Perfect Pop Radio

  
 


FAIR WARNING:  This may look like a blog post...well, actually it is a blog post.  But it's also an appeal for donations to SPARK SYRACUSE, the near-future FM radio home of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl.  Spark Syracuse will be the culmination of Syracuse Community Radio's decades of efforts to get a community radio station on the FM dial in Syracuse.  The FCC has approved the station, which will broadcast as WSPJ 93.5 and 103.3 FM.  The station is listener supported, and will need a big ol' passel o' tax-deductible donations to get on the air and stay there.  Say!  You look like a debonair patron of the arts!  You smell good, too!  Please consider a generous tithe to this worthy cause at http://sparksyracuse.org/support/.  While you're on the Spark web site, you can read all about the project that will bring This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio to terrestrial radios throughout the Syracuse area.  Tell 'em Dana & Carl sent you!

Honestly, I don't know when it started.  The feeling probably doesn't date back as far as it seems; it likely didn't really begin until I was a teenager in the '70s, and may not even have fully gelled until I was a freshman in college and fell hard for punk rock.  But it does seem like the feeling has always been there. And from the flashpoint at which it took hold, whenever that was, it has never left me:

I know what perfect pop radio should sound like.  I know.

I won't ask forgiveness for the sin of hubris.  You may well have your own competing vision of pop radio's ideal, and you may have equal confidence in that vision.  This blog ain't about you, wonderful (and attractive, and well-groomed) as you may be.  It's not even really about me, though; it's about my opinions, sure, with my ruminations on rock 'n' roll records, Plastic Man comic books, The Monkees, writing, growing up (whenever I do get around to growing up), and Suzi Quatro.  But the intent, whether realized or not, is to pursue an ideal, a vision, and to convey the value of that vision.

(Wait.  I guess all that means is I'm trying to convince you my opinions can beat up your opinions. Maybe it is all about me.  Doesn't mean the ongoing debate can't be fun.)

And that ideal is easy to imagine:  a radio format devoted to hit singles--or, rather, to tracks that sound like they should be hit singles, regardless of format or actual, y'know, popularity.  My preferred shorthand is "radio-ready," and it encompasses a variety of rockin' pop records from across decades, even occasionally (if infrequently) including records that predate the rock 'n' roll era (like, f'rexample, Amos Milburn's "Down The Road Apiece," which can sound pretty damned good within a six-song set of Ramones, Kinks, Prince, Chuck Berry, and KISS, or Wanda Jackson, The Sex Pistols, The Monkees, OutKast, and P.P. Arnold).  It's all pop music.

Our show, This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl, is described as a power pop format.  But, over the course of more than 800 shows, a quick scan of nearly any one of our playlists indicates that we clearly are not really a power pop show.  We just aren't, and we don't want to be.  Now, I love power pop--it's my favorite genre--but I have a very specific idea of what power pop is, and I don't think The Velvet Underground and Wilson Pickett and ABBA fall into that category.  But, used as a broader buzz-phrase, "power pop" does kinda fit whatever it is we're trying to do on TIRnRR, that pursuit of Perfect Pop Radio, which includes actual power pop from The Raspberries and The Flashcubes, plus irresistible nuggets from Paul Revere & the Raiders, Warren Zevon, Little Richard, The Archies, Tavares, Bowie, and a plethora of other artists, past and present, famous and obscure.

I think this is a commercial radio format. But I'm crazy, I guess.  The fine folks who run American radio certainly think this is a silly, silly notion.  That's why we do our show on the internet, and take pains not to sully the precious airwaves with our amateur, unprocessed notions.

But you know what?  I'm starting to think it's time we took the damned radio back.

Dana and I have been involved with local community radio projects in Syracuse since January of 1992.  We were founding members of Syracuse Community Radio, which used to broadcast on a piddling little almost-frequency in the tiny town of Fenner.  Hoping to reach an audience somewhat larger than a couple of cows in the farms of Fenner, SCR began a webcast, which eventually went off on its own to become Westcott Radio. But the dream has always been to get Westcott Radio programming on the terrestrial airwaves as well.  With the new WSPJ Spark Syracuse, that dream is now within reach.

We're gonna need some money for that.

Donations to Spark Syracuse are tax-deductible, and that's what will fund this mission to diversify the airwaves in Syracuse.  Listen:  there are a lot of good, talented, dedicated people working in commercial radio in Syracuse right now, and they're doing all they can within the framework they're allowed.  But there is only so much they can do.  Spark Syracuse wants to help, because building better radio helps everyone.  Different music, across genres, with TIRnRR's Perfect Pop Radio but one tile in a mosaic of sound.  Different viewpoints. A community radio station gives a voice to the unheard, and the ripple effect of viable alternative media can even help commercial entities broaden their own scope.  If that can happen in Syracuse, then it can happen anywhere. With your help, it can start by happening here.

I'll be posting more appeals for a piece of your hard-earned cash in due time, but here's your chance to beat the crowd.  It's the philanthropic equivalent of "I saw this band before they were famous."  Perfect pop radio depends on you.  Operators are standing by....

