Lillix |
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Wed. March 19.2003 1:44 PM EST |
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Lillix: Round the Way GirlsAnother troop in Avril's army explain their love of Queen, name the new Radiohead disc, and celebrate the art of making "rock faces." by C. Bottomley |
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Lillix (Linda Zacks) |
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Hands up. Who knows what a Lillix is? A Slovakian deodorant? A mythological siren? The Finnish name for Frasier's wife back in the Cheers days? None of those answers are true, but a Google search will get you a bit closer. Turns out that
When not discussing alt.rock online, 19-year-old Lacey Lee, her younger sister Tasha Ray, and school-chum Louise Burns (both 17) are probably playing songs from their debut disc, Falling Uphill. It's a curiously two-sided affair. On one hand there are irresistible blasts of ultra pop like "It's About Time" and "Tomorrow." These are hits in waiting, honed to perfection by studio pros like the Matrix, who wrote Avril Lavigne's "Complicated," and Linda Perry, who made Pink go pop with "Let's Get the Party Started." But there's also the harder-rocking Lillix, the guitar-swinging gals who had Thin Lizzy posters on their walls and catchy fuzz like the Pixies' "Monkey Gone to Heaven" on their stereos. Want to get kicked in the ass? Try "Because" or "Lost and Confused." And prepare for some experimentation in the future. The ladies say they're listening to P.J. Harvey and Radiohead these days. But then there's the harder rocking Lillix, the guitar-swinging gals who had Thin Lizzy posters on their walls and fell in love with the Pixies' "Monkey Gone to Heaven." "Because" is a rowdy rocker, and "Lost and Confused" might even be said to have balls. The ladies are listening to P.J. Harvey and Radiohead these days. Who knows what might happen next? Listen to two Lillix songs, "Tomorrow" and "Quicksand". The band's story begins the day Freddie Mercury died and Lacey Lee was first introduced to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Raised on MuchMusic videos in the hamlet of Cranbrook, British Columbia, the Evins started playing together in seventh grade. As they watched Hanson conquer the world with "MMMBop," they knew they were on the right track. Burns joined the fold, and the group - initially known as Tigerlily - signed to Madonna's Maverick label. Unfortunately, there was already a band called Tigerlily, so a re-jiggering of the name was necessary. Thus, they fell upon the name Lillix (you'll find out how below). Right now, they're enjoying the fact that their spin on the Romantics' "What I Like About You" is the theme to a WB television show and welcoming new drummer Kim Urhahn, who has replaced the departed Sierra Hills. At 23, Urhahn could be her friends' chaperone through the wild world outside of Canadian rec centers. The ladies talked to VH1 about partying with Heidi Klum, the depth of Queen's talent, and how hockey is just ballet with fighting. VH1: So what's a Lillix? Lacey Lee Evin: The word Lillix doesn't really have its own meaning. We looked the word up; it's a Norwegian cat, but that has nothing to do with our name. We were called Tigerlily before, but there were lots of bands out there with that name already; we had to change it for legal reasons. It went from Tigerlily to Tigerlily X to Lily X to Lillix. Tasha Ray Evin: We searched on the Internet for years trying to figure out a word that wasn't used. Every word that has a meaning is taken. Louise Burns: Even words that we'd made up were taken. Like "Gooch?" Taken! [Watch Clip] VH1: When you first played together, what music did you bond over? Tasha Ray: We listened to a lot of classic rock because of my dad. He grew up listening to the Beatles, Thin Lizzy, Supertramp, and Queen. Our influences are very different from the average teenager. Kim Urhahn: The Ramones were a big influence on me. When we were little, my sister and I used to watch Rock 'n' Roll High School and the girl band movie Satisfaction, with Justine Bateman and Julia Roberts. The drummer in the band was the bad girl, but she got the guy, too! That's what made me want to become a drummer when I was ten years old. Tasha Ray: We also loved Hanson, because they were so young. Lacey Lee: We saw them and were like, "If they can do it, we can do it!" VH1: At their peak, would you have rather seen Queen or Guns N' Roses performing live? Lacey Lee: Queen. Queen. Queen. Queen. They were all such excellent songwriters and musicians. Freddie Mercury is an amazing entertainer. His death was such a loss. The day that he died in 1991, they were playing "Bohemian Rhapsody" constantly on the radio. That was the very first time I heard Queen. Right after they