The Sunset 4 play the Beatles at Miami Beach Youth Music Festival

A band of talented young musicians is making its mark on South Florida’s music scene. Playing covers of Beatles music, the Sunset 4 are demonstrating their many musical talents by playing a classic catalog.

These kids are much more than a tribute band. Guitarist and singer Oliver Lieberman, bassist Warren Bromley, lead singer Zoe Lyons, and drummer Evangeline Lyons are all age 12. They’ve played to packed houses all over South Florida.

On March 13, they will hit the Miami Beach Youth Music Festival, where 23 groups and individuals from across the region will stream from the North Beach Bandshell with no audience present. Other bands set to perform include the Miami Beach Rock Ensemble, the JECC Jazz Bootcamp Ensemble and 21 Hearts 1 Beat.

Growing up in Miami Beach, the kids heard Beatles’ music around their homes and were surrounded by the British band’s memorabilia, thanks to their parents. Oliver shows off vintage guitars and a Beatles lunchbox, “Well, it’s mostly thanks to my dad because he has always loved the Beatles,” he says.

The Sunset 4: Warren Bromley, Oliver Lieberman and Evangeline and Zoe Lyons at the 2020 Miami Beach Youth Music Festival at The North Beach Bandshell (WorldRedEye.com)

Other band members were inspired by other artists. “I love Amy Winehouse, and I also like Adele,” said Zoe. “‘Valerie’ by Amy Winehouse is one of my favorite songs, so when we played it in the band, that was really fun.

Oliver and Warren met a few years back when they took swim lessons together. 

“Every Tuesday, there was an after-school thing called Music, and I started playing with Oliver,” said Warren. “We found out that we were doing guitar together and then I also started playing the electric bass.” 

Then their parents met. “After we became friends, Oliver’s dad introduced himself to my dad, and then he asked him if he wanted to start a band,” said Warren.

At first they called themselves the Rusty Screw. Oliver, Warren and a few of their friends got a feel for what it was like to play together.

Eventually, both wanted more from music and decided to form new band.

“We were, like, just messing around,” Oliver said. “One day, we just decided we wanted to make a real band.”

Now the question was, who could be their lead singer and who could play the drums? Enter Zoe and Evangeline, twin sisters just as musically gifted as the two boys.

Prior to the Sunset 4, the girls sang and drummed for two years.  Zoe and Evangeline had been in a temporary band at camp, where they played a show and practiced with a group.

Oliver and Warren knew Zoe and Evangeline from elementary school, so they soon came up with the Sunset 4.

Soon they were covering popular music like “We Are Young” by Fun., “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Rose. They  moved on to the Beatles on the suggestion of Brian Lieberman, Oliver’s father and manager of the Sunset 4.

“He’s always loved them and one day, he just decided, ‘Why don’t you guys do Beatles stuff?’ and we really liked it,” said Oliver.

The band members balance school and music. “Every Wednesday, either Oliver’s dad or mom picks us up from school at around 3:30 p.m. and we go to Oliver’s house and start playing at 4:30 p.m.,” said Warren.

Regarding the band’s future, the Sunset 4 plans on continuing to perform together and eventually creating their own music. “If we’re writing about things that are our opinion, it’s just going to be even better for us,” said Zoe.

 

Ingrid Hernandez is currently pursuing her Bachelors in Communications, Journalism. She also works as an Undergraduate Tutor at the Center for Excellence in Writing at FIU and wants to work as a music writer/editor in the future. Outside of her studies and work, Hernandez writes for the music news website Genius.