Illatease

It's 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The temperature is a cool 10 C, and the sun is beginning to set. The thudding sound of bass and the banging of drums are heard faintly outside an old building on Adelaide Street.

Inside, just up a flight of stairs, local Indy band Illatease, the nominee for best punk band in the 2007 London Music Awards, is practicing like they always do on Wednesday and Sunday nights.

Soon, the boys in the band know they'll be in front of the live audience at "A Night for Nature," April 27, at the German Canadian Club on Coves Road, but for now the studio is where they release their sound.

The building, at 538 Adelaide St., is home to JamSpot Productions Studio and Live Recordings. For $250 a month, the band practices in a modest room about 15 feet long and 10 feet wide.

Their music pounds so loud inside the room it bounces off the walls, plastered with posters of mainstream bands like Green Day and System of a Down.

For all four band members, Craig Jamieson, 28, his brother Scott Jamieson, 25, Steve Tapley, 23, and Phil Regimbal, 23, this is where they want to be.

"All of us just love doing this," said Scott who plays bass. "Everyone looks forward to Wednesdays and Sundays."

"It's like therapy almost," said Regimbal.

Throughout high school, both Jamieson brothers played in bands together. For awhile, they put their musical lives on halt to job hunt, but eventually their desire to make music crept back into their psyches.

"I just got to the point where it was like I need to start doing music again," said Craig, lead vocalist.

He began writing some songs and shared them with Scott. They started jamming and got the "itch" to form a band.

After a long and hard search, they recruited Tapley for drums and Regimbal for lead guitarist.

In the spring of 2005, Illatease was born.

Their genre, a combination of punk, metal, rock and pop, or "heavy munk rockal pop" as they call it, is what their manager said sets them apart from other bands.

"They're completely different than any other band that's coming out, especially out of London," said Lauren Bandy, who started managing the band in February.

Since coming together, the band has enjoyed success in and outside of London. In addition to gigs at local bars like the Last Drop and the Salt Lounge, Illatease has also played in Windsor and Toronto.

Last year, they were contenders in the Emergenza Music Festival, an international battle of the bands competition held in Toronto. Tapley won for best drummer in the finals.

In February, their song Falling was played on local radio station FM 96, and the following month they were on stage in Toronto at the Rogers Wireless Canadian Music Week, Canada's international music conference, exhibition and festival.

Their first album, Burn the City, was professionally recorded in Toronto and is scheduled for release in May.

Shawn Lefebvre, producer of Burn the City, said unlike other bands he's worked with, Illatease is extremely motivated and hardworking.

"They wanted to put out the best that they could all on their own," he said. "Because they're so professional, dedicated and have a do-it-yourself attitude, I think they will succeed."

"I want to be able to do this for a living," said Craig. "I want to quit my job, get on a bus and play for a bunch of kids and have them scream and hit each other and have a great time."

Currently, Craig sheds his musician's attire for his day job as an account manager at Info-Tech Research Group on Queens Avenue.

"I wear a shirt and tie to work, talk to big decision makers, and then I come here and scream into a microphone," Craig said. "It's definitely an alter ego thing going on."

Scott also works at the Info-Tech Research Group in the sales department, and Regimbal works as a Toyota Canada Customer Service representative.

Only Tapley doesn't dress up for work. He's employed as an industrial mechanic at Wirco Products Ltd., an auto part manufacturer.

To the band, their day jobs just pay the bills. It's playing together before a crowd that – to them – is the best feeling in the world.

"I like showing off," said Scott. "You're taking something that you're so passionate about and that you've made tons of sacrifices to be able to do, and you just can't wait to show as many people as you possibly can."

In 10 years from now, they hope to still be playing together. "It's nice that we all have this common goal, and that we can work towards it together," said Craig, adding that most people don't realize the hard work that goes into being in a band. "It's blood, sweat and tears," he said.

Illatease is planning to tour on weekends this spring, starting in communities around London and moving out further into Ontario and eventually Quebec.

