ILAY PANAGIS

ILAY PANAGIS IS THE RHYTHM GUITARIST OF THE HULAGENS. AT JUST 8 YEARS OLD ILAY STARTED TO LEARN TO PLAY THE GUITAR WITH HIS FRIEND JASON YASON ANISIMOV. A YEAR LATER HE WAS A PART OF CREATING THE HULAGENS AND MADE HIMSELF THE RHYTHM GUITARIST. ALONG WITH PLAYING IN THE HULAGENS, ILAY IS ALSO A SWIMMER.

 

ILAY WAS BORN ON SEPTEMBER 7 2011, AND WAS BORN IN ISRAEL, ASHDOD WITH LIAM PANAGIS WHO WOULD LATER BE THE DRUMMER OF THE HULAGENS. HIS MUSICAL JOURNEY WAS SHAPED BY MANY ROCK GUITARISTS INCLUDING JAMES HETFIELD FROM METALLICA, AND DAVE MUSTAINE FROM MEGADETH WHOSE ICONIC METAL STYLES PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN DEVELOPING ILAY’S OWN APPROACH TO GUITAR.

 

IN MAY 2019, AT THE AGE OF 7, ILAY MOVED WITH HIS FAMILY TO WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA. LESS THAN 1 YEAR LATER THE HULAGENS WERE CREATED, STARTING HIS JOURNEY AS A RHYTHM GUITARIST. THE BAND BECAME A BIG PART OF HIS LIFE, PUSHING HIM TO START DOING CONCERTS AS A KID. AFTER 4 YEARS IN WINNIPEG ILAY’S FAMILY MOVED TO CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA, IN JUNE 2023. THE ANISIMOV FAMILY, WHOSE SONS JASON AND THEO MOVED TO CALGARY A MONTH LATER. REUNITING THE GROUP AFTER A MONTH.

ILAY SPEAKS RUSSIAN WITH HIS FAMILY, ENGLISH THE DAILY LANGUAGE, USED TO SPEAK HEBREW WHICH WAS THE LANGUAGE THAT HE GREW UP WITH.

 

AS THE HULAGENS RHYTHM GUITARIST, ILAY PLAYS A ROLE IN CREATING THE HULAGENS SOUND. HIS PLAYING MUTES MAKES THE SOUND MORE METAL, MIXING TOGETHER METAL AND ROCK.

 

ILAY ALSO TAKES A PART IN ORGANIZING THE PRACTICES FROM THE PANAGIS FAMILY SIDE.