NO PROMISE LASTS FOREVER: My 45th Anniversary As A Fan Of THE FLASHCUBES

 

45 years ago tonight, a live rock 'n' roll show changed my life. The event occurred two months after I first heard the record that changed my life ("Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" by the Ramones), and it built upon a stack of influences accrued over my first 18 years here on your little planet. From the Beatles in A Hard Day's Night to the Monkees on TV, British Invasion to punk, AM to FM to Phonograph Record Magazine, the expansion of my rockin' pop world culminated in an explosion of punk-fueled power pop. January 28, 1978. The first time I saw the Flashcubes.

Is "life-changing" an exaggeration? No, don't be silly. Our delights and obsessions forge a large part of who we are. A Hard Day's Night, "Sheena," and my first 'Cubes show were my specific pop flashpoints. There were a ton of other influences, but I wouldn't have become whatever it is I am without the Beatles, the Ramones, and the Flashcubes. All three. I wouldn't have gotten around to being a pop journalist, a DJ, or a blogger. I wouldn't have a book coming out in the spring. For better or worse, I wouldn't be me.

Tomorrow night, 45 years and one day after a live Flashcubes show set off a bright light in my head, we're going to open this week's exciting edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl with a BRAND NEW track by Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes. It's unreleased, and I have no idea when you'll be able to hear it elsewhere. But you will. And for now, you can hear it on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio.

Meanwhile, here's a collection of a few things I've written on behalf of the Flashcubes. There will be more to come, including something connected to that new Flashcubes track we're playing tomorrow night. The lights remain bright. Raise your fist and smile. It's the Flashcubes.

Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery: My First Flashcubes Show

My First Flashcubes Writing

Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery: The Ramones, the Runaways, and the Flashcubes

The Greatest Record Ever Made! The Flashcubes, "No Promise"

TIRnRR # 4, Track By Track: "No Promise"

Bright Lights liner notes

The 1997 Bright Lights Interviews

A Cellarful Of Boys liner notes

Flashcubes On Fire liner notes

The Flashcubes: SAMMYs [Syracuse Area Music Awards] Hall of Fame

The Flashcubes: A Brighter Light In My Mind

Didn't See THAT Coming! (Unexpected Covers In Concert): The Flashcubes, "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter"

And while we're at it, visit the Flashcubes' page at Big Stir Records. Got, got, got no mind! But I don't mind.

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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, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.