For more information visit www.myspace.com/illateasecanada - Julie Achilles, Special to LondonTopic.ca

Fiery London acts ready to set local stage ablaze

Thu, August 23, 2007

By LORI MASTRONARDI, ANNA COUTTS, BRIAN WONG, SPECIAL TO THE FREE PRESS



Consisting of four Londoners, the feisty punk-power pop band Illatease plays Call The Office tonight.

Illatease is influenced by bands such as Story of the Year, The Used, Billy Talent and Pantera. The group prides itself on its combination of poppy hooks and strong technical riffs.

Although the band only formed in 2005, it has already recorded a full-length album, Burn the City, and been nominated for Best Punk at this year's London Music Awards.

Also setting the stage on fire tonight are two fiery local bands, hard pop-rock act Paris Burning and alternative pop-rock band Arsoncityscape.

Paris Burning's strong, clear vocals and simple but powerful guitar tunes are extremely addictive. Particularly strong tracks include Dear Diary and Third Floor, both of which can be heard on the band's MySpace, www.myspace.com/parisburningrock.

Arsoncityscape's powerful melodies and intense vocal harmonies earned them the "most popular young band" title at the 2007 London Music Awards. Its recently released demo was recorded at London's EMAC studios. To check it out, visit www.myspace.com/arsoncityscape.

Illatease, Paris Burning and Arsoncityscape, Obsidian and Armand all perform at CTO tonight. Tickets are $5 at the door. The show starts at 9:30 p.m.

- london free press

torontoindie.com
for the love of music

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Illatease: Burn The City 2007 Independent
By Pam Nichol

From the beginning of the title track of Illatease’s nine-song LP, Burn The City, you can hear the passion and hard work that went into making the band’s breakthrough first record. From “Burn The City” to “Words Are Weapons,” “Inspired by You” and the beautiful final track, “Forever Goodnight,” vocalist Craig Jamieson, guitarist Phil Regimbal, bassist Scott Jamieson and drummer Steve Tapley draw you in further and further into the melodies, heavy instrumentation and deep filled lyrics of the album. Any punk, pop or even rock fan will find him or herself lured deeper into addiction, completely wanting more. Each track contains at least one catchy element that will constantly be on replay in your head for days. The more you listen, the more you want to listen and the more you want to hear.

http://www.myspace.com/illateasecanada

- Toronto Indie.com

Illatease played the annex wreckroom for canadian music week 2007

Nominated and playing the london music awards in the best punk category - scene magazine

Illatease-Burn The City-(Indie)

Formed two years ago, London's Illatease makes a strong debut with its nine-song CD, Burn The City. Engineered and produced by Toronto's Shawn Lefebvre, it should appeal to the punk/emo crowd for sure, but its metal and pop influences show great crossover potential. Strong songwriting with some killer pop hooks and the vocal interplay between brothers Craig and Scott Jamieson are a definite plus. Highlights include the title track, "Words Are Weapons" and "Overdose."

-Dave Clarke Scene Magazine Indie Beat - Dave Clarke Scene Magazine Indie Beat

August 13, 2007 @ The Horseshoe Tavern
By: Pam Nichol

The most unfortunate thing about having to watch Ill At Ease at the Horseshoe on a Monday night was that there was no crowd. I guess everyone has to pay their dues, but I think these guys got a bum deal. I thought they were pretty good.

Surprisingly, the band, a rock/pop/punk quartet from London, Ontario, didn’t let the small turnout affect their performance. They gave it their all and managed to get the handful of people in attendance clapping and chanting along with them. Front man Craig Jamieson clearly knows how to work a crowd. The band’s enthusiasm was refreshing and, given the chance and a string of all-ages shows, these guys could cultivate quite a loyal following.

The band’s songwriting was great and its musicianship was solid. One area that merits improvement, however, is the set list. With drum solos and other hoopla just halfway into the performance, I mistakenly thought the set was over. As well, coming in at roughly 40 minutes, the set was about 10 to 15 minutes too long for a small crowd. Had the set ended earlier, I would have been amazed at what I saw.

Ill At Ease has been spending the summer touring in support of its recently released debut CD, Burn the City. I strongly urge you to check the band out at Clinton’s when it’s back in Toronto on September 12. I know I will. I’m interested to see what these guys can do. And, hey! If you guys at the ‘Shoe are reading this, give these boys a Tuesday, will you? They deserve it.


