It is extremely rare when a band firmly placed in the upper-echelon of their genre goes through such a change, especially with vocalists. Recently, Hawaii’s reggae-rock-indie band, Iration announced an alteration that took fans by surprise.
On Friday April 5th, Iration made an announcement regarding the future of the band and the departure of vocalist/percussionist, Kai Rediske.
Iration released a statement via their own website alerting fans of the change: “..Kai has decided to leave the band and move on to pursue other interests. We will continue to make music without him but he and his songs will always be an integral part of the history of the band. We wish him all the best in the future.” 
Kai released a statement displaying his love and gratitude for his fellow brothers and band mates in Iration writing: “I have nothing but love and respect for each of the guys in our crew and it’s been a true pleasure performing, working, traveling and living with them over the course of our journey up to this point…from our first shows in Isla Vista to my last show in Phoenix, it’s been so real and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all.”
Much like many bands within this genre, Iration has featured two dueling vocalists since their inception back in 2003 with Kai Rediske and Micah Pueschel. Kai was the lead singer on such Iration staples as “Turn Around”, “All This Time”, as well as the band’s most recent single, “Porcupine”.
As the band reiterated via social networks, “All upcoming shows and the Automatic album release will not be affected by Kai’s departure.” Iration’s upcoming album, Automatic has been one of the most anticipated albums since The Pier first broke the news in the spring of 2011.
Iration’s Micah Pueschel addressed the news by saying, “All songs will feature my vocals with many of Kai’s backing vocals remaining as well as the song ‘Milk and Honey’ which features Kai. Other than that we are moving forward with Automatic the record and a [new] single very soon.”
This is not the first time a band in this genre has gone through a similar shift from two singers to one frontman. Both Rebelution and Fortunate Youth played out the same scenario when they were emerging as bands, and it is safe to say both of those bands have continued to prosper, reaching their greatest success to date.
Now, it is Iration’s turn to follow the same path and propel their career to a whole new level with Automatic.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Apr 20 @ Pozo Saloon. Santa Margarita, CA (w/ Wiz Khalifa, The Green, Katchafire & more)
Jun 06 @ The Cosmopolitan-Boulevard Pool. Las Vegas, NV
Jun 29 @ Myth. St. Paul, MN (w/ Sublime with Rome)
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Article By: Kris Siuta
Photo By: David Norris
Watch: Iration – “Turn Around”