illScarlett is a young band out of Canada, bringing a funky reggae sound and a ton of energy and excitement. Drawing comparisons to Sublime, they have a style and swagger fitting of the Southern California music scene. I recently caught up with them to see what is going on in their world.
Q: For my readers who may not be very familiar with you, tell me the
short version of who you are and what we need to know about you.
A: We are 4 strapping young lads from Mississauga Canada that play
Rock Reggae, tour the world and we have a great time doing so.
Q: Your music has been called a mix of Sublime and No Doubt. A mix of
reggae and rhythm. What are your thoughts on this?
A: we grew up listening to sublime so i can see the influence come
through certain aspects of our music. We don't try to sound like any
band in particular but its most definitely and honor to be put the
same category as Sublime.
Q: Coming from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, what has the process of
spreading your music been like?
A: lots of touring. Radio and MTV/much music support. And obviously
the use of all the modern social networking on the world wide web !!
ie www.facebook.com/illscarlett , twitter , youtube , myspace and
such.
Q: Do you find that most of your audience tends to be kids or teenagers?
A:Teens i guess. We have a very wide age range of fans. I've seen 10yr
old kids - 40yr moms at the shows. But its definitely the college kids
that love to get iLL !!
Q: You are a band that got where you are by working your asses off and
playing a bazillion shows. How do you think that has shaped who you
are as musicians and people?
A: Builds character, trust and friendship. We're all very good friends
and we're very focused on being successful. The key is to always have
fun, cuz once its stops being fun then theres no real point to
continue. Kids will see through you if you're trying to fake it.
Q: Your first release is called, Epdemic. Talk a little about how the
project came together, what you tried to do in making it, etc.
A: the "project" came together like any other band that wants to make
a record. We wrote a bunch of cool tunes, saved up couple G's ,
recorded the songs and put out the record for our fans.
Q: "First shot" is an artistic and energetic song. It definitely shows
your Incubus' influences, especially in the first minute. Anyone who
has heard Incubus's "Science" will love this. Was Incubus a big
influence of yours? Where does your desire for sampling come from?
A: Incubus definitely inspired us from the fact that they were a band
that did their own thing. Kept it real and stuck with it. Incubus are
amazing song writers and one of the most original bands out there to
make it big.
Re: sampling. There was no real process to it. It prob comes from all
the hip hop we listen too. I honestly dunno.
Q: "Heaters" goes in a more funky direction. More like a happy Bob
Marley song (with turntables). The parallels to Sublime cannot be
ignored here. Talk a bit about this song.
A: heaters is a straight up reggae jam. So yes i can see how the
sublime or bob or any reggae artist comparison will come up.
Q: As the album continues, the art of the music really comes through.
What was kind of the inspiration for the album and putting together a
complete piece of music?
A: our life and experiences were the inspiration for the songs and as
musicians and songwriters the next logical step was to make it "a
complete piece of music" aka a record.
Q: The next release, "1UP!" is now available in Canada. What can you
tell us about the making and sound of that album?
A: we recorded the record in LA this past spring. In my opinion its
our best work to date. We had a great time write and recording 1up!
And it fully comes through the music.
Q: What are your plans and aspirations in terms of touring and
growing? Can we expect you in the states' soon?
A:we'll tour everywhere and anywhere. we're actually on tour with a
great so-cal based band called "pepper.” Great dudes we met on tour in
Europe last yr. We're touring all over the states for the next couple
months.
Check www.myspace.com/illscarlett for dates near you.
IllScarlett is yet another up-and-comer that has grabbed my attention. I will be following their future closely. Here as always in the Continuum.
