Jeff “Monoman” Conolly, Boston music legend and frontman of The Lyres and DMZ, died over the weekend at age 69. He had been in treatment for bladder cancer.
Jeff acquired the nickname “Monoman” due from his singular vision of bringing garage to to the world, which made his music great but also gave him a reputation for being a very difficult character to work with. His ’70s band DMZ got signed to Sire and released their self-titled debut album, produced by Flo & Eddie, in 1978. The band broke up shortly after that and Jeff formed The Lyres a year later, with other members of DMZ eventually joining.
The Lyres’ 1983 single “Help You Ann” is a garage rock classic that rivals anything from the original ’60s era and came in at #13 on Boston Magazine’s list of greatest Boston rock songs ever. The the band’s first two albums, 1984’s On Fyre and 1986’s Lyres Lyres, are must-listens as well. Conolly kept The Lyres going, being the group’s only constant, over the next 40 years and they played their last show in February of this year. A month later, Jeff revealed his cancer diagnosis and launched a GoFundMe to help pay for his treatment.
Here’s a tribute from guitarist Deke Dickerson:
I first saw the Lyres as a teenager in 1987, and they were one of the greatest bands I’ve ever seen to this day. They absolutely floored me. Monoman was one of the all-time great rock ‘n’ roll frontmen. Throughout his career, he made some of my favorite music of all time, and he never failed to deliver the goods. He was a loud, boisterous, genuine and unique rock ‘n’ roll maniac, and when they made him, they broke the mold.
If you’re not familiar with his music, I suggest you go to YouTube and listen to the Lyres albums from the 1980s, in particular “On Fyre” and “Lyres Lyres.” I was listening to some of that stuff this morning in the car, with the volume turned up real loud, and it punched me in the gut the same way it did when I first heard it as a kid, almost 40 years ago. And even though the guy was one of the most unpleasant people I’ve ever met in my entire life, I got a little teary-eyed, knowing that I would never hear him play live again. I loved his music, and I know if he were still here, he’d find a way to ridicule me for it.
RIP, Jeff. Read a few more tributes below.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57NvGCUPL5s
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