With any band starting out, there are obstacles to overcome. Our first was finding a place to play. We found a little storage place called A-Able. As many old schoolers might remember, eighty bucks a month could get you a place to rock. Nowadays, it doesn’t seem to be that easy. Once we found our practice space, we had to finish building the band by getting the right people. We started with Anthony Ratto (Guitars), Tony Spataro (Percussions) and myself, Rob Hau (Bass). We later added Jeremy Bernero (Drums) and Bobby McCall (Vocals). This line up became known as The ILL Figures. The logical next step was to get better equipment and journey on into writing songs.
   Writing the songs was one thing, but getting the equipment was a lot more difficult. Back then there was no Sam Ashe or Guitar Center like there is today. It was a huge ordeal just to pick up a set of strings. At the time, the main motivation for us to get our shit together was the flourishing music scene. We watched our friends pack venues left and right. The guys in the Watson Family and Phatter than Albert were the ones we were quite jealous of because we wanted to be in their shoes.
   We got the equipment, we wrote the songs, the next step was getting shows. In the beginning you end up feeling worthless. Nobody wants to give you a break. It takes time and patience. Even your friends who are in bands are weary about having your band play with them. Nobody wants to bring a new band into a show and have people say they suck. Then there are the promoters and bookers. They don’t want to take a chance on an unknown band and risk having a bad night. It seems these days more promoters are willing to take risks, but it doesn’t mean there will be anybody there to watch you. We played anything we could get our hands on to let people know we were out there and let them know what we sounded like. I remember finally getting a show at the old Boston Bar & Grille. It was on an off night, a Tuesday, and there were 70 people there. One, the soundman, was impressed. It was the last time we played on a weeknight at the Boston.

   The responsibility of getting people to your shows really falls back on the band. Getting out there and promoting your band is crucial! It is important to talk to people and let them know your band is something special. It is important to have the whole band out there doing that. We promote our asses off! Many bands I see out there these days don’t promote and they don’t go balls out at every show. Bands tend to leave the work up to the promoters to fill venues and only bring their “A” game show when they think it’s worth it. It’s always worth it and I know that because there have been times were we have been lazy and we sucked. There is so much to compete with in Las Vegas, but there’s also a lot of bored motherfuckers out there looking for a good time away from the Strip. If you don’t go out there and let them know where you are, it’s your own damn fault that nobody’s at your show.
   Once we started doing well in Las Vegas, we headed for “Hollywood”, with a lawyer shopping us to every label you could think of. We learned the hard way that Hollywood sucks! The truth is, we needed to get out there and make fans one by one just like we did in Vegas. Fast forward a year or two after tons of fun, lots of shows and much writing. One unfortunate day before heading out of town, we got every piece of musical equipment we own stolen. We initially thought it was over. We soon realized this is the kind of stuff that looks great on Behind the Music. We figured it was about sticking together and overcoming the hardest thing we ever had to endure as a band. It has made us take a long hard look at ourselves and the road we’ve traveled. I guess it was a blessing because we have been writing some of the best music of our lives and playing shows with a rejuvenated energy. We are looking forward to get out of Vegas and showing people what Vegas music is all about.
   We’re proud to be from Vegas! How could we not exploit being from the craziest city in the world?