10 SONGS: 10/10/2026

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 # 1356

DAVE COPE: Hit The Road

This week's extravaganza opened with "Hit The Road," a nice little slice of radio sunshine from Dave Cope's new album AM Silver. Dave is already familiar to our sovereign airwaves as the leader of Dave Cope and the Sass, whose "Julee" (from the album of the same name) is one of my favorite tracks of this decade in progress. The posted playlist commentary waxed rhapsodic about the pure magic of the era of AM Top 40 radio, and about Dave Cope's accomplishment in channeling that magic in the original songs he crafted for AM Silver. We're hittin' the road with it again on our next show. Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed. DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL! We're ready to move out.

RAY CHARLES: Hit The Road Jack

Couldn't resist.

GENE CHAMPAGNE: I'm Disconnected

We might be tempted to play Gene Champagne's new album Too Pop For Punk...Too Punk To Care just on the basis of our sudden urge to use its title on our business cards. But man, this would be worthy of a carpet-bombing programming approach even if the record were called Drek-O-Rama or Hotel California. "I'm Disconnected" is an in-yer-face glittery hookfest with intent to assail, exactly the sort of pugnacious pop music for which our little mutant radio gimmick was built. Connection achieved.

COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: Back Where You Belong

This irresistible track from Cocktail Slippers' fabulous current album Joyride has been one of my biggest and most delightful earworms of late, especially the part where the backing vocals proclaim WONDER-WONDER-WONDER WHY! Goosebumps, and I can't hear it enough. We'll all hear it again on our next show, and it seems very likely to score a well-deserved berth on our year-end countdown show.

Where it belongs!

THE CYNZ: Neighborhood Bully

During my recent guest appearance on The Spoon podcast, overhost Robbie Rist said he thinks it was TIRnRR that prompted him to buy music by the Cynz. See? We DO provide a public service! RADIO'S JOB IS TO SELL RECORDS!

Our latest Cynzation has been "Neighborhood Bully," their ass-kickin' contribution to Jem Records Celebrates Bob Dylan. While I'm holding on to an unlikely hope that Jem's annual series of songwriter celebrations will some day soon bring us a Jem Records Celebrates Michael Nesmith record, right now we're diggin' the Cynz as they police the hood. Bully for the Cynz.

CYNDI LAUPER: I Drove All Night

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE SCRUFFS: She Say Yea

The Scruffs' 1977 album Wanna' Meet The Scruffs? is a true power pop gem, perhaps underappreciated by the world at large but cherished to this day by faithful fans like us. My initial Scruffs go-to was the Robert Christgau-approved "Revenge," but I soon settled on "She Say Yea" as my designated Scruffermost of the Uppermost. I was bummed to discover (well after the fact) that the Scruffs had played a Syracuse gig with my hometown heroes the Flashcubes, an event which I missed because I was away at school. The cost of higher education, I guess.

(My only quibble with the track is that while the Scruffs clearly sing She say yeah!, the title misspells it as "yea," which my higher education compels me to pronounce--correctly--as She say YAY! This is not a negotiable point, Great, great song nonetheless. Everybody say YEA!)

THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING TOM KENNY: Got No Mind

In memory of Flashcubes guitarist Paul Armstrong, the surviving 'Cubes are releasing a new single and planning an epic memorial live show. Let's review my recent hype on behalf of each event:

Our friends at Big Stir Records are now accepting preorders for "Got No Mind," the new 45 by the Flashcubes featuring Tom Kenny. Offered as a memorial tribute to Flashcubes guitarist Paul Armstrong (the song's author), the track has already been a TIRnRR fixture, and it will remain so for the foreseeable. And to sanctify the release of this 7" slab o' cantankerous wonder, the mighty Big Stir is also offering original copies of two previous Flashcubes 45s--1979's "Wait Til Next Week"/"Radio" and 2016's two-fer of Chris Spedding covers, "Boogie City"/"Hey Miss Betty"--both individually and in bundles with the new one. Visit The Flashcubes page at Big Stir for details.