 

Carl Socks It To Shell-Head! (My Letter To IRON MAN)

 

Hey!  My Comix Zone haul last week included Invincible Iron Man # 11, the latest issue of one of the Armored Avenger's ongoing solo series.  It's also the first Marvel Comic to ever publish one of my letters of comment--I've arrived!  Yep, so much better than when Steve Martin's character greets the arrival of the new phone book in that cinematic milestone The Jerk.  I've had letters published in comics before (commencing over 40 years ago with a letter in an issue of Superman), but those were all published in DC Comics titles, so this is, like, my first crossover appearance.   Here 'tis (with editorial reply):


You wanna know what I like best about Invincible Iron Man?  I mean, sure, the writing and the artwork, the witty banter and the pretty pictures, the explosions, Mary Jane Watson, the drama, Mary Jane Watson, the humor, Mary Jane Watson, the main characters, and the guest stars (like Mary Jane Watson).  All good, and all a given, of course.

But the icing, for me, is the title of the letters column:  "Sock It To Shell-Head!" takes me back to summers spent in Missouri as a kid in the late '60s, going to Ramey's Grocery Store in Aurora to buy 12-cent comic books (and 25-cent giants), and thrilling to the adventures of my four-color friends.  The sense of camaraderie implied in Marvel Comics' letters columns (and in Stan Lee's Soapbox) was endlessly inviting and irresistible to this nine-year-old True Believer. 

Nowadays, with each reboot and revamp, I sometimes feel that the comics industry has little use for middle-aged fans.  But I'm still finding a ton of books that don't make me feel that way, and Invincible Iron Man is near the top of that list.  Listen:  I've been with Shell-Head since The Avengers faced Count Nefaria for the first time, and I don't mind at all that he sounds like Robert Downey, Jr.; he's still my Iron Man, so sock it to me.

Cheers,

Carl Cafarelli, R.F.O. (and then some!)

That's awesome to hear, Carl!  Honestly, as a fan whose parents were kids in the sixties, it's really cool for me to hear from fans like you who've been with the character for so long.  But even though I answer these letters, Tom  [editor Tom Brevoort] gets all the credit for the letters page title--he couldn't WAIT to bring it back.

And for those of you who have not yet socked it to Shell-Head, send us your letters!  No, but seriously, if we aren't constantly praised we melt into puddles of gelatin.  It is a legitimate health concern.

Come back next month for CIVIL WAR II!

--The Invincible Alanna Smith

Oh, and a word about the "R.F.O" I tagged on after my name in the above letter.  In the '60s, Marvel's Stan Lee's Soapbox column hawked an idea called The Hallowed Ranks Of Marveldom.  The ranks were inspired by a letter from fan Mark Evanier (and I've just enriched your life by giving you a link to Mark's blog, which is the best blog of any ever blogged), and the official Marvel version was this:

R.F.O. (Real Frantic One) – a buyer of at least three Marvel mags a month
T.T.B. (Titanic True Believer) – a divinely-inspired “No-Prize” winner
Q.N.S. (Quite ‘Nuff Sayer) – a fortunate Frantic One who’s had a letter printed
K.O.F. (Keeper Of The Flame) – one who recruits a newcomer to Marvel’s rollickin’ ranks
P.M.M. (Permanent Marvelite Maximus) – anyone possessing all four of the other titles
F.F.F. (Fearless Front Facer) – an honorary title bestowed for devotion to Marvel above and beyond the call of duty

So, yeah, I've been an R.F.O. (and then some!) for a good long while.  And now I can add Q.N.S. to my resume, too. Exclesior!  

'Nuff said.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 834

Dana, Tom Kenny, Carl. 

Listen, man:  we're still exhausted from all the rockin' and rollin' we did LAST week!  Between this little mutant radio show and our duties as the hosts of the amazing BRIGHT LIGHTS! The Syracuse New Wave Rock 'n' Roll Reunion live show last weekend, we've paid our dues!  And you still want MORE...?!

Okay.  Fair enough.  Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet?  You got it, boss.  We aims t'please!  Dana even threw in some raw live cuts from the BRIGHT LIGHTS! show itself, and we opened with the BRAND-NEW SINGLE from Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse, The Flashcubes!

Hey!  What about NEXT WEEK?  Well, let's have our Guest Programmer David Murray 'splain:

"I'll keep this short because I know your time is valuable; those 'cats eating ice cream' videos (https://youtu.be/ur0tiWJcbvE) aren't gonna watch themselves. It's time once again for my shot at living up to the gaudy rep of "the best three hours of radio on the whole friggin' planet." I am hosting the world-renowned This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana and Carl ( http://www.westcottradio.org/ ) from 9 to Midnight Eastern, Sunday, July 17th, my personal birthday.

But just not any personal birthday-I am turning....SIXTY! SIXTY, he said, repeating himself for emphasis. You could've gotten a JILLION to one odds against that happening when I was 8, or 18, or certainly 48. Cats may have nine lives, but I just might have doubled that.

