For this Special DOC III Edition of Making Meaning, we’re talking with Jason Ward, Jon Case, and Owen Burd of Irata!
Catch Irata at Descendants of Crom III on Saturday 9.21.19 at Cattivo! Get tickets here.
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MAKING MEANING: THE BACKGROUND
Irata plays loud, Heavy Rock. They’re from Greensboro, North Carolina.
Formed in 2007, Irata has released three albums. The most recent, Tower, was released in 2019 on Small Stone Records. In addition to DOC III, they have some great tour dates through October.
Irata is: Jon Case (bass, vocals), Owen Burd (guitar, vocals, trumpet), Cheryl Manner (guitar), and Jason Ward (drums, vocals, synths, percussion).
Keep up-to-date with Irata on their website and Facebook.
MAKING MEANING: THE SONG
Listen to the song “Tower” from Irata’s album Tower and learn what meaning Jason, Jon, and Owen make:
“Tower” was written and performed by Irata and recorded at Legitimate Business Studios in Greensboro, NC. It was engineered and co-produced by Kris Hilbert, produced by Ben Mcleod, and mastered By Mikey Allred at Dark Art Studio in Nashville, TN. Released by Smalls Stone Records in May 2019.
Jason, Jon, and Owen Speak
Jason: The lyrics to this song are really inspired by a fishing trip. A family boat trip with all our kids. We were heading out to a fishing spot early in the morning and the sun was coming up. The fishing spot is known locally as The Tower. As we set off, the rhythm of the boat hitting the water recalled the cadence of the main riff of the song which the band had been working on for some time. I was looking at the waves and the light reflecting off the water, and it makes you think about how small and fragile we all are. We were vulnerable out in the middle of the ocean; all it takes is one little wave to take everybody out. The kids were with us. In their innocence, the kids wouldn’t think of the danger. They trust us to protect them and keep them safe. As adults, we’re able to understand and choose the dangers we encounter. However in these situations the adults are powerless against something greater and bigger than we are. At the bridge the song the lyrics get more literal. The Tower is an old weather station that sits at the end of Frying Pan Shoals. These shoals create turbulent waters and many ships have gone down because of them.
“…the rhythm of the boat hitting the water recalled the cadence of the main riff of the song…” – Jason Ward of Irata on their song “Tower”
Jon: Has anyone looked up the meaning of the Tower Tarot card?
Owen: Yeah, it’s about changing of life events. Not that it’s destructive in general, but that things need to be destroyed in order to make things change.
DESCENDANTS OF CROM III
We talked to Jason about playing at Descendants of Crom III. The Third Annual Descendants of Crom heavy music festival takes place in Pittsburgh, PA September 20 – 22, 2019.
How do you feel about playing DOC III?
Really excited!
What can the audience expect from your performance?
Energy and love.
What other bands are you excited to see perform?
All of them! We love music!
What else do you want readers to know?
You can buy the new album here.
Thanks so much to Jason, Jon, and Owen of Irata for talking with us about their song “Tower” and Descendants of Crom III! We hope this adds to your experience of their band, their song, and their performance. Thanks for making meaning with us.
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