Iration is an alternative reggae band based in Santa Barbara, California. Their latest releases “Time Bomb” in 2010 and “Automatic” in 2013 peaked at number two and number one, respectively, on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart, and they recently announced a fourth studio album to be released later this year. The band will bring their “Tales from the Sea” tour to The Jefferson Theater Sunday, along with fellow reggae artists Stick Figure and Hours Eastly.
Arts & Entertainment spoke with vocalist and guitarist Micah Pueschel about the band’s musical style and current tour.
Arts & Entertainment: You’ve said that the title track to “Automatic,” is an ode to your fans. What kind of effect have the fans had on your music?
Micah Pueschel: It’s more the effect they’ve had on our entire career. Fans in this day and age are everything. They have to come out and support you. It’s not just about buying CDs. It’s about being able to get face to face with your fans, thank them in that way. The song “Automatic” is about the relationship with the fans and being able to say thanks for [supporting our] career.
A&E: Reggae bands Stick Figure and Hours Eastly are joining you for the “Tales from the Sea” tour. What is is like being able to play alongside these bands?
MP: We like both of the bands and the guys in the bands. We usually take one band that’s about to make the jump to the next level, and then we take one band that we feel like people need to hear that they haven’t heard yet. We try to mix and match that way. Stick Figure is a band that’s been getting a lot of work, and they’re ready to get to the next level. Hours Eastly is a new band, and I feel like people need to hear their music.
A&E: The tour is named “Tales from the Sea” because the ocean is “a source of inspiration and life” for the band. Can you talk more about how the California scene has shaped your music?
MP: We all grew up in Hawaii, [and now] we live in California, on the coast, so it’s a part of who we are and our daily lives; it’s just about the vibe and the weather. The big thing about California is they’ve always been supportive of this style of music, so we’ve been able to have … people who care about the music and are connoisseurs of it from the very start.
A&E: What does Iration brings to the genre that differentiates your music from other reggae artists?
MP: We don’t do a specific type of style. We have a very eclectic sound. A lot of the other bands in the genre generally do punk rock or metal [fused with] reggae, while we tend to do good old-fashion rock and roll blues. We’re reggae and pop and all kinds of different stuff. We blend a lot of different genres.
A&E: Iration has played at many music festivals over the last few years, including Lollapalooza and the California Roots Music and Arts Festival. How does the atmosphere at a festival differ from that of a regular show?
MP: There’s so many different genres happening at a festival that there’s a bigger blend of people than would normally be at just our show. It’s cool seeing how different bands put on a show and hearing them play live. The Cali Roots [fits in more with] our genre of music, and they get bands from all around the entire nation that come out. It’s a great experience … to mingle along with different acts and different fan bases — [for our music to] get heard by people who maybe wouldn’t have heard it before.
A&E: Can you tell us anything about your newest album coming out later this year?
MP: It’s going to be coming out in July, and we’re going to be coming out with a new single within the next month or so. It’s not a long album, but its really quality. It’s more rhythm-driven. We worked with a producer who comes more from the hip-hop and R&B side of things, so he kind of added that flavor into what we do. I’m stoked with what we came out with.
Iration’s “Tales from the Sea” will take place at The Jefferson Theater Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
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