Pilla
Zimmerman, Minnesota, United States
Music
Press
By Nelson Heise
I have to be honest, I had to go the band’s website to find out if they (Pilla) were a serious band or not. In just listening to the disc, “Don’t Touch Me�, I get a lot of mixed messages. Sure there are ton of good thick rock tunes that dance the fine line of good Guns ‘n’ Roses, grunge and classic rock, but there are also those ballads. Take for example “Biggest Mistake�; I swear to God I thought I was listening to Extreme or Poison with just a harsher vocal tone. Now the songs maybe entirely serious but I just can’t get that comparison to go away. Even down to the dramatic guitar solo entry. I am not saying this sound is right or wrong, but it just doesn’t float my boat like the rockers did on this disc, and I will say those are excellent.
Easy pick for favorite track for me is “The Queen�, a hard bluesy swagger that diagrams the perfect combination of blues, hard rock and vocal grit. Also, “The Bandit� had nice non-pussy 80’s rock vibe, and I think that’s it. While I hear a lot of hair metal influence, the heavy stuff brings some big balls, and the balladry stuff– not so much. As I say that though, the final cut “Memphis and a Bottle of Booze (Missing Memphis)� is a great closer and has a bit of the Supersuckers gone country feel. I get it and then I don’t with Pilla’s “Don’t Touch Me�. It’s rock and it’s fun, and according to their site they rock live pretty hard, and the same time it’s a bit silly. But I ask myself one thing, “Did you enjoy it?� And for the most part, yeah I did.
www.pillaband.com - Rift Magazine
Pilla at Station 4
January 9th, 2006 · 3 Comments
Friday night’s late show at Station 4 in St. Paul was packed with an unusually large amount of single ladies and rock fans. But I’m not sure if they were there to see Pilla like me…
Pilla is a local foursome (except the South Dakotan drummer) who love rock and roll and everything that goes with it. From GNR to Van Halen to broken guitars and high kicks (yes, high kicks), these boys studied from the 80s school of rock and scored an A.
Pilla, the singer and namesake of the band, is the spitting image of a young Tommy Lee, wearing a sleeveless Coltrane shirt and not at all shy in berating the crowd for not crowding the stage, drinking enough or just damn “rocking out.� Ronis, the group’s guitarist, doesn’t stray far from his GNR cover band (Dust N Bones) when soloing, but that’s okay.
Not short on arrogance and ego, the group’s songs are structurally good via 80’s rock standards, the solos are rocking and the quartet makes up for typical rock chords and format with raw emotion and the performance of a true headbanging rock group minus the hair.
Pilla competes in the Battle of the Bands at PoVS in Andover on Jan. 26th and currently has a 5 song EP available that’s available on via their Web site with just a simple e-mail. In the meantime, check out a few tracks at SoundClick here.
- Perfect porridge
Discography
Debut album, Dont Touch Me
also,Biggest Mistake had National TV airplay on CBS, and Memphis and a Bottle of Booze is getting alot of local midwest airplay. Make Me Believe is used in a national hunting device promo.
Photos
Bio
Born from the shards of such bands as Persuader, The Ronis Bros, and Stillday, Pilla started out as a innocent folk-rock project in late 2002, but soon morphed into something totally different. Mr Ronis was hired by Mr Pilla to sling the axe in his folk-rock project, but after one rehearsal, Ronis saw more. He saw a animal-like rock front man, prowling ready to strike. With a diamond-in-the rough rock voice full of soulful lows, sweeping highs, and controlled screams. A rock band had to be formed. After one song writing session it was set that this band MUST move forward. More songs came, and the search was on for a new bass player. They recruited Platnumb, the low-end of the Ronis Bros. He got his name cause its the only metal you absoulutley can not polish. After their first show, people were asking for a recording of Pilla's music. They then quickly entered a few studios and banged out a 6 song raw demo, full of emotion, energy, power, and what was becoming Pilla's guitar driven power sound. After a year of hot midwest shows, with the fan base building, and the full album being started, they had to part ways with original drummer Easy Riter. Stepping up was fan and friend of the band Johnny Shore who already knew most of the songs. He completed the tour, and brought a new dimension to Pilla's sound, crafting drum lines that tell the story the band is trying to tell. He also helped write the rest of the album which is now out as of early 2008. The band also received cable airplay on "Inside Entertainment" and National Tv coverage when the song, "Biggest Mistake" was chosen for the Living Room battle of the bands on CBS. This is a band that must be seen to understand the power... see more at www.pillaband.com
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