Jeff Conolly obit

In Memoriam: Jeff Conolly

 

He was not on the list.

Jeff “Monoman” Conolly, front-man of the great Boston garage band Lyres has passed away after a battle with cancer. Conolly was under-appreciated in rock and roll lore, but a seminal figure in the Boston music scene and the garage rock resurgence, not only with Lyres but with his previous band DMZ as well.

I saw Lyres in September, 1988 at The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, after spinning their fantastic debut On Fyre since I was a sophomore in high school a few years earlier. It was visceral and raw and powerful as hell, but still had the hooks and melodies it took to pull me in.

His passing may not make the RIP segment at the Grammys or the 6 o’clock news, but those who know his music will remember him forever. RIP Jeff Conolly.