Liily

Words: Kenneth Coles/ Photos: Lex Pelletier

Liily out of Los Angeles is an alternative rock / post punk band composed of Maxx Morando on drums, Sam De La Torre on guitar, Charlie Anastasis on bass and Dylan Nash on vocals. Portland is their 10th stop on their latest tour with Bad Suns. I met up with them in the green room of Port City Music Hall and chatted with Maxx and Dylan about the tour, the music and life. 

With influences like Rage Against the Machine and Fawls and a stage presence that boarders on chaotic, you’d think these 20 year old rock stars would be just as wild, but in reality they are very reserved, laid back and almost shy kids. They’ve never been to Portland before and were looking forward to seeing some light houses most of all. But I guess being on tour six times and traveling all over the world since you were 15 might leave you enjoying the peace and quiet when you’re not belting it out and trying to out do yourselves every show on stage. 

They told me the show they are really looking forward to next is the final stop on the tour in California so they can go home right after to see friends and family, and also so Dylan and get his front tooth fixed. Earlier in the tour he was on stage and hit himself in the mouth with the mic on accident and chipped his front tooth and has an Invisiline insert keeping it in place. That was the craziest story they had from their time on the road so far. 

That lead me to ask what the craziest thing that has ever happened to them on stage was? Dylan recalled a time in Spain when he had a guy in the crowd heckle and push him to interact with the crowd more, Dylan says he usually observes and analyses the crowd while performing. But this guy pushed him more than he was comfortable with, the 110 degrees in the venue didn’t help, and he lost it on him. He began yelling and cursing at the guy and had to calm down before continuing with the show. But he says the incident brought him out of his shell on stage and since has begun pushing the boundaries with how he interacts with the crowd while performing.

We moved on to what was next for the band after the tour. They have a quick stop in New Orleans for Voodoo Fest but then it’s back in the studio to begin recording their new LP which includes already released “Wash”. They say they are excited to begin working on something different as they have been playing the same songs from their last EP for a while now. 

They describe the new LP as a more mature project that reflects the new head spaces they find themselves in since their last release. Maxx thinks they’ve grown a lot in the last few years and are ready to begin experimenting more. “You have to stress every part of your being to write good music,” said Dylan “you’re using all of your brain, instead of just parts of it” on what its been like for them to build the next album.