I’ll just start with an easy one, can you tell me the origin of The Ivy?

Shawn: So, I had a project called The Ivy. I named it The Ivy because I got poison ivy a bunch in one summer. Six months later, I met this guy (Wyatt), and we started writing music together pretty quick after we met each other. It kind of made more sense that we released that new music under what became what The Ivy is now. The intention was to build a band, but it was just me. I ended up finding Wyatt, and then I was like, dude, you have an amazing voice, and you can play guitar like no other. Wyatt helped me out with one show, and then from there, it turned into a couple more shows and releasing some music online.
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Where did you all start in music?

Wyatt: I started playing guitar when I was probably 13. I took lessons, and then throughout high school, I got into writing songs and producing stuff like that. I would just make beats on an iPad, dubstep was the thing back then, so I would try to recreate it. I kind of got into production through that, and was sort of able to combine that with songwriting.

Shawn: I grew up and had to play piano when I was a little kid, for like five years, and then I switched to guitar. From when I was nine until college, I kind of always just would do music. Whether it was, I played upright bass for a few years, I was in band for a few years, jazz band, acapella and show choir. I just wanted to do a lot of things, as long as it had to do with music. Honestly, since I was 11, I’ve been creating pop punk bands, or indie bands. The last one I created was The Ivy.

Jordan: I grew up playing drums. I'm 31 now, and I've been playing drums since I was 12. So that's math. I've just been playing in churches and by myself with random jam bands wherever I could, and then I got the opportunity to do this. I've always wanted to be in a band, so this was kind of like a dream come true.

What do you think of the current rise in popularity of synth as a sound? A lot of pop artists are using it nowadays, bringing it back from the 80s.

Shawn: I think it's awesome. You know, just like Wyatt, the only way I got into synths was because of dubstep. Back in 2010, I was like “What the heck is that”? Then I realized there's software synthesizers,where you can essentially create any kind of sound digitally. The way it's been incorporated in music recently, I'm always interested in, and sometimes it's better than other times. even Lady Gaga had some crazy dancey synths that were just totally different. So yeah, I think it's interesting to see how people choose to sprinkle it in their music. 

Wyatt: Just the most common or super hard to make sounds, like you wouldn't think so. I remember trying to recreate stuff, like different synths I would hear, looking back now, it probably wasn't even close, but I was good enough to where I got all my friends to be like, “Yo, that sounds just like the song!”

Can you walk me through your songwriting process?

Wyatt: I'll kind of start an idea, whether that's like guitar or a synth, maybe even a vocal line. Then I'll create what essentially is a demo, and to Shawn's annoyance, I’ll send him 20 ideas in a week or something. Just like, Hey, tell me, like, which ones you like, of this and and then, like, you know, and he sends me stuff too. We both kind of make sure that we're vibing with each other, but since we live about two and a half hours from Sean, the nature of how we do things is like sending stuff back and forth until it gets to a good spot.

Where do you pull your inspiration from (for lyrics)?

Wyatt: I try my best to write about things that are actually happening in my life, but almost as if it's like happening to a different person, if that makes sense. It's still personal, but like, it can not be so hyper focused on my experience and other people could relate to it and draw their own meaning from it and that kind of stuff. Other times, to be honest, it's just completely made up stories. It's fun to figure out different ways to paint a picture of a place or a time period.

How do you make your sound so full with there just being three of you? There's so much going on, it's crazy that it’s just coming three people.

Wyatt: Being able to record everything separately and adding layers on top of layers helps a lot. If it was just us playing three instruments at a time, it wouldn't sound like that. Thankfully, we'll go back and overdub. I might do three layers of vocals on one part, and then the chorus might have 20 layers of Guitar. It's better to record way more than what you need, then strip stuff back and decide without it being too busy.

You're from Oklahoma. How does the music scene in Oklahoma compare to the bigger cities like Chicago?

