The first of many unimaginably long, definitely sub-sober, and definitively fun nights out on decades-ago-Hitsville, USA, following a global rift in time courtesy of the wildly experimental if not outright faulty wormhole wrangler prototype purloined from behind the false wall in the back of Frank Black's car port and the misoperation thereof. On the meekly lit corner of John R and Canfield we catch up with Modest Mouse, the time marauders in question, who find themselves pinned against the wall in an awkward debate on cetaceous atavism and Hank Williams with the lonely specter of Jeff Buckley. Things boil over and Elliott Smith lets briefly drift away his pearly, immaterial Yamaha FG 180 and swoops down from his perch atop a streetlamp to amiably mediate. Amidst all the commotion, Stephin Merritt shuffles absently past. Cradling an autoharp and pregnant with a pocketful of mangled cocktail napkins, the bard purrs to himself the first seminal drones of a tune with the charm and weight to begin, preserve or end lives. Undoubtedly the first of many such compositions in this irreversible and handsomely absurd new chronology.
Formed in 2003 as a simple high school hobby for vocalist Liam Trimble, Illfit Outfit had from the beginning taken on as its duty the spreading of pure pop bliss to its oft-punk bogged hometown of Edmonton, Alberta.
Never unconfident in marrying a fey hook to a bouncing rhythm, Trimble & cohorts took the outfit to the stage, preaching the word to teahouses and basements citywide, uncorking a steady stream of accolades and praise along the way, convincing Trimble to continue on past graduation.
In 2006 the departure of an original member and some role shifting within the group caused the creation of a vacuum to later be fulfilled by percussionist/multi-instrumentalist Jenni Roberts, whose flexibility and style leant an immediate buoyancy to the groups ebullient rhythms. Continuing in this steady vein, they began to draw strong attention from much larger venues and promoters about town. The group quickly became a fixture and a favourite among Edmonton music press and pop lovers well into 2007, which saw the release of the lauded Proudly Resenting… EP.
This release captured the group letting loose for the first time on disc. A listen through its six brief tracks witnesses them stride confidently through seaside shanties, retro-garage balladeering and contemporary pomp while delivering many listens worth of progressive riffs, dives and splashes. With support from multiple radio stations and a series of incendiary springtime release shows, the limited print was burnt through quicker than could be expected.
However, the same year brought another bout of change for the group with some final farewells to original members and the installation of ukulele auteur, Doug Hoyer, on bass guitar, whose strongly established writing chops leant another layer to the blend.
Now reinvigorated as a raw trio, Illfit Outfit tackled the remainder of 2007 with confidence. Travelling further a field and gathering constant attention with their enigmatic noise, they set their sights on 2008 as year of the Outfit.
yo yo, i tried to message y'all but it was all wack..
Wanna play at our place on saturday still? if any of you's have facebook add Feast or Famine so i can send you the event invite so you can ivite people ya want to come....drop me a line. -pat
I did just add it. It was a term-project for my Philosophy of Human Nature Class. It's about two books: The Bhagavad Gita and The Art of Prayer: A Divine Anthology. Both good contempletaive Christmas reads. How's the road?
Online!
