by Nancy L. Foster

The Somerville News Friday Night @ Toast Aug. 20 featured the first garage rock ‘n’ roll band of the series. Considering the enthusiastic reaction of the crowd, it won’t be the last time rock ‘n’ roll graces this subterranean hot spot.

The hometown heroes, Lyres were welcomed home after playing to a crowd of 16,000 at Little Steven’s International Garage Festival in Randall’s Island, N.Y. and gathered great reviews in the New York Post and the New York Times.

That was not their only press recently. Greg Milner in the September edition of “Spin” wrote: “These neo-garage kings got all the musical details obsessively right-especially leader Jeff ‘Monoman’ Conolly’s piercing Farfisa organ recalling moody classics like the Castaways “Liar Liar.” Yet, they managed to rise above pastiche by sheer force of will. The music is R&B heavy and perfectly pitched in its understated swagger.”

Ha! Too bad, Milner didn’t get his details “obsessively right” because Conolly is a Vox man!

Now back home among friends, Lyres lit up Toast with passion and intensity. Due to some logistical problems, Conolly performed the show sans Vox organ. Although most fans love the dynamic way Conolly makes his keys churn and burn, he made up for any void by putting extra soul into his vocal performance, adding more witty stage patter, and giving his all as far as showmanship.

“How Do You Know” from the 1979 single served as a quasi-sound check, as Conolly tweaked the sound, fine tuning his presentation with the utmost care.

It was general consensus that Conolly’s rhythm and blues charged vocals and charismatic demeanor were awesome.

“Lyres sounded fine without the keyboards. They were just as much fun. The band and the crowd enjoyed themselves. So I’m sure the group, Lyres will be back with the organ next time!” said Somerville artist and Stinkhorn musician Bill Board.

“It was a classic performance by a long time Boston area garage band. I loved it!” said The News poetry tyrant, Doug Holder.

Denise Rowe, a photographer from Winthrop said, “If anyone could pull off a gig without their trademark instrument, it is Jeff and his group, Lyres. Jeff looked like he was having a great time. That’s the best I’ve seen them in a long time. Jeff was enjoying himself and seemed freer without the keyboard.”

“The group was more like Jeff’s pre-Lyres group DMZ without the keyboard. The energy of the Lyres was high and they had the crowd groovin’!” said Artie Freedman, still photographer and video archivist from Alston.

“It felt like seeing the group, Lyres in your very own basement. The band was ON FYRE even without the keyboard. It really showed how good Danny McCormack is. I remember him playing mostly rhythm, but he’s a real lead player now!” said Brett Milano, the popular music columnist and author of “Vinyl Junkies.”

About midway through, Lyres delivered a double shot of one of Conolly’s favorite groups, The Sevens from Sweden with “Seven” and “Talk About Her.”

This turned up the heat as Lyres were already intensifying the excitement level with the Tony Jackson Group’s “You’re My Number One” and the German stomper from The Blizzard’s “I’m Your Guy.”

Conolly dedicated the Texan garage sizzler-The Stoics’ “Enough Of What I Need” to one of the females in the crowd. If a blood curdling scream is any indication, the singer’s effort was appreciated!

“Help You Ann” was done by request and really highlighted McCormack’s searing leads.

By this point, Toast’s dance floor was full of jubilant rockers. Lyres dug deeper into the vaults with the New Breed’s “Wastin’ My Time.” Drummer Paul “Machine Gun” Murphy suggested the rarely played fast version of “She Pays The Rent.” To end the night with a surge of energy, Lyres did a double encore of the crowd pleasing ,“Don’t Give It Up Now” and “No Reason To Complain” from the Alarm Clocks, an explosive study in musical dynamics complete with drum solo.

“Lyres delivered a great set including all the classics as well as the more rarely played ‘She Pays The Rent’ and one of the best performances of ‘No Reason To Complain’ that I’ve heard them do!” said Perry Adler computer programmer from Lexington who summed it up well.

For many of the Lyres fans, it was their first time in the swank hideaway below Union Square. Bill Board said “Toast is a great club with massive potential for all kinds of shows. It’s a cool new underground grotto where people can drink and dance and where bands can play or if you’re in a band, it’s a good place to perform!”

Many people spoke of the aesthetics of the space. Others liked the concept of early evening entertainment. Still others saw Toast as having potential to continue to succeed as a rock ‘n’ roll venue.

“I like the 7 to 9 time slot because if you feel energetic you can still go to another club afterward or if you want to relax you can get home by 9:30 or 10:00 and have a glass of wine,” said Denise Rowe.

Frank Rowe of the Classic Ruins said, “Toast is an interesting looking place. I like the bartender’s special Margueritas; that was a nice touch. I like the time frame. It’s nice to get home early so you can rest or something else.”

Perry Adler said “The lack of a stage is an interesting change from the norm. Yet, I don’t know how the bands will like it.”In fact, Frank Rowe said he liked the freedom it afforded. Moreover the crowd can attest that Conolly seemed to thrive on the wide open space.

“I like the space at Toast. I like the aesthetics. There are a lot of different areas to hang out, explore, and lurk. I’d like to see a rock ‘n’ roll scene happen here. I think we can fill the room with rock ‘n’ rollers,” said Freedman said.

Milano, who had spun records before the Lyres came on, said, “Yeah, I think Toast could really happen as a new venue for rock ‘n’ roll. The location is great for those of us who live in the Inman Square area. Toast has a rock feel- ritzy and decadent at the same time. I hope more rock ‘n’ roll shows happen here.”
On that score, Doug Holder had the last stanza: “I love Toast/It’s dark and enigmatic/It has a N.Y. night club feel/ It has a really great hip vibe.”