An inside look at the indie band

When the names “Ivan and Alyosha” are heard together, one cannot help but think of the two characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s masterpiece The Brothers Karamazov.  These characters juxtapose each other in almost all matters: Ivan believes that sin is permitted and that God is dead, while Alyosha believes the exact opposite.  The increasingly popular folk and indie-pop band Ivan & Alyosha was named for these characters.

In 2007, Seattle natives Tim Wilson and Ryan Carbary formed the band Ivan & Alyosha (I&A) after working on several individual music projects.  Their work and talent was first widely noticed after their debut EP release in 2009, The Verse, the Chorus.  This EP album featured fan favorite songs such as “Easy to Love” and “Once and Future.”  I&A also includes members Pete Wilson, brother of lead singer Tim Wilson, and Tim Kim.

In an interview with David Hollerith of American Songwriter magazine, Tim Wilson said he and his brother had always wanted to have a band and that their ability to sing harmonies and work well together came from what was already a familial relationship.

Tim and Pete Wilson have not only experienced being in a band together as brothers but also as husbands and fathers to their own families.  While pursuing their musical hopes and pushing themselves to be great performers, the band has kept family first, as it is the most important thing to them.

In an album review of I&A, blogger Scott Carty stated, “[Tim Wilson] is a family man with values that work their way into the band’s lyrics, without beating you over the head … Tim is a guy who wants good, will work hard and who shares success.  Plus, he’s an incredible husband and father—the kind guys respect.”

I&A’s songs contemplate morals, values, and feelings that everyday people experience throughout their lifetime.

I&A’s 2010 five-song EP release, Fathers Be Kind is an excellent example of this.  Each song contains lyrics and themes of growth and responsibility.  The first song, which serves as the EP’s title, tells fathers how they must persevere to love their children despite the confusion that can come, for as the song says, “Clarity will come on judgment day.”

The second song on the EP, “I was Born to Love Her,” sings of a man’s true calling to love the woman who has been placed in his life.  Even when life brings hardships, Wilson sings, he will remain constant in his love because his future has her in it.  He expresses that their love brings out the best in him when he sings, “The more I get to know you baby, the more I see exactly what’s wrong with me.”

The fourth song on the album, “Living for Someone,” explores what self-giving love means.  When he sings, “expecting our [Wilson and his wife’s] first child,” Wilson explains how he will continue to keep living for his new family and others, not simply for himself.  It is a song about self-sacrifice and the power of turning burdens into blessings.

On May 4 of this year, I&A released its latest album, It’s All Just Pretend, which holds constant to the previous lyrics of faith, organic human emotions, and the liberty of finding and expressing true love.

The first song, “Something is Wrong,” challenges listeners to examine their inner self, as the chorus repeats, “Yeah, freedom is where we are standing.  Something is desperately wrong.”

The title track, “It’s All Just Pretend,” challenges its listener to use his faith to help him stay accountable for himself: “If you find yourself somewhere in between down and belief, / Remember, remember to think on your knees.”

The last song on the album, “Don’t Lose your Love,” is about parents’ love for their children (particularly the Wilsons’ son), and their desire to preserve his innocence.  It can also reflect a strengthened love between a husband and wife through the love that their child brings to their marriage.

I&A’s lyrics touch upon the emotions that the realities of life bring. Their songs are not about superficialities, sex, or drugs, but rather challenge people to realize what it is they need to do in order to liberate themselves to truly be there for others.

Senior Bernie Floeder told the Rover why he likes I&A.  “Unlike a lot of bands these days, if they are singing about a girl, they aren’t objectifying her,” he said.  “They are specifically singing about one girl … they really care about, which is something unique and cool.  One of my favorites is ‘Be Your Man’ because the singer says that he wants to be there for the girl he loves.  He wants to be the man who does things right because he wants to do them right for her.”

Crystal Avila is a junior studying Film and Television.  She has met the band members of Ivan & Alyosha twice and just received the band’s newest album on vinyl.  If you want to listen to them with her or talk about their talent, contact her at cavila3@nd.edu.