10 Songs is a weekly list of ten songs that happen to be on my mind at the moment. The lists are usually dominated by songs played on the previous Sunday night's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. The idea was inspired by Don Valentine of the essential blog I Don't Hear A Single
This week's edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1360
THE FLASHCUBES WITH MIKE GENT: Reminisce
Tonight, November 7th, fans, friends, and family will come together at Syracuse's legendary home of rock 'n' roll The Lost Horizon to celebrate our appreciation of the late Paul Armstrong. It's impossible to overstate the impact that Paul and his fellow Flashcubes Gary Frenay, Arty Lenin, and Tommy Allen have had upon my life. Here are the details of this memorial show:
On Saturday, November 7th, fans and participants representing the Syracuse power pop and new wave rock 'n' roll scene that the Flashcubes ignited in the late '70s will gather at Syracuse's original home of rock 'n' roll The Lost Horizon to pay loud and heartfelt tribute to the late, great Paul Armstrong.
In his brash capacity as a guitarist and general spark plug for the audacious energy of the Flashcubes, Paul Armstrong was a key figure in the history of Syracuse rock 'n' roll, and the impact he and his brother Flashcubes Gary Frenay, Arty Lenin, and Tommy Allen have had upon my life and work is damned near beyond measure. As we bid farewell to Paul Armstrong, you can be damned sure we're gonna put on a tribute show that would make PA proud.
And to do that, a bunch of performers who loved Paul and shared his passion for three chords and a cloud of dust will gather at the Lost for a full-volume celebration of his legacy. We'll have live sets by Amerikan Primitive, Perilous, 1.4.5. Survivors, the Johnny Thunders Orchestra, The Wax Museum host Ronnie Dark, PA's Boston buds Sal Baglio and Mike Gent, Syracuse's favorite son Tom Kenny, and the Flashcubes featuring Mark Doyle. Your emcees will be Dana and Carl, and we promise the sort of bright-lights bonanza that Paul Armstrong would have dug the most.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! It's possible there will still be tickets available at the door...but given the response so far, I would not recommend waiting. This one's for Paul Armstrong. And it's gonna be as loud as he was. YOU should join us. Got no mind? WE don't mind!
This week's edition of 10 Songs is all about Paul Armstrong, including reprises of a few past Boppin' blog entries, as well as hype I wrote on behalf of Make Something Happen!, the Flashcubes tribute album I assembled for our friends at Big Stir Records. Let's begin with a press release I wrote for the release of the Flashcubes' "Reminisce:"
The Ramones remembered rock 'n' roll radio. KISS vowed to rock and roll all night. The Bay City Rollers promised a rock 'n' roll love letter. Power Pop Hall of Famers the Flashcubes were there, and they saw it all. And now? They wanna reminisce.
From the bright lights/small city of Syracuse, NY, the Flashcubes burst onto the music scene in 1977, influenced equally by '70s punk and '60s British Invasion, pure rock 'n' roll and the shared crucible of AM Top 40 radio when AM Top 40 radio friggin' ruled. The Flashcubes burned a hole through the roof of every dingy or glitzy club they ever played. They shared the stage with everyone from the Ramones and the Runaways to the Romantics, the Jam, and Eddie and the Hot Rods. They wrote original songs (including their much-anthologized 1978 single "Christi Girl") that lived up to the flash of their inspirations, and that incandescent flash led to the 2025 various-artists compilation album Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, gathering classic Flashcubes tunes as covered by the likes of Graham Parker with Mike Gent, the Verbs (featuring Megan Voss and Steve Jordan) Sorrows, Tom Kenny and the Hi-Seas, the Spongetones, the Peppermint Kicks, the Kennedys, and other stalwarts of indie rockin' pop. The Flashcubes of 2025 are the same four guys as the 1977 model: Force-of-nature drummer/producer Tommy Allen, guitarist/provocateur Paul Armstrong, bassist/pure pop visionary Gary Frenay, and guitarist/freewheelin' dreamer Arty Lenin. The Flashcubes, bless 'em, recorded three new songs for their own tribute album, because who in their right mind would even try to stop them?
