Lyres (band)

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Lyres
OriginBoston, Massachusetts, United States
GenresGarage rock, alternative rock
Years active1979 (1979)–present
MembersJeff Conolly (organ, vocals)
Steve Aquino (guitar)
Paul Murphy (drums)
Dave Szczepaniak (bass)
Past membersRick Coraccio (bass)
Timm Buechler (bass)
T.J. O'Brien (guitar)
Jeff Gregory (drums)
Jeff Phelps (bass)
Jason Eaton (guitar)
Jared Everett (guitar)
Ricky Carmel (guitar)
Danny McCormack (guitar)
John Bernardo (drums)
Jack Hickey (guitar)
Matt Miklos (bass)
John Smith (drums)
Bob MacKenzie (drums)
Howard Ferguson (drums)
Mike Lewis (bass)
Peter Greenberg (guitar)
Phil Lenker (bass)
Websitewww.limbos.org/lyres/

Lyres are a Boston-area garage rock band led by Jeff Conolly, founded in 1979 following the breakup of DMZ. Their most popular songs include "Don't Give It Up Now," "She Pays The Rent" and "Help You Ann".[1]

History

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The original lineup of the band featured Conolly (organ and vocals), Rick Coraccio (bass), Ricky Carmel (guitar), and Paul Murphy (drums).[2] By 1981, The Boston Phoenix was calling Lyres "the city’s reigning garage band."[3]

In December of that same year, New Musical Express praised the band's first EP, AHS 1005, and its "infectious rhythms". NME's Richard Grabel wrote that Lyres had "an understanding of the dynamics of interplay between rhythm guitar and cheesy organ that borders on the remarkable" and that "what they do is too perfect to ever be out of fashion."[4]

Former DMZ members Coraccio, Murphy, Peter Greenberg, and Mike Lewis all rejoined Conolly in Lyres at some point from 1979 to the early 2000s.[5] The A-Bones drummer Miriam Linna, (a former drummer for The Cramps) and then A-Bones, Yo La Tengo and former Lyres bass player Mike Lewis filled-in with Lyres for a show in 1986. Stiv Bators of The Dead Boys and Lords of the New Church, and Wally Tax of The Outsiders also recorded with Lyres in the late 1980s.[6][7]

Lyres were less active in 1989, due to Conolly living in California for a brief period. After a renewed period of activity in the early 1990s, the band went through a dormant period until 1999. Conolly is the one member who has been in every lineup during the large number of Lyres personnel changes."[8] In 2009, Lyres played at the Go Sinner So festival in Madrid and an additional date in Porto Nuovo. This line-up included a fill-in Peter Greenberg on guitar.

"Help You Ann" and "She Pays The Rent"

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"Help You Ann" was named number 13 on the list of the greatest Boston songs of all time published by Boston magazine in 2006.[9] The single ranked number 24 on the Village Voice annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 1983.[10] Blender magazine placed it at number 360 on their list of the 500 best songs from 1980 to 2005.[11] The song was recorded by the Chesterfield Kings on a 1998 single and covered by Courtney Love on her live shows in the early 2000s.[1][12] Love has expressed her admiration for the Lyres a number of times.[13][14]

Swedish band the Nomads released a version of "She Pays The Rent" in 1985 as the A-side of a single. Music critics highlighted the horn section used in the cover, which is unusual for garage rock bands.[15][16]

Current line-up

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  • Jeff Conolly (organ, vocals)
  • Steve Aquino (guitar)
  • Paul Murphy (drums)
  • Dave Szczepaniak (bass)

Discography (incomplete)

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LP albums

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EPs

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  • AHS1005 12" 45 rpm (Ace of Hearts, 1981) [title commonly referenced as "Buried Alive" after the first track on the disc][2]
  • Lyres (New Rose, 1985)
  • Nobody But Lyres 12" 33 rpm (TAANG! Records, 1992)

Singles

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Compact Discs

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Compilations

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In other media

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The song "Help You Ann" was featured on the game Destroy all Humans 2 and on the TV show Rescue Me.

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References

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  1. ^ a b Foster, Nancy L. (18 August 2004). "The Lyres to set Toast on fyre Aug. 20". The Somerville Times.
  2. ^ a b c d Deming, Mark. "Lyres". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Simmons, Doug (8 September 1981). "Honest Lyres". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  4. ^ Grabel, Richard (12 December 1981). "Indie USA: American Independent Singles". New Musical Express.
  5. ^ "Lyres and DMZ lines up". Limbos.org. Archived from the original on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
  6. ^ Fennessy, Kathleen C. "A Promise Is a Promise – Lyres". AllMusic.
  7. ^ Deming, Mark. "Wally Tax". AllMusic.
  8. ^ a b Schinder, Scott; Lamey, Charles P.; Robbins, Ira. "Lyres". Trouser Press. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  9. ^ Rimas, Andrew (15 July 2006). "Rock This Way". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  10. ^ Christgau, Robert (28 February 1984). "The 1983 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  11. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". Blender. October 2005.
  12. ^ "It Must Be Love!". New Musical Express. 27 October 2001. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  13. ^ Sullivan, Jim (2 December 1998). "Checking in on the latest Courtney". The Boston Globe. p. F01.
  14. ^ Hopper, Jessica (14 April 2014). "You Will Ache Like I Ache: The Oral History of Hole's 'Live Through This'". Spin.
  15. ^ Finch, Madeline (Summer 1986). "The Nomads: She Pays the Rent". Sound Choice. p. 58.
  16. ^ Christgau, Robert (11 March 1986). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 28 September 2024 – via robertchristgau.com.
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