Iration is a Southern Californian based band that formed in 2006 when the members attended UCSB. All coming from Hawaii, the band has created a powerful sound that fuses reggae, rock and pop. They released their “Fresh Grounds” EP in February and have been touring all year, most recently as part of the Winter Greens Tour with Rebelution. I had a chance to sit down with Iration’s bassist, Adam Taylor, and ask him about how Iration came to be, their influences, marketing strategies and their next tour.
TC: You guys are all from Hawaii but met in Isla Vista, California. How did Iration form?
AT: Iration formed while we attended UCSB. It started as a hobby and then developed into our career.
TC: Do you pull a majority of your influence from Hawaii or where you live currently? How is that influence brought out in your music?
AT: Initially from Hawaii, but these days I feel like we’re influenced by our surroundings here in Santa Barbara and while on tour. It comes out in the way we approach creating songs and the way we perform live.
TC: You released your “Fresh Grounds” EP in February and are setting out on tour. What are you looking at to accomplish with this next tour? How will this tour be different than other tours you have been on?
AT: We want to bring out all our fans as well as gain some new ones. We want to play well and give the audience a really fun and memorable experience. We’ll be playing new material off our new CD as well as two covers that are really fun to play. We’ll also be experimenting with some acoustic stuff on this tour.
TC: Who would your dream tour lineup consist of?
AT: The Police, The Beatles, Black Uhuru, and Iration!
TC: You guys have played at many colleges, especially in California. Which college town has given you the best fan response? Why did you choose to play colleges as opposed to regular venues?
AT: Calpoly in San Luis Obispo is great and so is Northern Arizona University. We play colleges because you typically get a large built-in crowd and often times students that have never heard of you get exposed to your music.
TC: What is one of the craziest things you have had happen on tour?
AT: My amp had a power overload and caught on fire on the past tour. That was pretty crazy!
TC: What is your best fan memory?
AT: Hanging out with Kelly Slater on stage!
TC: Your band’s website is set up like a blog on the homepage. Did you design it this way in order to connect more with your fans?
AT: Yes. Social networking and having a strong viral presence is really important to us and it’s a great way to connect with fans.
TC: What are some of your favorite ways to reach out to your fanbase?
AT: We like using Fantourage and Fanbridge. Fans can ask us questions and post videos and photos from the shows.
TC: Do you have an online marketing strategy in place?
AT: We basically like to keep up a strong presence online and be in constant communication with our fans. It just comes down to us enjoying what we do, and we love to write back to fans and hear what they have to say online.
TC: How does your MobBase mobile app fit in to this strategy? What has the response been from fans?
AT: Fans love it. Its a great tool for finding out where a show is or listening to music. Its free on iTunes and the Android Market, so pick it up!
TC: If Iration owned a coffee company, what would be the name of your special blend and most popular pastry?
AT: Our drummer does own a coffee company on the big island of Hawaii, called Kona Homestead Coffee! If the others owned one, we’d call our special blend ‘Kona Gold’ and our pastry would be the Butternut.
Iration is currently on tour around California their next dates are:
- April 28th at The Avalon in Santa Clara, CA
- April 29th at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, CA
- April 30th at Audies Olympic in Fresno, CA.
- May 12th at the Ace of Spades in Sacramento, CA.
- May 13th at the Senator Theater in Chico, CA.
