On Friday night, I had the pleasure of attending a benefit for Spark Syracuse WSPJ, with live sets by Know Nothing, Perilous, and the Flashing Astonishers. Great night, great music, and great community, all in service of a cause that's certainly near and dear to my heart. Amidst the sheer buzz of the evening, conversation often turned to Paul Armstrong.
Paul Armstrong was a guitarist and songwriter, a founding member of the Flashcubes, and perhaps the single most rock 'n' roll person I ever knew. Cancer claimed PA earlier this year, and there will be a loud memorial show in his honor at Syracuse's legendary home of rock 'n' roll The Lost Horizon on November 7th. I don't think I'm at liberty to say much about the show at this time, but Perilous is on the bill, as are the surviving members of the Flashcubes, Gary Frenay, Arty Lenin, and Tommy Allen. More details will be available soon.
And at the merch table there on November 7th, you'll be able to buy a new 45, courtesy of the visionary Big Stir Records label. The B-side is previously-released, and it happens to be my all-time favorite Paul Armstrong song (as heard here). The A-side is a brand new recording of PA's Cubic calling card "Got No Mind," credited to THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING TOM KENNY.
We've been playing the track for several weeks, coyly referring to it as "[Redacted]" by [Redacted] featuring [Redacted]. The redaction ends now, as "Got No Mind" by the Flashcubes featuring Tom Kenny claims its name and its billing and opens this week's show. We'll be talking more about the song, the memorial, and Paul Armstrong's legacy in the weeks to come. This Friday, September 25th, you can hear me talk about all of that when I guest on The Spoon podcast with Robbie Rist, Chris Jackson, and Thom Bowers. And on The Spoon, I repeat the oft-cited novena of my rockin' pop Trinity:
The Beatles. The Ramones. The Flashcubes.
At the SPARK benefit on Friday, many who said they were looking forward to the November 7th memorial show at the Lost also expressed their sadness regarding its circumstances. That is fair, and that is appropriate. But here's the thing: I choose to fully embrace the giddy thrill of this opportunity to honor Paul mother[redacted]ing Armstrong. PA's impact on my life is beyond measure. We will salute and celebrate that impact at the Lost, and we will do so with all the defiant joy and stubborn resilience Paul Armstrong would have expected from us.
And we will do it at high volume. That's also what Paul Armstrong would have expected from us.
Sing it, Tomcat. Play it, you Flashcubes, and your assembled special guests as well. Feel free to abdicate your mind at will. I won't mind if you don't mind. And this is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week.
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. If you miss the show, it repeats immediately from Midnight to 3 AM on Monday, Thursday from 9 AM to Noon, Friday from 5 PM to 8 PM, and finally Sunday from Noon to 3 PM before a new show takes over that evening. All times are Eastern.
You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO). You can follow Carl's daily blog at Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do).
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Carl's new book Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is available! Read about it here. Autographed copies of Carl's previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) are available here, and you can still get Carl's previous previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.
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