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, Boston's Drivin' Sisters (with Sal Baglio, Mike Gent, and Anthony Kaczynski), 1.4.5. Survivors, The Johnny Thunders Orchestra, The Wax Museum host Ronnie Dark, 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!

THE JIVE FIVE: What Time Is It?

From my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

"The Jive Five's 'What Time Is It?' (a song much later covered by Marshall Crenshaw) is one of the most heavenly-sounding records ever made.  And it sums up the sweet anticipation of the big date tonight with greater joy and eloquence than any other record I've ever heard.

"It occurs to me that I've never really been on a first date, at least not in the sense of the first dates we see in pop culture, in movies, on TV, and in radio-ready 45s. I've been on dates with girlfriends, and still go on dates with my wife, but in each case me and she were already together prior to date night. Hands had already been held. Lips had already met. Eyes had already gazed admiringly into pretty eyes that returned the favor. I did things backwards. I got the girl first, and a date would follow some time thereafter.

"Tick tock, listen to the clock
Tick tock, listen to the clock

"The giddy wellspring of hope and promise, the potential redemptive power of a love story about to write its introductory chapter, are essential components in our collective concept of the first date as a rite of passage. And it is the irresistible tableau of the Jive Five's dreamy, delicious celebration 'What Time Is It?...."

APE HANGERS: Miss You Girl

I swear to Joey Ramone, our friends at Rum Bar Records are just killin' it. We received Ape Hangers' a-pumpin' and a-jumpin' new single "Miss You Girl" just in time to tack it on to the end of this week's show, supplementing earlier-in-the-playlist spins of a Rum Bar essential by Brijitte West and the Greenowskis and the Rum Bar-associated Gene Champagne winner we praised a few paragraphs north of here. Raisin' the Rum Bar! Ape Hangers return to TIRnRR on our next show, alongside another simply invigmoratin' new Rum Bar boppin' imperative by Tony Marsico and the Ugly Thingz.

RUM BAR! You keep makin' 'em, we'll keep breakin' our speakers with 'em. Hardware is expendable. Rock 'n' roll is immortal.

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.  

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

10 SONGS: 4/11/2026

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 # 1331

THE PEPPERMINT KICKS: Shaking Underground

At the top of this week's show, I said that any rockin' pop radio show that has an opportunity to open its latest presentation with a brand-new single from the Peppermint Kicks had damned well oughta open its presentation with that brand-new single from the Peppermint Kicks. The group's minty-fresh treat "Shaking Underground" shakes its shakables underground, overground, all around, and pounding around again. We're repeating it this Sunday. Shake with us!

SECTOR FRONTIER: Love Goes Out The Window

Although a contemporary track (released digitally in 2025, and on CD from our friends at Kool Kat Musik in 2026), Sector Frontier's "Love Goes Out The Window" could easily pass for a British new wave pop song from the early '80s. And if it had in fact been a work from 45 years ago, it would have been a fave rave for me, then and now.

In reality, Sector Frontier is the brainchild of Philadelphia popmeister Dave Cope, who is most familiar to TIRnRR under the dba Dave Cope and the Sass. Let's review the delightful fabricated biography of this delightfully fabricated "band:"

Sector Frontier: The Forgotten Vanguard of Post-Punk Britain

Origins in the Blitz of Boredom

Sector Frontier emerged from the smoke-choked pubs and council-estate squats of West London in 1978. The city was in pieces: strikes, bin bags piled like barricades, kids in safety pins fighting skinheads in Carnaby Street, and Margaret Thatcher’s looming iron fist promising “discipline.” Amid that chaos, Mick Murray—a sharp-jawed singer/guitarist with a sneer as wide as the Thames—decided to form a band “that sounded like the Jam after a fistfight with Devo.”