played "Bohemian Rhapsody," they were talking about Freddie Mercury and how he passed away. I started crying, because "Bohemian Rhapsody" is just an opus! It's an amazing, incredible song. [Watch Video] Kim: I saw Guns N' Roses, but it wasn't really at their peak. I was supposed to see them on the Metallica tour, but it was right after James Hetfield got injured with pyrotechnics, so GNR played with the Brian May band ... which I guess is sort of Queen! VH1: Where was the first gig you played together? Lacey Lee: It was a little coffee shop outside of Cranbrook called Center 64. It only held 85 people! Tasha Ray: It was amazing. It was great to experience getting out there and showing people what you do, show them your passion. Lacey Lee: We're lucky; we made the front page of the local newspaper from that first gig! VH1: So if I want to visit Cranbrook what's the one thing I should see before I leave? Tasha Ray: You'd go to the Rec Plex and watch the Kootenay Ice team play hockey. Lacey Lee: Last year they won the Memorial Cup, which is like the Stanley Cup of WHL. Louise: I don't find hockey entertaining. I don't find it interesting to watch. I'm just not a sports person. Kim: It's like ballet with fighting. VH1: Did you ever get in trouble in high school? Tasha Ray: I got sent to the office for laughing and talking too much. I talked all the way through school. I do home schooling now and my marks are so good, because I'm not socializing! Louise: I got sent to detention once for forgetting my guitar cord in band class! Seriously! VH1: Who is hotter - Enrique Iglesias, John Mayer or Gene Simmons? All: John Mayer! Tasha Ray: He seems like a very intellectual young man. Lacey Lee: ... and an excellent guitar player! VH1: Yeah, but he makes weird faces when he plays. Tasha Ray: I find that inspiring because it shows that he's into the music. Lacey Lee: Musicians don't even know they're doing it most of the time. We do it, too, probably. Tasha Ray: We do it all the time! When you see us play live, it's like, "Why is she pulling that face?" Give me a break! I'm into it! VH1: You're all Radiohead fans. What should they call their new album? Lacey Lee: Snakes and Ladders! Tasha Ray: You never know what Thom Yorke and the band are going to think of. Just call it Genius. Louise: I think they should call it something random, like Wolf's Bacon! [Laughter.] VH1: Once you get away from the pop stuff on the album, your vocals bring to mind both Liz Phair and P.J. Harvey. Are they influences? Louise: Our producer really helped us find out what we sound like. We were singing with emotion but we weren't expressing it as much as we should. He said, "Listen to P.J. Harvey, Sinead O'Connor and Jeff Buckley. Listen to how they're singing their songs." We did and it was like wow! Tasha Ray: Their way of singing adds way more depth to the music. Now when we perform, I get that adrenaline rush. I can really feel my emotions expressed through the words. VH1: What would be your definition of a rock goddess? Tasha Ray: Even though he's a male, Kurt Cobain is my goddess! I look up to the way he sings and his melody lines. I love him. Kim: Kurt Cobain is the queen of rock! I'm a big fan of Gina Shock, the drummer for the Go-Go's. She's just this little lady who slams! Lacey Lee: I listen to a lot of Lauryn Hill. It may not be rock, but she's a lyrical and musical influence. She's a very well-rounded and talented person. I listen to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill constantly. Louise: Joni Mitchell, because she says whatever the f*ck she wants. VH1: Do you think Christina Aguilera's image is too slutty? Lacey Lee: She's doing her thing. Tasha Ray: That's her path that she's taken. If that's what she wants to do, that's her choice. Louise: It's great because in this industry it's hard to be yourself. If she chooses to take this path that she claims is herself, good for her. I couldn't care less if she's slutty or not. To me, she is who she is now. It's no big deal. VH1: What's the most rock star thing you've ever done? Louise: We went to Heidi Klum's party yesterday. That's pretty rock star! Partying, you know? Although I can't say we're hardcore partiers or anything. Lacey Lee: We're not even of legal age! Tasha Ray: I need to stay grounded and in order to do that I need to keep writing music. I'm not going to trash hotel rooms. I don't feel like that's being a rock star. But you know what? It probably is to most people. So I guess I'm a loser. Louise: We're lucky enough to even be put up in a hotel room outside of our hometown. So we're not gonna trash it and make other people pay for what we did for no reason. Tasha Ray: People out there are probably thinking now, "Oh my gosh! They're so lame." [Watch Video] |
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