NASHVILLE |DT: FEBRUARY 11, 2011FM: ANGELA VILLANUEVA/BARI LIEBERMAN, MSO
NEW EP ‘FRESH GROUNDS’
ENTERS THE BILLBOARD HEATSEEKERS CHART AT #1
BAND ALSO APPEARS TWICE ON THE REGGAE ALBUMS CHART
#3 WITH ‘FRESH GROUNDS’ AND
#8 WITH 2010 FULL-LENGTH ‘TIME BOMB’
BAND EARNING POSITIVE ACCOLADES FOR
BOTH ALBUM AND LIVE PERFORMANCES
IRATION’s new EP FRESH GROUNDS–officially released Tuesday, February 8 via their label 3 Prong Records and an exclusive partnership with INgrooves–has debuted impressively on multiple charts. The new five-song offering came in at the top spot: #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, which compiles the week’s top-selling albums by new or developing acts. IRATION also appears twice on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart with FRESH GROUNDS coming in at #3 while their widely-successful 2010 full-length album Time Bomb remains in the #8 spot after lasting 40 weeks on the chart and peaking at #2. FRESH GROUNDS also placed at #147 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
In an exclusive offer through iTunes, FRESH GROUNDS was available February 1, one-week prior to the official release date. The album also debuted there at the #9 spot in the iTunes Top Albums chart and is currently #2 on the iTunes Reggae Albums chart.
It’s clear IRATION—Kai Rediske (Vocals/Percussion), Joe Dickens (Drums), Adam Taylor (Bass), Cayson Peterson (Keyboards), Micah Pueschel (Guitar/Vocals) and King (Dub Controls)–has grown both musically and lyrically on this album while also staying true to the sound their fans have come to know, love and demand. The EP is quickly garnering critical praise from the media.
Kevin Wierzbicki of Los Angeles’ Campus Circle wrote, “…songs like ‘Can’t Wait’ and ‘Work It Out’ seem to be designed to branch the band out a little bit; a reggae rhythm gives buoyancy to the former, but otherwise the instrumentation is jazzy rock and the latter is mellow, acoustic guitar-driven, California-cool jazz rock without any hint of island flavoring. The slow and aching ‘No Letter’ is a showcase for the emotive vocals of frontman Micah Pueschel…the classic reggae beat of ‘Summer Nights’ and the modern, rocked-up reggae of ‘All This Time’…the idea behind Fresh Grounds [is] to blur the lines, and to that end, Iration has done the job while holding firmly to the catchy hooks their fans love them for.” (2/9/11)
Additionally, Melissa Garcia of OCReloaded.com praised the band saying, “…Iration has another great group of songs under their belts. The 5 song EP titled, Fresh Grounds, stays true to their mastered soft-rock reggae style, but also adds a touch of ska rhythm…The heartfelt acoustic song, upbeat catchy and inspirational tune, the heavier rock tracks are in a perfect marriage in the Fresh Grounds EP.” (2/6/11)
IRATION is currently on a co-headlining tour with Ballyhoo! through the end of the month and will then launch into their own headlining tour in March. They just wrapped the Winter Greens Tour with Rebelution which sold out several shows and received positive reviews. Kari Solberg of Flotzam.com caught the band at the sold-out show in Seattle and noted, “This is a clean, tight group that seamlessly combines elements of traditional reggae with a modern edge and their own relaxed and self-assured style.” (1/24/11) A fan submitted review on the Chicago Reader’s website from the February 4 show summed it up best: “It offered all of us a momentary escape from our daily and sometimes chaotic lives.” (2/8/11)
www.myspace.com/iration
www.facebook.com/iration
www.twitter.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
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IRATION’S NEW EP ‘FRESH GROUNDS’ ENTERS THE BILLBOARD HEATSEEKERS CHART AT #1; BAND ALSO APPEARS TWICE ON THE REGGAE ALBUMS CHART #3 WITH ‘FRESH GROUNDS’ AND #8 WITH 2010 FULL-LENGTH ‘TIME BOMB’; BAND EARNING POSITIVE ACCOLADES FOR BOTH ALBUM AND LIVE PERFORMANCES