Mick recruited Ewan Swann, a lanky art-school dropout obsessed with German synths and cheap pedals. He played guitar like a buzzsaw but could just as easily hammer out a dystopian arpeggio that sounded like a factory collapsing. The rhythm section came from the Tupney brothers: Cliff on bass, perpetually sullen, and Wedge, a drummer who pounded with the subtlety of a demolition crew. They rehearsed in a condemned warehouse in Acton that smelled of damp carpets, spilled cider, and Marmite sandwiches gone rancid.

Songs from a Broken England

I approve of these lies, and I wish I'd fabricated 'em myself. Best I can do is play this sweet stuff on the radio. Open up your window! Pop love goes out to Sector Frontier.

SGT. SPLENDOR: Play On

MEN WITHOUT HATS: Eloise & I

Two disparate spins, each suggested by friends who have essential can't-miss podcasts. First up, Sgt. Splendor is fronted by Kate Vargas and Eric McFadden, and I confess I had not heard of them prior to their recent guest appearance on Only Three Lads, the weekly podcast hosted by Brett Vargo and Uncle Gregg. The Sgt. Splendor samples aired by O3L got my attention, and I made a point of snagging "Play On" (from their most recent album Isotopia) and wedging it into our playlist at the first available opportunity.

I never miss an episode of O3L, and I never miss an episode of The Spoon, the superswell podcast hosted by our friends  Robbie Rist, Chris Jackson, and Thom Bowers. Writer Will Harris (another friend, and host of his own fab podcast Letting Them Talk) appeared with The Men Of The Spoon for The Spoon # 611 ("All The Chicks Dig Writers [The Will Harris Story]"), and Will's pick for that episode's Greatest Song You've Never Heard feature was "Eloise & I," a track from the 1989 Men Without Hats album The Adventures Of Women & Men Without Hate In The 21st Century.

(Heh. "Women & Men Without Hate In The 21st Century." As if!)

Anyway, as I wrote in yesterday's blog post about "The Safety Dance," "Eloise & I" "...reminded me of a cross between circa-1966 Paul McCartney and a less-annoying version of Styx. Harris mentioned that Men Without Hats were still active, and in fact had released a new album called On The Moon in 2025." I love the Beatles and kinda detest Styx (except when I don't), but "Eloise & I" was sufficiently beguiling to compel my purchase and programming of the track as soon as I could. This same Spoon-fed sequence of events also prompted "The Safety Dance" to occupy this week's Greatest Record Ever Made! spot (see below).

With that, the TIRnRR playlist benefits from the addition of Sgt. Splendor and Men Without Hats tracks suggested by friends on their own podcasts. In the words of Alex Chilton: Thank you, friends.

THE SHIRTS: Tell Me Your Plans

Possibly my favorite archival release so far the year, the Shirts' Live At Paradise 1979 showcases the band's live prowess and undeniable rockin' pop panache. I can't explain how or why I missed out on discovering the Shirts' music when I was a punk- and pop-obsessed college student in the late '70s, but I've been trying to make up for lost time. I bought a CD reissue of the group's 1978 eponymous debut album a few decades ago. I recently purchased digital copies of the Shirts' otherwise-OOP second and third albums, and we've been programming live Shirts with manic devotion.

This week marks our first spin of the Live At Paradise rendition of debut album gem "Tell Me Your Plans." It's probably my top Shirts song (perhaps in a virtual tie with "Reduced To A Whisper," also from the debut), and we'll play this live cut again on our next show. We'll also throw in a studio track from their second album Street Light Shine, and a track by Rome 56, which is Shirts guitarist Artie LaMonica's current combo. 

MEN WITHOUT HATS: The Safety Dance [extended dance version]

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE RAMONES: Needles & Pins

When I was a college freshman in the spring of 1978, the Ramones were already on their way to becoming one of my all-time favorite groups. A few months before, "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" assumed the title of the record that changed my life, the "Rockaway Beach" 45 was my 18th birthday gift to myself, and I saw the Ramones share a bill with the Runaways and the Flashcubes, my first of eight Ramones live experiences, 1978-1991. The American Beatles. The greatest American rock 'n' roll band of all time. I wrote a book about them.