- Pam Nichol of Toronto Indie

Illatease
Craig Jamieson, Scott Jamieson, Phil Regimbal, Steve Tapley

Mindyourmind.ca gets to know Illatease, an aspiring rock/punk/metal band from London, Ontario. They play hard but work hard too, with a debut cd in the makings, they are determined to make music that will rock you.




Diana: How long has Illatease been around? Tell us a bit about the band and its history.

Illatease: We've been together for about a year and a half. We've mostly been playing locally up to this point. The four of us have been playing individually for at least ten years. In this time we've managed to build a solid local following and play some venues in London as well as Toronto and Windsor. We've just finished recording our debut cd which we are aiming to release in March.

Diana: When did you decide you wanted music to be your life? Is music your life?

Illatease: Music has always been a part of all of our lives. We all started very young and had many different musical influences. Since this band got together and more so after we began working on this record, it definitely has BECOME our lives. We're making sacrifices and re-arranging our lives to pursue a career in music. We're passionate to the point of un-healthy obsession sometimes, but it's positive because it's something we all really care about.

Diana: What are Illatease’s dreams and aspirations as a band?

Illatease: We definitely want to do this for a living. We all work decent jobs but our true passion is music. If we could make a living at doing what we love, every one of us would be very happy to do so.

Diana: Music touches different people in different ways. How does music touch you? What does it mean to you?

Illatease: Music gives us something to believe in and allows us to vent frustrations and feelings to others in a positive way.

Craig: If I have a bad day or something really upsets me, I'll write a song about it and it turns something negative in to a positive outlet.

Diana: How do you hope your music will affect others?

Illatease: We hope they get as much satisfaction listening to it as we do creating and performing it.

Diana: A common misconception about bands is that all they do is party. But in reality, they often work twice as hard. You have regular jobs and then you’re working on your career as well. Would you agree that being in a band is kinda like being a student?

Illatease: It's kind of like being a student, but often with more homework; There's no question that it is very hard to maintain a job while pursuing your dream. Sometimes there's just not enough hours in a day. A lot of people do have that misconception, that all guys in bands do is party and have a good time but the reality is that you can't party until the work is done...and there always seems to be work to do. However, when it's time to celebrate, we definitely know how to let loose.

Diana: How do you cope/deal with stress?

Illatease: We try to find humour in everything.

Diana: Music Idol?

Craig: Dan Marsala of Story Of The Year. He puts on an incredible live performance and his lyrics are inspiring.

Steve: Dave Grohl. I respect that he's so multi-talented in that he is a great musician, writer and producer.

Phil: I respect and admire many musicians for many reasons but don''t have one specific idol.

Scott: Fat Mike of NOFX. He's successful without compromising who he is in any way, and of course the late Mr. James Jamerson ; the un-disputed king of bass and the reason any kid from the 1970s on wanted to be a bass player.

Diana: What was the best piece of advice anyone’s ever given you?

Steve: Don't play leapfrog with unicorns.

Phil: Nothing in life is free; If you want it, you have to work for it.

Scott: If you wake up every morning and do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life.

