LILIAC – A Family That Plays ”Vamp Metal.”

LILIAC is a family rock and metal band from the United States, formed by the Cristea siblings. The band began its journey performing covers on the Santa Monica Pier in California, gradually building a strong following through live performances and social media.
The band features Melody Cristea on vocals, Samuel Cristea on guitar, Abigail Cristea on drums, Ethan Cristea on bass, and Justin Cristea on keyboards. Their father, Florin Cristea, has played an important role in the band’s musical development and management.
LILIAC gained international attention through their powerful covers of classic rock and metal songs before releasing their own original material.
They have appeared on major television programs, including CBS’s The World’s Best and America’s Got Talent, and have performed at major rock festivals and events.
With a sound rooted in classic hard rock and heavy metal, LILIAC have developed their own distinctive identity, which they describe as “Vamp Metal.” Their discography includes Chain of Thorns, Queen of Hearts, and Madness.
From street performances on the Santa Monica Pier to major stages and an international fan base, LILIAC have built a unique story as one of rock’s most recognizable family bands.

INTERVIEW… Abigail Cristea! Behind the Drums, Family & the Rock ‘n’ Roll Journey!
Athenscalling.gr: First of all, Abigail, welcome to Athenscalling.gr! It’s a pleasure to have you with us!
Abigail Cristea: Thank you so much for having me!
Athenscalling.gr:Where do we find you today, and what are you currently up to with LILIAC?
Abigail Cristea: Right now I’m back home in Minnesota spending time with my family. With LILIAC, we’re working behind the scenes, figuring out what the next chapter is going to look like, and working on new music. We’ve had an incredible journey already, and I’m excited to see what the future brings. There’s definitely more LILIAC ahead of us.
Athenscalling.gr: How did your love for drums begin, and when did you realize that you wanted to pursue music professionally?
Abigail Cristea: Music was always around our family, but I really fell in love with playing drums when we started street performing on the Santa Monica Pier in California. We would set up and play for people walking by, and I loved the feeling of being behind the kit. When I’m playing drums, it’s like I’m in my own world. I could just play, watch a crowd gather around us, and see people reacting to our music.
Athenscalling.gr: A Day, one Moment You’ll Never Forget…
Abigail Cristea:One of the moments I’ll never forget happened there when Stewart Copeland from The Police saw us performing. He watched me playing drums with my family and ended up coming over and jamming with us. As a young drummer, getting to play with someone like Stewart Copeland was pretty incredible and gave me even more confidence and excitement about what I was doing.As LILIAC started getting bigger shows and eventually touring, drums went from something I loved doing to something I realized I could actually pursue professionally. But a lot of that love really started out there on the Santa Monica Pier, playing for whoever happened to stop and listen.
Athenscalling.gr: LILIAC is a family band, with all the members being siblings. What is it like to share the stage, tours, rehearsals, and the whole journey of being in a band with your brothers and sisters?
Abigail Cristea: It’s definitely a unique experience! We basically grew up together in the band. We’ve rehearsed together, traveled across the country together, lived on tour buses together, and played hundreds of shows together.There are so many memories that have nothing to do with what people see onstage. It’s the long drives, being on the bus together, joking around backstage, meeting fans after the shows, and experiencing all these places for the first time as a family.
Athenscalling.gr: Does being siblings make things easier when you work together as a band, or can it sometimes be challenging? How do you manage to separate family life from band life?
Abigail Cristea: Both! Being family gives you a connection and trust that can be really powerful in a band, but it also means you’re around each other all the time. When you’re touring, you’re not just playing a show together — you’re traveling together, eating together, and basically living together 24/7.
Of course we’ve had arguments. We’re siblings! Sometimes band disagreements become family disagreements, and sometimes it’s the other way around. But at the end of the day we’re still family, and that’s bigger than whatever argument happened at rehearsal or on the road.

As we’ve gotten older, we’ve all developed our own lives too, so learning how to balance family, music, and everything outside the band has become really important.
Athenscalling.gr: Who is your favorite drummer of all time, and which drummers have influenced your playing the most?

Abigail Cristea: I’ve always loved powerful rock drummers. Roger Taylor from Queen has been an influence, and of course Lars Ulrich from Metallica. What I love about drummers like that isn’t just technique — it’s how important the drums are to the identity of the songs.I’ve always tried to play for the song first. I love big fills and heavy double bass when the music calls for it, but I also think knowing when not to play something is just as important.
Athenscalling.gr: What has been the most challenging LILIAC song or drum part you’ve played so far, and is there a particular performance that you’re especially proud of?
Abigail Cristea: “Madness” is definitely one of the challenging ones. That song is loaded with double bass, and playing something like that live while keeping the energy up for the whole song is a workout!

Athenscalling.gr:Is there a particular performance that you feel especially proud of?
Abigail Cristea:As far as performances I’m proud of, there are so many. Performing on The World’s Best on CBS in 2019 was huge for us, and then America’s Got Talent in 2020. Playing the KISS Kruise twice was another incredible experience, and we’ve gotten to play major festivals like Rocklahoma and Rock Fest.Every one of those felt like another milestone for this family band that started out just playing music together.
Athenscalling.gr: What do you know about Greece and Greek music or culture? Is there anything about Greece that you would especially like to experience or see someday?

Abigail Cristea: A European tour has always been a dream for us, and Greece would absolutely be on the wish list. We’ve been fortunate to meet LILIAC fans from so many different countries online, and one of the things we’ve always wanted to do is finally bring the music to those fans in person.And if we make it to Greece, I definitely wouldn’t want to just fly in, play a show, and leave. I’d want some time to actually experience the country, the food, the history, and the culture. Hopefully one day we’ll get that opportunity!
Athenscalling.gr: After all the shows and tours you’ve experienced with LILIAC, is there one particular moment or concert that you’ll never forget?

Abigail Cristea: It’s really hard to pick just one because some of my favorite memories aren’t necessarily the biggest shows.I love the headlining shows where you look out and see people singing and rocking out to music that we created. Then after the show you walk out for the meet-and-greet and there’s this huge line of people waiting to meet us. That never gets old.I also really miss some of the simple things about touring — being on the tour bus with my family, waking up in another city, getting ready for another show, and doing it all over again. When you’re living it, everything is moving so fast that you don’t always realize how special those moments are.
Looking back now, those are some of the memories I appreciate the most.