I first met Iya Terra in Portland, Oregon, on April 21, 2016.

They were opening for The Movement on the first night of a west coast run together, and their van pulled up to The Goodfoot a few minutes early.  Always a good sign.

I had heard their praises several months earlier from one of my most trusted sources in the scene, The Expanders.  When those guys tell me a band is good, I pay attention.  So I was feeling optimistic about the tour and looked forward to meeting them, seeing them live, getting to know them.  Later that night I remember being surprised at how many Iya Terra shirts were in the crowd.  Another good sign.

By the end of that tour, Iya Terra was my new favorite group in the scene.  It’s a special thing when bands tour together.  Sometimes the personalities mesh really well, and sometimes they don’t.  You never really know until the rubber hits the road, but from the moment we met them, the guys in Iya Terra were just nice.

One day we pulled up behind The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, and I saw bassist Nick and keyboardist Luis sitting outside in the sun.  Nick was re-twisting Luis’ dreads, just a couple of musical brothers passing the time and helping each other out.  Talk about a good vibe.

Their music spoke for itself on that tour….deep rhythms, big and beefy low end, sharp and intentional guitar tones.  Frontman Nate was using pedals to dub out his own vocals on stage.  They sounded full, in a Stick Figure or Tribal Seeds kind of way, and it was clear they knew what they were doing, who they were, and why they were there.

Fast forward almost a year later and it’s an absolute honor to premiere their new album Sacred Sound.

Recorded at home in Los Angeles, and on the road in 2016, the album was mixed and mastered by E.N Young.  I could go on and on about the specifics of each tune — the driving vocal delivery of “Anti-Establishment,” the percussion and creamy harmonies in “Give Thanks” (feat. Stick Figure), or the sheer might of the riddim in “More Love,” — but suffice it to say that Iya Terra makes music for the earth and for the soul.

I love these guys.

Sacred Sound drops Friday, March 17.  Get it HERE.

Connect: http://iyaterra.com

Nick Loporchio (bass), Nick Sefakis (guitar), and Luis Tovar (keys), enjoying some sunshine.

Iya Terra is:
Nathan Feinstein – Lead Guitar & Lead Vocal
Nick Sefakis – Guitar & Vox
Luis Tovar – Keys & Vox
Nick Loporchio – Bass
Blake Bartz – Drums

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Upcoming Tour Dates:
Mar 16: Ventura, CA – Discovery*
Mar 17: San Diego, CA – Music Box*
Mar 18: Los Angeles, CA – The Regent*
Mar 19: Fresno, CA – Strummer’s*
Mar 23: San Luis Obispo, CA – SLO Brew*
Mar 24: Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst*
Mar 25: San Francisco, CA – Slim’s*
Mar 30: Bakersfield, CA – B-Ryders*
Mar 31: Indio, CA – Date Shed*
Apr 1: Las Vegas, CA – Hard Rock Vinyl*
Apr 2: Scottsdale, AZ – Pub Rock Live*
Apr 3: Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad*
Apr 5: Austin, TX – The Parish*
Apr 6: Corpus Christi, TX – House Of Rock*
Apr 7: Houston, TX – Scout Bar*
Apr 8: Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey*
Apr 9: San Antonio, TX – Sam’s Burger Joint*
Apr 11: Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall*
Apr 12: Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbit’s*
Apr 13: Orlando, FL – Social*
Apr 14: St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Landing (Free Show)*
Apr 15: Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room*
Apr 20: Charleston, SC – Music Farm*
Apr 21: Wilmington, NC – Calico Room*
Apr 23: Myrtle Beach, SC – Boathouse (Free Show)*
Apr 25: Virginia Beach, VA – Shaka’s*
Apr 26: Vienna, VA – Jammin’ Java*
Apr 27: Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live*
Apr 28: New York, NY – Highline Ballroom*
Apr 29: Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall*
Apr 30: Asbury Park, NJ – Wonder Bar*
May 3: Columbus, OH – Woodlands Tavern*
May 4: Grand Rapids, MI – The Stache*
May 5: Chicago, IL – 1st Ward*
May 6: St. Louis, MO – The Bootleg*
May 7: Springfield, MO – Outland Ballroom*
May 10: Ft. Collins, CO – The Aggie Theatre*
May 11: Colorado Springs, CO – Sunshine Studios Live*
May 12: Denver, CO – Cervante’s*
May 13: Salt Lake City, UT – The Royal*
May 14: Boise, ID – The Reef*
May 15: Spokane, WA – Big Dipper*
May 18: Bellingham, WA – Shakedown*
May 19: Seattle, WA – The Crocodile*
May 20: Portland, OR – Analog Theatre*
May 21: Arcata, CA – Humbrews*
May 28: Monterey, CA – California Roots Music Festival

*supporting Fortunate Youth