Ramones Book Release Party At The 443 [with live music from 1.4.5. and PERILOUS]

This Saturday, May 13th, we're having a release party for my new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones (https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/). The event takes place at The 443 Social Club and Lounge, 443 Burnet Avenue in Syracuse. It's hosted by your This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Good Guys Dana & Carl, and will feature live performances by Perilous and 1.4.5. The party runs from 7 to 9 pm, and the 443 will have copies of the book available for sale.

At this writing, tickets are in limited supply but not yet sold out. LET'S SELL THIS THING OUT! Tickets are $15, and require a minimum $15 bar/kitchen purchase. Details below. Hope to see all of my Syracuse locals on Saturday at the 443.

BOOK RELEASE PARTY with LIVE MUSIC! Carl Cafarelli's new book GABBA GABBA HEY! A CONVERSATION WITH THE RAMONES, plus live performances by 1.4.5. and PERILOUS

Come celebrate the publication of local author and This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl co-host Carl Cafarelli's new book GABBA GABBA HEY! A CONVERSATION WITH THE RAMONES. It may be the loudest book release party in recent memory, with live music from Boston's 1.4.5. (led by PAUL ARMSTRONG of legendary SAMMYs Hall of Famers THE FLASHCUBES) and a rare CNY club appearance by PERILOUS, featuring members of regional superstars THE TREND, PAULINE AND THE PERILS, HURTIN' UNITS, and SCREAMING MEEMIES. There'll be Ramones music on the sound system in between sets, and Carl will probably try to read a section from his book if no one stops him. Dana & Carl will be your MCs for the evening.

About the Author

Carl Cafarelli is the co-host (with Dana Bonn) of the long-running weekly broadcast and internet radio show This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. When he's not playing records and yelling into the microphone, Cafarelli has been writing about rock 'n' roll, pop music, and pop culture for nearly forty years. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame cited his 1994 interviews with the Ramones as “essential reading," and Not Lame Media referred to Cafarelli as “one of the world’s most respected power pop scholars.” Cafarelli has written for Goldmine, DISCoveries, The Syracuse New Times, The Buffalo News, Rhino Records, Warner Brothers Records, BMG Europe, and more. Cafarelli maintains his daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do). Cafarelli has written short fiction for AHOY Comics, and contributed to the books Bubblegum Music Is The Naked Truth, Shake Some Action, MusicHound Rock, and Lost In The Grooves.

About the Book

THE RAMONES! The American Beatles! Except for, y'know, popularity and record sales. If someone tried to create a Ramones counterpart to the Beatles' mega-selling hits compilation 1, they'd have to use a negative number.

But the Ramones were arguably the single most influential rock 'n' roll act to emerge from that curious muddle of magic and mediocrity called the 1970s. Two of the group's founding members--singer Joey Ramone and bassist Dee Dee Ramone--didn't live to see the Ramones become icons of popular culture, to hear their music in TV commercials, to experience the unlikely adoption of "Blitzkrieg Bop" as a sports anthem. Guitarist Johnny Ramone barely lived long enough to see it, and drummer Tommy Ramone's death in 2014 wrote finis to the mortal part of the Ramones' story. The legend endured. We can't even imagine how bland the sound of rock 'n' roll would have become if the Ramones hadn't saved it at the end of the '70s, the end of the century, when we needed change and we needed it fast. 1-2-3-4!

In 1994, as the Ramones celebrated their 20th anniversary, then-current members Joey, Johnny, drummer Marky, and bassist C. J. knew the group's Road To Ruin would soon approach its end. Given an opportunity to assess where they'd been and what was left to do, they agreed to a series of interviews discussing the entirety of the Ramones' story. 

This is that story: a career-spanning discussion of the Ramones' career, an intimate glimpse at how the Ramones viewed their work, their experiences, their impact, their legacy, their fans, and each other. It's a unique and fascinating peek into what it was like to be one of the few, the proud, the Ramones.

Now, for the first time, you can read the Ramones' published comments about their own history, and much, much more than ever could have fit into a single magazine issue.

The Ramones. Joey, Johnny, Marky, and C.J., in their own words. The American Beatles? Your sedation may vary. 

See ya Saturday!

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon, or by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl