3 Feet High & Rising: Bassist Charlie Anastasis Talks Liily's TV or Not TV, Miley's New Year's Eve Party, Being Managed By The Walkmen's Peter Bauer (The Witzard Interview)
Dylan Nash, Sam De La Torre, Charlie Anastasis, and Maxx Morando are the four fundamentals that make up ambitious buzzworthy LA Rock band Liily. Liily have a lot of things going for them: drummer Maxx is currently dating Miley Cyrus, they're managed by Peter Bauer of The Walkmen, they played Miley's New Year's Eve Party on the cusp of 2022-23, and they just have a cool, raw, unadulterated sound. Summed up as an "Angeleno quintet... pushing the Rock genre forward and into a new era of raw tension and passionate fire..." by Atwood Magazine, the band gained momentum quickly. After forming in 2016, early on, Liily took stages by storm, creating notoriety for themselves through their manic energy displayed in their frenzied live shows, but that's not all they had to offer. Bringing that same domestic chaos from their live shows, Liily expanded their fanbase upon the releases of their 2019 EP entitled I Can Fool Anybody In This Town and 2021 debut album, TV or Not TV. Today, the band is more present than ever, bringing new music and a new energy to the modern Rock genre.
When comparing this so-called "new era" to their previous EP release, lead singer, Dylan Nash explains, "I think, thematically, it's very different. I think the intensity of it is very different. I think we had the same intention, though, which is to completely obliterate people's ear drums—that's what it still has in common." When embarking on this new sound, Liily looked to harness their Valley upbringing, jumping from moment to moment and ambience to ambience, creating experimental songs all the more strange and abrasive, but, also, far more three-dimensional than anything the band had done before. Still containing the unbridled energy of those early shows and singles, but stripped of anything passive or unintentional. Their debut album, TV or Not TV—produced by Joe Chiccarelli (The Killers, Morrissey, The Shins, The Strokes, Frank Zappa)—took on the perspective of the town staring at the back of the Hollywood sign while simultaneously displaying the growth Liily underwent as a band, musicians, and individuals in the previous two years.
Liily's new era of music provides the essence of an enigma, sensical yet explanation-less pieces whose expressions can stand on their own with little to be compared to, much like Liily's members themselves. Nash, De La Torre, Anastasis & Morando's cohesive elements of variety and distinction only leaves listeners wondering what idiosyncratic sound could be bestowed by the band next. In this realm they have now created, concepts take on their physical embodiments, setting fire to the unnecessary cookie-cutter outlines and definitions, and creating the whole experience of an idea or feeling. Providing an interpretive, bashing, free-wheeling, yet self-serious sound, the four have explored their most artistic sense of selves thoroughly and intentionally, landing on a sound undeniably raw and human that is sure to project them into a very personal place of a listener's mind. Earlier this year, following Liily's charasmatic appearance on Miley's New Year's Eve Party, we were given the unique opportunity to conduct an interview with bassist Charlie Anastasis. Check out our interview below, which has been lightly edited for general clarity. Stay tuned for more exciting new sounds from Liily coming this year, via Flush Records.
I. Who are the members of Liily and what is each member's role within the grand scheme of the band?
Charlie Anastasis: [Bassist] Charlie [Anastasis], [drummer] Maxx [Morando], [lead vocalist] Dylan [Nash], and [guitarist] Sam [De La Torre]. I think "the grand scheme" implies that we even have the slightest idea of what we are doing here. Truthfully, I think we're all desperately grateful that we still enjoy being around each other.
II. Can you describe a bit to us about how, when, and why Liily initially started as a band?
Anastasis: It started when we were in high school. I met Maxx at an all-boys Catholic school and he was the best drummer I had ever met in my life and still is. F**k every other drummer. He told me that him and his friend, Sam, were starting a band and, honestly, I agreed to be polite more than anything, but after our first show, I knew I never wanted to play in any other band ever again.
III. How did you end up signing with the good people at Flush Records?
Anastasis: Andrew Shack, for some completely unknown reason, stumbled into a show of ours at a venue in LA called The Smell, kismet. Muah!
IV. Who would you cite as some of your greatest sources of inspiration and influence when creating new music?
Anastasis: That truly changes every day. I can't speak for everyone else, but today, it's Alice Longyu Gao. Go listen to that sh*t immediately; she makes some of the truly weirdest music I have ever heard.
V. How did you guys get the gig to play Miley Cyrus & Dolly Parton's New Year's Eve Party On NBC helping ring in 2023?
Anastasis: We had heard inklings of it for a few months prior, but didn't think anything was going to come of it... but we got the word from Mr. Lorne Michaels & Miley and thought we would be "stupid" to turn that down.
VI. What prompted you to do your own live cover of the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" after playing your latest Carlos de la Garza-produced single, "Applause?"
Anastasis: Because it's the greatest song ever written and anyone who doesn't cover that song is a dumb idiot.
VII. Do you have any immediate plans to release a studio (or even live) version of your "Sabotage" cover across streaming services?
Anastasis: Maybe...
VIII. Are you excited for your upcoming tour dates in support of FIDLAR?
Anastasis: Yes, they are our favorite band and favorite people.
IX. How did you guys come to meet Peter Bauer (The Walkmen, The Recoys, Fortune Tellers Music,) who is now your manager?
Anastasis: I met Pete through an old friend of mine and, coincidentally, Maxx's cousin is Matt [Barrick], who is the drummer of The Walkmen.
X. What is the best or most useful advice Peter Bauer has ever given Liily as a fellow musician?
Anastasis: "It's way too easy to know what you don't like; figure out what you do like," [Peter Matthew Bauer] (P.M.B.) If he doesn't manage your band, it means your band s*cks hehe.
XI. Can you describe the most fun, crazy, unexpected, or outlandish experience you've had while filming a music video?
Anastasis: I accidentally set Dylan on fire one time.
XII. What's planned next for Liily?
Anastasis: World domination.
