Kevin Bronson on July 24th, 2020

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First a duo going by the name XING (oops, a Korean boy band), then Coyote (also a well-trafficked moniker), L.A.-based folk-rock trio Smith, Lyle & Moore debuted today with a name that rolls off the tongue like great ampersand-ed bands from down through history.

The parties involved are Andrew Smith, Tyler Lyle and Jack Moore. The project got its start when the latter’s father, Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore, passed away in 2011 and Jack decided to move to L.A., where he teamed up with producer/multi-instrumentalist Smith. In between extensive work as touring musicians, they began honing their chops, releasing some music under the name Coyote until Lyle came aboard in late 2016.

The first single “Fate,” originally a Coyote demo, was inspired by an L.A. billboard, and for the proper recording of the tune, Moore recruited Dhani Harrison to add vocals.

“[Andrew and I] were both pretty blown away with what he came out with — he had some Indian nuances to his vocals, much like his father, and it really galvanized the song in a lot of ways,” Moore says. “It felt like full circle working with Dhani, given our fathers had done the same in the Traveling Wilburys, and meaningful in that Dhani had often encouraged me to come to Los Angeles for the music. Dhani’s manager actually connected Andrew and myself, having organized the session, so thinking back on it there would have been no band at all were it not for him. There were a few similar moments of serendipity that contributed to the band’s creation, so it really did feel like destiny in the end.”

The harmony-rich single will appear on the trio’s debut EP, simply titled “EP 1” (out Sept. 18), which will include two re-imagined Lyle solo tunes, including the stunning “Werewolf.”

||| Stream: “Fate”