But here I am, just blowing up the actuarial tables and making Blue Cross wish they had hired that hit man to take me out years ago. And I can't think of a better way to celebrate than by inflicting my musical tastes on you and others unfortunate enough to be on my email list.

So tune in and hear a heady mixture of rock and rock-like music, some of which you know, much of which you don't, and even some I myself don't know. 

Remember, you can't hear us on the radio-turn your internet dial to http://www.westcottradio.org/ every Sunday from 9-midnight, but especially next Sunday, July 17th. My personal 60th birthday."

We'll be there!  You should probably oughtta, too.  For now, this is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on a Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl streams live every Sunday night from 9 to Midnight Eastern, exclusively at www.westcottradio.org

TIRnRR # 834:  7/10/16

THE RAMONES:  Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (Rhino, End Of The Century)
--
THE FLASHCUBES:  Boogie City (Northside, single)
CHEAP TRICK:  Surrender (Epic, Heaven Tonight)
SUGAR:  If I Can't Change Your Mind (Rykodisc, Copper Blue)
MAURA & THE BRIGHT LIGHTS:  Syracuse Summer [live BRIGHT LIGHTS! rehearsal]
THE SPONGETONES:  Anna (Triapore, Where-Ever-Land)
RAY PAUL:  Pretty Flamingo (Permanent Press, Whimsicality)
--
THE MONKEES:  Birth Of An Accidental Hipster (Rhino, Good Times!)
DAVID BOWIE:  I'm Afraid Of Americans [V1 radio edit]  (Columbia, Nothing Has Changed)
BADFINGER:  We're For The Dark (Apple, No Dice)
THE DEAD DUCKS:  Ready, Steady, Go [live at BRIGHT LIGHTS!]
HOLLY GOLIGHTLY:  Time Will Tell (Damaged Goods, Truly She Is None Other)
THE UNDERTONES:  Jump Boys (Castle, The Undertones)
--
THE SMITHEREENS:  Sorry (Entertainment One, Smithereens 2011)
SWEET:  Action (Capitol, The Best Of Sweet)
JOAN JETT:  Doing Alright With The Boys (Blackheart, Bad Reputation)
MAURA & THE BRIGHT LIGHTS:  Chain Letter [live at BRIGHT LIGHTS!]
THE FLASHCUBES:  No Promise (Northside, Bright Lights)
THE BANGLES:  Want You (Omnivore, Ladies And Gentlemen...The Bangles!)
--
CHEAP TRICK:  No Direction Home ( Big Machine, Bang Zoom Crazy...Hello)
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS:  (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding (Rykodisc, Armed Forces)
THE GRASS ROOTS:  Midnight Confessions (Rhino, Anthology 1965-1975)
SCREEN TEST:  Sound Of The Radio [live at BRIGHT LIGHTS!]
ANNY CELSI:  Sank Without A Bubble (Ragazza, January)
LUCINDA WILLIAMS:  Real Love (Universal, Little Honey)
--
KISS:  Calling Dr. Love (Mercury, Rock And Roll Over)
THE YARDBIRDS:  Over Under Sideways Down (Rhino, Ultimate!)
THE SEX PISTOLS:  Pretty Vacant (Virgin, Kiss This)
TOM KENNY:  Whatcha Gonna Do About It [live at BRIGHT LIGHTS!]
THE TREND:  Band Aid (Hate, Batman Live At Budokan)
THE POPTARTS:  I Won't Let You Let Me Go (PlumTone, Fresh...Out Of The Toaster)
--
THE RICHARDS:  My Way Or The Highway (Northside, Over The Top)
THE ENGLISH BEAT:  Mirror In The Bathroom (IRS, What Is Beat?)
THE RICHARDS:  Five Personalities (Kool Kat Musik, VA:  This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 3)
THE DEAD DUCKS:  The Seeker [live at BRIGHT LIGHTS!]
1.4.5.:  Hippy Hippy Shake (Beautiful Sounds, Rhythm n' Booze)
THE PRETENDERS:  Stop Your Sobbing (Sire, The Singles)
--
THE MONKEES:  Love's What I Want (Rhino, Good Times! [Japanese release])
KRAFTWERK:  The Model (Kling Klang, The Man-Machine)
SQUEEZE:  Only 15 (Love, Cradle To The Grave)
RINGO STARR:  Photograph (Mercury, VH1 Storytellers)
THE SPINNERS:  I'll Be Around (Rhino, The Very Best Of The Spinners)
LAURA NYRO:  Luckie (Columbia, Eli And The Thirteenth Confession)
--
THE FLASHCUBES:  When We Close Our Eyes (Northside, Brilliant)
MATTHEW SWEET:  Girlfriend (Sony, Playlist)
BUDDY LOVE & THE TEARJERKERS:  I'm In Love With A Different Girl Every Day (unreleased)
BIG STAR:  Try Again (Ardent, # 1 Record/Radio City)
DRESS CODE:  Something's Really Wrong (Semaphore, Alone In The Crowd)
THE RICHARDS:  Surrender [live at BRIGHT LIGHTS!]
1.4.5.:  Your Own World (Beautiful Sounds, Rhythm n' Booze)
TOM KENNY:  Do Anything You Wanna Do [live at BRIGHT LIGHTS!]
THE CHANDELLES:  El Gato (Ace, VA:  The Birth Of Surf)

BRIGHT LIGHTS! Part 2

Continuing the story of BRIGHT LIGHTS! The Syracuse New Wave Rock 'n' Roll Reunion, which took place on Sunday, July 3rd, at Funk 'N Waffles in Syracuse.  Read the preamble here, all about the sweet anticipation here, and Part 1 of the show recap here.  Caught up now?  Then let's GO!!