Either before or after my first Ramones concert, I picked up the then-recent "Do You Wanna Dance"/"Babysitter" 45, immediately presumed it was gonna be a double-sided mega-platinum kazillion seller, and was stunned--STUNNED!--when it didn't attain AM Top 40 radio ubiquity. Stupid real world.

Nonetheless, in the giddy enthusiasm of the moment, I wrote a review of the single as a freelance submission to CREEM magazine, and CREEM could not have been less interested in  buying anything I wrote. Stupid, stupid real world! In the review, I wrote about the pure pop appeal of "Babysitter," and summed that up by declaring, "My GAWD, the Searchers live on!"

I meant it as a compliment, and the Ramones' decision to include their cover of the Searchers' 1964 hit "Needles & Pins" on the next Ramones LP (Road To Ruin, also in '78) validated my POV. 

THE CYNZ: Impossible Ending

The Cynz have already secured a berth on our year-end 2026 countdown show, as our carpet-bombing approach to programming "Love's So Lovely" (from the Cynz album Confess) has established the track as a bona fide TIRnRR hit. We play the hits! Now, we also wanna include a few other worthy Confessions, as "Impossible Ending" makes its debut here this week, and yet another treat from Confess will light up our sky this Sunday.

RIHANNA: Shut Up And Drive

Maybe it doesn't seem likely for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio--a show with a nominal power pop format, and taking its title from a line in a Ramones song--but Rihanna's "Shut Up And Drive" also has a good chance of making our 2026 countdown show. From a future GREM! chapter, drawn from two previous editions of 10 Songs:

Rihanna's "Shut Up And Drive" is a stupid song about sex. But it's a great stupid song about sex, probably the best-ever stupid song about sex, and a legit contender for my all-time Hot 200. Yeah, even among songs that may or may not be stupid and may or may not be about sex.

I remember hearing Rihanna's hit "Umbrella" in 2007, and not being especially taken with it. In 2008, the updated version of her Good Girl Gone Bad (Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded) landed into my consciousness via my then-teen daughter, whose interest in "Take A Bow" and "Disturbia" brought those songs to my attention as well. I was a little surprised to discover I liked them (especially "Disturbia"), but I did indeed like them.

I missed out on the track "Shut Up And Drive." I'd heard it, but I never noticed it until a random search for playlist ideas brought me to it again. It was like a brand new song to me, and I loved it.

(How did I know I loved it? The fact that I played it on obsessive repeat would be a pretty clear clue to that.)

Wikipedia describes "Shut Up And Drive" as a new wave song--no, really!--based on "Blue Monday" by New Order. No offense to the mopey British guys, but I prefer it the way Rihanna did it.

"Shut Up And Drive" strikes me as a sort-of equivalent to "Heavy Music" by Bob Seger and the Last Heard, a track I initially dismissed as a stupid song about sex before realizing it was--you guessed it!--a great stupid song about sex. 

Rihanna's song is greater. Drive, baby. Drive.

DAVE COPE AND THE SASS: Julee

As this week's show debuts Dave Cope's Sector Frontier, we close with an encore spin of the Dave Cope and the Sass record that sparked our obsession in the first place. From a previous 10 Songs:

Don't ever let anyone get away with trying to tell you there's no worthy new music. That's nonsense. Maybe the good new stuff doesn't reach your ears as effortlessly as it did when you were younger. But it's out there, and it's worth the effort to find it. Every week on TIRnRR, Dana and I try to do our part to mix the great new stuff with the great familiar stuff. Right now is always the best-ever time to be a fan of rockin' pop music.

"Julee," the title tune from a 2022 Kool Kat Musik release by Dave Cope and the Sass, is my favorite new track of this year so far. That's saying something, because as crappy as the year has been in general terms, there's been a rush of fabulous new music, courtesy of Kool Kat, Big Stir, Red On Red, Jem, Rum Bar, and so many others. In my head, "Julee" conjures a million different influences I can't quite isolate or identify; I hear some kind of mid/late '60s British vibe, which may be imaginary, but I don't care. Can't play this one enough.

