ila's dress
Ila's Dress is an alternative/pop band based in Brooklyn, New York. The band is fronted by South Carolina singer/keyboardist, Pilley (formerly of Raining Violet, Hide the Babies, featured keyboardist on MTV's "Turn it Up" and "Spotlight Cafe" with Denis Leary) Jay Bianchi on bass, Al Korosy on guitar, Frank Vilardi on drums (Jewel, Suzanne Vega, Freedy Johnston, Shawn Colvin), and Tony Lauria on accordian/keys/background vocals.

Their debut CD, "Ignorance and Bad Manners" is an eclectic collection of 13 songs written by Pilley, produced by Jay Bianchi, mixed by Stewart Lerman (Shawn Colvin, Sophie B. Hawkins, The Roches) and recorded at Coyote Studios in Brooklyn by Albert Caiati (The Bottle Rockets, Mojo Nixon, Blood Oranges, Go To Blazes, Del Lords, etc.)

Ila's Dress has been featured on 2 compilation CD's of best unsigned bands. One from ASCAP's 1995 Eastcoast Extended Songwriters CD (1995) and The Underground Music Store's best alternative band CD (1996). They were also featured as Best Alternative Band of the Month for December 1995 by the Hearst Corporation's Online Music Magazine "Just Music." Pilley was chosen by ASCAP as their 1996 recipient of the Abe Oleman award for excellence in songwriting. They have also been featured in industry showcases sponsored by The Underground Music Store, The Songwriters' Hall of Fame National Academy of Popular Music, and ASCAP, attracting the attention of several major labels and publishers.

The songs range from alterna disco "I Like To Think of You Dead", to more urban/alterna "Where You're Standing" and gitchy alterna/pop "I Love You (Whoever You Are). But are tied together by Pilley's earthy vocals and sharp-edged lyric writing.

The band is currently playing the New York City area. They frequently have surprise guest's show up to play, varying from John Patitucci, Andrew Righetti of Smirk and Paul Pimsler (Lori Carson, Chaka Khan).

CD's are available to order by sending $10.00 + $2.00 shipping to:
Ilovestress Records, P.O. Box 20184, New York, New York 10014.

Representation:
Nova Music
P.O. Box 20184, New York, New York 10014
(212) 691-8519

Pilley was born in Memphis, Tennessee where her family has lived for 3 generations. Her father was a preacher and her mother a nurse. She began playing piano at age 5. They moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina where she began winning piano competitions at age 12 and had her debut with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as a solo artist at 16. Pilley then won 1st prize at the Mozart Competition in Miami and she has performed in the United States, Europe, and Latin America as a soloist and as an accompanying pianist with Jean Pierre Rampal, Sanae Nakayama and Kent Jordan.

Unsatisfied with classical music, Pilley moved to New York and hung around the music building, scraping together work as a keyboardist with various unsigned artists and bands. She quickly gained recognition and appeared as a rock keyboardist in video and television programs on MTV, BET, and PBS. Pilley was the featured keyboardist for MTV's "TURN IT UP" and WWOR's Super Station program "SPOTLIGHT CAFE" with Denis Leary.

Pilley has her own recording artist project "ILA'S DRESS" and now devotes all her energy to writing and singing her own songs. Their debut CD "ignorance and bad manners" has been received with critical aclaim.

Producer John Simon (BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS, THE BAND, and JANIS JOPLIN, among others) described Pilley as having the same unique talent of his best productions.

During the summer she works as a whitewater raft guide in North Carolina.

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