Lyres
On Fyre At The Rusty Nail, 1985
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 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