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Ivari
Originally started as an artist duo, Ivari, began much like most sibling collaborations, at home in the basement. Emily made her debut singing around the house at a young age, and Andy took piano lessons off and on during his youth. He picked up the guitar in high school, and both siblings began using their talents outside of the home in various church groups and worship teams, singing for youth retreats and Wednesday night meetings. During the summer of 2001, Andy came up with the idea for On an Island while taking a lunch break at his first architecture internship. Emily immediately fell in love with the song, and that summer, they began seriously writing and planning their career in music as the duo, Ivari. Recording during evenings and weekends, they completed their first self-titled EP in a basement studio in Morris, Illinois for the bargain price of $200 per song, then had the disc mastered at Gravity Studios in Chicago. Not long after, the duo launched a website and started calling clubs and coffee shops. Ivari went on to play numerous shows in the Chicago area at venues including the Elbo Room, Lyons Den, Uncommon Ground, 602 North, and the Arcada Theatre, as well as several shows at Midwest colleges Drake University, Judson College, and a Q101 sponsored show opening for Local H at Depaul University. In 2001, a rough demo version of On an Island received honorable mention in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and in 2002, Ivari was selected as a semi-finalist in the Independent Music World Series for the Midwest. The pair was also solicited to perform two years running at the Jeff Buckley Birthday Tribute Concert at Uncommon Ground & the Metro. After catching the ear of Jeffs mom, they were featured artists in the international Jeff Buckley Newsletter and the Peyote Radio Theatre at www.jeffbuckley.com. Nearing the end of their momentum from the first recording in the summer of 2003, Ivari set to work on their second set of songs, dubbed Twilight at another basement studio in Chicago. Following the recording, Andy returned to school to finish a Bachelor of Arts in architecture. Though they intended to remain active in the local music scene, the siblings performing career came to a temporary halt as Emily struggled through a bad case of mono followed by a serious car accident. After her recovery, Emily enrolled in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she won the 2006 ARTIC Idol Competition, with a passionate delivery of Sarah McLachlan's "Angel". With Andrew returning to school in August 2006 to pursue his masters in Architecture, Emily is now going solo. Look for her to be performing in and around Chicago with new back-up in the coming months. |