"Reminisce" was written by Flashcubes guitarist Paul Armstrong, and recorded by the 'Cubes with special guest Mike Gent of the Figgs. The rock rolls like it's still 1977 at CBGB's or Max's Kansas City, and the lyrics look back in wonder at the heady buzz of the Flashcubes' blinding brilliance under the bright lights in the late '70s. The music struts and commands like a Flashcubes song oughta, and the chorus is just magnificent, jaw-dropping, a compelling incitement to raise the ol' fist and be there like you wuz there. And if you were there, "Reminisce" reminds you what it was like. Hey-ho. Let's GO. It's reminiscing time. Come on, let's rock 'n' roll with THE FLASHCUBES!
SORROWS: Radio
"Radio" was the B-side of the Flashcubes' second single "Wait Til Next Week." The song was co-written by Paul Armstrong and Gary Frenay, and although it was a live favorite at the time, it fell into disfavor within the band and was dropped from the set.
Coincidentally, within days of snaggin' my copy of "Wait Til Next Week"/"Radio" from Gary at Gildersleeves on Bowery in '79, I also picked up "Jealousy"/"She's Got It" by the Poppees. Sorrows formed out of the aftermath of the Poppees, and Sorrows' 2025 album Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow was one of that year's best releases.
And for Make Something Happen!, Sorrows have given us a cover of "Radio" that is nothing short of full-on freakin' phenomenal.
Listen: You can search the four corners of the globe, and by the time you realize globes don't have corners, you'll already know what a fiercely loyal Flashcubes fan I am. Given that, consider the sheer gravity of me saying that Sorrows have accomplished the definitive version of the Flashcubes' "Radio." Pop music is my religion. Radio is one of my pulpits. With "Radio," Sorrows deliver the sermon we need.
Testify. And put your antenna to the sky.
BALLZY TOMORROW: Five Personalities
From the tribute album's acknowledgements:
"Special thanks to Robbie Rist; two years ago, when I said that someone should put together a Flashcubes tribute album, he immediately replied (and I'm paraphrasing): 'YOU do it. You know bands! And I'll be on it!' When Robbie speaks, power pop fans listen."
This power pop fan listened anyway. And as the Flashcubes tribute album moved from Wouldn't it be cool? to GO TIME!!, it was clear to me that our Robbie should use the great power and responsibility of his nom de bop Ballzy Tomorrow to do a cover of the Flashcubes' "Five Personalities."
"Five Personalities" was originally recorded by Paul Armstrong's group the Richards (as heard on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3), co-written by PA with Richards lead singer Norm Mattice and CNY guitar legend Mark Doyle. With some additional songcraft from Flashcubes bassist Gary Frenay, "Five Personalities" was subsequently recorded by the Flashcubes themselves for their 2003 album Brilliant, and that arrangement provides the basic template for Ballzy Tomorrow's Make Something Happen! entry.
And Mr. Rist runs with it. Hell, Gary Frenay recently declared Ballzy Tomorrow's (and I quote) "phenomenal" rendition of "Five Personalities to be "Best version of the song yet. So inspired!" PA chimed in with "Stellar!," and 'Cubes drummer Tommy Allen added a reverent "AWESOME!!!"
They are correct. But I expected nothing less. When Robbie Rist speaks, power pop fans listen. And when Robbie plays and sings? They listen even harder. Robbie Rist gives us an interpretation of "Five Personalities" that our friends at Big Stir describe as "majestically Queen-like whimsy." We concur!
GRAHAM PARKER AND MIKE GENT: Pathetic
Ahem.
Yeah, we got Graham Parker--GRAHAM MOTHERLOVIN' PARKER!!--to cover the Flashcubes for Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. We feel taller! Credit Mike Gent of the Figgs for making this particular something happen, revamping and adapting 'Cubes guitarist Paul Armstrong's "Pathetic" into a worthy vehicle for the well-respected GP, and seeing it through to perfection.
