LILYS

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BIOGRAPHY

The highly influential indie rock band LILYS is the constantly changing concept vehicle of Kurt Heasley, the group's frontman, founder and sole constant member. His harmonically complex songwriting has resulted in six albums and five EPs. Originating in Washington, D.C, the nomadic Heasley refers to LILYS different periods as Epochs I, II and III. Through him and the rotating players in LILYS, the musical style and approach shifts continually. The early recordings or Epoch I, including 1992's stunning, noise laden debut album In the Presence of Nothing and the etheric sophomore album Eccsame the Photon Band, were strongly influenced by MY BLOODY VALENTINE. Epoch I continues in the same year with the mini LP, A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns, on which LILYS refashion themselves as a dream infused experimental noise pop group.


Shortly thereafter, Epoch II is born as a now Boston-based Heasley delivers Better Can’t Make Your Life Better, and with it evidence of a strong British Invasion. The album’s single, “A Nanny In Manhattan” rose to #16 on the UK Charts after being used in a 1998 advertising campaign for Levi’s directed by Roman Coppola. The following year LILYS perform the first fully live performance on Top of The Pops in almost twenty years. Epoch II recordings go on to include The Services (For the Soon to Be Departed) EP, Zero Population Growth EP and The 3-Way.

The new millennium dawns and with it a Philadelphia based Epoch III including the Selected EP, Precollection and Everything Wrong Is Imaginary. By 2008 and 2009 a post-Epoch version of LILYS performs live shows in and around San Francisco and Los Angeles, the All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals curated by My Bloody Valentine in the abandoned city retreats of New York and London and open for MBV at some of their other US shows. A meticulously remastered vinyl version of LILYS’ second full-length album, Eccsame The Photon Band is currently being re-issued through the legendary FRONTIER RECORDS.

In Fall of 2015 LILYS performed a one-time-only, “big band” show called “Corruption Wrecked My Life”, that featured never before or rarely performed early material by LILYS – EPOCH I, circa 1990 – 1995. With Don De Vore (LILYS, Sick Feeling) as musical director alongside James Richardson (MGMT), Will Berman (MGMT), Travis Roseberg, Matt Werth (RVNG Intl. founder), Chris Colley (School Of Seven Bells), and Alex Craig (Limited, Ducktails, Big Troubles). The expanded format of “Corruption Wrecked My Life” is just another development in the Lilys’ ever-revolving lineup that has included more than 72 different musicians since 1991, as well as a myriad of collaborators. Heasley is always pushing the boundaries of his music.

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