Photo credit: Fabrice Henssens

From the left: Joe Dickens (Drums), Adam Taylor (Bass), Micah Pueschel (Vocals/Guitar), Cayson Peterson (Keys) and Kai Rediske (Vocals/Percussion)

Following their widely successful 2010 album Time Bomb, Hawaii's infectious reggae influenced all-stars IRATION are back with a new five-song offering, FRESH GROUNDS, to be released via the band’s own label, 3 Prong Records distributed by INgrooves.  Available Tuesday, February 1 as an iTunes worldwide exclusive--full release Tuesday, February 8 on all other digital retailers--FRESH GROUNDS reveals IRATION’s growth both musically and lyrically while staying true to the sound their fans have come to know, love and demand.

 

From the opening track “Can’t Wait” to the peaceful, positive vibe of “Work It Out” to the rocking, guitar-driven “All This Time,” it’s clear FRESH GROUNDS--written and co-produced by the band, along with producer, mixer, engineer JP Hesser, who also helmed the board for Time Bomb and co-mixer Joseph King--hits all the marks. They slow it down with “No Letter” which showcases the band’s versatility and vulnerability. The final track  “Summer Nights” was digitally released August 17, 2010 and debuted at #2 on the iTunes reggae singles chart in the U.S.  The carefree, summer-anthem has already sold over 6,000 copies without any formal promotion. To pre-order the album on iTunes visit: http://itunes.apple.com/us/preorder/fresh-grounds/id411124818.

“This new EP felt really good to make,” says vocalist Kai Rediske.  “We didn't confine ourselves to any specific style, so each song ended up having its own unique feel. We allowed ourselves to try new things, both musically and lyrically--hence Fresh Grounds--and are definitely stoked on how it turned out. Can't wait to release it!” 

 

The sextet’s last full-length album, Time Bomb, was released March 2010 and available as an iTunes exclusive pre-release, reaching as high as #1 on the U.S. iTunes reggae albums music chart, #40 on iTunes’ overall music chart, and the single “Falling” was an iTunes “Discovery Download” of the week. The album also did especially well in the physical realm, debuting at #2 on Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart and #30 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart.

IRATION--Rediske (Vocals/Percussion), Joe Dickens (Drums), Adam Taylor (Bass), Cayson Peterson (Keyboards), Micah Pueschel (Guitar/Vocals) and King (Dub Controls)--has proven to truly have an understanding of modern and traditional performance techniques that keep young and old fans’ hands in the air and heads bobbing. In a mission to bring their music to their ever-growing fan base, IRATION is consistently on the road, including performances at numerous music festivals such as Santa Barbara's KJEE Summer Round Up, San Luis Obispo's annual Beer Fest at Avila Beach (where they headlined), the Sunset Strip Music Festival, West Beach Music & Arts Festival, Hurley's US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach and most recently Cypress Hill's annual SmokeOut Festival.

2011 will be no different.  After a brief holiday break, IRATION will head back out on the road with good friends Rebelution. The tour kicks off with two nights at the House of Blues San Diego January 13 and 14 and then heads up the coast before moving east and wrapping February 5 in Chicago. From there the group will headline an East Coast leg before coming back west to reunite with Rebelution in Los Angeles for a special show at the historic theater The Wiltern on April 4.  Full tour itinerary below.