The Trend:  Larry Roux, Ekendra Dasa, Paul Doherty, Josh Coy.  Photo by Diane Brooks

Perhaps our scene's first notable tragedy, The Trend have emerged as a defiant rock 'n' roll phoenix. The Trend were originally three teenaged pals, high on zinc tablets and The Ramones.  They gigged and recorded, released a 45, released an LP (the latter produced by Paul Armstrong of The Flashcubes), embraced the thrill of being a rock 'n' roll band, and lived.  The death of guitarist and lead singer J. Marc Patenaude in a 1985 car accident was a vicious punch in the gut to everyone. The surviving members had no interest in continuing as The Trend...nor even in continuing with music, really.  I don't believe drummer Paul Doherty even sat behind a kit again for nearly three decades. Paul, guitarist Larry Roux, and bassist Ekendra Dasa resisted any notion of reforming The Trend until the planning stages of our 2014 BRIGHT LIGHTS! show, when intrepid This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio co-host Dana Bonn hit Paul Doherty with the two-word question that's always been the starting point for everything cool that has ever happened:

"What if?"

What if.  What if The Trend could reunite for BRIGHT LIGHTS?  Paul responded:  What if Marc's teenaged niece were to sing in Marc's place, channeling the spirit of the uncle she never knew?  What if...well, screw the ifs--book the band, you're playin'.  Chloe, Paul, Larry, Ekendra, and guitarist Josh Coy ruled as The Trend, reborn at BRIGHT LIGHTS! (as evidenced on Bright Lights Live), and we were eager to have 'em back this year.  Chloe has opted out, leaving the bulk of lead vocal chores to Ekendra, and man, did he deliver!  The Trend were freaking lethal live, performing an incandescent set of punk, spunk, and pure, unbridled joy.  Zink Tabletz.  Peer Pressure.  Where Is Batman (Now That We Need Him). Covers of "California Sun" and "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight" (the latter with guest vocals from David Doherty, Paul's brother).  I wish this band were an ongoing outfit, because there ain't a combo across the globe that could ace 'em.  Icing on the electric cake was the surprise climactic appearance of Tom Kenny, himself a former member of The Trend, joining his old friends to shut things down with a rip-roarin' rendition of The Trend's lone single, "Band Aid."  I looked at the crowd.  Hell, I looked over at my wife and daughter.  Everyone was rockin' out, having the time of their lives.  I was, too.

(Although the project is still at a very early stage, Dana has begun work on a Trend documentary, which should be a very good thing indeed.  And consider this an open invitation for The Trend to appear again at the next BRIGHT LIGHTS! show.  And at every subsequent BRIGHT LIGHTS! show.)

The Flashcubes:  Arty Lenin, Gary Frenay, Paul Armstrong, Tommy Allen

I've spent most of my so-called adult life writing about The Flashcubes.  Man, these guys is good. The Flashcubes weren't quite the first punk or new wave group in Syracuse, but this Bright Lights scene traces its birth from September 1, 1977 onward, when the 'Cubes played their first-ever gig. Ground friggin' zero, my friends. I apologize once again for using the same superlatives and the same phrasing on an endless loop, but I'm afraid the lines are long since carved in stone:  Dave Frisina called them "Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse;" I just list my favorite bands:  The Beatles, The Ramones, and The Flashcubes!

Girl From Germany.  The 'Cubes opened their set with Arty Lenin's pulsatin' paean to an international lover, originally inspired by then-girlfriend Meegan Voss of The Poptarts. Although long a staple of The Flashcubes' live repertoire, and a fan fave since the '70s, it's not a song that gets a lot of attention beyond the Flashcubes Faithful (i.e., us).  In the perfect pop world of my imagination, this would be a staple of rockin' pop radio, played in regular rotation alongside Shoes, Prince, Chuck Berry, Joan Jett, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Sweet, Dusty Springfield, 20/20, The Drifters, and everything else that's ever been good.

You're Not The Police.  Man, take everything I just said about perfect pop radio, and apply it to the entire Flashcubes Cavalcade O' Gems. That would certainly include the cathartic frustration of "You're Not The Police," Gary Frenay's put-upon warning for a too-possessive paramour.

Muscle Beach.  Yow!  I don't know why I was surprised to hear Paul Armstrong's surf-punk Cubic classic in the set--it really ain't all that unusual for the 'Cubes to perform this at live shows--but it was a pleasant surprise, for sure.  If Dana and I are the faces of BRIGHT LIGHTS!, and Maura Kennedy is the event's personification, then Paul Armstrong is undeniably its spark.  The whole damned thing was his idea to begin with! And that's appropriate, since Paul deserves eternal credit as the individual most responsible for bringing punk and new wave music to the Syracuse scene in the first place.

