While Oklahoma City may be mostly known for its cowboy culture and surrounding oil wells, it is fast gaining notoriety for being home to KIRRA, the city’s most promising hard rock music export since Hinder. Since their journey began, they’ve endured one hell of a rollercoaster ride having toured with their idols and suffering the untimely loss of their lead vocalist just days before a national tour. Despite the ups and downs, these talented musicians kept their eyes focused on the goals at hand and managed to keep up the momentum, while never losing the spark for their love of music and being in a touring band.
Kirra was formed in 2013 by Oklahoma City residents Daxton Page, Jesse Williamson, Ryne McNeill, and Zach Stafford. The band immediately began writing material and performing locally to build a following. In 2014, they independently released their debut CD Run Away, and throughout 2015 booked many regional gigs to avoid over saturation of the local scene and expand their growing fanbase.
In early 2016, the band landed their first “real” tour supporting Saving Abel and later that summer when Saving Abel and The Veer Union were looking for a support act, they invited Kirra back out on the road as a support act once more. Towards the end of the year they reissued Run Away through Pavement Entertainment and followed up in early 2017 with the release of a single, Downfall. In the summer of 2017 the band parted ways with Pavement, and in October they released a second single entitled My Disease which peaked at #25 on the Billboard Indicator Mainstream Rock chart. The following month saw another national tour, this time with Saving Abel and Soil. As 2017 ended, the band tracked a few new songs for release in early 2018. Unbeknownst to the band, this would be the last studio recording with vocalist Jesse Williamson.
2018 was looking great for Kirra, starting off with confirmation that they would tour with Nothing More and The Contortionist, however just one week before the tour was to start, Jesse passed away in a tragic auto accident. While the band was devastated, they knew Jesse would want the band to continue without him, so they quickly held auditions and filled the spot with a temporary singer just in time to set out upon the month-long tour. After returning home, the band had some time to mourn the loss of Jesse and plan the release of the EP they recorded with him earlier. In April, the band independently released Fight or Flight, a five-song EP aptly named for their decision to keep the band going in the face of difficult circumstances. Over the Summer, the band began properly searching for a new lead vocalist, and placed an ad on Craig’s List. After many auditions, the band discovered Gabriel Parson, who immediately won the band over with his voice and stage presence.
In February of 2019, the band released their Sixteen Suns single, and began talking with Eclipse Records about the possibility of releasing new material they were currently writing. The following, Kirra set out on yet another national tour, this time supporting Sevendust and Tremonti. Upon their return in April, the band released another single, this one entitled Decider and shortly thereafter signed with Eclipse Records for the new album. Throughout the month of May, the band worked tirelessly to record the new album. After a brief break to perform at Rocklahoma, the band headed back into the studio to finish recording the album.
Just before hitting the road once again, the band wrapped up the album and delivered it to their label and immediately hit the road supporting Otherwise and Blacktop Mojo through the Fall of 2019. The band’s new full-length album entitled Redefine was released on January 31st, 2020 and received critical acclaim from dozens of press, media and radio outlets worldwide. The songs cover a myriad of emotional topics, and the first single goes right for the jugular! Highlights on the album include “Caving In“, where the band talks about standing in the face of things around one’s life collapsing and confronting those issues steadfast to resolution. The second single “Free” fundamentally rejects the slippery slope of censorship and policing of people’s thoughts while outlining the conflicting relationship between technology and freedom. “Passageway” is the third single and it details the path one must travel to get out of toxic environments that prevent people from achieving their full potential, while not accepting the fate of others as one’s own. Redefine was produced by Daxton Page and mastered by Matt Mercado (Soil, The Outfit, Candlebox). Have a listen and be blown away!