Although it would be inaccurate to call the great Graham Parker a punk rocker, the irascible 'n' irrepressible vibe of some of his 1970s material places him (at the very least) on punk's periphery. Parker wasn't a punk...but a lot of punks loved him. This punk sure did.
As such, GP was among the first artists I ever heard within this broad not-really-a-category category of the punk-adjacent. In my senior year of high school, 1976-77, WOUR-FM in Utica, NY was playing Parker's "Hotel Chambermaid," and they were also playing Nick Lowe's "So It Goes." In the summer of '77, WOUR added the Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" to its parade of Hey, Carl! Dig THIS!! revelations. None of these three sounded at all like the other two. The common ground was attitude.
The shared trait was transcendence.
Graham Parker is, of course, still at it, gloriously still at it, and still a reliable resource for Hey, Carl! Dig THIS! Consider his cover of "Pathetic" as case-closed evidence of that.
THE VERBS: I Need Glue
Meegan Voss was a veteran participant in that same vibrant late '70s Syracuse music scene sparked by the Flashcubes, and her 1978-1980 group the Poptarts shoulda been stars. Now, she and her husband Steve Jordan perform together as the Verbs. I remember Meegan from the Poptarts days, and I remember watching Steve on TV in the '80s, when he was the drummer for the house band on Late Night With David Letterman. Steve has worked with just about everybody, though one suspects his current gig as the Rolling Stones' drummer kinda pops out on the ol' résumé with extra added satisfaction.
We are so fortunate to have Meegan and Steve involved in this Flashcubes tribute project, and it's such a unique kick to hear how the Verbs have taken "I Need Glue," a very early Flashcubes punk number, and made it their freakin' own.
I continue to be knocked out by how radically the Verbs were able to revamp, restructure, and reimagine this punk stomper while still retaining a comfy tether to the original's intent. One of my (many!) favorite tracks on Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes.
THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING TOM KENNY: Got No Mind
The Greatest Record Ever Made!
THE PEPPERMINT KICKS: Muscle Beach
Make Something Happen! has been a dream project for me. I've been a Flashcubes fan since my first 'Cubes show in January of 1978, and it is such a kick--a peppermint kick!-- to hear so many other incredible pop performers give us their own masterful interpretations of songs written by members of the Flashcubes.
TIRnRR stalwarts the Peppermint Kicks serve up a case in point with their blood-pumpin' rendition of "Muscle Beach." Written by Paul Armstrong, "Muscle Beach" was a fan-favorite staple of Flashcubes live shows circa 1979, and you can hear evidence of its sheer in-person power on the '79 club set preserved on the Flashcubes On Fire live album.
Our peppermint kicksters--Sal Baglio of the Amplifier Heads and Dan Kopko of the Shang Hi Los--capture that original Cubic mojo to perfection, making the song their own while retaining a line of sight with teen me 'n' my bright-lights peers swilling beer and doing the Jumping Jack upstairs at the Firebarn at the end of the '70s, the end of the century.
I do not want to be nineteen again. I would not even consider trying to surf through all that tsuris anew. But "Muscle Beach?" That's where I wanna be. Well done, you Peppermint Kicks.
1.4.5.: Are You Ready?
Yes. Yes I am.
THE MOST: Take A Chance
In between the Flashcubes and 1.4.5., Paul Armstrong's first post-'Cubes group was the Most, fronted by Paul's then-girlfriend Dian Zain. In 1979, drummer Ducky Carlisle and guitarist Zenny Caucasian (of the fantastic Syracuse group the Ohms) joined forces with PA to record a single backing Dian Zain. That single, "Take A Chance"/"Do The Jumping Jack," was originally to be credited to Dian as a solo artist, amended to her new group the Most by the time of its release.
There were three distinct live versions of the Most, all fronted by Dian and Paul. Their first edition of the Most included bassist Tommy O'Riley, drummer Judd Williams, and guitarist Derek Knott. When Tommy, Judd, and Derek opted to move on, the Ohms themselves--Ducky, Zenny, and bassist Keith Korvair--completed an interim Most, performing an opening set as the Ohms and then joining Dian and PA as the Most. The final versions of the Most found Dian and Paul playing with Dave Anderson and drummer Dick Hummer; when Hummer split to become Machine + Hummer, Ducky returned to the drum kit for the last days of the Most. Then Dian left, and Paul, Dave, and Duck began groovin' as 1.4.5.