Before we continue recapping The Flashcubes' set, let's pause for just a second.  We've mentioned the songwritin' front line--Arty, Gary, and Paul--but we'd be remiss if we didn't also point out that Tommy Allen is one of the greatest power pop drummers in the universe.  Yeah, that means Tommy's in the same league as Dennis Diken of The Smithereens, Kurt Reil of The Grip Weeds, Clem Burke, Brad Elvis, and a mere handful of others.  If The Who had a choice between hiring Tommy or a reincarnated Keith Moon, I'd say they should at least consider Tommy--much less wear 'n' tear on hotel rooms that way. At one point later in the evening, I was standing in the midst of a whole bunch of drummers--Paul Doherty, Cathy LaManna, Jim Spagnola of The Dead Ducks, Ed Steele was probably nearby, and Tommy certainly wasn't far--and I just rejoiced at the wealth of great drummers this scene has produced.  This beat goes on!

Boogie City.  The new Flashcubes single!  About damned time, too--we've been waiting for the 'Cubes to release their third single for over 37 years.  We tune because we care. On stage, Gary told us about the circumstances that prompted them to record new covers of two Chris Spedding songs (this and "Hey Miss Betty"):  The Flashcubes were playing a private party, in a garage, and whipped out old live fave "Boogie City" for the hell of it.  Betcha it sounded great!  Tommy must have thought so, because he immediately suggested that the 'Cubes should record it as a single.  Wait--it's that easy..?!  Hey, kids--let's put on a show!

Natalie.  When We Close Our Eyes.  Pathetic.  Three great songs from The Flashcubes' self-reviewing 2003 album Brilliant were next on the set list.  Because the whole night was becoming a blur of buzz and delight, I can't swear that they actually did these songs.  I know I was having a good time, but details are hazy!  Yeah, just like the old days....

No Promise.  Ah, but no doubt at all about this one!  My favorite power pop song, the greatest evocation of the Raspberries sound this (or any) side of Cleveland, and, y'know, not a bad little ditty. A couple of decades ago, when the only sonic souvenirs we had of The Flashcubes totaled two 45s and a handful of unreleased cassette tapes, "No Promise" was Exhibit A in my argument that The Flashcubes should be considered alongside The Raspberries, Romantics, Plimsouls, et al. as Power Pop Elite.  I think I convinced of few folks along the way.  This is the redemptive power of faith!

I Need Glue.  An early live staple, dating back to the days when the 'Cubes were considered a punk band, and it's still a frequent fixture of Flashcubes shows today. Coulda been a Dead Boys tune, but it's all Armstrong, all the way!  After the song, Gary remarked on stage that Paul liked to use false endings in his songs--both "Muscle Beach" and "I Need Glue" stop before starting again--presumably just to mess with people.  Blame it on the glue.

Cherry's World.  Believe it or not, The Flashcubes have never released a studio version of this Arty Lenin fave rave.  It's on the live album, Raw Powerpop--Live In Japan, and it's on Arty's solo album A Life Of Ease, but it's still waiting anxiously but patiently for full-on professional Cubic attention.

With that, The Flashcubes were done for the time being.  We all wanted more--I, for one, would be perfectly fine with a six-hour Flashcubes set--but Gary and Arty had already played in three of the first four sets, and all four Flashcubes still had a lot more musical duties remaining before the night was through.  No one could complain or claim they didn't give us every damned thing.  God save The Flashcubes!

The Dead Ducks:  Paul Stevenson, Dan Bonn, and Jim Spagnola.  Photo by Karen Munze

The Dead Ducks closed down Part One of BRIGHT LIGHTS!  Introducing the Ducks, I repeated a line I've been using a lot lately to describe them:  I've been fortunate enough to see a lot of great live acts--The Ramones, The Kinks, Regis Philbin--but I've never seen another act that just plain believed in rock 'n' roll like The Dead Ducks believe in rock 'n' roll.  It may seem a disservice to refer to 'em as a garage band, but I mean it as a sincere compliment; The Dead Ducks have always been a great garage band in the best of ways.  They play their hearts out.  They play well--people think of garage bands as lacking chops or proficiency, but the Ducks can throw down with any muthuh, or any other. They don't take themselves seriously, but they're deadly serious about what they do.  And what do they do?  They rock.  With authority! Originals.  Covers.  It's all Ducks to me.

There was a video kicking around somewhere, footage of The Dead Ducks live at Poor House North in the summer of 1980.  I was at that show, but unwanted complications (don't ask) forced me to arrive too late--TOO LATE, damn it!--to see the Ducks.  That would have been my last-ever opportunity to see The Dead Ducks just one more time during their original run, and I blew it.

