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Stone Iris Are James Brown Proud! Announce “Illumi-Nations’ Tour

If James Brown had love children and they made a super cool blues, soul, rock, and reggae inspired collective, it definitely be Edmonton, AB based Stone Iris.

With their latest EP ‘Illuminations’, (their seventh in four years) on May 15th on Kamelcorn Records. The band is gearing up for their next tour in promotion of the EP after just completing 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.

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 get your guard down but restless enough to let you know that the best times are on their way. Stone Iris and their new EP builds off their previous releases, 2011 twin-EPs The Boo Box and Serene Machine, the 2010 Silhouettes EP and 2008 debut Ezperanza, by revealing a band that is at once more assured and more expansive than it’s ever been.

Single Stream – Hide & Seek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_8iIGj737I

http://soundcloud.com/stoneiris/hide-and-seek

Recorded with Stew Kirkwood at Sound Extractor Studio, Illuminations capturesStone 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. in 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–everything 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 5, 2012 – O’Flannigan – Kelowna, BC
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
August 341, 2012 – Studio 37 – Calgary, AB
September 14, 2012 – Starite Room – Edmonton, AB

EP Details:

Illuminations – EP (2012)

1. Hide and Seek
2. Blood Clot Sunrise
3. Wicked Start
4. Palm Bay Blues
5. New End

Album Credits:
All Songs by Stone Iris
Label: Kamelcorn
Distribution: Kamelcorn
UPC Code: 885767448520
Mixed by: Stew Kirkwood
Mastered by: Stew Kirkwood
Single Released: Hide and Seek
Available on: iTunes

Videos

Stone Iris – Live In The RV – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkVfp_iR-Rs

Balcony TV Performance – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtM1yOQbUAk

Stone Iris – I Am Autumn – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7MnwU8o-7E

Press Photo – https://ashermediarelations.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/stone-iris-tour-bus.jpg

EPK – https://ashermediarelations.com/epks/epk-stone-iris-illuminations-2012/