"Everybody come on dance and sing / Everybody get up and do your thing..." These were the words the crowd at Danceteria heard on December 16, 1982, when Madonna took the stage and performed her music publicly for the first time. This event is one of the key moments featured in the exhibition "New York, New Music: 1980–1986," on view at the Museum of the City of New York through September 18, 2022. The singer was a regular at this location after launching her career here and went on to become "the Queen of Pop" a towering and influential figure in global music and fashion. Madonna's debut isn't the only moment in Danceteria's history the exhibition highlights. This sought-after music venue had multiple locations and featured performances by artists including the Beastie Boys, Cyndi Lauper, LLCOOLJ, Run-DMC, and more. In July 1980 Kid Creole and the Coconuts, pictured here, hit the stage to perform their style of genre-bending music at the club's first location on 37th Street in Chelsea. Their music was smart, edgy, and always danceable, appealing to the still-dancing disco denizens, die-hard new wavers, and everyone in between. If you're just starting your journey through New York City's music scene in the 1980s, head to the former location of Max's Kansas City to continue your tour. Image credit: Ebet Roberts. \[Kid Creole and the Coconuts at the Beacon Theatre] 1980. Courtesy of the photographer.

The Lounge Lizards, pictured performing here in 1979, had a sound that was based in jazz but influenced by many other genres, indicative of the cross-pollination of music during the early 1980s. This nightclub was a gathering spot for musicians poets, artists, and other celebrities. A meeting place for NYC's creatives, the synergy of art, music, and fashion that happened here provided a space for a number of influential collaborations and launched careers in these fields. Credited as one of the birthplaces of punk, Blondie, the B–52's, The Cramps, David Bowie, Devo, The Misfits, The Ramones, and the Talking Heads performed here, among others. The original site closed in 1981 with a final concert by the Beastie Boys. Head downtown to continue the tour nearby at Irving Plaza, or make your way to 21st Street to finish your journey through NYC's music scene at Danceteria. Image credit: Allan Tannenbaum. \[The Lounge Lizards at Max's Kansas City] 1979. Courtesy of the photographer.

Though it has gone through many iterations, Irving Plaza is still in operation today. Opened as a rock music venue in 1978, this location featured acts that spanned rock, reggae, punk, and new wave genres, a testament to the melting pot of musical sound found in NYC at this time. During the early 80s, featured bands included The Cramps, the Talking Heads, and as these flyers attest Kraut, Defunkt, and the Beastie Boys. If you're heading south, continue the tour around the corner at Irving Plaza. Going uptown? Continue your journey through NYC's 80's music scene to Max's Kansas City

Now an NYU dormitory, this was once the spot of Palladium, a concert venue turned nightclub in 1985. The Palladium featured performances by Blondie, The Ramones, and The Cramps—shown here performing at nearby Irving Plaza. Once converted into a club, the space featured DJs spinning new wave music and artworks and murals by 80s icons like Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Fransisco Clemente. Continue your tour just around the corner at Irving Plaza, or head towards 315 Bowery to visit the spot that was once home to CBGB. Image credit: Ebet Roberts. \[The Cramps at Club 57 at Irving Plaza] 1979. Courtesy of the photographer.

Opened in 1973, CBGB soon became a famed venue for new wave and punk music, a far cry from the Country, Blue Grass, and Blues venue that gave it its' name. The club continued to be a big part of the downtown music scene in the 1980s, often frequented by artists and musicians, including actress, writer, and singer Lydia Lunch, shown here with Adele Bertei and Anya Phillips. One of the key moments featured in the exhibition "New York, New Music: 1980–1986," on view at the Museum of the City of New York through September 18, 2022, focuses on the emerging no wave scene during this era. The short-lived but influential movement experimented with sound, pattern, texture, and free improvisation on instruments. On Saturday, March 22, 1980, two bands—DNA and Gray—hit the stage at CBGB for a gig that gig was emblematic of this no wave moment. DNA's trio—Arto Lindsay, Tim Wright, and Ikue Mori—took an unconventional approach to their instruments, while Gray's artists, at the time including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Michael Holman, Nick Taylor, and Wayne Clifford were untrained. The two groups performed together frequently from 1979–1981. Image credit: Julia Gorton. \[Lydia Lunch, Adele Bertei, and Anya Phillips at CBGB] c. 1979. Courtesy of the photographer.