And it sucked, because I loved the Ducks.  Guitarist Dan Bonn, bassist Paul Stevenson, and drummer Jim Spagnola clearly wanted to be The Who, The Kinks, and The Ramones, all at the same time, and they pretty much succeeded in that effort. At this year's BRIGHT LIGHTS!, Dana (Dan Bonn's cousin--we encourage nepotism) pointed out that the Ducks were the only band on the bill that didn't have any merchandise for sale.  Well, yeah, Tom Kenny didn't either, but...never mind. And that's a shame, because they did record a few cool demos, and it would be nice to have those available for the fans.

As it is, the mighty Ducks certainly didn't disappoint with their live set at BRIGHT LIGHTS!  A rock 'n' roll band that opens with "Ready, Steady, Go" by Generation X has nothing to prove, yet the Ducks went ahead and proved themselves--again!--anyway. It's what they do.  I regret the omission of my favorite Dead Ducks tune--the awesome, awesome "No Direction"--but still exulted in the defiantly grungy splendor of Ducks originals like "Summer In The Suburbs" and "Why Can't I Violate You?," plus a bonus cover of The Jam's "Life From A Window."  Belief is infectious. Infection is fun!

The Dead Ducks left the stage, applause ringing in their ears, guitars ringing like buzzing bells in all of our ears.  We were ahead of schedule--like, way, way ahead of schedule--so we announced an intermission, allowing folks a chance to catch their breath and catch up with old friends.  The "reunion" part of this event's title is literal; many, maybe most BRIGHT LIGHTS! attendees used to hang together all the time, but now rarely have the opportunity to see each other.  These are the happiest punk shows on Earth.  Lovely wife Brenda and I split a delectable Funk 'N Waffles dessert treat, my daughter Meghan had her chance to meet and chat with Tom Kenny, and Fab Five Paul Davie complimented me for including The Monkees' great new song "Birth Of An Accidental Hipster" in the evening's house music.  There was more time to schmooze and gladhand, in a night that was already a dizzying, blissful blur of greetings and salutations.

A long break in the middle of a rock 'n' roll show is deadly.  People get bored.  People leave.  But hardly anyone was gonna leave BRIGHT LIGHTS! now.  No freakin' way. There was too much more yet to come.

WHEN WE RETURN:  The Thrilling Conclusion Of BRIGHT LIGHTS!

Tonight on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

No clue!  Bet it'll be good, though--we're dangerous when we're cornered. Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, www.westcottradio.org

BRIGHT LIGHTS! Part 1

BRIGHT LIGHTS aftershow pic by Jeanne Chu (with my head Photoshopped in by Meghan Cafarelli)

"HEY!" I yelled, "YA GOIN' TO THE DANCE TONIGHT?"

July 3rd at Funk 'N Waffles.  We'd had our memories of this Syracuse music scene we loved.  We'd gone through the agony of anticipation.

A tentative reply from a few in the audience:  "Yeah, what else is there?"

On stage, I feigned disgust.  "Man, you guys are outta practice!  We'll try it just once more: HEY! YA GOIN' TO THE DANCE TONIGHT?"

And the audience responded:  "YEAH!  WHAT ELSE IS THERE?"

Satisfied that enough fans in attendance recognized the opening lines of late, lamented Syracuse rockers The Most's 1979 single "Take A Chance," Dana and I declared the 2016 edition of BRIGHT LIGHTS! The Syracuse New Wave Rock 'n' Roll Reunion to be on its way.  We thanked the good folks at Funk 'N Waffles, thanked all those in attendance, and tacitly acknowledged all those who were with us in our hearts.  We dedicated the night to the memory of Norm Mattice, and noted that BRIGHT LIGHTS! was brought to you by the benevolent spirits of The Jabberwocky, The Firebarn, The Insomniac, Squire's East, and Dave Glavin's garage.  And now that blessings had been delivered, BRIGHT LIGHTS! finally began with Maura & the Bright Lights.

As the co-hosts of these live shows, Dana and I like to think of ourselves as the faces of
BRIGHT LIGHTS!  But Maura Kennedy is the literal embodiment of BRIGHT LIGHTS!, its heart and its soul and its fashion sense.  There are a few others who just about match Maura's boundless enthusiasm for the event, but Maura is BRIGHT LIGHTS! in a way that no one else could be BRIGHT LIGHTS!  The best idea we've ever had, in any context, was to have Maura open these shows with the concept we called Maura & the Bright Lights:  Maura, her husband Pete Kennedy, Gary Frenay and Arty Lenin of The Flashcubes and Screen Test, and Cathy LaManna.  The concept calls for Maura & the Bright Lights to perform a set of songs by some of the Syracuse stalwarts we weren't able to get on the bill.

Maura & the Bright Lights:  Arty Lenin, Gary Frenay, Maura Kennedy, Cathy LaManna, Pete Kennedy

As noted, this year's BRIGHT LIGHTS! was dedicated to Norm Mattice; Norm had been a member of a great combo called Dress Code, and he later sang lead with 1.4.5. and The Richards.  He was a terrific talent, but his demons teamed up with flesh-and-blood demons to take him down; he wound up homeless and destitute, and his body was found in Onondaga Lake Park a few months back.  We planned a specific tribute to Norm for later in the night, but Maura--bless 'er!--also wanted to open the show with a salute to Norm.

