Illinois

Bucks County (PA) natives, Illinois continue with their genre spanning vastness that is part indie-folk rock with some pop-rock sound that when it all comes together they label as “suburban soul music”. The combination of lively drum beats and melodic banjo riffs with the complementary guitar and bass lines gives Illinois a very unique sound that is difficult to describe and even more difficult to categorize. The overall result is something one must hear firsthand.
Illinois was formed in 2004 when childhood friends Chris Archibald (singer-songwriter, guitar, banjo, keys), Martin Hoeger (bass, vocals), and JohnPaul Kuyper (drums) got together to play and showcase Archibald’s prolific song catalog. Andrew Lee (guitar) is now back in the band after a short hiatus rounding out the original lineup. With time came several lineup changes over the years but Archibald, Hoeger, Kuyper and Lee remain as the founding members with the seemingly permanent addition of Jason Buzolits (synthesizer, guitar, vocals) giving the band cohesion and constructing Illinois’ live performances with an impermeable wall of sound.

The band released their first EP ‘Revenge of Some Kid’ in 2006 and it caused quite a buzz in the industry. After signing with Ace Fu the band released the EP ‘What The Hell Do I Know’ to critical acclaim. Ace Fu and Illinois followed that release up with a single "We Were Wrong" in 2008. As the industry crumbled so did many labels including Ace Fu. Illinois found a home at +1 Records and set to release their first LP ‘The Adventures of Kid Catastrophe’ in 2009. It was an auspicious effort that started with digital downloads of 3 songs released in monthly chapters and a short movie accompanied each chapter. After the six-month long affair all the chapters came together for the full release. In 2011 Illinois released their fourth album ‘Lemonade Stand’ a retrospective album featuring several demos from the hundreds written from 2004 to 2010.
Illinois dropped “Shine” in late February 2015 as an independent release. A self-described more mature Illinois sound from writing to production. The band has since self-released their last effort in 2021 “Shady Lane” with help from producer Bryan Dale Allen Strouse. The guys are now working on a new release slated for late spring 2023 and are excited to be back in the studio working again. “With everything the industry is going through there is really no reason to give up control of our art.” There is really no telling where Illinois will go next, we just know we can’t stop.