In 1999, in the days before Napster and iTunes, Toronto-via-Halifax pop band Len scored a massive worldwide hit with their song “Steal My Sunshine”. Since then, the output of the group, comprised of siblings Marc and Sharon Costanzo, has been somewhat sporadic however the quality of material they are writing remains as strong as ever. Nowhere is this more evident than on their latest record, It’s Easy If You Try, released this past October.
Here Magazine recently caught up with Len’s Marc Costanzo and discussed the repercussions of their big hit, being classified as a one-hit wonder and what might lie ahead for the band:
What have you and Sharon been up to in the seven years since 2005’s The Diary Of The Madmen?
We have been living life and doing things we love. Sharon and I own some businesses together and apart, which have kept us busy. Doing Len music is always fun but we don’t always have time to do it. Even before “Steal My Sunshine” hit, the band was all about fuckin’ around in the studio when we could with a bunch of friends and see what happens. The new album is no different.
Is the band in a much better place now that you’re making records on your own terms as opposed to keeping up with someone else’s schedule?
We never made Len songs or albums in any other way then whenever we could, with whoever was around, and doing whatever we felt like. “Steal My Sunshine” was an anomaly; we never expected, before or after that song, that any of the songs would be anything more than some fun times in the studio with some great people. It’s surprising to me that we still manage to get albums out.
Do you have any plans to undertake touring in support of the new record?
No! I love playing live every once in a while. We still get offered to tour all the time but just can’t seem to get it together. Even at the height of “Steal My Sunshine”, we didn’t really play that many shows; we had been scheduled to tour for two years almost straight and after 8 weeks, we canceled the rest of the tour and went home. When we try to take Len beyond the studio, it just seems to kill it.
Article published in the January 3, 2013 edition of Here Magazine