I've been a music fan since I was a little, little kid. And I'm talkin' young, my friends--by the time the Beatles assumed control of pop culture in 1964, I was only four years old but already simply enthralled by the all-encompassing delight that melody offers. That has never changed, and it never will. Even if my sense of hearing fades to dust, the independent imaginary radio station that plays inside my head will continue to program the sounds that move me. Music is eternal.
This weekend brought fresh opportunities to renew our commitment to music's eternal allure, and to accent it on a local Syracuse level. On Saturday night, the Neverly Brothers Trio (Gary Frenay and Arty Lenin from the Flashcubes, propelled by powerhouse homegrrl drummer Cathy LaManna) executed a killer live set at Syracuse's legendary home for rock 'n' roll, The Lost Horizon. The Nevs were opening for Syracuse's favorite son Tom Kenny, who brought his own powerhouse combo Tom Kenny & the Hi-Seas to town. Homecoming!
It was a magic night, a reunion in a familiar setting. Tom joked that it was his first visit to the Lost in more than forty years, but that it still looks the same. And smells the same. Only more so. There could have been no better setting for the show, a gig made even more notable for the hundreds of dollars raised for a worthy local charity, sweeter for the buzz of young fans and veteran fans digging the same music side by side, and more transcendent as Gary and Arty joined Tom and his Hi-Seas for a performance of “Welcome To The Working Class,” the Frenay song that Kenny and company covered for Big Stir Records’ Flashcubes tribute album last year.
Magic? Better than magic. It’s music.
Sunday night on the radio, Dana and I were able to offer advance peeks at a trio of new as-yet-unreleased recordings by the Half/Cubes, featuring Gary Frenay and Flashcubes drummer Tommy Allen. Music’s magic continues, across time, across circumstance, and across the dents and bruises our battered souls have endured.
For decades, it's been my great fortune and great honor to bring some of that mental radio station's programming into open air, combining my inner soundtrack with Dana's inner soundtrack to create This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. The thrill of that continues unabated each and every Sunday night. I consider myself so lucky to have that outlet, that platform, that excuse--as if I needed an excuse--to proclaim, THIS! This right here! THIS...!!!
Of course, most of us have some kind of opportunity to share the music we love, with friends and family, and with people we don't know yet. My oft-repeated mantras remain in place: Dig what you dig. Passion is infectious. Enthusiasm is its own reward. And a love of music is worth sharing.
Listen. Enjoy. Share. Not just what we happen to like, but what you like. Music, man. Music is one of the greatest gifts any universe could ever grant us.
For our part from our POV: Join hands. Jump up. And play. 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.
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).
TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.
Carl's latest book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get Carl's 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.
The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:
TIRnRR # 1338: 5/24/2026
TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Songs we think we ain’t played before are listed in bold
THE HALF/CUBES: Starless Summer Sky (JEM, forthcoming)
TODD RUNDGREN: Happenings Ten Years Time Ago (Bearsville, Faithful)
RONNIE SPECTOR: Favorite Waste Of Time (Bad Girl Sounds, Something's Gonna Happen)
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THE NERVES: When You Find Out (Alive, One Way Ticket)
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THE AMPLIFIER HEADS: A Song Called Sha La La (single) THE SMALL FACES: Sha-La-La-La-Lee (Deram, The Anthology 1965-1967)
THE FLASHCUBES: Got No Mind (Northside, Flashcubes On Fire)
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: The Waiting (MCA, Anthology: Through The Years)
THE RUNAWAYS: Wait For Me (Hip-O Select, The Mercury Albums Anthology)
THE REPLACEMENTS: Can't Hardly Wait (Sire, For Sale: Live At Maxwell's 1986)
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THE HALF/CUBES: Get Down (JEM, forthcoming)
IKE AND TINA TURNER: Get Back (Music Brokers, VA: The Many Faces Of The Beatles [A Journey Through The Inner World Of The Beatles])
BANDA AL9: I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (Wicked Cool, single)
LEW LEWIS: Wait (Stiff, Save The Wail)
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LES HANDCLAPS: Je Pense Encore À Toi (Handclaps, Sessions: Brooklyn)
LES FLEUR DE LYS: Circles (Rhino, VA: Nuggets II [Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond 1964-1969])
THE FOUR TOPS: If I Were A Carpenter (Motown, 50th Anniversary--The Singles Collection 1964-1972)
EDISON LIGHTHOUSE: Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) (Varese Sarabande, VA: Bubblegum Classics 5: The Voice Of Tony Burrows)
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HAYLEY AND THE CRUSHERS: Jewel Case (single) BLONDIE: Union City Blue (Chrysalis, The Platinum Collection)
THE VOGUES: Five O'Clock World (Varese Sarabande, The Best Of The Vogues)
CARLENE CARTER: Love Is A 4-Letter Verb (Demon, Musical Shapes/Blue Nun)
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The Greatest Record Ever Made!
RIHANNA: Shut Up And Drive (Def Jam, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded)
THE STRAWBERRY ZOTS: And You Drive Your Pretty Car (BMG, Cars, Flowers, Telephones)
THE RAMONES: Go Lil Camaro Go (Sire, Halfway To Sanity)
ROSETTA STONE: Drive On (Wizzard In Vinyl, Retrospective Roller)
MARVIN GAYE: Hitch Hike (Motown, That Stubborn Kinda' Fellow)
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THE RAMONES: Surfin' Safari (Captain Oi!, Acid Eaters)
THE BUZZCOCKS: Love You More (IRS, Singles Going Study)
THE SPONGETONES: Words And Music (Black Vinyl, Oh Yeah!)
JERRY LEE LEWIS AND THE NASHVILLE TEENS: High School Confidential (Spectrum, "Live" At The Star-Club, Hamburg)
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THE HALF/CUBES: Ghost At Number One (JEM, forthcoming)
THE BROTHERS JOHNSON: Strawberry Letter 23 (Rhino, VA: Can You Dig It? The '70s Soul Experience)
THE BANDWAGON: People Got To Be Free (Kent Soul, Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache: The Best Of 1968-1975)
THE HALF/CUBES FEATURING GLENN BURTNICK: Bend Me, Shape Me (Jem, single)
THE BEATLES: Good Day Sunshine (Apple, Revolver)
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