In an exclusive interview with Iration before their Mesa Rocks Block Party in Arizona, Micah Pueschel (Guitar/Vocals) went into great detail about what Iration’s summer 2012 release will entail.
“As a band, we all decided we wanted this album to have a proper rock sound. We wanted to make songs that were proper rock with a crossover type of sound. The rock is rock, and the reggae is reggae. There are a couple songs that have a little bit of the crossover feel to it, but it is more like us. When we want to play rock, we do a proper rock song that is in your face. For the reggae songs, we definitely treat it like a true reggae song.”
Iration’s third full-length album will be released this summer. The mixing is complete, and the mastering and artwork are in their final stages. The band did reveal the month, but since this is merely a teaser, viewers will have to return next week for that juicy detail!
However, among other facts regarding the album, a few guest appearances featured include talented guitarist Lincoln Parrish (Cage The Elephant), who also produced the album, Rami Jaffee (The Wallflowers/Foo Fighters), working at Fonogenic Studios in Van Nuys, CA, as well as recording with vintage instruments, and even managing to break one!
Within the interview, the spotlight was not completely fixed on the album, upcoming festival dates at California Roots and the Wakarusa festival in Arkansas brought up the topic of playing with the biggest names in the music game today. Along those lines, we also took a look back at the first-ever Law Records tour with Pepper, Passafire, Iration and The Supervillains, while analyzing the growth of each band five years later. Thus, the brotherhood with Pepper has led Iration to do the same with other bands on the rise.
“Musicians from Hawai’i, I feel that is the way it goes, we all take care of each other. Pepper took us out on our first national tour. We then took The Green out on their first national tour. Now, they are moving up and shooting up there quickly, and making great music… If you are a good band and make good music, you deserve to be noticed and put in front of a crowd. SOJA took out Anuhea for their tour, and that was a big boost for her. That is just the way it should be!”
Over the last five years, the Reggae-Rock scene has grown from a small community to gaining respectability on the Billboard and iTunes charts, and Iration is a big reason for that praise. Thinking back to their first gig at Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara, CA to their first show outside of their comfort zone in Long Beach with Pepper, Josh Fischel and Bargain Music at The Vault in Long Beach, all the way to their recent Lollapalooza performance, it has been a massive journey to this stage in their career. With a new album set for release, playing alongside Grammy award winning talent, Iration continues to climb the ladder to reach their peak. That success might come sooner, rather than later, and Iration can sustain that level for years to come!
Fans will have to sit back and “Wait and See” what’s to come from The Irators, and read all about the future next week!
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Article By: Kris Siuta
Video: Iration – “Wait & See” Live