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| Bending the definition of genres before you even have a chance to think of one, here you have the band Len. Based out of Toronto, Len formed originally as a four-piece in 1991, by brother and sister combo Marc & Sharon Costanzo. Since then, they have had many members come and go, but this just adds all the more flavor.
Marc and Sharon initially formed the group as a noise-driven punk-pop act while honing their beat-making skills with longtime musician friends on Canada's East Coast. The band has since transformed from the strange-but-fun-pop-song-writing group it was in the early nineties to something similar, yet different, with a whole lot more hip-hop beats tossed in.
From 1992 to 1996, Len would release one EP and two albums on their own Funtrip Records label. Releasing 1996's 'Get Your Legs Broke', with innovative indie self-directed videos for songs like "Smarty Pants" and "Trillion Days," they continued mining hip-hop grooves on the side and releasing other hip-hop acts on Marc's own Four Ways To Rock label. Both albums charted on the indie retail charts and the band was able to garner some MuchMusic attention with their self-directed videos.
The act was signed to Work Group in 1998. They achieved some notoriety after their song "Steal My Sunshine" popped up on the 'Go!' movie soundtrack. The single for the song was released to CHR radio in April 1999 and began to achieve hit record status quickly. The video helped solidify the band's 'happy' groove and propelled the June 1999 release of their full-length CD 'You Can't Stop The Bum Rush'. The video for the song won three awards at the September '99 MuchMusic Video Awards.
Be on a lookout for Len's follow-up to their major label debut, 'We Be Who We Be', hitting record stores everywhere Spring 2003. |
Michael McCarty
