We’ve covered our friends from Blondie Beach at length on The Hundreds Blog. If you missed our in-depth interview from last year, read or watch that now. The eclectic trio is as talented as they come in the LA music scene and one of the most versatile groups we’ve ever worked with.
From DJ sets and live jazz to creative product design and event marketing, Blondie Beach does it all. One of their greatest creations is Drive-Thru Theater, something we’ve been working on with BB for about a year, in partnership with our Family Style team and the good folks over at DoorDash.
We caught up with the homies to see what they’ve been up to the last few months and what they have planned for us at Drive-Thru. If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, DO THAT.
How does it feel to be participating in an in-person event again?
Blondie Beach Records was founded primarily in live events and nightlife pre-pandemic. Our origin story began at The Kibitz Room in the heart of the Fairfax Streetwear District, where everyone in the community would come to kickback. So at our core, Blondie Beach Records is all about bringing people together through music and entertainment. If you have been out in the Los Angeles Nightlife Scene, chances are Blondie Beach was part of your soundtrack at some point during your night. It sounds like a broken record ‘Pre-Covid or Before Covid’ at this point, but we are extremely excited to present this format of an in-person event.
Have you ever collaborated with a restaurant before? Why did you pick the restaurant you chose to work with? How do you approach this differently than a typical clothing collab?
This will be our second collaboration with a restaurant. We decided to pick Dulan’s Soul Food because it’s an Inglewood staple that has been serving the community for years. Also, the fried chicken and sides from Dulan’s are so good! When you walk into Dulan’s and order a plate, as they pile the mac and cheese and collard greens to the sky, you wonder if they are going to give you another serving, and yes they do. This seemingly endless plate of mac and cheese, yams, collard greens, black-eyed peas, biscuits, and fried chicken (yes add gravy) brings you into the Dulan family, allowing you to taste the history and the soul in their food. With the history of soul food in mind, that was the inspiration behind our collaborative design. Do you remember going to the Natural History Museum or National Mall in DC when you were a kid? The best part of those field trips was always the gift shop. When you look into the 90s museum gift shop vibe, there were always these really cool plant and animal kingdom classification tees (genus, species, kingdom, etc.) but soul food is something you would never really think of what the Latin origin is. Painting Soul Food in an elevated historical and significant light was the goal of this design. This Museum Gift Shop Soul Food Tee is coming your way!
What have been some of your go-to takeout spots throughout the pandemic?
Los Angeles has really done an amazing job adjusting to the pandemic by supporting restaurants. These have been our staple to go spots:
Golden State Burgers (RIP)
Love Hour
Burgers Never Say Die
Wings 2 Go
Cena Vegan
Pine and Crane
Dulan’s Soul Food
Great American Deli
Kyochon Chicken
Modders Kitchen
Hungry Joes Kitchen
Wax Paper Co.
Mariscos Jalisco
Ken’s Ramen
Belle’s Bagels
Nic’s On Beverly
How have you and your brand navigated everything the past year or so? What were some of the biggest challenges you faced and what were some of the biggest lessons you learned?
We had to re-think the concepts of in-person events, which is where the inception of the Drive-Thru Theater started, and how the world has become this home to car to store to car and back home world. We wanted to come up with something that people could get out of the house and still feel safe while being provided entertainment. The biggest challenge through this pandemic has been not being able to connect with our friends.
Have you ever been to a drive-in theater? What are your go-to snacks when you go to the movies?
This may be weird to some, but I love a large medium popcorn, and when you eat about ¼ of the bag adding a box of a Bunch ‘a’ Crunch and Cookie Dough Bites. Shout out the overpriced concession stands, it’s the only way these theaters stay afloat.
If your brand was a food dish, what would it be?
Blondie Beach is a plate of Peri Peri Chicken, Rice and Beans, Plantains, and a Coconut Banana Smoothie.
What can we expect this year from your brand? What comes next for you after Drive-Thru Theater?
You can expect new music from our label division, new merch, and collaborations, and new event and marketing concepts from Blondie Beach Records.
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