illScarlett

As far as Cinderella stories go, illScarlett’s is a pretty damn good one.

After six years together, the Mississauga band is finally experiencing success due to the members’ hard work and a little luck.

Vocalist Alex Norman, guitarist Will Marr, drummer Swav Pior, bassist John Doherty and DJ Pat Kennedy were playing in the parking lot at the 2004 Vans Warped Tour when tour organizer Kevin Lyman invited them to play backstage at his barbecue, resulting in a snowball effect that has led to performing at the 2005 and 2006 Warped Tours and Toronto’s inaugural Virgin Festival this past summer.

Norman describes the turning point as "one of those moments where you just want to slow it down a little bit, try to hold on to it a little longer … I was totally nervous, I’d slept in a van … my throat was a little rough … but it was awesome … in my lifetime, I think it’s my favourite moment."

The success of the band’s song Heaters is especially impressive considering, until recently, the band didn’t have a major record deal. (They have since reportedly signed to Sony Music Canada). illScarlett’s EPdemic was released in October on its own label, Infect The Masses, and its do-it-yourself attitude combined with a frenetic live show has finally paid off.

illScarlett’s music is a smooth mish-mash of styles including rock, ska and reggae, resulting in high-energy, infectious tunes.

Norman remembers meeting Pior in high school, "we traded CDs, the biggest bands we listened to at the time were Nirvana, Silverchair, the Deftones …"

An interest in Sublime and reggae was the initial spark, though. "That’s when it started feeling like something special," notes Norman.

With the Sublime comparisons Norman admits "some people are afraid to ask us …

"It doesn’t bother us, there’s way shittier bands that people can make you sound like … we just hate it when people say ‘you’re the next Sublime’ … I think their sound is different, there’s more stuff going on in our songs."

Does he have any guidance for fellow struggling Canadian acts?

Norman advises "have fun, work hard, it’s not always gonna be smooth sailing but always remember you’re a band and a band can do anything … and stay away from coke."

AMANDA B. HAUPT for Metro Toronto

- Metro

White boy reggae will probably never sound cool, but IllScarlett come pretty damn close. Their mix of ska, dub and reggae can be a bit of a pill at times, but it's never anywhere near The Salads' level of cheese. Instead, it comes off as a smooth mix of genres, executed with deft pop sensibility and massive crossover potential. The singer's wail is somewhat similar to pop funk crooner Jason Mraz, and the music would sit perfectly with college stoners tired of their Sublime records. Thankfully, it's not all watered down ska, and the EP offers instrumental moments that would appeal to fans of Dave Matthews and Toots And The Maytals alike. If they keep it up, this Toronto quintet could dominate rock radio airwaves. Shehzaad Jiwani - Chart Magazine

Toronto reggae and dub-influenced rock band illScarlett has signed with Sony BMG Music Canada, but has just released a "transitional" record called "EPdemic." The eight-song EP is on illScarlett's own Infect The Masses label, through the major label's cooler distribution arm, Red Ink Music. The full-length is expected next summer.

"The next record will have a considerably larger budget, as well as more direction from Sony, I guess," says frontman Alex Norman.

"Heaters," is the current single, a song that influential Toronto modern rock station The Edge put into regular rotation from the 2004 indie EP, "Clearly Another Fine Mess," but has since switched out for this new, remastered, version. Sony BMG is working the song at radio across the country.

"'Heaters' is kind of a silly song," says Norman. "That's why when they first told us they were making it a single, I was like, 'Really?' It's just a tongue-in-cheek stab at the cops (laughs) 'cause I've had cops push us around. Not really anything serious and more when we were younger -- knock on wood (laughs) -- but we smoke lots of herb so they can always smell it."

The Edge is still playing "Heaters," but is starting to ramp up the second single, "One-A," which Norman says is a song about "who we are as a band, where we come from," in particular a nod to a friend.