Restraint is for suckers. Embrace the enthusiasm awready.

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.

10 SONGS: 3/7/2025

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 # 1275

STAR COLLECTOR: I Feel You

DAVE COPE AND THE SASS: Starlight

THRIFT STORE HALO: Do You Still Feel Like I Do?

Superb music for a worthy cause. Our friends at Kool Kat Musik have assembled Pop Aid 2, an irresistible various-artists compilation to benefit American Red Cross relief efforts for those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. We are delighted to support this project, and I've ordered my own physical copy. This week we start our on-air support of Pop Aid 2 with selections by Star Collector, Dave Cope and the Sass, and Thrift Store Halo. We'll hear another track from Pop Aid 2 on our next show.

ROBERTA FLACK: Killing Me Softly With His Song

When news broke that Roberta Flack had died, my wife wondered whether or not Dana and I would consider any of Flack's work sufficiently within this little mutant radio show's hypothetical format. No worries; I've always loved "Killing Me Softly With His Song," and I gave it a chapter in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

"...Roberta Flack's 1973 hit "Killing Me Softly With His Song" presents a haunting mix of smooth 'n' silky delivery with an exposed vulnerability bordering on the outer suburbs of paranoia. It was an unforgettable component of my prime AM radio-listening era...."

And I say it fits in perfectly with whatever the hell it is that we do here. Rest in peace, Ms. Flack. 

THE CYNZ: Heartbreak Time

New music from the Cynz?. Yes, please. From their forthcoming album, "Heartbreak Time" joins previous TIRnRR Fave Rave "Woman Child" as an effective shill for the next Cynz long-player. "Heartbreak Time" crushes its TIRnRR debut this week, and it spins again on the radio in Syracuse this coming Sunday night.

(I don't think the Cynzs have made a public announcement of the title for their new album. I say it should be Forgive Us Father, We Have CYNZ!! Rock 'n' roll absolution awaits.)

THE HALF/CUBES: The Girl

HARMONIC DIRT: Tumbleweeds

MODAFFERI: Raw Foundation

The SAMMYs (Syracuse Area Music Awards) are tonight, and each of the above albums has been nominated for an award. The Half/Cubes' Pop Treasures is up for recognition in the Best Rock category, Harmonic Dirt's Tumbleweeds is in Best Americana, and Modafferi's The Production is in Best Alternative. All great choices, well worthy of acclaim. The Half/Cubes' remake of the Rubinoos' pop treasure "The Girl" has the added oomph of studio assistance from members of the 'Rubes themselves.

And we've been playing all of these on TIRnRR. Dana and I grew up hearing Syracuse music on the radio, AM and FM, seeing local bands in clubs, buying their 45s, cassettes, LPs, and CDs at area record stores. Syracuse is a great place to be a fan of music. Best of luck to the Half/Cubes, Harmonic Dirt, and Modafferi, and we hope to see to a bunch of Syracuse music fans at the SAMMYs tonight.

(Dana and I will be among the celebrity presenters at this year's SAMMYs, proving once again that Syracuse has a very loose definition of "celebrity." The SAMMYs take place at The Palace Theatre on James Street, with doors opening at 6 pm and show commencing at 7 pm. If you can't be there in person, you can see the free livestream at the SAMMYS Facebook page.)

THE GO-GO'S: We Got The Beat

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

BADFINGER: Keep Believing

This week's show was already fully programmed and recorded before we learned of the passing of Badfinger's Joey Molland. It will surprise no one that we happened to have a Badfinger track on this playlist anyway. 

"Keep Believing" comes to us from the recent release of Badfinger's previously-unreleased 1974 album Head First. Like most of Badfinger's best-known songs ("No Matter What," "Baby Blue," and "Day After Day"), "Keep Believing" was written by Pete Ham. Molland was no longer in the band by this time. We'll put a specific spotlight on Molland's work on our next show, and we'll also salute the late, great New York Dolls frontdoll David Johansen. 