From 1975 to 1984 this location was home to The Loft, an underground dance party venue founded by David Mancuso. It was largely a gathering space for Black and gay communities and hosted invitation-only events. After some pushback from neighbors when The Loft moved to its Prince Street location, the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs stated the Mancuso could use this space but would be unable to sell food or drink there. Many of the artists and musicians that were active in the downtown music scene featured in the exhibition "New York, New Music: 1980–1986," on view at the Museum of the City of New York through September 18, 2022, frequented clubs that were influenced by The Loft and followed this model, including the Paradise Garage.

When Paradise Garage opened in 1977, the turntable wizardry of DJ Larry Levan—pictured here—was the primary draw. The club was invitation-only with a devoted patronage of primarily Black gay men. Inspired by David Mancuso's private DJ parties at The Loft, no liquor was served, no food or beverages were sold. One of the key moments featured in the exhibition "New York, New Music: 1980–1986," on view at the Museum of the City of New York through September 18, 2022, the Paradise Garage was also the location for Keith Haring's first Party of Life, a birthday celebration that was a rapturous convergence of art, music, and performance. The event, on May 16, 1984, featured a star-studded guest list with performances by Madonna and John Sex. Madonna sang “Dress You Up” and “Like a Virgin,” which were released later that year, wearing a Stephen Sprouse-designed suit painted by Haring and LA II. Continue the journey through NYC's downtown music scene—head east towards CBGB, or south to Wooster Street. Image credit: Bill Bernstein. \[DJ Larry Levan at Paradise Garage] 1979. Photograph by Bill Bernstein.

Avant-guard art space The Kitchen operated at this location until 1986. A place for experimental artists and composers, it was one of the first organizations to embrace video as an art form alongside traditional mediums and even featured a video viewing room. Much like the cross-pollination of ideas that was happening throughout the downtown music scene, this environment spurred creativity and genre-defying collaborations among artists. The venue claims to have launched the careers of many artists including Laurie Anderson (pictured), Lucinda Childs, and Philip Glass and is still around today at its location on 19th Street. Continue your journey. Head downtown to visit the current site of Experimental Intermedia, or pop over to King Street to see the former spot of the Paradise Garage. Image credit: Allan Tannenbaum. Laurie Anderson. 1983. Courtesy of the photographer.

Since 1973, Experimental Intermedia has presented experimental concerts and intermedia work from this location. It is also the spot of one of the key moments featured in the exhibition "New York, New Music: 1980–1986," – on view at the Museum of the City of New York through September 18, 2022 – which highlights artist Arthur Russell and the groundbreaking performances he staged here in the fall of 1985. The solo performances of new and reworked compositions featured Russell’s plaintive tenor with his cello, sometimes drenched in distortion and reverb. Several songs recorded during these performances make up a significant portion of Russell’s 1986 album, World of Echo. Russell was the rare individual who could move between worlds, from the art hall to the dance hall, and his influence on contemporary music makers and appreciation by music critics has only increased in recent years. Classically trained in composition and the cello, he quickly fell in with the downtown crowd. Russell collaborated with groups such as The Flying Hearts, Loose Joints, and Dinosaur L, which produced dance classics “Is It All Over My Face?” and “Go Bang! #5.” Russell was diagnosed with HIV shortly after the release of World of Echo, and he died in 1992. Head south to finish your tour through the 80s music scene at Mudd Club, or make your way across town to Wooster Street to continue your journey. Image credit: Janette Beckman. Arthur Russell with His Cello. 1986. Courtesy of the photographer, photo (c) Janette Beckman.

Mudd Club, a venue known for underground music and counterculture events, was in this location from 1978 to 1983. New wave, experimental music, and performance art all mixed in this space. In addition to live concerts by DNA, Gray, the Contortions, and the Talking Heads, Mudd Club was frequented by 80s icons like Grace Johns, Debbie Harry, Lydia Lynch, Anya Phillips, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Betsey Johnson, among others. One of the key moments featured in the exhibition "New York, New Music: 1980–1986," on view at the Museum of the City of New York through September 18, 2022, Mudd Club hosted Beyond words in April 1981. This graffiti art exhibition and performance by DJ Afrika Bambaataa, the Cold Crush Brothers, and the Fantastic Five helped propel a new era in New York’s new music and was a meeting of ideas between uptown and downtown culture. Fred Brathwaite (aka Fab 5 Freddy) curated the Beyond Words exhibition with the artist Futura 2000. The show featured the work of downtown artists side-by-side with graffiti writers and live performances. If you're just starting your journey through New York's music scene, head uptown to Experimental Intermedia for the next location. Image credit: Joe Conzo. Cold Crush Brothers. 1981. Courtesy of the photographer/ Joe Conzo Archives.