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.
Full of sardonic bite and heartfelt sadness, the new james clark institute record is an exorcism of emotions felt after a long term relationship went south. What began merely as a therapeutic exercise in the fall of 2005, ‘Sideshow Unattraction’ took shape in early 2006 after 25 songs had been written. Conjuring up the same spirit as John Lennon’s ‘Walls and Bridges’; Frank Sinatra’s ‘In The Wee Small Hours’; Beck’s ‘Sea Change’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Blood On The Tracks’, this farewell record to a lost lover/friend was released in May 2008. Taking the sideshow theme one step further, James spent the late winter months of ’08 painting a full size 9’x6’sideshow banner reminiscent of the ones used in the vintage days of the freak shows. Incorporating several images and characters that are found in the new songs, the banner will be used as a backdrop for James’ live shows. Contrary to what the name suggests, the james clark institute is only one person. Singer/songwriter James Clark, while confronting the ghosts from his past, puts them to song and twists and turns them into witty pop tunes. His strong songwriting sensibilities have been compared to Neil Finn; Elvis Costello; and Warren Zevon. It was as a young boy in suburban Toronto, listening to his brother’s Beatles and Monkees records that the idea of playing music struck him. That desire was solidified when his father arrived home from his job at a toy manufacturing plant with a makeshift drum kit he had built out of industrial drums covered in a psychedelic plush wrap. When James wasn’t banging on those drums, he could often be found scribbling down the little songs that he was writing in his head. But it wasn’t until the death of his father years later that he began to take his songwriting seriously. He taught himself guitar and became much more introspective lyrically. While spending six years as the drummer for Toronto’s western Surf band The Sin-Tones, James was also busy writing songs of his own, some of which would eventually end up on 2004’s ‘Home is Where the Heart Attack is’. In 2005 that record received airplay on campus radio across Canada and charted in Ontario. Tracks from the CD also received considerable airplay and widespread recognition on internet radio stations around the world. The song ‘The Worst Photograph Ever Taken Of Me’ hit 5 on MP3unsigned.com operating out of the U.K. and the CD reached 3 on the Pop Album charts of MP3.com.au based in Australia.
“…one of Canada’s finest and highly individual songwriters.” – Colin Lynch – RCAT International Online Music Magazine.