Artist description In the Spring of 1999 Gary Frenay and Arty Lenin were honored at the SAMMY Awards Ceremony with trophies for Best Acoustic Act, and Best Rock Instrumentalist (Arty). During the past 22 years they have been known by several names: the raucous new wave/rock'n'roll of the Flashcubes, the stylish dance-pop of Screen Test, and the harmony-based oldies rock of the Neverly Brothers Band. No matter what the name, the music that these two talented musicians have performed has always featured great harmony vocals and dazzling guitar work.

Music Style Acoustic pop

Musical Influences Lennon & McCartney, Byrds, Carole King,

Similar Artists See Musical influences

Artist History Gary Frenay and Arty Lenin first performed together in 1977 in the CNY-based power pop band, The Flashcubes. They headlined throughout the Northeast, and shared the stage with the Ramones, the Police, the Romantics and Joe Jackson, to name a few. The Cubes released two 45's that have been reissued nationally on several sampler albums & CD's on Bomp, Big Deal and Rhino.From 1980 to 1986 they continued to play together under the name Screen Test, releasing three more 45's and a cassette-only LP, "Screen Test 1986". Despite popular and critical acclaim, a video on MTV's "Basement Tapes" in August 1983 and opening gigs for U2, Bryan Setzer, Marshall Crenshaw, and Graham Parker, Screen Test disbanded in late 1986 when the drummer, Tommy Allen, moved to New York City.For the next four years Gary & Arty performed almost exclusively as the Neverly Brothers Band while also concentrating on writing and recording for China Doll Music in NYC.In 1991 Arty relocated to New York City, where he began working and writing with Paul Collins. Together they formed the Paul Collins Band (featuring ex-members of the db's and Television). They released a CD, "From Town To Town" in 1993, and toured extensively up and down the East Coast and in Europe, throughout Spain and France. His NYC stint also included writing and performing in Bruce Henderson & the Rain Kings with Saturday Night Live's G.E. Smith on bass.While Arty was in NYC, Gary began performing as a solo singer/songwriter in Syracuse and all over the eastern United States. He released a retrospective casssette-only album "Gary Frenay Songbook" - 1991 and two critically- acclaimed CD's: "Armory Square" - 1993 and "Jigsaw People" - 1996. He shared the stage with Ani DiFranco, Stephen Stills, Richard Shindell, Catie Curtis and many others, performed abroad in England and Italy, and won SAMMY (Syracuse Area Music) Awards for Best Songwriter in both 1993 & 1994.In 1996 Arty moved back to Syracuse where he and Gary gradually reformed, first with annual reunions of their 70's band (The Flashcubes), and eventually as an acoustic duo (Frenay & Lenin), and a rock trio (Neverly Brothers).The 90's has been a time of great resurgence for their music. As the Flashcubes, they released a retrospective multimedia CD ("Bright Lights" - 1997), appeared on tribute discs for The Raspberries, Paul Collins' Beat and the Bay City Rollers, and performed at the 1998 International Pop Overthrow in Los Angeles, CA.Closer to home, they've been performing together regularly for the last two years, with every Thursday night finding them at Pastabilities. They were recently honored at the 1999 SAMMY Awards with the Best Acoustic Act Award and, for Arty, the Best Rock Instrumentalist Award.

Group Members Gary Frenay & Arty Lenin

Instruments Gary Frenay - Acoustic Guitar & Vocals

Albums Gary FrenayArmory Square (1995)