"Neil's our buddy from Streetsville," says Norman of northeast community of Mississauga, and part of the Great Toronto Area. "He was one of the first guys who saw our potential and he used to come to all the shows. He was a few years older than us, but he had all these parties at One-A, which was a little apartment where we'd always go and party. So it's actually an address. It's just a real fun song."

illScarlett is the first signing by Greg Boggs, a former A&R man at Columbia Records in America, who accepted the position of A&R director at Sony BMG Music Canada in Toronto back in February. One of his mandates was to bring in more rock acts.

He was actually told about the band by Columbia's Nick Casinelli, who is friends with one of illScarlett's managers, Brad Rubens in Philadelphia (New York's Andy Winkler is the other manager).

"I got here (Toronto) and I started hearing about illScarlett and the first show I got to see them do was at the Opera House and it was sold out. That was in February," says Boggs. "So I kind of got here, the new guy in town, and I was like, 'Wow, I can't believe these guys aren't signed. This is really good and they obviously have a fan base.'

"I just think they have great songs. Alex is a great lyricist. The band really melds well together. The guys come from different backgrounds -- some of them like heavy metal type stuff, some of them are into the reggae thing. They have common ground too, but they are headstrong as to where they come form musically and I think that melding really works. You end up with an ability to write really strong songs, even from a pop stand point, but they're interesting and cool. No body's really doing this right now."

"EPdemic," which came out Oct. 31, was recorded independently at The Vault and Backroom Recording Studio in west Toronto in the fall of 2005, before Sony BMG Music Canada came into the picture.

All eight songs have appeared on previous illScarlett releases either as-is ("Heaters," "N.T.F." ), with a new mix ("First Shot," "One-A") or brand new studio recordings ("Rally," "Pacino," "Mary Jane," "Not A Prophecy"). All have been remastered.

"We were never really happy with (the other recordings) just because we never really had the money, so we weren't totally comfortable with what we were doing," admits Norman, whose bandmates are drummer Swav Pior, bassist John Doherty, guitarist Will Marr and DJ Pat Kennedy.

"We didn't meet the right producer until now, which is Mike Borkowsky -- he made us feel good. It was actually fun to record, where in the past it had always been such a chore."

Still those past recordings did tremendously well, selling some 15,000 copies combined of 2004's "illP" and "Clearly Another Fine Mess," according to figures from the band. The CDs were never bar-coded to keep track of the scans, but Norman says they kept re-ordering in limited-edition runs of a thousand or two thousand. Most were sold off stage, some on consignment at record stores, as well as in a deal with national action sport retailer West 49.

Such numbers are possible because illScarlett has built an considerable fanbase since forming in Streetsville in 2001 (with a slightly different line-up). The band recorded a few demos, including a 3-song debut in spring of '02, the "$5 Demo" that summer, and its first recording with turntables, 2003's "In Da' Bassment," but 2004 was the year that really invited attention from the industry and sealed a relationship with Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman.

For the 2004 Vans Warped Tour date up at Molson Park in Barrie, ON, the band -- which was not on the bill -- fired up a generator and played in the parking lot that morning as thousands of ticket-holders waited in line for the gates to open. Lyman was told what was going on, came out to hear, and asked them to play his post-festival backstage BBQ. illScarlett has since joined both the 2005 and 2006 Vans Warped Tour.

Also, in 2004, illScarlett signed to Sanctuary Records Canada, whose A&R rep Adam Sewell wanted to put out "illP," but because of the company's very public financial troubles nothing was ever released. "It's shame. Adam's a smart music guy," says Norman, adding that "he got us out of it no strings attached." The Canadian office has now closed.

"I don't think I knew about it," Boggs says of the ill-fated Sanctuary deal. "I learned about it later just talking to the band over a long process. I was the new guy in Canada, new job in a new world and I didn't want to rush into anything and I think they felt the same way based on their experience with Sanctuary. They didn't feel they were burned by Sanctuary in any way. They just felt like the circumstances were f**ed up and they wanted to do whatever they could not to put themselves in the same circumstances again.

"Basically what I proposed to them was something I had done similarly with a band called Acceptance down here in the States when I worked at Columbia," Boggs says referring to putting out Acceptance's indie an EP first on Militia Group/Red, then a full-length with Columbia.

