Release Day! MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! A TRIBUTE TO THE FLASHCUBES

                             

After more than a year of prep and behind-the-scenes work, today is the official street date for Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. This labor of love gathers 21 great acts to cover 21 great songs written by members of Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes. We bolster the tribute tracks with three brand-new studio originals recorded by the 'Cubes themselves, with all of these assorted bright lights shining together as one.

The great Michael McCartney, host of the venerable radio show The Time Machine on Mana'o Radio KMNO-FM in Maui, was nice enough to devote nearly an hour of airtime  Make Something Happen! this past Saturday. For a limited time, you can still hear Michael chat with me about the project, our comments nestled all comfy 'n' cool amidst a number of tracks from Make Something Happen! Michael pulled a double on-air shift on Saturday, so the Cubic portion of this show is archived under the name The Past, The Present And The Forgotten. For the next week or so, you can access the September 6th edition of The Past, The Present And The Forgotten via Mana'o Radio's Listen On Demand option; just specify the show (The Past, The Present And The Future) and the date (September 6th). My portion of the show stretches from the 34:29 mark (commencing with the Kennedys' cover of the Flashcubes' "Walking Through The Park") through the 1:31:21 mark (the conclusion of a spin of my favorite Turtles track, played in memory of Mark Volman). Can't thank Michael enough for the attention and indulgence. Michael! You da MAN!

Now: MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! You can read my liner notes and acknowledgments here, you can view extensive track-by-track supplemental liner notes here, and you can buy your very own copy of Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes directly from our friends at Big Stir Records, via Bandcamp, from our other friends at Kool Kat Musik, and from a variety of resources accessible right here.

I am still exhausted in the aftermath of putting this record together. SO worth it. I could not be prouder of the result. Now it's your turn to grab and enjoy. Operators are standing by. 

You know what to make of it.

MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN!
A TRIBUTE TO THE FLASHCUBES
CD/Digital, September 12, 2025
Big Stir Records BSR-0146

1. THE FLASHCUBES: Reminisce
2. sparkle*jets u.k.: Make Something Happen
3. LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: Gone Too Far
4. CHRIS VON SNEIDERN: No Promise
5. GRAHAM PARKER AND MIKE GENT: Pathetic
6. JOE GIDDINGS: You're Not Grounded
7. BALLZY TOMORROW: Five Personalities
8. THE FLASHCUBES: The Sweet Spot
9. THE KENNEDYS: Walking Through The Park
10. MEEGAN VOSS AND STEVE JORDAN/THE VERBS: I Need Glue
11. DOLPH CHANEY: Girl From Germany
12. POP CO-OP: Wait Til Next Week
13. THE PEPPERMINT KICKS: Muscle Beach
14. TOM KENNY & THE HI-SEAS: Welcome To The Working Class
15. THE CHOOSERS: Christi Girl
16. HAMELL ON TRIAL: Got No Mind
17. THE ARMOIRES: You're Not The Police
18. THE FLASHCUBES: If These Hands
19. ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN: Bad Dream
20. THE MAYFLOWERS: Born To Cry
21. SUPER 8 FEATURING LISA MYCHOLS: When We Close Our Eyes
22. CALLAN FOSTER: It's You Tonight
23. SORROWS: Radio
24. THE SPONGETONES: Nothing Really Matters When You're Young

ALL SONGS WRITTEN OR CO-WRITTEN BY THE FLASHCUBES.

Compiled and produced by CARL CAFARELLI
Executive Producers: REX BROOME, CHRISTINA BULBENKO and MICHAEL SIMMONS
Mastered by MICHAEL SIMMONS
Package Design by MARGIE FINER
Cover Illustration by KAME (Japan)
Liner Notes by CARL CAFARELLI

This is a SYRACUSE NOISE production, in association with THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO WITH DANA & CARL

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

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.