Instrumental music made from guitar, saxophone, drums, and keyboards. It's electronica sans software and samplers. It's post rock, neo jazz, and electro pop jazz. You can choose your own metaphors.

10 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Jazz Fusion, ROCK: Instrumental Rock



Details:
The ills have been described as neo-jazz, electro pop jazz, post rock, and a whole scoop of other colorful analogies. The band themselves see it as original music made from guitar, saxophones, drums, and keyboards. What's the best way to describe The ills? The band would rather leave that up to you by listening to the enclosed album.

The self-produced and titled album is a culmination of the band's four years in existence. Mostly made of instrumental compositions, the album also features a few vocal tunes that among the other songs, have made the band a formidable ensemble of musical goodness. The ills do not try to defy genres, they pay homage to them, and in that homage is the very soul of what The ills are...nothing more than a conglomeration of the music the band has in its own stereos.

Since its first showing on Halloween of 2001, The ills quickly received acclaim for their live performances and unique mesh of sounds. Audiences in Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri have often wondered whether there is a sampler or some kind of back-tracking in the band's live set. No there is not. It is electronica sans software and samplers. All sounds are made by the instruments. The band recalls Amon Tobin, John Zorn, Van Halen, Prince Paul, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Stravinsky, and Mancini among some. But as previously said, we'll leave the colorful analogies up to you.

The ills have been packing venues since their birth. By playing with the likes of Tortoise, the band has garnered attention around the world simply by way of the internet. You can check out www.theills.com for more of that. The band's individual members have also enjoyed touring and sharing experiences with other Oklahoma bands, the internationally acclaimed band, The Flaming Lips, as well as the national wonder, The Starlight Mints.

All four members (Blaine Nelson, Ryan Jones, Boyd Littell, and Kasra George Ahmadi) have been making music for quite some time. Starting in either rock bands, churches, or middle school public education, their paths have led them to this project. There are no leaders in this band, the project came together in a fluid manner that parallels its philosophy... The ills do not and cannot make their music unless these are their four members. Take a listen to the album. The ills enjoy it and think you will too.