illusion 33

Last month at the Jillian's & La Salsa Cantina a hot new band displayed its talent on to Neonopolis and the strip around it. The group is iLLUSiON 33 and is one of the hottest new local bands to hit the airwaves in years. Brought to you first by Entertainmentfirst, I'm sure you will be seeing more of this band around town, on television and on the radio. iLLUSiON 33 started in 2000 as a "3 piece power trio" and has rocked the stages of the Guitar Center Grand Openings, the Vans Warped Tour in 2002-2003, the Orange Blossom Festival, Rock for Tots, Wolfstock, several colleges, and fund raisers.

This "infused" alternative rock group got its stamp of approval in Las Vegas last month at Jillian's by bringing their artist collaboration before an audience of locals and tourists who were all left wondering how and when they are going to see them again. With Jason Stoddard on bass and vocals, Jesse Bennett on guitar and vocals and KC Carter on drums and back up vocals, these men are equipped to rock your world. - lisa denor

These guys kick ass. I had them into Neener's last saturday as a last-minute fill-in and they did a great job. They're not so much metal as widely-ranging rock/funk/punk/pop/metal. Drums from hell, guitar tones you can actually hear (as opposed to the horribly crushed, squeedly shit I have to listen to so often.... ), strong vocals and rock-solid Ampeg SVT-generated bass with no cheesy FX!

It's what live music is SUPPOSED to sound like. If they were hardcore metal, they'd be damned-near perfect.
__________________
Patrick - patrick at neeners

Illusion 33 "18 Shades"
This cool, 3 membered indie rock band has the kind of sound that could make an explosion on college stations as well as go to top commercial stations. Fabulous vocals and harmonies just sugercoat the already solid tracks that remind me of key artists like Blink 182 or Incubus.

Track #2 "18 Shades"
This title track is worth the entry fee alone! Really great intro feel, almost island like beats start this song off and the melody and chorus is very catchy and shows off the vocals, man this band has real talent!

Track #5 "Tragedy"
This song begins with a solid bass line that sets up a heart-wrenched rock ballad that has all the build ups and breaks that make this song a perfect hit.

Track #10 "Bitter Sweet"
This song has a more old school 80's rock vibe like Depeche Mode and makes you want to get on the dance floor so you can pump your fist and stomp your foot. A fun and upbeat song, even though the lyrics are from a place of pain. - courtney Lemmon

Band's success no illusion
Illusion 33 excited for new album, tour
Isamu Jordan / Staff writer

(Photo courtesy of Illusion 33)

Downloads
Mp3s by Illusion 33

After spending a year in Las Vegas and landing a record deal, Illusion 33 is back in the area and the buzz is building. The Sandpoint funk-punk alternative band has a new album in the works and the momentum to push it.

Illusion 33 throws down with an opening set for Denver contemporary rock band Love.45 on Saturday at The Blvd., 333 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Showtime is 9:30 p.m. Cover to be announced.

Mixing bits of Latin and reggae with pop-punk and funk, Illusion 33 features co-lead singer and guitarist Jesse Bennett, co-lead singer and bassist Jason Stoddard and backup singer and drummer K.C. Carter.

Bennett and Stoddard have been playing music together since 1997. They picked up Carter in 2000 after he insisted on auditioning for the band three times.

Illusion 33 came into a choice gig in 2001 when it was contracted to play grand opening celebrations for Guitar Center stores across the nation in 2001 and 2002. The guys one-upped that with more high- profile shows when they relocated to Las Vegas last year to house-sit for Stoddard's brother-in-law, Bennett said.

"All we had to worry about was utilities, so we all moved down there," Bennett said. "We had a year to make something happen, so we wanted to be as loud and obnoxious as possible and book as many shows as possible. The local scene in Vegas is hard because everyone goes to casinos."

Illusion 33 made the right connections and hooked up with the Music and Fashion Expo in Las Vegas, showcasing for big wigs in the music and fashion industry. Illusion 33 stole the show by winning best performance and best band and is featured on the cover of the current issue of national entertainment publication Forefront Magazine.

The band members' wardrobe for their upcoming tour will be outfitted by clothing designer Nu Born.

The guys return to Las Vegas in October to record a new full-length album on Brooklyn West Records, run by Grammy Award-winning producer Michael Campbell, who is known from his work with Dreamworks and Universal Records.

"We're looking forward to touring all over," Bennett said. "You can stand in the same spot and throw a big rock or you can go all over and throw tiny rocks and make a bunch of ripples that will eventually all meet up somewhere." - Isaum Jordan

This news was originally posted on May 5th,2005 after a Matteos show.....

This show was pretty rad. The guys in ill 33 are awesome and we were very fortunate to have met them. They invited us back to play at Matteo’s again on June 10th, so we're pretty stoked to rock it with them again. It was our first time in Boulder City... the place is so small I think at least half of the citizens could hear the show from their houses. Okay not really, but the venue seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. Worth another trip anyway! - side dish

It's the damndest thing, listening to local band Illusion 33 ("iLL 33" to its fans) you catch snatches of melody and guitar riffs that completely remind you of someone, but you can't place it. There's hard-driving rock ala 1979, then there's pop crooning, then there's a little punk head bopping and finally, incongruously, a saucy little reggae-turned latin-turned-jazz torch song that happens to be the title track on their new album, 18 Shades.
I'll go ahead and say that I don't know how to describe iLL 33 in comparison with anybody else. To put it simply, "They sound like they're already famous." If you were riding in someone's car listening to 18 Shades (and didn't know better) you probably wouldn't even ask who made it. Bot because you didn't like it, but because you'd assume you already knew and didn't want to look like a wanker.
Anenergetic, tight and obviously skillful trio, get ready to hear a lot more about them; sometime soon they're going to grow in to that "famous" sound.
Produced by Sha-Sta Lasso, 18 Shades is available at locally at Sandpoint Music and Main St. Music. Check them out at www.iLL33.com. - zach hagadon