NASHVILLE |DT: DECEMBER 6, 2011
FM: ANGELA VILLANUEVA/BARI LIEBERMAN, MSO
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WRAPS ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL HEADLINING LEI’D BACK TOUR
TO SEVERAL SOLD-OUT CROWDS
INCLUDING TWO BACK-TO-BACK SHOWS A
HOUSE OF BLUES SAN DIEGO AND HOUSE OF BLUES SUNSET IN LOS ANGELES
SERIOUS ACCIDENT DOESN’T SIDELINE BAND
2011 HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE SHOWS FOR CHANNEL ISLANDS PRO SURF TEAM,
LOLLAPALOOZA, 91 X-FEST AND MORE
SPECIAL NEW YEAR’S EVE SHOW AT
HOUSE OF BLUES ANAHEIM (CA)
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Reggae, pop, rock heavyweights IRATION have wrapped another successful headlining Lei’d Back Tour, performing to several sold-out crowds along the way. Most notably, the Hawaiian-bred, Santa Barbara-based band drew over 2,000 fans to back-to-back sold-out shows at the House of Blues San Diego (Nov. 4 & 5) and packed in over 1,000 music lovers to their show at the House of Blues Sunset in Los Angeles (Nov. 11). Other sold-out performances included Corpus Christi, TX, Jacksonville, FL, Chicago, IL and Denver, CO. The tour concluded with three special shows back home in Hawaii with Sublime with Rome and Pepper.
“We couldn’t be more stoked on the turnout and energy everyone brought to this tour’s shows,” says bassist Adam Taylor. “We can’t wait until the next one! For now, we’re looking forward to our time here on the islands, and will continue to work on new music.”
However, the Lei’d Back Tour wasn’t all smooth sailing. While traveling through Wyoming, the band and crew were involved in a serious accident; their bus and trailer overturned on the highway causing the windows to shatter. While no one was seriously injured, everyone involved was clearly shaken up but nonetheless went on to perform in Salt Lake City, UT that night. This particular stretch of highway was also the scene of an accident during last year’s Lei’d Back Tour when tour mates The Movement also crashed.
“Every touring musician knows that overnight drives are dangerous especially in high winds,” shares vocalist and guitarist Micah Pueschel. “We are just thankful to all be safe and relatively unscathed after the accident. All the gear survived so we played that night thanks to transportation from our tour mates.”
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Scene of accident during Lei’d Back Tour 2011
Here’s what is being said about IRATION’s shows:
“One of the most amazing things about seeing Iration live is experiencing their fluid transitions from song to song; the show continuing as one complete piece with hardly any interruptions or pauses…a fun, energetic, and tremendously talented band.”
–Adrienne DeVore, MVREMIX.COM (Portland, OR), 11/3/11
“For three hours the cozy confines became a summer island among the sea of Coloradans prepping for their winter activities…the talent of the band became evident with the sounds [Micah] Pueschel emanated through his instrument and vocal chords. The screaming guitar intro to ‘Cookie Jar’ continued the indoor vacation for those in attendance, as arms flew back and forth grabbing imaginary ginger snaps.”
–Mike Callahan, UCD ADVOCATE (Denver, CO), 11/8/11
“At an Iration show you just have to let the beat of the drums and the vibes of the music move you (just as those attending the sold-out Oct 8 Freebird affair manager to do). Pueschel, along with [his] bandmates…expertly weave reggae, dub, rock and surfer culture into something special.”
–Lindsay Shemansky, SUNSHINESLATE.COM (Jacksonville, FL), 10/12/11
IRATION—Kai Rediske (Vocals/Percussion), Joe Dickens (Drums), Adam Taylor (Bass), Cayson Peterson (Keyboards), Micah Pueschel (Guitar/Vocals) and King (Dub Controls)–had quite the 2011. After releasing their five-song EP FRESH GROUNDS in February, they’ve been on a steady up climb. FRESH GROUNDS debuted #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and #147 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. IRATION also appeared twice on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart with FRESH GROUNDS coming in at #3, while their widely-successful 2010 full-length album TIME BOMB remained in the #8 spot after 40 weeks on the chart and peaking at #2.
This past September, IRATION was personally invited by professional surfer, fan and friend Kelly Slater to perform for the Channel Islands surf team. Here’s a video from the party of the guys performing their radio hit “Turn Around”: http://youtu.be/XbsYm7Y0_k0. Other 2011 highlights included performing at Lollapalooza for the first time where Time Out Chicago noted their “easy-going backbeat jam ‘Electricity’” (8/7/11), Cali Roots Festival, Wakarusa, Shoreline Jam, Blackwater Music Festival and San Diego’s big annual radio show, 91 X-Fest. Their song “Turn Around” claimed the #1 spot on the station’s playlist for 10 weeks, beating the likes of Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 311 and more. Highlights from that show can be seen here: http://youtu.be/c0Y_cDxbfaM. IRATION also made their national TV debut when they were asked to perform the title track from the 2010 LP “Time Bomb” on the season finale of VH1’s “Audrina” show: http://on.vh1.com/o7Y67q.
Next up, IRATION will perform a special New Year’s Eve 2011 show at House of Blues Anaheim (CA) with special guests Seedless and Micah Brown. Tickets are available here: http://tinyurl.com/irationnye. The band will then spend some much deserved time home to write and record their next full-length album for a summer 2012 release. Keep up-to-date on possible touring plans for late winter/early spring by following www.twitter.com/iration.
www.irationmusic.com
www.facebook.com/iration
www.twitter.com/iration
www.myspace.com/iration
www.youtube.com/irationlive
For more information on IRATION, please contact:
Angela Villanueva 818-380-0400 x 232 avillanueva@msopr.com
Bari Lieberman 818-380-0400 x 222 blieberman@msopr.com
