Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse The Flashcubes played their first gig on September 1st, 1977. The group is celebrating its 40th anniversary all year long, and the festivities officially kick off this Saturday, April 22nd, with a Record Store Day live set at Bop Shop Records, 1460 Monroe Avenue in Rochester, NY. The 'Cubes hit the stage at 5 pm, it's FREE, and if you're within driving distance, well, you got no mind if you miss this.
As rock 'n' roll record fans, of course, we're gonna take advantage of this Record Store Day gig to, y'know, maybe buy some records at Bop Shop. Top of the list will be The Flashcubes' own brand new 45, "Boogie City"/"Hey Miss Betty," a pair of studio Chris Spedding covers slapped on opposing sides of The Flashcubes' first 7" vinyl single since I bought "Wait Till Next Week"/"Radio" from the band at Gildersleeves on the Bowery in the spring of '79. Been a while!
The Flashcubes have also recorded a cover of the Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart gem "She" for Listen To The Bands, a forthcoming various-artists CD tribute to The Monkees, due out this summer from 7a Records in England. And The Flashcubes will also throw themselves an official 40th Anniversary BRIGHT LIGHTS! Party on September 1st of this year, precisely four decades after first performing an amped-up Beatles song ("Hold Me Tight") before a smattering of puzzled drunks at The Brookside. The 40th Anniversary show will be at Funk 'N Waffles in downtown Syracuse, and details will be announced some time before that September 1st show.
40 years of The Flashcubes! I'll probably have a few things to say about that as the year goes on (starting tomorrow, with the small but vital role The Flashcubes played in introducing me to the music of The New York Dolls). In the mean time, Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) recommends you get your ass to Bop Shop Records in Rochester this Saturday, April 22nd, at 5 pm, so Gary Frenay, Paul Armstrong, Arty Lenin, and Tommy Allen can forcefully remind you one more time why this great lost power pop band of the '70s is still cause for celebratin', forty years on. You only get one life--spend some of it with The Flashcubes!
(And, if you're in the mood to read what Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) has already written about the 'Cubes, then man, do we have a compact index for you!)
TAKING INVENTORY:
A history of The Flashcubes: Bright Lights, Small City
A follow-up: A Cellar Full Of Boys
A FICTIONAL history of The Flashcubes: A Brighter Light In My Mind
A 1997 Interview With Paul And Gary
A recount of our 2016 BRIGHT LIGHTS! live show: BRIGHT LIGHTS! A Syracuse New Wave Rock 'n' Roll Reunion
The time The Flashcubes opened for The Ramones and The Runaways
And The Flashcubes' induction into The SAMMYS (Syracuse Area Music Awards) Hall Of Fame
Want more? BIG index to the right of your screen! And come up and say hi at The Flashcubes show this Saturday!
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