Summer 1973, Meadville PA…
Brothers Brian and Mark Groover join forces with high school friends Denny Rambo and John Trevethan with the intention of forming a rock band. However, they have a problem; no one owns any instruments or knows how to play them. This does not deter the teens and they begin working out who should play what. Soon the four find themselves in the unusual position of forming a band while simultaneously learning to play their instruments. More unusual is the fact that they focus on creating their own music right from the start.
Eventually as things progress, the group realizes that they need to find a name for the band. It wasn’t long before they found inspiration in the form of their band’s mascot, a nameless dragon statue that stood guard in front of the drums. But what shall be the name of this dragon and in turn, the band? After a few minutes of thought the band rearrange the letters in the word “lyrics” and Lyciris is born; Lyciris The Dragon!
Time passes.
By 1975 the “Original Four” have collaborated with many other local musicians. Eventually drummer Mark Groover develops other interests and Steve O’Laughlin joins the band on drums. By this time the group has written over an hour of original material which they release on 8-track cartridge. Word begins to spread and their friends purchase a total of thirty copies of the first album. This event marks the beginning of a journey lasting over a half-century, which continues to this day.
The Lyciris 1 Project Page features the full debut album including all fourteen original tracks which have been restored using the latest technology. Also on the page is a Photo Gallery which includes 54 images spanning the period from 1973 – 1977.
Go to the Lyciris 1 Project Page