So BRIGHT LIGHTS! opened with Maura & the Bright Lights covering "Something's Really Wrong," a beautiful song from Dress Code's 1981 EP Alone In The Crowd.  The original recording was a lovely ballad about not fitting in, not wanting to fit in, and trying to resist pressure to fit into a world that often makes no goddamned sense at all; it was written in the wake of John Lennon's murder, and the record included an audio collage of radio voices illustrating a country and planet gone mad.  Maura wanted to recast the song to be specifically about the plight of the homeless, and she asked Dana and I to recite a new script as part of the performance, in place of the original DJ patter.  We were honored to comply.

Such a somber opening number required an immediately uptempo follow-up, so Maura & the Bright Lights powered their irresistible way through selections by The Ohms, My Sin, and (yay!) Maura's own "Summer Coulda Lasted Forever," which was the first song Maura ever wrote, a looooong time ago.  The Bright Lights also added a great new song, "Maybe Someday," which Maura co-wrote with another Syracuse stalwart, B.D. Love (ex- of My Sin and Buddy Love & the Tearjerkers).  Maura and B.D.'s songwriting collaborations (which have already resulted in a fine CD called Villanelle: The Songs Of Maura Kennedy & B.D. Love) were inspired to begin with by Maura & the Bright Lights' set at the first BRIGHT LIGHTS! show in 2014, so Maura thought it fitting to debut this new song at this year's show (and rightly so!).  The recorded version of the song features Flashcubes drummer Tommy Allen, so Tommy joined the Bright Lights for the live performance.  (And I've just been informed that the recorded version also features harmonies from both B.D. Love and John Wicks of The Records, in addition to the fine work of  Maura, Pete, Gary, Arty, and Tommy--power pop summit meeting!)

As always, Maura & the Bright Lights closed their set with The Tearjerkers' "Syracuse Summer," Gary Frenay's gorgeous ode to the mercurial climate of Central New York, a brilliant evocation of everything you've ever loved about anything, from summer fun to summer love to summer music, wishing it could all last forever, and retaining faith that the magic will renew itself in due time.  And that word says it all: magic.  It is my fervent hope that Maura & the Bright Lights record at least one album...maybe someday!



Screen Test was next.  When I interviewed Gary for the liner notes of Screen Test's anthology Inspired Humans Making Noise, he recalled being told by high-falutin' record-biz know-nothings throughout the '80s that there was no market for three-piece pop combos. Nowadays, we refer to such esteemed pundits as "cretins."  Disregarding the ignorance of industry weasels, Screen Test--comprised of once and future Flashcubes Gary Frenay, Arty Lenin, and Tommy Allen--crafted an unforgettable series of nonpareil pop nuggets, each cryin' out for a sympathetic radio and a heart to steal.  Like The Flashcubes, a Screen Test set is never long enough, because the group simply has too much great material to choose from.

But ya can't argue with the result, even if it leaves you wanting more.  Gary's "Sound Of The Radio" is the best pop song ever written about radio, while Arty's "Nothing Really Matters When You're Young" is a heartbreaking--but toe-tapping--summary of teen alienation, a world-weary acknowledgement of why I hated high school, all wrapped up in the prettiest of pretty, pretty paper. And I wish The Monkees would cover Gary's "Make Something Happen," which has always been a monster pop hit, just waiting for the world to appreciate it.

(Screen Test also performed Gary's "Not Today," a vintage Screen Test song, but one they've dug out for a fresh new recording in the recent past.  It remains unreleased as of now, but I hope that status changes soon.  The world could always use more Screen Test music.)

Blogger's startin' to act weird, so we'd best stop here and continue with more BRIGHT LIGHTS! coming soon.  Rest up--it's gonna get loud.

BRIGHT LIGHTS! The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Photo by Karen Munze

By the end of the night, I was hoarse, exhausted, aching.  And it had all been worth it, every bit of it.  BRIGHT LIGHTS! had been a great success.

BRIGHT LIGHTS! The Syracuse New Wave Rock 'n' Roll Reunion took place on Sunday, July 3rd, at Funk 'N Waffles on South Clinton Street in downtown Syracuse. The location allowed me to quote Petula Clark over 'n' over again in pre-show hype: DOWNTOWN--Where All The Lights Are BRIGHT!  Dana and I were the on-stage hosts, presiding over live sets by Tom Kenny, The Flashcubes, Screen Test, The Trend, The Dead Ducks, Maura & the Bright Lights, and a tribute to the late Norm Mattice, performed by his former bandmates in The Richards (with special guest Ronnie Dark filling in for Norm on lead vocals).  It was emotional, it was exhilarating, and it was so much razzafrazzin' fun.

The BRIGHT LIGHTS! day began that afternoon, with a touching, heartfelt private memorial for Norm.  The memorial at Funk 'N Waffles adjourned at 2:00 pm, with many attendees moving on to Onondaga Lake Park for the dedication of a park bench inscribed in Norm's honor and memory.  I returned home to re-charge.  With doors set to open at 6 pm, and music set to commence blarin' at 7, Dana and I returned to Funk 'N Waffles around quarter past 5, ready to get ready.

