Spread the Social Love:
If James Brown had love children and they made a super cool blues, soul, rock, and reggae-inspired collective, it would definitely be Edmonton, AB based Stone Iris.
Their latest EP Illuminations, (their seventh record in four years) was released on May 15th via Kamelcorn Records. The band is gearing up for their next tour in support Illuminations coming just after their latest Western Canadian tour. Perfectly titled the 'Illumi-Nations' tour, Stone Iris will trek across the USA, from the west coast of Seattle to the south of Texas to the blue grasses of Kentucky and the Midwest.
Watch 'Hide and Seek' video here:
Like a lost night in a smoky bar, Stone Iris' songs feel easy to slip into and even easier to get lost in, using laid-back but propulsive grooves to create a mood that feels at once nostalgic and promising, familiar enough to draw you in but restless enough to let you know that the best times are on their way. Stone Iris and their new EP builds upon their previous releases, to include 2011 twin-EPs The Boo Box and Serene Machine, the 2010 Silhouettes EP and 2008 debut Ezperanza. Together they reveal a band that is more assured and more expansive than it’s ever been.
Recorded with Stew Kirkwood at Sound Extractor Studio, Illuminations captures Stone Iris as they’re starting to truly come into their own. It all began as Monzmeg, a basement project in the Calgary home of brothers, songwriters and guitarists Garret and El Niven. Stone Iris didn’t fully begin to take shape until they recruited drummer Jeff Burwash, who had been banging the skins with blues outfit Straight Jacket before he was even legally allowed in bars.
It was the move to Edmonton to attend Grant MacEwan’s music program that solidified the group, though; first with the addition of Regina-born and Grant Mac-trained bassist Ryan Ast (ex-Without an End), and then adding Trail, BC-bred percussionist Juice Jensen in early 2010. During 2011, keyboard player Stephen Robinson and vocalist Kari James joined the ranks of the band, completing what is the current roster of Stone Iris.
Blending their disparate musical backgrounds - from hooky pop music to sun bleached reggae to hip-hop and rap - the influence of seven minds has created a mature sound that isn’t easy to pin down, but is very easy to love.
'Illumi-Nation' Tour Dates
1. Hide and Seek
2. Blood Clot Sunrise
3. Wicked Start
4. Palm Bay Blues
5. New End
Their latest EP Illuminations, (their seventh record in four years) was released on May 15th via Kamelcorn Records. The band is gearing up for their next tour in support Illuminations coming just after their latest Western Canadian tour. Perfectly titled the 'Illumi-Nations' tour, Stone Iris will trek across the USA, from the west coast of Seattle to the south of Texas to the blue grasses of Kentucky and the Midwest.
Watch 'Hide and Seek' video here:
Like a lost night in a smoky bar, Stone Iris' songs feel easy to slip into and even easier to get lost in, using laid-back but propulsive grooves to create a mood that feels at once nostalgic and promising, familiar enough to draw you in but restless enough to let you know that the best times are on their way. Stone Iris and their new EP builds upon their previous releases, to include 2011 twin-EPs The Boo Box and Serene Machine, the 2010 Silhouettes EP and 2008 debut Ezperanza. Together they reveal a band that is more assured and more expansive than it’s ever been.
Recorded with Stew Kirkwood at Sound Extractor Studio, Illuminations captures Stone Iris as they’re starting to truly come into their own. It all began as Monzmeg, a basement project in the Calgary home of brothers, songwriters and guitarists Garret and El Niven. Stone Iris didn’t fully begin to take shape until they recruited drummer Jeff Burwash, who had been banging the skins with blues outfit Straight Jacket before he was even legally allowed in bars.
It was the move to Edmonton to attend Grant MacEwan’s music program that solidified the group, though; first with the addition of Regina-born and Grant Mac-trained bassist Ryan Ast (ex-Without an End), and then adding Trail, BC-bred percussionist Juice Jensen in early 2010. During 2011, keyboard player Stephen Robinson and vocalist Kari James joined the ranks of the band, completing what is the current roster of Stone Iris.
Blending their disparate musical backgrounds - from hooky pop music to sun bleached reggae to hip-hop and rap - the influence of seven minds has created a mature sound that isn’t easy to pin down, but is very easy to love.
'Illumi-Nation' Tour Dates
- July 6, 2012 - Riverfront Pub - Grindrod, BC
- July 11, 2012 - The Seamonster - Seattle, WA
- July 12, 2012 - The Skylark Cafe - Seattle, WA
- July 14, 2012 - The Fox and Goose - Sacramento, CA
- July 18, 2012 - South First Billiards - San Jose, CA
- July 19, 2102 - Plea For Peace - Stockton, CA
- July 20, 2012 - Toots - Crockett Tavern, CA
- July 22, 2012 - Trip - Santa Monica, CA
- July 27, 2012 - Joe's Grotto - Phoenix, AZ
- August 2, 2012 - Beale St. Tavern - Austin, TX
- August 3, 2012 - The Mink - Houston, TX
- August 11, 2012 - Zazzo's Bar & Grill - Louisville, KY
- August 23, 2012 - Nestor's Tavern - Fargo, ND
- September 14, 2012 - Starite Room - Edmonton, AB
1. Hide and Seek
2. Blood Clot Sunrise
3. Wicked Start
4. Palm Bay Blues
5. New End
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