Craig: Go hard or go home.
- Diana Ali

The 2006 season in Toronto came to a close over the weekend of June 10th with 14 thrilling and talented bands, the crème de la crème as it were.
‘Trap Door’ was first to take the stage with progressive rock power and keyboard thrills the audience folded their arms and took in the sounds. Sounding far older than their birth certificates would indicate, ‘The Crunch’ lowered the boom on some bluesy gritty rock and roll. ‘Zameer’ always the showman put on an eclectic set once again and presented the winner of his on line draw with a set of tickets to Las Vegas Nevada. Congratulations to the lucky winner. ‘Crimson in the Attic’ a three piece from all over eastern Canada put together a set of their favorite songs bringing the drummer out front to sing a few. ‘Burning Bright’ powered through their set and really started the audience moving. ‘Crestfallen’ was a slow starter and lost time on their set but held it together for a few songs for the gathering audience. ‘Lost Subject’ formerly known as You are Here, popped up the punkyness or punked up the poppyness to the excited chanting crowd. The Ottawa finalists joined the Toronto bands for their all Ontario competition. ‘Makeshift was welcomed by the Toronto bands with good sportsmanship and put on a great and powerful modern rock set including the songs that won them the Ottawa championship.
‘Motion Picture Ending’ had everything in the right place and lit up the stage Opera House style. Blending pop and alternative with their own flair and flavor they set the audience in motion. Borealis with their ever impressive female vocalist thrust through their power metal set being thrilled to play on the very stage their idols have done before them. Siobhan was awarded the best vocalist prize for her strong efforts throughout the festival. ‘Tommorrows Excuse’ put on an impassioned show as professional as always and in true alternative modern rock style. ‘9 Hours Later’ tried to draw in the audience and succeeded in doing so only to have two or three monkeys in the audience start up the fisticuffs. Aggressive Rock will do that sometimes. The strong vocals and heavy weight appeal of ‘Darker Shade of Red’ notched up the volume a few db to really shake the walls of the old building. Rounding out the proceedings was ‘Illatease’ once again in from the far off reaches in Ontario. They rocked out with a punk flavor that was unmatched Saturday night.


Billy Danforth - 26 Jun 2006


- Billy Danforth-Emergenza 2006

The first week of shows in Toronto are over and out, 10-4 good buddy. We got loud and silly and the music was kickin'. Our old skool club the Kathedral did us justice and a fun time was had by all. Here is a run down on the action.

Friday Nov. 25: Crestfallen up first threw down with some nice female vox. Singer/songwriter Brennan Finlay did the power trio thing. More grrl front person came with Dream Aria, very angelic. With a busload of fans from god knows where Illatease turned the dump upside down. Let It Reign tossed a sic set of hard core. Second year EMERGENZA veterans Audioout proved they are alive and kicking. Hold The Light closed the show commando style.
- Dusty Sanchez-Emergenza 2006

Interpunk Top 40 Countdown - May 27, 2007 (Falling places #1 with 460 votes)

Illatease
"Falling"
460
The Lemonheads
"Become The Enemy"
433
Leftover Crack
"Burn Them Prisons"
129
Deathkiller
"Take Me To Your Bleeder"
108
Alkaline Trio
"Burn"
96
Cancer Bats
"Grenades"
71
Misfits
"Dig Up Her Bones"
70
Descendents
"Sour Grapes"
68
Stabbed In Back
"When Laughter Turns To Screams"
67
Mustard Plug
"Lolita"
57
Intro5pect
"No More Time"
51
Guttermouth
"My Chemical Imbalance"
43
46 Short
"Left and Right"
39
Misfits
"Horror Hotel"
39
Swingin' Utters
"Reggae Gets Big In A Small Town"
37
Virus Nine
"Stay Proud! Stay True! Stay Punk!"
35
Say Anything
"Alive WIth The Glory Of Love"
32
Bad Astronaut
"One Giant Disappointment"
30
Slick Shoes
"Fool Me No More"
30
Have Heart
"The Unbreakable"
28
Comeback Kid
"Broadcasting..."
28
Reset
"T.K.O."
28
Black Tie Revue
"Call Waiting"
27
Vice Squad
"Don't Let The Bastards Grind You Down"
25
Red Light Green Light
"Cliché College Whit, More Or Less"
24
Samiam
"Come Home"
22
The Hatepinks
"Sexual Liberation Is For Animals"
21
Haste The Day
"The Minor Prophets"
21
Fear Before the March of Flames
"My (Fucking) Deer Hunter"
21
Career Soldiers
"Loss of Words"
21
The Subhumans
"Clash Of The Intransigents"
20
Off The Record
"One Mans Downfall"
19
Cruiserweight
"Vermont"
19
Faulter
"October 16th"
19
Piebald
"Oh, The Congestion"
19
Moneen
"The Day No One Needed To Know"
19
Disaster Strikes
"Ballad Of The Sinner Boy"
18
Ringers
"Nothing To Show"
17
The Metal Eddies
"Waste of Time"
17
Marathon
"Don't Ask If This Is About You"
17






- Punk Radio Cast