It pains us to have to bid farewell to so many of our heroes so goddamned often. Nevertheless: We keep believing.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

10 SONGS: 4/13/2024

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 # 1228. This show is available as a podcast.

DAVE COPE AND THE SASS: One Hell Of A Ride

The music of Dave Cope and the Sass annexed its rightful share of TIRnRR airplay with the group's 2022 album Julee. I was (and remain!) fully in thrall of Julee's title track in particular, an irresistible rockin' pop nugget that earns the technical description razzafrazzin' FANTASTIC!! 

Restraint is for suckers. Embrace the enthusiasm awready.

And NOW! Dave Cope and the Sass return with another fine new release on the mighty Kool Kat Musik label. New album Hidden From The World serves up the prerequisite MORE! that TIRnRR craves. This week's show opens with "One Hell Of A Ride," and we'll hear another Hidden From The World track on this coming Sunday night. Razzafrazzin' fantastic. And one hell of a ride.

MONOGROOVE: I Think Of You

Essential pop act Monogroove includes the talents of the one 'n' only Rin Lennon. Rin should be familiar to the TIRnRR faithful from her work in the '80s as a member of the way-fab combo On The Air. From a previous post:

"On The Air were Rin Lennon (alias Karin), Jennifer Dorfman, and Jamie Garcia, with some other personnel in place of Jamie on some of their previous recordings. I first heard the group via their track 'Even Try,' which appeared on Rhino's (then-) contemporary girl group compilation The Girls Can't Help It in 1984. My pal Andrea Ogarrio put another On The Air gem on a divine mix tape she slapped together for me decades ago, and I snapped up the EP itself when I discovered it in a used record shop in Melbourne, Florida in 1994. SCORE!!

"I think the On The Air EP track Andrea mixed into her cassette creation was a wonderful li'l number called 'You've Got What I Want.' My favorite on the record is "This Can't Be Real," written by 20/20's Mike Gallo, a pop gem that remains a fixture on my iPod. Can't play vinyl in the car, man. 'Even Try' isn't on the EP, and a quick scan of Discogs suggests there were a handful of other On The Air tracks released on a previous single. Enough for an On The Air CD compilation? I say so!"

Well! While there ain't no On The Air CD collection as of now, Bandcamp does have an expanded version of On The Air available to purchase as a download. HuzZAH! Bandcamp is also where you can find Monogroove's current album The Flip Side, as well as some previous Monogroove works. We live in a world of plenty!

And we're plenty interested in playing Monogroove on the radio. We'll start with "I Think Of You," a sprightly pop ditty from The Flip Side, and we'll renew our pursuit of plenty this Sunday, with a Flip Side cover of a '60s classic. Monogroove is on the air.

MIKE BROWNING: Just One Day

They say Buddy Holly lives. Mike Browning has proof.

DEAN LANDEW: Job

Dean Landew's 2018 gem "After Work" very quickly accrued lots of acclaim and airplay on this little mutant radio show, and I consider it one of the many defining tracks of whatever the hell it is we do here. Dean's new single "Job" is very nearly the equal of "After Work," and that's high praise from me. "Job" leans forward in the way rockin' pop oughta, implying a seething inner pissed-offedness while barrelin' head like there's no such thing as a care in the whole freakin' world. Catharsis is best when it's catchy.

BIG MAMA THORNTON: Hound Dog

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

WONDERBOY: Arms Of Regret

STILL not Wonderboy's Robbie Rist

In last week's exciting edition of 10 Songs, we mentioned that three tracks--Elena Rogers' "I Feel Alive," Leather Catsuit's "Can't Get You Off My Mind," and Paul Collins' "I'm The Only One For You"--had already punched their virtual tickets for spots somewhere on TIRnRR's 2024 year-end countdown show. Quick work there, people! We gave all of these one more spin this week, and now each will be taking a little well-earned time off. Instead, we'll hear new singles from Paul and Elena this Sunday, and I betcha Leather Catsuit will also return to the ol' playlist afore very long.

