Ironia

A

dopting a name they took from the town in which they reside, Ironia produces hard rock music that is accessible but not shallow. Nick Delonas (guitar) founded the band, as we know it now, after exhaustive efforts after finding competent musicians to play with him; too many were, according to him, "rock star wannabes" or "over-the-edge composers making music even their mothers wouldn't like". After a rather pointed ad explaining in no uncertain terms what he wanted, a reply from drummer Jim Rilko, a music teacher, came. Paul Zartler (vocals) was next, with Art Hengst (bass) and Chris Midkiff (keyboards/production) soon following.

Ironia worked a full year to complete their debut, A Granite Scale (2001), which gave them top 5 chartings in the underground scene. Their jobs outside of the band consisted of Rilko authoring three books on drumming, Hengst as a studio musician and graphic artist, while Midkiff ran a small recording studio. Zartler, for his part, was drafted right out of the underground after winning various Karaoke contests and 3 amateur night competitions at the Apollo Theater.