27 Pills is a band thats been turning heads by consistently delivering their own brand of rock and assaulting anyone or anything that happens be caught in their path, with nothing short of a pure sonic blast. A successful mix of various musical influences and styles held together by four members who believe that perseverance, both on a personal and collective level, constitutes an ideal to live by.
In 1997 (Singer/Guitarist) Paul Souza and (Guitarist) Johnny James had been playing together for almost 2 years in a band called Instant Trouble but felt unhappy and limited with the direction of the music. They both quit the band and started their own project which they named Catchin 22. They subsequently released their debut CD titled Cant Steal Our Spirit in October of 1999 and although Catchin 22 did show promise, Souza & James still felt restrained and unsatisfied with the evolution of the project mostly due to creative differences within the lineup. It wasnt until they called long time friend Jeff Taylor (Drummer) in June of 2000 that things started to fall back into place. Taylor who had been with Instant Trouble for a short period of time, recorded the Catchin 22 CD and was initially supposed to be part of the lineup had reluctantly left for personal reasons. When I came back and started playing with the guys, it felt as if I had never left, like I was back home again,» says Taylor.
After taking the road and extensively performing for more than a year we decided it was time to record new material and spent the next 6 months in pre production crafting the material that was to become our latest release simply titled Rated-R says James. Upon entering the studio they decided to sequester themselves from the world and spent four months locked up in the studio going over every detail of the recording process to ensure that this time the CD would sound exactly has they had envisioned it and they all seem to agree that it was worth the extra effort because this time says Souza we managed to capture the essence and energy that we are about and were all happy with the end result.
But there was still a task at hand, to find a bass player that could bring these sights and sounds to the stage with the same intensity, determination and work ethic. After countless auditions and not much hope left, enters bass player Shelly Blackwood who was also at the end of her rope. I kept getting turned down for being a girl, I wouldnt even get to audition but destiny works in strange ways,» says Shelly. Blackwood was the missing link they had been looking for. To avoid conflict with another band with a similar name they opted to change their name to 27 Pills.
27 Pills is a band whose music and lyrics succeed in giving the simplest audience an image of energy, diversity, mayhem and uncertainty that surrounds us all. The lyrics on Rated-R are about brutal honesty, telling it like it is, I dont believe in sugar coating how I feel or diluting what I say to make it more politically correct says frontman Paul Souza. This point is reinforced in tracks such as TRANSFIXED, TUNNEL VISION, 13 Cents and the first single FREAK. More so every track on Rated-R paints a picture and tells a story with such intensity that listeners cant help but to take notice. So take a listen and draw your own conclusions.
