Interview: Leo Lyons Legendary Bassist

Interview: Leo Lyons Legendary Bassist

By Jason Young

In a recent Skype interview with legendary bass player and founding member of the iconic rock group Ten Years After, Leo Lyons spoke openly about TYA and his band Hundred Seventy Split. Lyons, whose credits alongside late guitarist Alvin Lee include The Jaybirds, a career-defining performance at Woodstock, and the highly successful Vietnam War era classic “I’d Love to Change the World.”

Lyons owns his own record label, Corner House Records and previously was studio manager for Chrysalis Records, where he produced legendary bands such as UFO, Procol Harum, and Motor Head.

After TYA broke up, they reunited with new guitarist-singer Joe Gooch, who replaced Alvin Lee. Branching out on his own in 2013, in what Lyons calls music outside the TYA box, Lyons formed his band Hundred Seventy Split in 2010 with Joe and drummer Damon Sawyer.

Poised to release their new HSS album titled Movin’ On on October 5th, 2023 via the American label Flat Iron Records, Lyons described it as retrospective with a mix of blues and rock. “Everyone who heard the tracks are happy with it,” said Lyons

Upon expressing his hopes for the album, the veteran bassist praised front man Joe Gooch saying, “I hope this record will open up a few people’s ears to how good of a player he is.”

Recorded over ten days at drummer Damon Sawyer’s Crescent Studio in the UK, it is the band’s first release under the Flat Iron label.

“I got into this business to play the bass and make music, not to run a record label,” said Lyons referring to his label Corner House Records. “So I decided it was time to look for another label, and fortunately Flat Iron was very interested.”

Lyons complimented their new record label Flat Iron for allowing Hundred Seventy Split creative freedom. “I said to Joe, we can do whatever we like because it won’t make any difference. The fans that like it will buy the record and unless we have some help, particularly in America, nobody is going to hear it anyway.” Revealing the approach behind recording Movin’ On Lyons stated, “Basically it is a record of us playing whatever we wanted to do. That was the gamble but Flat Iron got it.”

Lyons opened up about leaving his old band Ten Years After. “It was very much stuck in a rut,” he said. “If you’re a musician there are two things in your mind: earning a living and being true to your heart.” He went on to describe the warning he and Joe received about their band Hundred Seventy Split. “We were told by TYA’s agents to stop making our own records.” He explained further. “Initially [HSS] was supposed to be a side project. We were still working with TYA. Unfortunately, there was too much friction and in the end we [Lyons and Gooch] had to leave.” Lyons added that he doesn’t bear any ill feeling towards his old band mates.

In his downtime, Lyons continues to connect with his fans through his YouTube channel Leo Lyons Musician. To keep busy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lyons uploaded videos, answering questions ranging from his time in Ten Years After, performing at Woodstock, to the latest news about HSS.

“It’s always spontaneous, I never work anything out,” Lyons shared about his You Tube videos. “I started answering questions from people, like what kind of strings you use, what kind of amps, what was Woodstock like, why did the band [TYA] breakup.” He said that he tries to encourage new musicians who have questions about technique.

Wrapping up, Lions spoke again about his former band Ten Years After. “I think the best time for me was when we [TYA] were rising. The first time you play Madison Square Garden or the Budokan in Tokyo, or even the first time we played The Marquee Club in London, those bench marks of striving towards it and achieving it were fabulous.”

Turning his attention to Hundred Seventy Split, “It’s like lighting the fire again; I’m getting the thrill that I had when I first started.”

For more information on Leo Lyons and Hundred Seventy Split see Here

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