CHILIØ adds a little Alberta to Rockin’ Thunder’s main stage

At last year’s Rockin’ Thunder festival, CHILIØ played the smaller YEG Rocks! stage. But this year, they earned themselves a spot opening the second day of the festival.

New to this year’s festival was the Rock the Slot contest through Bear 100.3 radio. Gerry Krochak, one of the festival’s organizers, said they were excited to bring some more Alberta talent to the main stage.

When CHILIØ found out they won the contest, they were excited, but also felt the pressure.

“That’s the big leagues. That’s a huge jump,” Blaine Stillman, the band’s drummer, said. “I feel like there’s a lot of people to impress in that moment, whether it’s Creed’s sound techs or Buckcherry’s crew.”

Thankfully the band had just wrapped up a tour, which gave them an idea of what songs resonated with crowds. But, preparing for the main stage set wasn’t without its challenges. All of the band members previously lived in Calgary, but one of them moved to Abbotsford and another to the United States. 

“It’s the first time we’ve ever been remote,” Stillman explained. “We had to be individually responsible for what we brought, and I feel like this was the show where we made that happen and really showed what we can all do, not only as a unit but also as individuals.”

“This was a dream come true. We worked so hard,” Chris Wirth, the band’s lead vocalist, said. “Just to go from the smallest of rooms that we played earlier this year to get a chance to be on the main stage, it’s just surreal.”

But those small rooms and gas station meals are all part of the process, lead guitarist, John Jean, said. “Every single band experiences that, and it makes you humble and it makes you love it because if you can go through that, you definitely want to do it big.” 

“I think we’re going to do something people aren’t expecting us to do yet,” Wirth says

Earlier this year, the band released their single “Wear Tie-Dye to My Funeral.” The song brought in some jazz elements, which the band had some fun with. Each band member comes from a different background and experience, and with that, different musical tastes that come together to form CHILIØ’s sound.

Most of the band’s songs start with Wirth, who shapes the main melodies and lyrics. 

“I make a Subway sandwich and I bring it to the boys and they’re like ‘really? Just basic cheddar cheese? No, let’s get some Monterey Jack on there,’” Wirth said. “Everyone does their little things and it becomes an excellent gourmet sandwich … but the beautiful part is that everybody can give something.”

The band will be experimenting even more with their upcoming single, set to release July 17. The track, “Alien,” is about feeling like a black sheep, and then embracing being an outcast and finding your people.

The band kept it vague on any plans further in the future. 

“I think we’re going to do something that people aren’t expecting us to do yet, that we’re not too sure if we’re actually ready for, but we’re doing it anyways and we’re going full send” Wirth. “And that’s what we’ve always done … [and then] you get in situations like this.”