"The idea is with the momentum the band's already got, you find a way to be involved with that early on to bolster that momentum a little bit, add a little money here, a little opportunity or contact there. illScarlett has something going on, but we don't want to rush into making a record.

" So the idea was 'Let's take what you already have, fix it up a little bit. Let's improve the packaging. Let's distribute it. Let's do a little bit of marketing around it, nothing crazy.' We're not trying to blow the band up with the EP. We're just trying to give them the opportunity to have something to sell on the road, get some reviews and press, give The Edge something to talk about, and spread 'Heaters' throughout the country.

"It introduces the band to all the major players, all the gatekeepers if you will, without having to put a lot of pressure into saying, 'You have to add this song right now.' It's more, 'Hey, this song is working on The Edge. We're going to come out with a full-length record in six or nine months, no pressure, but this is a great song, check it out,' and we've got a great response with that."

- JAM! Music

IllScarlett hope to best 2007's All Day With It when they release 1UP! on Sept. 29.

The Mississauga, Ont. quartet's third release and second full-length record was produced by Robert Carranza (Beastie Boys, The Mars Volta) at Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records, the hippie overlord's solar-powered recording studio.

This record is a return to the band's reggae inspired roots, incorporating rock and surf sounds to give the album a simmered-down vibe.

"This record is a lot more reggae, it is a lot more chill than our last one," says lead vocalist Alex Norman.

"For older fans, the last record was an exciting departure from [our first release EPdemic]," says drummer Swavek Piorkowski. "1UP! brings back the tempo a touch. The overall feel is very honest."

Fans were asked to record their own backup vocals for 1UP's first single, "Take It For Granted," in an online contest held by the band. The winning entry was included in the final version of the track. "Milkshakes And Razorblades" features vocals from Canadian hip-hop heavyweight Kardinal Offishall.

IllScarlett will set out on their first U.S. tour this fall, opening for fellow reggae rockers Pepper, and will also begin a cross-Canada tour in November in support of 1UP!. Canadian dates will be announced shortly.

You can see Norman, Piorkowski, bassist John Doherty and guitarist Will Marr at these shows:

Aug. 25 Hamburg, Germany @ Hafenklang w/ The Riverboat Gamblers and Zebrahead
Sept. 5 Edmonton, AB @ Northlands Grounds (Sonic Boom)
Sept. 23 Sacramento, CA @ Empire Events Center w/ Pepper
Sept. 24 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst w/ Pepper
Sept. 26 Santa Margarita, CA @ Pozo Saloon w/ Pepper
Sept. 27 Petaluma, CA @ Phoenix Theater w/ Pepper
Sept. 29 Chico, CA @ Senator Theatre w/ Pepper
Sept. 30 Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre w/ Pepper
Oct. 1 Bend, OR @ Domino Room w/ Pepper
Oct. 2 Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory Concert House w/ Pepper
Oct. 3 Missoula, MT @ Wilma Theatre w/ Pepper
Oct. 4 Billings, MT @ Shrine Underground w/ Pepper
Oct. 7 Fardo, ND @ The Venue w/ Pepper
Oct. 8 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon w/ Pepper and Iration
Oct. 9 Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note w/ Pepper
Oct. 10 Omaha, NE @ Slowdown w/ Pepper
Oct. 13 Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues w/ Pepper
Oct. 14 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall w/ Pepper
Oct. 15 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small's Theatre w/ Pepper
Oct. 16 Buffalo, NY @ The Town Ballroom w/ Pepper
Oct. 17 Killington, VT @ Pickle Barrel Nightclub w/ Pepper
Oct. 18 Farmingdale, NY @ The Crazy Donkey w/ Pepper

Here's the tracklisting for 1UP!:

"Take It For Granted"
"Extra, Extra!"
"Funky Reputation"
"Get Famous (Tonight)"
"Milkshakes And Razorblades" (ft. Kardinal Offishall)
"Freezing"
"Can't Sleep"
"Too Sure"
"Nothing Once Again"
"Sorry"
"Easy"
"1UP!"
- Chart Communications