# Liliac leads Powerhouse Quartet of bands in an evening: Video, Photos

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2024/05/11/liliac-leads-powerhouse-quartet-of-bands-in-an-evening-video-photos/
- Published: 2024-05-11T00:02:45+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Sure, you can go to a major arena, or even a stadium, to get your rock and roll
fix. But the REAL way to feel the power of the music is to get down to its brass
tacks (no pun intended) into the club scene. Saturday night the place to be was 
the Brass Mug in Tampa, FL, as one of the biggest success stories of the independent
scene, Liliac, led a quartet of bands to attack the stage.**

The doors for the Brass Mug opened promptly at 6 PM, which barely left enough time
for the folks to grab their drinks and stake out a position on the floor. In advertising
for the show, only Liliac and their opener, RōZY, were listed on the bill. As it
would turn out, two MORE bands were kicking off the fireworks and, if you were not
there for it, you missed out on excellent rock.

![Liliac. Photo by Earl Burton.](https://i0.wp.com/www.rockatnight.com/wp-content/
uploads/2024/05/IMG_0210.jpg?w=458&h=305&ssl=1)

Up first were Florida natives Fyre Insyde, whose backstory is only excelled by the
power rock that they played. Bassist Oscar G and guitarist Felix Frusciante were
filling out the lineup of what would become the band prior to the pandemic. When
2020 hit, that allowed them a little leeway on their self-imposed deadline for creating
the band, which came together when singer Rockstar G and drummer Marc Sweet came
on board.

Since the end of the pandemic, the Fyre Insyde has been a wildfire raging across
the Florida scene. They brought their Eighties style rock show to the stage to open
Saturday’s show and they did not disappoint, with Rockstar G smoothly working the
crowd and Oscar actually entering the floor to pluck the bass for the patrons. Through
it all, Frusciante kept the fire burning with his solo work, capping off an outstanding
opening set.

![RōZY. Photo by Earl Burton.](https://i0.wp.com/www.rockatnight.com/wp-content/
uploads/2024/05/IMG_0173.jpg?w=674&h=255&ssl=1)

After a brief pause for the bands to change out, The Hand of Reason took on the 
Brass Mug crowd. Now calling Tampa home after departing from their Seattle origins,
The Hand of Reason brought a different approach to the festivities. Whereas Fyre
Inside was a straight-ahead power rock band, The Hand of Reason brought a more grunge-
influenced alternative sound to the stage.

The brothers Michael (lead vocals, guitar) and David Dhamers (backup vocals, bass)
joked with the assembled crowd, “Yes, we do look like the brothers of Ed Sheeran!”
but once they opened the mics, their excellent musicianship shone through. They 
make a habit of hitting many of the local watering holes, so you might want to keep
your eyes out for The Hand of Reason.

[⌊Decker Fair of the Hand of Reason. Photo by Earl Burton.⌉⌊Decker Fair of the Hand
of Reason. Photo by Earl Burton.⌉[

A big trend in the world of hard rock has been the advent of the female-fronted 
hard rock band. These ladies bring powerful voices that soar above the din of the
band behind them, making for a juxtaposition of sounds that currently is the rage
of the rock world (think Halestorm, Evanescence, The Pretty Reckless, et. al.). 
The lead and headliner for the Saturday night show at the Brass Mug in Tampa fit
into this category while bringing their own very distinct styles to the fore.

Once The Hand of Reason had cleared the stage, the band RōZY (pronounced Rosy) was
ready to seize the night. Kicking off a bit of a “family” theme, RōZY is led by 
singer/guitarist Zoe Flores and her drummer sister Molly. After winning a Houston
talent contest, the sisters decided to get serious, appearing on the Vans Warped
Tour in 2015 and opening for Godsmack, King’s X, and Creed’s Scott Stapp.

[⌊Rockstar G of Fyre Inside. Photo by Earl Burton.⌉⌊Rockstar G of Fyre Inside. Photo
by Earl Burton.⌉[

Along with their fellow bandmates Brandon Martinez (lead guitar) and Aris Weathersby(
bass), RōZY has begun to make their mark on the music world, and they hammered the
Tampa Brass Mug audience with a full-out aural assault. Molly’s vocals were on point
throughout the night, and she even picked up the guitar herself, ably holding her
own alongside Martinez (“Pretty Lonely,” from their current EP Crybaby, was particularly
notable). It is hard to believe that this is a band that has been around for over
a decade, and it shouldn’t be long until they’re the headliners for such a tour 
as this.

Capping the evening of excellent hard rock was the independent band Liliac. Called
the “First Family of Hard Rock,” the entirety of the band (save for drummer Aby,
who was out of the lineup on this night with tour drummer Paul Barnes filling in)
is made up of the Cristea Family. Vocalist Melody, lead guitarist Samuel, and their
younger brothers Ethan (bass) and Justin (keyboards), have been literally treading
the boards – they cut their teeth on the Santa Monica Pier when they were still 
teenagers – and they brought their tremendously powerful show out in full force.

[⌊Oscar G and Gelix Frusciante of Fyre Inside. Photo by Earl Burton.⌉⌊Oscar G and
Gelix Frusciante of Fyre Inside. Photo by Earl Burton.⌉[

To be honest, Liliac brought the house down for an appreciative audience. Over their
sixty-minute set, they ran through their album releases (Chain of Thorns, Queen 
of Hearts, and their newest release Madness) while mixing in their covers of tunes
such as “Crazy Train,” “Enter Sandman,” and “Holy Diver.” There was even time for
unreleased material to make it into the show, with a new tune called “Prisoner” 
particularly fascinating.

Conducting the proceedings masterfully was Melody, whose voice cracked the walls
of the Brass Mug with its power. What was particularly pleasant to see was that 
Melody (like many of the other performers for the night) was just as much a fan 
as those in the Brass Mug were, standing out in the crowd to watch Rozy perform.
It was also excellent to see both Melody and Molly from RoZY share the stage on 
a scintillating version of Aerosmith’s “Dream On” which perfectly matched the ladies’
voices.

[⌊RōZY. Photo by Earl Burton.⌉⌊RōZY. Photo by Earl Burton.⌉[

After a four-plus hour workout, it was all over. The members of Liliac did not leave
the merch stand until every autograph had been signed, and every photo had been 
taken, and that is one of the impressive things about all the acts from that Saturday
night at the Brass Mug. They embraced their fans, even after delivering a powerhouse
evening of rock and roll, and big things (or even bigger, in the case of Liliac)
should be awaiting them down the road.

[⌊Liliac. Photo by Earl Burton.⌉⌊Liliac. Photo by Earl Burton.⌉[

[⌊Zoe Flores of RōZY. Photo by Earl Burton.⌉⌊Zoe Flores of RōZY. Photo by Earl Burton
.⌉[

[⌊Aris Weathersby of RōZY. Photo by Earl Burton.⌉⌊Aris Weathersby of RōZY. Photo
by Earl Burton.⌉[

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