They have described themselves as "reggae, rock, ska, punk, and dub." They mainly play in small clubs and occasionally will play arenas and larger shows. They are making a name for themselves in the Canadian music scene and are well known in the Greater Toronto Area. Their most prominent influence is California band Sublime.
The band found their break when they decided to play outside the 2004 Vans Warped Tour venue in front of fans waiting in line to get in, using a generator to power their equipment. Kevin Lyman, the Warped Tour organizer and co-owner of Warcon Enterprises, noticed them and invited them to play at his personal barbecue.[2] Subsequently, they were offered spots on the tour for the following two years.
illScarlett's song "Who's Got It" was selected as the official song for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup soccer tournament hosted in Toronto, Ontario.
The band finished recording their first major album (All Day With It) in Los Angeles, California under the production of Matthew Wilder, producer of No Doubt's multi-platinum Tragic Kingdom album. The new album was released on July 10th 2007 across North America. It was a great success. It includes new songs such as Who's Got It, Paradise Burning and Life of a Soldier. Also on the album are redone old songs such as Nothing Special, N.T.F (Next Time Forever), Clearer Now and Pacino. Their new single is "Nothing Special", which was previously on their independent release Clearly in Another Fine Mess.
Band member Johnny Doherty is the son of the late Denny Doherty, tenor of The Mamas and Papas.
They are also noted for their promotion of the legalization of marijuana, as they have played a few times at the Global Marijuana March in Toronto, and have also been known to throw out rolling papers at concerts. Many of their songs also cover this topic, including: Who's Got It, One-A, and Mary Jane.
Alex Norman - Lead vocals, Rhythm guitar
Will Marr - Lead guitar
Swavek Piorkowski - Drums
Johnny Doherty - Bass guitar, backing vocals
Danse Macabre
illScarlett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Situations getting grave
Right now
I'm takin' it
We are livin' in a police state
More than your rights at stake
Right Now
Heaters got my town
Infiltratin' the air yeah
Locking down the masses
Even to scare ya
We don't have to deal with this shit
To serve and protect yo I ain't buying it.
Do it for the power
They're abusing the glory
Strip away the badge
And you'll still be out
_____
Fightin' the fight for the people right
We are, livin' in a police state
Situations getting grave
Right now
It's over yeah.
We are, livin' in a police state
More than your rights at stake
Right now
I'm takin' it
Get ready cuz its time to go
Heaters movin' in and before you know it
They've got us all surrounded
The call has been sounded
This is how its goin' down tonight.
Tonight now we set things right
And besides who'd wanna live and die
In this mess we made
Its so depraved
What happened to my freedom
And you'll find me
Lying on the floor
Thinking about war
Thinking about war
Don't wanna do this anymore
They paraded
I'll be waiting for
The perfect time to strike
We are livin' in a police state (we are)
Situations getting grave (we are)
Right now (we are)
We are takin' it
We are livin' in a police state
More than your rights at stake
Right now
I'm takin' it.
Right now (we are) its on (we are) oh yeah
We are
The song "Danse Macabre" by illScarlett is a commentary on the current state of society and the increasing presence of police control. The opening lines establish the theme, "We are living in a police state, situations getting grave." The lyrics highlight the sense of oppression and loss of freedom felt in the face of the increasing use of force and surveillance by law enforcement. The lines "Heaters got my town, infiltratin' the air yeah, locking down the masses, even to scare ya" evoke a sense of unease and paranoia, as if the authorities are closing in on all sides.
The chorus reinforces the idea that we are currently living in a police state, with our rights at stake. The line "I'm taking it" implies that the singer is not simply accepting this state of affairs, but rather is preparing to resist it. The lyrics "Do it for the power, they're abusing the glory, strip away the badge and you'll still be out" suggest that the police are motivated by the pursuit of power rather than a sense of duty to protect and serve. The final lines, "Thinking about war, don't wanna do this anymore" indicate that the singer has reached a breaking point and is ready to take action.
Overall, "Danse Macabre" is a call to action for listeners to recognize and resist the encroachment of police control. It paints a grim picture of a society in which freedom and individual rights are at risk, and sets the stage for a confrontation between those who seek to maintain control and those who resist it.
Line by Line Meaning
We are livin' in a police state
The government has too much control over our lives
Situations getting grave
Things are getting worse and worse
Right now
Currently
I'm takin' it
I'm not going to stand for it anymore
More than your rights at stake
We are at risk of losing our basic freedoms
Heaters got my town
The police have taken over my town
Infiltratin' the air yeah
The police are everywhere
Locking down the masses
The government is controlling all of us
Even to scare ya
They are doing it to intimidate us
We don't have to deal with this shit
We don't have to put up with this anymore
To serve and protect yo I ain't buying it.
We don't believe the government is acting in our best interest
Do it for the power
The government is doing this to maintain their control
They're abusing the glory
The government is abusing their authority
Strip away the badge
Without their power, the police are just like the rest of us
And you'll still be out
Without their power, the police will no longer have control
_____
Unknown (line is incomplete)
Fightin' the fight for the people right
We are standing up for what we believe in and fighting for our rights
It's over yeah.
We refuse to live in a society controlled by the government
Get ready cuz its time to go
It's time to take action
Heaters movin' in and before you know it
The police are coming and it's happening quickly
They've got us all surrounded
We are trapped and cannot escape
The call has been sounded
It is time for us to act
This is how its goin' down tonight.
We are taking action and standing up for our rights now
Tonight now we set things right
We are fighting for change and justice
And besides who'd wanna live and die
Why would anyone want to live in a society without basic freedoms?
In this mess we made
We allowed the government to take too much control
Its so depraved
The current situation is morally corrupt
What happened to my freedom
We have lost our basic rights
And you'll find me
I will be there
Lying on the floor
I am willing to fight and risk my life for change
Thinking about war
We are willing to take drastic action
Don't wanna do this anymore
We no longer want to accept the status quo
They paraded
The government has been abusing their power
I'll be waiting for
I will be standing by, ready to take action
The perfect time to strike
We are waiting for the right moment to fight back
Right now (we are) its on (we are) oh yeah
We are ready to take action now
We are takin' it
We are standing up for what we believe in
Contributed by William D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Mdbaker8
they need more credit for how talented they are... people would love them:)
@greekcook1
i love this... i remember when i was drunk, and we fought over the white wine, you want me to hear this.
@deadeyenumber2892
Wow, i didn't expect to like it but.....i freaking love it! Wow, they sound so great, i am going to listen more of their songs!
@nataliegmercury9897
Not what I was expecting from a song called "Danse Macabre" but really digging it. Why aren't these guys on iTunes?
@sylarvandoza5388
They are. I downloaded all their albums.
@fabishaleponting9316
Great
@Arteanor
@Elxzomind IllestScarlett i kno....
@sylarvandoza5388
Too bad they kind of dropped off. Heaters was one of the best songs of my mid 20s. Course, that was 15 years ago.
@roeloost4975
And so little of them available.15 year later and I'm still rocking this stuff every week