R.I.P. Jeff "Monoman" Conolly of The Lyres, DMZ, 1956-2026

Sadly, Boston garage punk great Jeff Conolly aka "Monoman" has lost his battle with bladder cancer. He'll be greatly missed. 

LINKS

Joe Bonomo Substack Jeff Conolly, 1956-2026

WPKN-FM Kicksville Radio – Miriam Linna remembers Jeff Conolly

DMZ's "Lost Studio Sesssions 1978" being released by Crypt Records in January

DMZ's live-in-studio demo session,  recorded just prior to recording their Sire album in 1978,  was recently discovered on a tape reel long thought lost. 

Here's the scoop...

Crypt Records presents DMZ “The Lost Studio Sessions 1978” (Crypt-127, out in JANUARY 2026)

12 songs from the original master reel tapes, recorded in early February 1978, the night before they spent 3 days trapped by a blizzard recording their Sire album.

JJ Rassler: “We went down to NY to record the Sire album in February 1978, and Seymour put us into a studio in Queens to lay down some basic tracks so Flo & Eddie could get an idea of what DMZ sounded like. And a few days later we headed to Syosset to record with Flo & Eddie.”

Q: So where was the reel sitting all this time?

JJ Rassler: “Somebody back then musta handed it to Ronnie and said ‘here, hang on to this’ and 35 years later my landlady called Ronnie and wanted him to come in and do some work on her property. I come home, and there’s a note from Ronnie that says ‘Hey, I haven’t seen ya in 35 years, but I’ve got something that you might want’ and the next day that reel was on my kitchen table.”

Here's a preview... check Crypt Records mailorder site for more info soon. 

Live recording by The Lyres from 1985 being issued as On Fyre at The Rusty Nail

On Fyre at The Rusty Nail, 1985 features Jeff "Monoman" Conolly's classic Lyres line-up circa "She Pays The Rent" EP 

Here's the scoop...

The Rusty Nail was a throwback to an earlier time, a wayward roadhouse/live music venue in the wilds of Western Massachusetts, located 15 minutes up the road from the University of Massachusetts, in the woodsy hill town of Sunderland, population 3400. The wood hewn hole in the wall featured an eclectic variety of touring acts, who would bypass the bigger college towns in favor of playing at the Nail. I saw James Brown and the Buzzcocks there, to name a couple. However, for my money, the greatest show ever staged at the Rusty Nail was Lyres’ performance on March 29, 1985.

The band was road-tested and on top of their game, having toured the US and Europe relentlesslyin the months prior, in support of their 1984 album On Fyre. They tore through a fast and furious set, an hour and change of non-stop rock 'n' roll, pausing only for Jeff "Monoman" Conolly to tell the audience, "This is a one o'clock club, which means you have to drink twice as fast."

As Lyres closed the show with "What a Girl Can't Do," the audience was left awestruck, buzzing, and sweaty.

Exactly four months after this show was recorded, the Rusty Nail burned to the ground.

Some said the fire was caused by faulty wiring, while others alleged an insurance bust-out scheme. My favorite theory is that it was burned down by local residents who were sick and tired of Rusty Nail patrons parking, pissing, and/or puking on their lawns.

I consider this album to be the finest Lyres live recording in existence. It has been pitch-corrected, remixed, and remastered from the original two track soundboard recording. On Fyre at the Rusty Nail 1985 – out December 25 via Teen Sound Records/Misty Lane Music – is a testament to Lyres as not just one of the greatest bands from Boston, but one of the greatest bands from anywhere. – Mal Thursday 

You can pre-order Lyres – On Fyre at the Rusty Nail 1985 via Bandcamp right here.  The vinyl pressing is limited to 300 copies. Check out a couple of tracks following the song list below.  

The Lyres – On Fyre at the Rusty Nail

1. Don't Give It Up Now 

2. Hi-Heel Sneakers

3. Diddy Wha Diddy

4. Someone Who'll Treat You Right Now

5. Stop And Take A Look at Me

6. Help You Ann

7. I Really Want You Right Now

8. I'm Telling You Girl

9. Love Me Till The Sun Shines

10. Medley: How Can I Make Her Mine/Money/Nobody But Me

11. Gettin' Plenty Lovin'

12. I Can Tell

13. What A Girl Can't Do

The Lyres:

Jeff Conolly: Vocals, Organ

Rick Coraccio: Bass, Vocals

Danny McCormack: Guitar

Paul Murphy: Drums

DMZ's classic 4-song Bomp! EP from '77 gets recirculated by Munster Records

Here's the scoop...

A chaotic and intense Craig Leon-produced hybrid of Dolls, Stooges and most of the Nuggets bands by Jeff ‘Mono Mann’ Conolly’s pre-Lyres group DMZ then featuring guitarists J.J. Rassler and Peter Greenberg, bassist Rick Corraccio, drummer Paul Murphy and of course, Mono Mann on Vox Continental organ, vocals, maracas and tambourine.

Unavailable for over three decades, Spain's Munster Records has just reissued this garage rock’s essential gem, originally released in the early days of Greg Shaw’s Bomp! label.

Bomp! Records of Burbank, California was likely the most significant American independent record label of the 1970s. It was the first in this country to recognize and actively support the punk rock and new wave revolution with its releases, at a time when both America’s vast regional disparity and an extremely conservative record business had deemed this new, strange idiom anathema. In its first five years Bomp! the label wore its heart on its sleeve with a series of fascinating, unpredictable, and memorable 45 RPM releases. And the whole was brainstormed by Greg Shaw, likely the only maverick alive at that time who could have created and populated such a scenario.

The winter 1976 issue of Who Put The Bomp (Greg Shaw’s fanzine) had featured a detailed report on the Boston scene, with favorable mentions of two future Bomp! acts. Willie ‘Loco’ Alexander was a local legend, the storied former lead singer of the Lost, and his 1975 single ‘Kerouac’ (reissued on Bomp!) was a suitably eccentric, Dylan-ish ode to the beat maven. DMZ was a more predictable proposition, sporting obvious glam roots and an eccentric but dedicated rock & roll fan in lead singer, Jeff ‘Mono Mann’ Conolly.

Conolly and crew went for a chaotic and intense hybrid of Dolls, Stooges and most of the Nuggets bands, so Bomp! the label was a natural choice. With killer cuts like ‘Busy Man’ and ‘When I Get Off,’ their Craig Leon-produced 1977 EP captured the DMZ zeitgeist considerably better than the album they would later record for Sire.

Get a repro copy of DMZ's fantastic 4-song EP directly from Munster Records right here. Have a listen below and check out J.J. Rassler's chat with Mike Hoban about his DMZ days and more.  

The Fadeaways vs. The Lyres

Check out The Fadeaways tackling The Lyres early version of "She Pays The Rent" after Jeff Conolly's own live version. 

Jeff Conolly & crew launch new Lyres live album in Cambridge, MA

Watch Jeff rip through Lyres' faves "Help You Ann" and "Soapy" at The Middle East to coincide with Crypt's release of Live At The Rat.  

Crypt's new Lyres archival release Live At The Rat: September 3, 1980 is available via mailorder directly from the label right here. 

That time Jeff Conolly sang "Soapy" with The Fleshtones

Here's The Lyres' Jeff Conolly with The Fleshtones and Dave "Flick" Faulkner of The Victims at T.T. The Bear's.

The Lyres @ The Horseshoe, Sat Nov 19