ERA 9, the 5-piece out of Montreal, is breaking down stylistic boundaries and creating a new sound which they call “TrapRock.” The band formed back in 2011, a time during which their repertoire was mostly rock-based. Being based in a city like Montreal that is very musically diverse and accepting of the recent hip-hop and EDM movements, the band started fusing it all together to make a completely new soundscape.

Coming from different musical backgrounds and pulling the best of different genres, the band attracts a wide variety of music fans. To create the perfect TrapRock sound at their gigs, they must play perfectly in time with their pre-programmed lights, smoke, and video projections. Combining heavy guitar riffs with trap drops gives fans a completely unique experience that is hard to come across elsewhere.

The members of ERA 9 all joined the music scene for different reasons. Laurie was begrudgingly forced to take violin lessons when she was younger, but switched to singing lessons after her teacher heard her voice. Lalla’s dad raised him on a healthy diet of Deep Purple and AC/DC. After receiving a toy saxophone from his grandmother and being around his dad’s acoustic guitar, he started experimenting with them and caught the bug. Joe’s introduction occurred spontaneously at a party when he had his friend were messing around on a guitar. Discovering that he had a natural rhythm, this Backstreet fan began his new life’s passion. Marco basked in the glory of Carlos Santana’s music and played along on his very own air guitar and drums. Jona started out on his keyboard, but after watching his cousin learning “Purple Haze” on guitar, he ask his parents for a guitar in the hopes that he could learn it better than his cousin.

Given their music history, it is no wonder ERA 9 is producing such relevant music. Each member is fully committed to the success of the band, and they are constantly writing new music, planning new videos, and networking to get more gigs. The internet has been a great tool for them to share their music and reach the ears of potential new fans instantaneously. On the flip side, it’s hard to make money as a newer band since people can download music for free nowadays. To combat this snafu, they are cranking out as much content as possible to get fans hooked and lining up for their shows.

ERA 9 is coming through Illinois a few times this summer – twice in Peoria and once in Bradley (near Kankakee). If you’re a local, give them a shout and let them know if there’s anything they should visit/eat/do while in town!

For more info on ERA 9 and tour dates, click here.