People who spoke with me over the course of the days preceding BRIGHT LIGHTS! have told me I seemed worried about the show.  I did have two conflicting concerns prior to showtime: that we wouldn't sell enough tickets to adequately pay the bands, or that we'd be too successful for the venue, and have to turn fans away.  I'm happy to say now that neither concern was warranted.

But I never worried much about the show itself.  I mean that. Sure, most of the acts wouldn't have much, if any, time to practice, but I knew that was no issue at all.  These guys 'n' dolls are pros; they could do another show tonight, tomorrow, next week, next month, whatever, all on just enough advance notice to get 'em to the stage on time. Dana and I never rehearse banter anyway; our one scripted moment was gonna be short, and we'd have the script in front of us.  No worries there.

Still, folks saw me pacing around the venue, and presumed (understandably) that I was a nervous wreck.  But that wasn't it at all.  It was, in fact, exactly the same thing I'd done at the first BRIGHT LIGHTS! show in 2014:  after all the planning, all the nudzhing, all the coordinating, and all the hype, I was dyin' to just get on with it already.  Waiting is not what a Ramones fan does best.  With over an hour and a half to go until showtime, I wanted to just start now.

But there were still things to do before the show.  Maura and the Bright Lights had time for a quick run-through of "Syracuse Summer," the only rehearsal that band would get this year.  They nailed it, of course.  Maura joined Dana and I in a corner of the venue, where Dana was setting up a video camera, and had us recite our spoken part of the opening song, Dress Code's "Something's Really Wrong," while she strummed along, unplugged.  Perfunctory, but satisfactory.

I tried to say a quick hello to each of the performers on the bill.  The only ones I'd never met before were Steve and Ed Steele, local musicians whose resume includes work with the legendary Alice Cooper, and who would be re-joining The Richards for our little shindig.  I was too shy to introduce myself.  Yeah, yeah--I know....

I'd met Tom Kenny briefly on a couple of previous occasions.  But I had a much greater opportunity to speak with him this time, and he's just a blast to be around.  I told him that my daughter Meghan and her friend Nicole were looking forward to meeting him, and were hoping to get an autograph.  That was fine with Tom; he gets so much attention (rightly so) for his work as the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, and he seemed delighted to hear that Meghan's interest was specifically tied to his work on The PowerPuff Girls.  When the time came later for the girls to get their autographs, he sat in a booth with them, telling stories, even doing his PowerPuff Girls voices as The Narrator and The Mayor while signing Meghan's DVD.  Tom Kenny is one awesome guy.

Larry Roux of The Trend arrived with commemorative T-shirts.  I tried mine on over the Kinks T-shirt I was already wearing; I said it was snug covering the Kinks, but should be fine (and then I told Larry that it probably wasn't the first time he'd covered The Kinks).  I went backstage and upstairs to watch Tom Kenny's only rehearsal with The Trend.  It's a largely-forgotten fact in local rock 'n' roll history, but Tom Kenny was very briefly a part of The Trend originally, and he sang with that group at their very first gig.  Now, he would be singing one song with The Trend at our show, a surprise which I'd been sworn not to divulge beforehand.  Upstairs, Tom joined Larry and Ekendra Dasa, their respective guitar and bass guitar unplugged, for a run-through of The Trend's first single "Band Aid."  The Trend's drummer Paul Doherty looked on approvingly, and Flashcubes drummer Tommy Allen played along, just for the hell of it.  Back downstairs, Tom also went over cues for "Let's Have A Party," the Wanda Jackson classic that would be part of his headlining set with The Flashcubes.  This night was gonna be magic.

Inspired by a friend's Jam T-shirt, Tom Kenny called me over to note that he'd just realized that The Jam basically sounded like actor Michael Caine fronting a punk band.  "Think about it," Tom said, imitating Caine while singing, "This is the modern world!"  I said that would be full circle, since Caine starred in Batman Begins, and the first song I'd ever heard by The Jam was their cover of "The Batman Theme."  Tom talked about meeting Neal Nefti, the jazz great who'd written "The Batman Theme," and actually getting him together on a regular basis with legendary (and now departed) voice actor Gary Owens, which is kinda like Batman getting together with Space Ghost, only different.  I said, "Yeah, well, I once got a phone call from Joey Ramone!"  I think Tom could have easily outdone me, but he let me have my little victory.  (Good thing, too; the only rejoinder I woulda had left was "I own a hundred pairs of stretch socks!"  And no one's impressed by that.)

At 6:00, the doors opened, and fans started coming in.  The house music started--coincidentally, I swear--with "The Modern World" by The Jam.  I tried to get around to greet as many people as I could, welcoming them to BRIGHT LIGHTS!, thanking them, and pretty much guaranteeing 'em all a good time.  I was pretty confident in that vow.  And I had good reason to be.

The clock ticked 7.  The house music played Petula Clark.  Maura & the Bright Lights were on stage, and Dana and I joined them there.  It was time.  At long last, it was finally time.

TOMORROW:  BRIGHT LIGHTS!