Press Reviews Frenay & Lenin Live@Pastabilities (Vector Records)Gary and Arty are founding members of the Flashcubes. Rarely do I miss 'em unplugged (like this) or in full power pop force when I'm in their neck of the woods. Like usual they cover cool people (Waits, Lennon, Crenshaw and Dylan). The two highlights, however, are Frenay and Lenin's two new additions to the canon. Love Won't Fade Away" and "You Never Have To Go Away" are beautifully heartfelt numbers that soar past being merely nice acoustic songs and are the reason why I never count these guys out.Yeah, Yeah, Yeah MagazineGary Frenay and Arty Lenin, "Live @Pastabilities"The beauty of ringing acoustic guitar work and catchy pop sing-along ability lives on with Syracuse duo Frenay and Lenin. This disc, collected from a batch of tapes recorded during their regular Thursday night appearances at Armory Square club Pastabilities, capture the pair's unerring ability to complement each other while still standing out on their own. They pour their love for the music --- their originals and well-chosen covers such as Tom Waits' "Downtown Train" and Don Everly's "So Sad" --- with obvious affection for every note.Syracuse Post StandardFrenay & Lenin - Live@PastabilitiesMost live albums include crowd noises --- the cheering, the chatter and the applause ---as part of the audio experience. On the 69-minute Live@Pastabilities (Vector), however, Gary Frenay and Arty Lenin have left audience reactions and between-songs banter in the post-production editing room. What remains is a stellar musical showcase that features original and well-chosen cover tunes from one of the most talented duos ever to call Syracuse home.Recorded at the Armory Square restaurant during a 12-week period in the spring of 1998, the 22 songs on this disc were culled from more than 300 recorded at the duo's weekly Thursday-night gigs. With so many songs to choose from, this collection represents the cream of the crop.From their rock'n'roll days in the Flashcubes in the 1970s, and later as Screen Test in the 1980s and back to their acoustic foundations as the Neverly Brothers, Frenay and Lenin split the difference between rock and pop with an obvious flair for middle-of-the-road music. This stylistic affinity reveals itself in both their original songs and inspired choices of cover tunes.The album begins with one of the rare Frenay/Lenin songwriting collaborations, "I Shall Return," a well-crafted pop/rock song. The opening melody charms with an engaging rhythm, and simple,direct lyrics tell the tale. Marshall Crenshaw's "There She Goes Again," with it's easygoing melody and unpretentious lyrics, serves as a perfect reference point for Frenay and Lenin's deeply ingrained pop/rock sensibility.Lucinda Williams' "Am I Too Blue," is given a mid tempo treatment, while their rendition of Charlie Rich's "Anywhere You Are" demonstrates a heartfelt sensitivity. The country side of pop surfaces in their choice of the Clarence and Elizabeth Anderson song "I'm A Lonesome Fugitive," with Lenin's acoustic guitar doing it's best here to imitate the cry of a pedal steel.The feel of a jazzy soft-shoe shuffle adds a breezy nonchalance to John Lennon's "Intuition," while their cover of Dylan's "Tomorrow Is Such A Long Time" shows another facet of this duo's country connection. And their true-to-form rendition of the Everly Brothers' "So Sad" reinforces this tandem's claim to their former stage name.With all the world-class songwriting represented on this disc, picking any one standout track is difficult, but Frenay's "Make Something Happen" deserves a nomination for the title of Perfect Pop Song. Basically the inner dialogue of a somewhat nervous young man wanting "to make a move on the girl," "Make Something Happen" resonates with the pluck of anyone who's ever worked up the courage to make a romantic overture.Five tunes here are credited to Lenin and four to Frenay. One number, "It Might've Been Memphis," is listed as having been written by Frenay and Keith Stevenson. Somehow, this "Memphis" successfully mixes a country lyric with a rumba vibe. "Free Spirit," written by Lenin, features an electrified acoustic lead that only hints at the rock possibilities this song holds.Frenay's lifelong love of music manifests itself in "Sound Of His Guitar," a boy-girl romance that revolves around the sensuous sounds of a six string. After more than two decades of playing together, Frenay and Lenin find the right mix for their voices and guitars. There's something intuitive about the way one singer will begin a phrase, only to be joined by the other for a vocal harmony that accents the impact of their words, sounding as natural as the voices of two true musical brothers. Lenin's guitar processing gear enables his acoustic guitar to take on a myriad of tones and distortions, creating enough variety of sound to keep things fresh an inventive.This disc was recorded live without any post-production overdubs, stretching these two voices and two guitars to their limits. To their credit, Frenay and Lenin pull it off, as they've done so many times before in the studio and in concert. Live@Pastabilities is one more entertaining example of their musical magic at work.Syracuse New Times

Location Syracuse, NY - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).