iLLA ZiLLA began forming not long after Mike Miller (guitar/vox) moved to Charleston and posted a Craigslist ad, which Shawn Beckner (bass/vox) then read and responded to. The two met over a few beers and discussed their shared love for bands like Frank Zappa, MMW, Robert Glasper, Orgone, Lettuce, Afrobeat, Thelonius Monk, and the Talking Heads.

Shawn knew that Andy Masker (sax/vocals/EWI) and Karl Anderson (drums/vox) would agree with just about everything that Mike had said…because they all played in a funk band called Magic Bronson years ago. After some initial hiccups, the four met at Andy’s house and got going proper. After a bit, it became apparent that they were missing something, so they told Patrick Marzett (trumpet, vox) about the project and he joined up as well and was, in fact, that missing something. Thus, iLLA ZiLLA entered its final form.

Emerging as iLLA ZillA, the five are committed to booking more performance dates, writing and recording new original music, and developing a unique and positive performance experience for the audience. And don’t ask about our name.