We also mentioned that Wonderboy's epic ode to infatuation "Girl Songs" was THISCLOSE!! to likewise locking up a berth on the countdown. Like, probably already there, and definitely at least a probability if not quite a dead-to-rights certainty.

If we stopped playing it right now.

The season doesn't end today. We're not even half-way through, and regardless of whether or not "Girl Songs" has already guaranteed itself a place on the countdown, c'mon--WE'RE GONNA BE PLAYING IT AGAIN! Probably more than once, and I tell ya, its already-recorded appearance on our very next TIRnRR pretty much seals the deal anyway.

But we did give "Girl Songs" this week off. Instead, we widened TIRnRR's dim widdle spotlight to include another track from Wonderboy's Hero Isle album: "Arms Of Regret."

We regret nothing. As a line from one of my three current secret projects says, "this would be a cautionary tale if its central figure were, y'know...repentant."

Regrets? We have a few. Playing Wonderboy isn't one of them.

THE FLASHCUBES: Gudbuy T' Jane

From the album Pop Masters--my favorite record of 2023--we've played the Flashcubes' cover of Slade's "Gudbuy T' Jane" on several occasions. Prior to this week, its most recent spin was on our March 18th show, which was recorded and aired after Pop Masters won the SAMMY (Syracuse Area Music Awards) for Best Rock Album. "Gudbuy T' Jane" was what played as Flashcubes Paul Armstrong and Gary Frenay strode to the stage to accept the award on behalf of fellow 'Cubes Tommy Allen and Arty Lenin). 

I wanted to acknowledge the moment and the great track that accompanied it, and I did so on the show itself. But that was also the week we paid tribute to the late Eric Carmen, so that week's associated 10 Songs column was devoted entirely to Carmen's legacy.

It's never too late to congratulate. Congratulations as well to our friends Perilous, whose album YEAH!!! was nominated in the same category. We'll hear a track apiece from Pop Masters and YEAH!!! on Sunday night.

RIDEL HIGH: Self Destructive [demo]

Our introductory spin of Ridel High's demo version of "Self Destructive" (from the Big Stir Records/SpyderPop Records book 'n' vinyl LP compilation package Generation Blue) marks the fourth week in a row that a track from Generation Blue has appeared on our playlist. Let's go for FIVE in a row. Hey, teen sensations Ridel High! Stay after school. We're gonna need you here again on Sunday.

THE CYNZ: Just A Boy

We've been all-in on behalf of Little Miss Lost, the current album by TIRnRR Fave Raves the Cynz. Without checking stats, I think "Just A Boy" is the fourth different track we've played off this album, and that's not counting the singles we programmed before they appeared on the album ("Narrow Hips" and a cover of Holly and the Italians' "Tell That Girl To Shut Up"). All in.

"Just A Boy" may be the best of the lot. It gets another spin this Sunday. With apologies to the Shangri-Las: When we say we're all in you best believe we're all in, I-N-Z!

THE B-52'S: There's A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon)

What else can you play the night before a total solar eclipse? After spins of the Rolling Stones' "Paint It, Black" and the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows," we greeted the darkness of midnight with the B-52's and  "There's A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon.)"

It was overcast on Monday. I decided to leave work for a bit and head back home so my wife and I could try to watch whatever Totality we could spy, and spy it together.

At the moment of totality, the clouds thinned. Just enough. The air darkened. The street lights came on. And Brenda and I could see the moon completely block the sun. It was a magic moment, and we were able to experience it at each other's side.

As I write these words, I'm dealing with a professional setback. It's depressing and sobering. I'll fight my way back to the light. Maybe not today, but soon. 

In the mean time, I can reflect on the cosmic beauty of that moment on Monday, when Brenda and I looked to the heavens and witnessed something spectacular, something we will never see again in this life.

It's worth remembering. It's worth celebrating. It's worth appreciating within the disappointments and failures. The sun comes out again. There will be chances to shine.

If we can.

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Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl