Originally planned for a far-too-optimistic late 2025 publication, my forthcoming book Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES has been mired in development, but it is indeed still developing, and may yet make it to retail before the end of 2026. Please note that I am not under oath.
In the mean time, I'm proud to present the first public appearance of the book's introductory sections, which will lead into the interviews.
Ya ready? Awright! It's 'CUBES tonight!
MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! A really, really loud introduction
I wasn't there. But I know something happened. September 1st, 1977. A new band took the stage for the first time. Expectations were likely modest, probably more modest than the members of the band. They were determined to make something happen. And you can't make something happen if you're not willing to lean forward. Guts. Bravado. Belief.
Action!
It feels all right now
It feels all right now
It feels all right now
HOLD ME TIGHT...!
And just like that, the sweaty air of The Brookside--a waterlogged bar sinking slowly into a marsh in the Syracuse, New York suburb of DeWitt--was pummeled by a high-volume wall of noise. It was a song by the Beatles...but it wasn't the Beatles, nor an incredible simulation.
September 1st, 1977. It felt new. It felt exciting. It felt freakin' loud, deafening, but still somehow melodic. Punk rock with AM Top 40 aspirations and Tiger Beat delusions, an all-night stand aiming for American Bandstand with quixotic intent, rock 'n' roll unafraid to shove its irresistible hooks directly into your ringing, reeling ears.
Most of us weren't yet familiar with the phrase "power pop." But here it was, pop with power (and how!). For the very first time, performing their very first song, a DIY power pop band called the Flashcubes were on stage.
It feels all right now!
The thunderous racket notwithstanding, there were but four Flashcubes: Guitarists Paul Armstrong and Arty Lenin, bassist Gary Frenay, drummer Tommy Allen. They opened with a cover, a Trojan horse breaching the gate to make way for rockin' pop originals written by Gary, Arty, and Paul. They played. They practiced. They played more, and more, and more, and traveled to gigs in Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit, Boston, and the capital of the world, New York City. They shared bills with the Ramones, the Romantics, the Jam, the Police, the Runaways, David Johansen, Joe Jackson, Artful Dodger, the Scruffs, the Fast, 999, and so many others. In each heady situation, the Flashcubes deserved to be there. They got better and better and better. Tighter. As a live act, the Flashcubes were as good as anybody.
And the Flashcubes recorded. Demos. A studio single in 1978. Another single in '79. An appearance on a Bomp Records compilation album. A buzz beyond compare. Bright lights. The Flashcubes were going to be rock 'n' roll stars.
It...didn't happen.
Conflicting POVs forced Paul Armstrong's departure from the Flashcubes in the summer of 1979. The Flashcubes dimmed their own bright lights one year later. End of the line.
But not the end of the story. No one--no one--knew it at the time. But the Flashcubes' story was just beginning.
This book is that story. A story told in the words of the Flashcubes themselves, and in the words of others who were there to witness the birth and growth of a power pop legend.
Does "legend" seem too strong a description? Man, it's not my description, but mere acknowledgement of the many pundits, music people, and fans who now routinely refer to the 'Cubes as legendary. In 1980, the Flashcubes were a failed, soon-to-be-forgotten band. In the forty-five years since then, they've regrouped, preserved their '70s recordings, created new recordings, released albums, won awards, brought their bright-lights buzz in-person to Los Angeles, and to freakin' Japan. Their 2023 album Pop Masters made many year-end Top Ten lists, and at this writing there is still more to come. The Flashcubes made something happen. That is the stuff of power pop legend. And it's a legend that must be told.
It feels all right now!
It's time to meet the Flashcubes.
SING FLASHCUBES IN REVERSE
2024: The Flashcubes' album Pop Masters wins the SAMMY (Syracuse Area Music Award) for Rock Album of the Year. Bassist Gary Frenay and guitarist Paul Armstrong accept the award in person, on behalf of themselves, guitarist Arty Lenin, and drummer/producer Tommy Allen.
Weird, I guess. Because the Flashcubes broke up in 1980. Hell, Paul Armstrong was out of the group in 1979. Forty-four (or forty-five) years later, and the Flashcubes win an award for their new album...?!
Suffice it to say that the separation didn't work out.
During their original lifespan, the Flashcubes self-released two singles, and nothing else. One of their singles, Arty's ballad "Christi Girl," scored a berth on a compilation album issued by the Southern California label Bomp Records. A record deal with any label--any label--proved elusive. As a commercial entity, the Flashcubes had failed.
But since disbanding in 1980, the original Flashcubes eventually regrouped. Live shows. New recordings. Appearances--many appearances--on compilation CDs. Their first-ever show in Los Angeles. Two Japanese tours. Three new albums, three archival albums (one of which was a double set pairing the best of the Flashcubes' latter-day recordings with a 2007 live show), and two live albums (one live in Japan in 2002, one a blistering Syracuse show from '79). There was even one more single in there somewhere. Awards and Hall of Fame honors. Mentions in magazines, books, and a zillion online posts. Respect. And an ongoing explosion of Syracuse noise.
Doesn't seem like the arc of a failed rock band, does it? No, this is a success story on its own DIY terms.
The late '70s musical revolution variously called punk and new wave rock 'n' roll--the movement that gave the pop world the sounds of the Ramones, the Clash, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, Elvis Costello, and Talking Heads--hit Syracuse loud 'n' proud when the Flashcubes debuted on 9/1/77, blazing through their incendiary rendition of the Beatles' "Hold Me Tight" before a smattering of puzzled drunks who had no mortal clue of the history they were witnessing.
From their humble (if noisy) origin at The Brookside in 1977, the Flashcubes lit the spark of the Syracuse new wave rock 'n' roll scene, inspiring new groups and delighting delirious, giddy fans. They burned a hole through the roof of every venue they played, from The Loft in Middleville to Max’s Kansas City in New York, blazing a rock 'n' roll trail from Syracuse to Boston to Detroit to Cleveland, to CBGB's, and later to L.A. and Japan. From being named The Syracuse New Times' Band Of The Year in 1979, to winning the SAMMY for Best Album in 2012, to being inducted into The SAMMYs Hall Of Fame in 2013, into The Power Pop Hall Of Fame in 2019, and winning another SAMMY for Best Rock Album in 2024, the Flashcubes have demonstrated why they are known internationally as one of the greatest power pop groups of all time.
Creation is born of passion. Before they became Flashcubes, before they'd even met, Tommy, Paul, Gary, and Arty were dedicated music fans, in love with the irresistible sounds of pure pop and rock 'n' roll. The Flashcubes story starts there.
Okay, lads! Tell us about it.
Let’s begin with a look back at how you became music fans to begin with....
,,,And THAT will be where the story starts to unfold. Stay tuned. And keep your lights BRIGHT.
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I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.
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, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.
