by Nancy L. Foster

The Classic Ruins were featured at the Sept. 10 Somerville News’ Friday Nights @ Toast music night.

The Classic Ruins started rocking at 8 p.m., opening with “Rocco’s Wake,” a humorous number about what is really on minds of the mourners when a friend dies: cheap booze and dividing up what is left of Rocco’s worldly possessions.

”Labatt’s” is in the vein of “Shotgun Wedding Blues” and “I’m A Wimp” and spotlights Frank Rowe’s humorous lyrics and deadpan delivery.

“In This Town” is a sad but all too true song which sums up the struggles facing so many local musicians in one simple line: “How can you make a living in this town?”

While Rowe is best known for his wit, he is a composed the masterful song like “The Room Starts Spinning.”

“Can’t Spell Romance” has a rockabilly riff and a rolling beat that adds versatility to the set.

”Aces With Me” highlights Rowe’s surging style of guitar playing.

Its moody tone is underscored by the beauty of the melody . “Ace of Spades” is haunting surf instrumental. “1+1<2” once again shows the strength of Rowe’s songwriting.

“S.W.L.A.B.R.” from the Cream catalog was the top crowd pleaser. An instrumental version of The Beatles’ ”Please Please Me” also rated high.

The Classic Ruins closed with a favorite of their fans: “Geraldine.” Al Leonard said “I thought since Conolly recorded this song and Billy Borgioli played on the record that there might be some sort of garage rock super star jam.”

Before the Classic Ruins fired up, Jeff Conolly, the frontman for The Lyres spun records for his personal collection, which is probably the biggest and best in the Boston-area.

Conolly veered easily from more familiar crowd pleasers like The Standells’ “Dirty Water” to more obscure numbers.

Rachel Lee, Somerville denizen and keyboard player for the formidable surf outfit They’re Gonna Get You, said “This is the first time I heard about Jeff DJ’ing anywhere. I had to come!”

Everybody knows “Long Cool Woman” by the Hollies, but when Conolly played “Long Dark Road” by the same band, listeners were blown away by the power and the depth of this reputedly twee band.

Songs the Lyres taught us included “I’m Your Guy,” the German stomper by The Blizzards. This one defied the crowd not to dance.

One of the rarest records that Conolly played was called “Fortune Teller.” This number had Somerville cab driver, Al Leonard, shouting “Who is that?”

When he found that the song was recorded by Tony Jackson formerly of The Searchers, Leonard said, “Well the Tony Jackson Group rocks a lot harder than the Searchers cuts that I’ve heard like ‘Needles and Pins.’”

Conolly said he paid $2,000 for his recording from a Belgian record collector.

When it was not music, it was pictures. Artie Freedman, photographer from Allston said, “I’m taking some shots of the Ruins for an upcoming rock ‘n’ roll photography exhibit at Toast.”

Leann Collins, a Boston waitress said, “I came for the DJ, and the live music, but I stayed after nine.

“I requested ‘Groove is in the Heart,’ then I bought a Guinness for a handsome guy. Then we tore up the dance floor. I, no–we will definitely be back!” she said.