The Most recorded some cool demos, which remain unreleased. They contributed a track ("Rockerfeller") to a compilation called From The City That Brought You...Absolutely Nothing. Otherwise? The Most left us just this one 45. Dian, Paul, Zenny, and Ducky. "Take A Chance" opens with PA asking that musical question:
HEY! Ya goin' to the dance tonight?I
And Dian immediately provides the only acceptable answer:
Yeah! What else is there?
What else? Indeed. What else?
THE FLASHCUBES: A Face In The Crowd
The Flashcubes were such a vibrant and exciting live rock 'n' roll band. The 'Cubes only released a mere two singles during their original late '70s run, so I needed a bootleg cassette of a 1978 Flashcubes live show at SU's Jabberwocky to see me through until a whole lot of years later. A 1979 live show at The Firebarn was recorded on multitrack, and that recording was issued in 2022 as Flashcubes On Fire. You can read my liner notes for Flashcubes On Fire here.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Flashcubes On Fire is one of my all-time favorite live albums by anybody, perhaps only surpassed by the Ramones' It's Alive! As much as I revere the Ramones--the American Beatles, the greatest American rock 'n' roll band of all time--I have to admit there are days when Flashcubes On Fire actually is my unchallenged # 1. Captured adrenaline, a rush made real--ya can't go wrong either way.
"A Face In The Crowd" is a Paul Armstrong song included on Flashcubes On Fire. I don't believe there was ever any attempt to give the song a studio treatment. I've adored it for decades, taken by its tale of an anonymous young rock fan in the audience (a fan I'll refer to here as The Face, voiced in performance by Paul) and the capital-R Rock God he idolizes (whom we shall call The Star, the role sung in concert by Arty Lenin). I've heard that Paul himself didn't think much of the song, but I love it, and it is SO Paul Armstrong, steeped in love of the music and a burning desire to make that music.
I'm the Face baby, is that clear? I've been one of many faces in the crowd at so many shows. I wish I could participate in the act of making music. I cannot. I'm grateful that the Flashcubes experience lit sufficient fire under my tuchus to prompt me to write about music...and to just write in general. Whatever I've done, as a writer, DJ, blogger, pundit, and/or debonaire schlub-about-town, is because of the support of family and friends, and the combined influence of the Beatles, the Ramones, the Flashcubes, the Monkees, Batman, and Harlan Ellison. I don't ever get to become me without all of the above.
About fifteen years ago, a sudden fit of hubris compelled me to try creating an original bridge for "A Face In The Crowd," which ain't got no bridge. My little vanity exercise never had any real-world chance of being anything more than words on a screen...but it was mine.
"A FACE IN THE CROWD" bridge:
THE FACE AND THE STAR together: 500 million faces can't be wrong
BACKING VOCALS: (We can't be wrong)
THE FACE AND THE STAR together: When all of the faces sing along
THE STAR: But you want more
THE FACE: You think you know the score
THE STAR: Don't wanna pay your dues
THE FACE: I'm not born to lose
THE STAR: Oh you're just a face
THE FACE: You're gonna see my face
THE STAR: You wanna replace me
THE FACE: You won't erase me
THE FACE AND THE STAR together: And you can't even face me!
This face smiles. This face remembers. And this face is grateful now and forever.
The Flashcubes forever.
ENCORE!!!
THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING TOM KENNY: Got No Mind
Yeah, we played it twice. The final Flashcubes single, just in time for the last ever Flashcubes show. You can get the single here.
THE FLASHCUBES: Rawhide
Godspeed, Paul Armstrong. The next world must be louder already.
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My new book of short stories Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is out now, and you can get autographed copies of the new book, its six-chapter novelette digest A Band Called GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!, and my previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) directly from me. You can still get my previous 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.
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.
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
