Very early 1981 MADONNA band performance ad...

Item # 721558

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February 24, 1981

THE VILLAGE VOICE (weekly), Greenwich Village, New York City, Feb. 24 (*2/25-3/3), 1981

* Extremely early Madonna advertisement in social media
* Pre-solo career performance advertisement
* Her band "Emmy & The Emmys" (guitarist & vocals)
* Singer - songwriter - actress & more
* "Emmy" was a nickname given to her in NYC

Page 89 has an advertisement for upcoming performances at the Max's Kansas City nightclub in New York City with performance by the band "Emmy" (see images) Of course this mention of her band is small and discrete here because she was still unknown at the time. Madonna was living in this part of Manhattan at the time, so this publication is very likely the only one to carry such an ad.
AI notes: Emmy and the Emmys or just Emmy, Madonna’s short-lived post-punk band, performed at Max’s Kansas City on March 6, 1981. This gig was a pivotal moment: it showcased Madonna on lead vocals and guitar alongside drummer Stephen Bray and bassist Gary Burke, and directly led to her signing with Gotham Management’s Camille Barbone shortly after. Though initially hard to verify due to incomplete digital archives of 1981 underground shows, the ad aligns with documented timelines, performance photos, and biographer accounts that place a key Max’s appearance in early 1981—marking one of Madonna’s final band gigs before launching her solo career. The band name “Emmy” was rooted in the nickname she was using at the time.
I suspect this to be an extremely rare item because there was really no reason to save it at the time.
The Village Voice was an American counterculture newspaper known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. It introduced free-form, high-spirited, and passionate journalism into the public discourse - a tradition it maintained throughout its 60+ year history. It is quite common to find great political cartoons, satirical cartoons and articles, thought-provoking editorials, and ads and reviews for both concerts and theater productions - both on and off Broadway. Many iconic writers and musicians credit their appearance in The Village Voice for at least a portion of their success.
Complete with 112 pages, tabloid size, one fold along the center, nice condition.

* Local issues were dated on the day of publication - Feb. 24th. Those being sent to other locations were dated for the week, Feb. 25th - March 3rd.

Provenance note: This issue comes from The Village Voice's own archives, part of their in-house collection used to create their digital archive. Rare as such.

Alert: Many issues of The Village Voice contain articles and/or photos which some consider offensive, and are certainly inappropriate for children. Please purchase with discretion.

Category: The 20th Century