even farther away from typical rock structures and vocal intonations. At times spare and then suddenly washed-in feedback, La Mia Vita Violenta is a rollicking, mysterious composition that isn’t short on humor, either. The opener “(I am Taking Out My Eurotrash) I Still Get Rocks Off” epitomizes this. The shrieking “I Am There While You Choke Me” is deservedly still a staple of their shows.

Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons (2000)
With this effort, Blonde Redhead finally achieved the sublime. A mixture of great beauty and ugliness, Melody is an emotional work steeped in simplistic electronics. While many of their earlier records could easily be linked to No Wave discordance, the band really achieved their individuality here. Haunting piano ballads are pitted against wailing squalls with new wave flourishes. A real winner.

23 (2007)
Their previous disc, Misery Is A Butterfly, achieved the greatest success for the cult band, but it didn’t really tread new ground, and was, well, a bit boring. They bounced back tenfold with this startling ode to shoe-gaze.

Directions to the show:
The Bandshell is located inside the Park at Prospect Park West and 9th Street. Click here to view this location on our Interactive Map.

By Public Transportation: (MTA map) 
• F Train to 15th Street/Prospect Park station 
• 2 or 3 Train to Grand Army Plaza 
• B-68, B-69, or B-75 Buses to Prospect Park West & Ninth Street. 


By Car: 
• From Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges: Take Flatbush Ave. to Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park West exit to 9th St. 
• From BQE: Take BQE to 38th St. exit. Make left on 4th Ave, then right on 9th St. to Prospect Park West.

Hours:
Celebrate Brooklyn performances are held during the summer months, usually beginning at 7:30 p.m. Gates open one hour prior to performance time.

www.blonde-redhead.com

KEYWORDS: Amedeo Pace, blonde redhead, brooklyn, Kazu Makino, live performance, Music, Simone Pace