The group, consisting of core members Brian Ray (Paul McCartney, Etta James), Oliver Leiber (son of famed songwriter Jerry Leiber) and Lucrecia López Sanz, is often rounded out by a revolving roster of musicians, including but not limited to Adam MacDougall from The Black Crowes on keys, Davey Faragher from Elvis Costello’s band, and Scott Shriner from Weezer.
It all began with an idea back in 2011….
As Brian Ray tells it, “The Bayonets was started by my friend Oliver Leiber, the son of Jerry Leiber of Leiber and Stroller fame. His father famously wrote ‘Jailhouse Rock’, ‘Under The Boardwalk’, ‘Hound Dog’, ‘Poison Ivy’, ‘Stand By Me’…Anyway, the apple didn’t fall far from the talent tree with Oliver, and he’s been my favorite collaborator and best friend for some twenty years now.
“When it came time to write some more solo music of mine, Oliver said ‘why don’t we do a band instead?’ And I said ‘great, okay let’s go!’
“Our approach is kind of original to “original rock’n’roll”. Real humans, real time, real studio, real instruments. I don’t want to make music alone in a computer, y’know? I’d rather do it with a group of people – you have a laugh that way.
“It’s Oliver, Lucrecia, and I along with a revolving cast of characters, including but not limited to Adam MacDougall from The Black Crowes on keys, Davey Faragher from Elvis Costello’s band, Scott Shriner from Weezer, and it’s just a lot of fun. It’s raw, it’s rock and roll, but it still has a pop hook sort of sensibility.”
The Bayonets have released one album, “Crash Boom Bang” along with several singles and have appeared regularly on Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM Channel 21. The band has been honored with the station’s “Coolest Song of the Week” on seven separate occasions, has appeared in the Top 10 for the “Coolest Song of the Year” in 3 different years and was named the #1 “Coolest Song of the Year” in 2017 for ‘Like She Does’.
Band Members
Brian Ray is an American session musician, guitarist, bassist, singer–songwriter, and musical director. He is best known for his work as a rhythm, lead, and bass guitarist with Paul McCartney. Ray also spent 14 years and recorded several albums with Etta James.
Oliver Leiber is a songwriter/producer who has been on the radio for 30 years, writing with artists like Rod Stewart, Ke$ha, and The Corps. Oliver is the son of Jerry Leiber of Leiber and Stoller, who wrote the songbook of Rock & Roll with songs like “Hound Dog”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Poison Ivy”, “Charlie Brown”, and “Stand By Me.”
Lucrecia López Sanz is from Argentina, where she is a member of the band Nube 9. Lucrecia contributes lead and harmony vocals to the band’s sound and plays guitar on their live performances.
