Chris Assaad and Andrew Hanna were born connected by family bonds and were always together. They played and travelled and grew like brothers. It was twenty-two years later that these Toronto, Canada-born cousins discovered their musical connection and creative chemistry. In 2002 a simple, earnest musical duo called I.An.Eye emerged onto the eclectic Toronto music scene.
The early days were a frenzy of song-writing and exploration of music from the likes of Ben Harper, The Chili Peppers, Jack Johnson and, the Legend himself, Bob Marley. The boys started playing acoustic sets around town and realized they were on to something. They've come a long way from their humble beginnings as an acoustic duo. While Andrew and Chris remain at the creative helm as the core of the I.An.Eye sound, they have welcomed to the family classically trained cellist Riaz Hassan, Dave McMillan's funk-rock fusion on bass, and the dead-on, laid-back beats of Kevin Mendes on drums.
I.An.Eye, the Rastafarian concept of God and self being indistinguishable, provides both a name and an ideology for the band, with their reflective lyrics and spiritual performances. The music is a mix of inspiring, soulful folk-rock, reggae, funk and blues with infectious hooks and dynamic emotions. This all crystallizes on stage where the music is free to transform and elevate. They captured a piece of that magic on their 2004 EP The Smoke Clears and followed it up a year later with their first LP We Are One. UK-based record label Moon Ska World is set to release We Are One throughout Europe this fall, bringing the I.An.Eye experience to a whole new audience.