All Photos By Travis Failey Photography
Throughout my career as a photo journalist, I have been fortunate to see bands at their infancy and watch them grow as they make their way through the ranks. Most of the time, they start by playing small clubs locally and try to get on opening slots with bigger bands etc. I watched this happen with NOTHING MORE when they opened for ADRENALINE MOB and now once again with PLUSH.
The first time we were introduced to the girls in PLUSH was at Rocklahoma 2021 when we ran into bassist Ash Suppa who was walking around in a full size banana costume prior to them taking one of the smaller side stages a couple hours later. Ash and her bandmates, who were all around 18-20 years old at the time, were thrilled to be there as were all of us as this was the first big music festival coming out of Covid.
They played a 6 song set and impressed and gained many new fans with their energy and their songs. Fast forward 3 years to Sunday as PLUSH, which is comprised of Faith Powell on drums, Bella Perron on guitar, Moriah Formica on vocals and guitar and the aforementioned Ash Suppa on bass, have now just completed their first headlining tour.
They finished up their multi-date run at the OCC Roadhouse in Clearwater. The Roadhouse is a great venue that has Paul Teutal Sr. from the TV show Orange County Choppers as one of its owners and its museum includes custom bikes from the show. Since OCCs inception a few years back, they have been bringing in amazing touring bands on a weekly basis and its one of the best venues in the area.
Opening for PLUSH was KAMENAR a local duo made up of twin brothers Sean and John Kamenar. These two formed their band after hearing AEROSMITH in 2015 on the Rock and Roll roller coaster and have been playing non-stop and honing their craft. They have released 2 singles, have done multiple tours and opened for a who's who in rock like Ace Frehley, Alice Copper, Slash and so on.
They opened up with "Walking the Dog", the Rufus Thomas classic made popular by AEROSMITH and continued with a high energy rock and roll set which featured their singles "Never Enough Time" and "Ways to Get High". KAMENAR knew how to get the older crowd going by playing the David Essex cover "Rock On" and catered to the younger crowd with the BADFLOWER cover "Animal".
With what these two young men have accomplished at their age is to be commended and at this point in their careers, if they keep up this pace with playing live and honing their songwriting craft, the sky is the limit for the twins from Tampa.
After a quick changeover, PLUSH hit the stage and created a circle of unity in front of the drum kit. They took their respected positions on stage and broke into their second single they released from their self titled album in "Athena". This song is so powerful just like the people who were playing it and the Goddess of War herself. They continued their set with "Champion" which got the crowd singing and chanting "We are the Champions" during the chorus.
It is evident just after two songs that many in the crowd were familiar with their music and the reason why is because of their songwriting abilities. The hooks and choruses are infectious along with the smiles in which they perform with while playing.
They continued their 15 song set with "Run", "Kill the Noise" and "Sober". Moriah then addressed the crowd and thanked them for coming out and supporting them as Faith Powell sat behind a keyboard as Ash Suppa took a seat with her bass at the end of the stage. Formica stated that this was the end of their Find The Beautiful Tour as the band performed the song that the tour got its name from. Perron strummed her acoustic guitar as the band toned it down a bit as the emotion flowed down to the crowd from the stage. This song really showcased their natural musical talents and their unity as a band.
After "Find The Beautiful" and another brilliant single in "Better Off Alone", PLUSH picked it back up with their rousing rendition of "Barracuda" by HEART. Perron and Formica traded off guitar leads and I don't think there is anyone else out there that can sing it as well or better than Ann Wilson than Moriah Formica.
This woman has a voice of an angel and sings with grace and power and I look forward to seeing her later this year when she's touring with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA. Perron also crushes her Ibanez guitars and has all the moves, riffs and tricks of any guitarist out there. I know it sounds crazy, but the Berklee graduate is that good and so fun to watch play her instrument.
PLUSH continued with songs from their debut and mixed in "Hope It Hurts" from their Find The Beautiful EP with Ash Suppa and Faith Powell bringing the back line to the front with a booming bass line. Powell is a heavy hitter on the drums and puts on a show behind the kit while Suppa was fantastic providing the harmonies to go along with Formica. These two make magic together vocally and pull off everything you hear on their albums live and on stage.
PLUSH concluded their set and the tour with "Left Behind" and the heavy hitting "Hate". This was the first single they released and it introduced them to the masses and opened many doors. The band took their bows and then hung out and talked and took pictures with their fans old and new.
PLUSH continue to grow as a band and as songwriters and gain more fans with every single they release and live performance they do. I've watched them grow as a band over the last three years as I did NOTHING MORE 12 years ago and they are selling out venues across the country. The guys in NOTHING MORE are still humble and engaging just like I know Moriah, Bella, Faith and Ash are now and will be in the future.
Even though they have concluded their tour, PLUSH will continue on after a short break with a trip and a performance in Okinawa, Japan as they play for the troops and continue to Find The Beautiful on the other side of the globe.
For more information on the band, head to https://plushrocks.net/.
Check out some more photos from the show!
All Photos By Travis Failey Photography
