While they were barely teenagers, the Evin sisters picked up instruments in the basement of their family home in rural Cranbook, British Columbia. With the enlistment of school pal Burns as bassist and additional vocalist, the band was officially on its way and was soon gigging throughout Cranbrook under the name Tigerlily. A rough demo found its way to Vancouver entertainment attorney Jonathan Simkin, who quickly recognized the band's potential and used industry contacts to tidy up the demo recording and shop it to Canadian and American labels. Maverick quickly bit, signing the combo in January 2001 after a showcase in label head Guy Oseary's L.A. office.

With the Maverick deal in place, Tigerlily became Lillix, and the band's repertoire was fleshed out with the help of some industry pros. More showcases followed, drummer Urhahn was hired, and soon Lillix was recording their debut with a revolving door of producers and co-songwriters. Label shakeups and image workups led to Falling Uphill's two-year gestation; however, it was finally released in spring 2003. The album included contributions from red-hot producers and writers the Matrix (Avril Lavigne), Linda Perry (Pink), and Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette). Lillix's bouncy cover of the Romantics' "What I Like About You" was tapped as the theme to a WB sitcom of the same name; the group further supported their album with a tour of malls and summer radio festivals. Their second album, Inside the Hollow, which is slated for 2007, featured new drummer Alicia Warrington. Lillix also worked with producers James Michael and Jeff Saltzman, who brought a similar new wave-meets-modern-rock sheen to Inside the Hollow as he brought to the Killers' Hot Fuss. ~ Johnny Loftus