Hannah Liuzzo and Kelsey Rose Francis are lifelong friends. They met at band camp and both studied music in college. Liuzzo describes growing up playing the flute as “actually not rock and roll, as it turns out.” (Jethro Tull’s 1989 Grammy win for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance notwithstanding.)
Alex Bourne was someone Liuzzo had seen around New Hampshire doing sound at local venues. When Liuzzo’s original lineup for Lilith fizzled out, Bourne stepped in and encouraged her to continue on. He ended up joining in on drums and Francis hopped on the bass. She had never played bass before but she took right to it. From there the band started to gel.
“There’s nothing like a catchy melody honestly,” Liuzzo says, describing her outlook on creating music. She characterizes Lilith as a very melody-heavy pop-rock band. So it stands to reason that catchy melodies dominate the landscape of their debut Apology Plant, recently released on local record label Disposable America.
Liuzzo cites Radiohead and My Bloody Valentine among her favorite artists. While the influence may not be readily apparent in Lilith’s music, there’s more than meets the ear from a technical standpoint. As a music student, Liuzzo is attuned to the technical aspects of their compositions, incorporating techniques those bands use, like vocal layering and song structuring, into Lilith’s songs.
Lilith’s newest video for “Lean”, which we’re premiering here today, takes a layered approach itself. They filmed half at the Sound It Out practice space in Manchester, New Hampshire, and half at Space Entertainment Center in Hooksett. The decision to film at the entertainment emporium was driven by an intense snowstorm that day.
“The day we recorded, it was snowing really, really hard so we couldn’t walk around outside,” Liuzzo says. “So we decided to go to Space Center and spend $50 on games and bumper cars and giant inflatable boxing.”
The decision to choose “Lean” for their video was a practical one. The tuning on Liuzzo’s guitar for that song is particularly difficult so they don’t get the chance to play the song live much. The video gave them the chance to revisit it.
With its bumper cars and inflatable boxing, the video highlights the band’s closeness. It’s easy to see why this lineup was the one that clicked for Lilith. At the beginning of the video, Liuzzo asks an anonymous Space Center employee if the band can box. “I mean if you’re up to it, yeah,” he replies nonchalantly.
Liuzzo hits back, “Yeah, no, we’re up to it.”
Catch Lilith with Slingshot Dakota, Ratboys, and Pushflowers at O’Briens Pub March 4th, and get an exclusive glimpse at the video for “Lean” below: