The Flashcubes Biography
The Flashcubes may be the great lost power pop group of
the 1970s. Formed in 1977 in the sleepy little city of Syracuse, NY, the
Flashcubes combined their love for the timeless British Invasion rock
'n' roll of the Beatles, the Kinks, the Hollies and the Who with the
high-energy sounds of the punk rockers just starting to make a big noise
around that same time. Throw in a healthy reverence for classic power
pop acts like Big Star and the Raspberries--and a healthy irreverence
for everything else--and you've got a fair picture of what made the
Flashcubes shine so brightly.
The Flashcubes are guitarists Paul Armstrong and
Arty Lenin, bassist
Gary Frenay and drummer
Tommy Allen. During their initial life span of 1977-1980, the Flashcubes
released only two singles, "Christi Girl" and "Wait Til Next Week," on
their own Northside Records label. They always seemed on the brink of
bigger things--everyone who knew them just presumed the Flashcubes would
become stars - but the big things never materialized. Paul was replaced
by Mick Walker in '79, and the 'Cubes were history by 1980.
The individual Flashcubes each pursued their own separate visions. Tommy
moved to L.A., where he became involved in artist management and
production; he worked with the Sighs on their great power pop debut
album. Paul started his own band, the Richards, and moved to Boston; the
Richards released a great CD, Over The Top, in 1995. Arty played with
power pop icon Paul Collins, appearing on the Paul Collins Band's 1993
From Town To Town CD and later producing his own solo CD, A Life Of Ease
in 2000. Gary became a solo acoustic act, with two SAMMY (Syracuse Area
Music) Awards for best songwriter and two acclaimed CD's,
Armory Square and
Jigsaw People,
distributed nationally by Tangible Music, and a Frenay & Lenin CD,
Live At Pastabilities in
1999.
And all good things come to those who wait. In 1993, Paul, Arty, Gary
and Tommy reunited to record four new tracks. One of those tracks, "It's
You Tonight," appeared on the first volume of Yellow Pills, Big Deal
Record's justly acclaimed series of power pop compilation CD's. Rhino
also dug up "Christi Girl" for inclusion on Come Out And Play, a
collection of 70's vintage power pop in the label's D.I.Y. series. The
'Cubes also recorded tracks for The Beat Or Not The Beat, a Paul Collins
tribute disc recently issued in Australia, and for a Raspberries tribute
disc, Preserved.
The Flashcubes' next project,
Bright Lights, was the long-awaited first
album from the greatest power pop group you'd never heard. Bright Lights
offered all of the best of the Flashcubes, then and now. Fans of pure
pop delighted in the Raspberries groove of "No Promise," unrepentant
punks shook their fists to the angry clatter of "Got No Mind," while
anyone who remembers ever being a teenager in love swooned along to
"Christi Girl." And that was just for starters, as the old stuff had
been remixed for maximum punch, and the new stuff simply proved that a
great band was always a great band. Then and now, the Flashcubes are a
great band.
The renewal of their recording career coincides with a renewed
commitment to live performances. The past few years have brought
appearances in Syracuse, Boston, New Jersey, New York City, Rochester
and Los Angeles (where they were one of the featured acts at the
International Pop Overthrow, a pop festival of over 100 bands from
around the world).
In 2002, the band is celebrating their 25th anniversary with a tour of
Japan (that yielded a live CD,
Raw Power Pop)
and with the release of an all-new CD,
Brilliant (Dec
2002).
Reviews -
Bill Holmes, Pop Culture
Press , March 2003
Brilliant captures their intensity and smart pop chops. They're
at the top of their game.
Mark Bialczak, Syracuse
Post Standard, January 2003
Brilliant proves that Arty Lenin, Gary Frenay, Paul Armstrong
and Tommy Allen got older AND better!
Album Description
Just imagine: a dynamic rock 'n' roll band, combining the most
captivating elements of the mid-'60s British Invasion and
late-'70s new wave, occupying a really cool DMZ between The Who,
The Hollies, The Romantics and The Ramones, playing live shows
that convince you that you've witnessed the most exciting rock &
roll on the planet, and making records that fully capture the
giddy thrill of those live shows.
Now imagine that all started
25 years ago, and you never even heard of the band responsible.
Until now.
That band is The
Flashcubes--the great lost power pop group of the '70s. And now,
they’re back, with a brand new studio album with a
self-descriptive title: Brilliant.
The Flashcubes originally
formed in Syracuse, NY in 1977, inspired by the heady rush of
punk rock and by their mutual love of great rock 'n' roll, from
Eddie Cochran through Big Star, The Sex Pistols and beyond. They
wrote a lot of terrific songs, played a lot of sweaty,
transcendent gigs, and released two singles in their aggressive
bid for stardom. In the minds of The Flashcubes' fans, there was
never any doubt that this band was gonna be huge. But it was not
to be, and The Flashcubes broke up in 1980, their promise
unfulfilled.
But even as The Flashcubes
seemed destined to fade away, their legend grew. By the early
'90s, more people had heard of The Flashcubes than had ever
actually heard them. When Rhino Records included their first
single, "Christi Girl," on a power pop retrospective called Come
Out And Play, The Flashcubes themselves decided it was time to
live up to their legend by hitting the road, and gaining an
ever-increasing new bloc of eager fans via incendiary live
appearances in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, and even
Japan, where The Flashcubes were treated like stars.
That point is made with
Brilliant, the first real studio album of The Flashcubes' long,
brilliant career. Bursting with 12 new original Flashcubes
tunes, Brilliant makes the case that not only were The
Flashcubes one of the greatest rock 'n' roll groups to make the
scene in the late '70s, they're still one of the very best
around. An opening cover of the Eddie & the Hot Rods classic "Do
Anything You Wanna Do" serves as both a statement of intent and
a gauntlet thrown. Who could resist such a powerful call to
arms? Who would wanna resist?
Brilliant. Legendary. The
Flashcubes rule again.
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Flashcubes - Brilliant
