Fronted by acoustic guitars and tightly interwoven male/female harmonies, ilyAIMY (ill YAY' mee) is live percussive performance, a "combustible attack on the usual singer-songwriter fare," and "a welcome jolt in a stream of ... coffeehouse folkies."
Touring the country as the core duo of rob Hinkal and Heather Lloyd since 2003, ilyAIMY (i love you And I Miss You) has been bringing their passion, their vision and their unique humour to audiences from New Hampshire to Georgia to San Diego to Seattle and everywhere in between. Whether performing as the duo, trio or full quartet, ilyAIMY combines high-energy tribal percussion, culturally and stylistically diverse musical styles, award-winning songwriting and signature male/female harmonies with a unique stage charisma into a show that is as intense as it is intimate.
Their 2006 release, "The Fifth Circle," has been released to reviews like this one from the Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange:
"An acoustically roiling, combustible attack on the usual singer/songwriter fare ... well crafted, thoughtful songs ... stately and intuitive piano ... stirring percussive tumult ... and a hair-trigger vocal/lyrical integrity that you'll only hear here."
ilyAIMY leaves it to the fans to decide what they sound like to them. They say it sounds like some combination of Rusted Root, Buckingham/Nicks, Jethro Tull, acoustic Tool, Ani Difranco, Keller Williams, "Nickel Creek on crack," Alice in Chains, the Indigo Girls, Metallica, and Cry Cry Cry - and with an unlikely set of nominations from the Washington Area Music Association (the WAMMIEs) in Contemporary Folk (Best Duo or Group, 2003) and Alternative (Best Recording, 2001), it's no wonder ilyAIMY has shared stages comfortably with folk acts (We're About 9, Devon Sproule and Steve Key), anti-folk acts (Hammell on Trial, Ember Swift) and pop-rock acts (Mercy Creek, Jeffrey Gaines, The Mosquitos, The Lloyd Dobler Effect) as well as death metal bands, reggae groups and hip-hop acts. An ilyAIMY audience consists of fans that listen quietly while nodding their heads thoughtfully, a couple of guys headbanding, occassional ball-room waltzers, and that woman over there doing that weird raver thing with her hands...