Wyatt: There's just more of everything in Chicago, New York, or LA. There's more good music, there's more bad music, there's more of every genre. Oklahoma can sometimes feel slightly claustrophobic when it comes to the music scene. Everyone knows each other pretty much, versus people who are moving to LA every day to try and start an indie band.

Shawn: Yeah, it’s definitely less saturated. Trying to start a niche project in Oklahoma, it might be way harder to find people that vibe with what you're trying to create.

Wyatt: At the same time in Oklahoma City specifically, is into weird experimental music. I feel like we're always having some kind of showcase or something new bands that you've never heard of are just popping up all the time.

Do you prefer playing at home or traveling?

Wyatt: We love playing Oklahoma. I love playing in Tulsa. We’re playing at The Vanguard this tour, so that'll be fun. But, there is something about being on the road, seeing a new city every day. I prefer the road, but no hate to home.

Shawn: I think coming to Chicago and having people that know our music is way more rewarding. It's not less rewarding at home, having your friends and family come, in fact, it's more fulfilling. But coming to a place where you don't really know anyone that's coming, it's a different kind of feeling. The lack of stress of playing at home, like you can wake up in your bed and then drive to the venue that night, and then at the end of the night, you have a bed to go home to. So that's probably the best part of playing a show in your hometown.

Jordan: I'd piggyback off that. I have a lot of friends from home that are probably going to come to the local Tulsa show. I feel more nervous about that show than I am any of the others, just because I don't want to mess up in front of my friends. I don't want to mess up in front of anyone, but there's the relationship that I don't have with people here versus people in Tulsa. I think it's cool coming to new places, because I've never been to Chicago. There’s so many states that I've never been to that I get to go to, and it's stressful, but I think it's worth it.‍

You guys got popular quickly. Did you have to learn how to cope with all the sudden attention? That's something that's happening a lot with artists these days, is the sudden rise to success. 

Shawn: The most sudden attention that I felt was kind of our first song “Gold” that did really well, and a lot of it was virtual. So it was really funny, because we were getting emails from people at labels and people of esteem (apparently, according to their end of email.) We would get on phone calls and hear what they have to say. It was all nice stuff with nothing too concrete. It wasn't like, “Hey guys, fly out to London tomorrow. I got a packed out show for you,” it was a lot of digital numbers. I remember going to my job and nobody knew. And then there was even a situation where I was able to share without being like, “Oh, look at this guy.” I was like, “Yeah, my song is actually at the top of this chart right now,” and people were just like, “that's awesome! Do you guys want to go get dinner?” It's like, okay, no one cares. It's really, just how you choose to perceive it. 

You played Lollapalooza online in 2020 would you want to return to the festival, or any other festivals like that?

Wyatt: Oh, that's the dream. I wrote that down for the next couple years as a goal. I'd love to play Bonnaroo or Lollapalooza. I went to Bonnaroo for the first time last year. I don't like camping, so I didn't have a great time, but we would love to play there!

You released your album, “A Door Still Open” about a year ago. Looking back now, is there anything you’d change about it?

Wyatt: Change about the album? I mean, for sure. Without getting too specific, I'm just really critical of my lyrics. Sometimes I'm like, “Oh, I should’ve worded that differently!” Little things here and there, but I'm really proud of the album, for sure. 

Shawn: I agree, I think musically, it's exactly where I would want it to be. 

Can each of you pick a song that describes The Ivy, and why?

Shawn: I'd say “Gold,” kind of has older stuff and newer stuff. It's got a classic feel to it. 

Wyatt: Probably “Broad Shoulders” or “Hurts Just Right” is what I say when people ask for my favorite. I think the way that I felt when we were writing dictates how I feel about it later, more than how many streams it has or how it’s perceived by other People. Like that feeling you have when you create it is almost more important to me.

Jordan: So the first song I ever heard by them was, “Have You Ever Been in Love?” and I had been a fan for years before even meeting them so my mind just goes to that song. 

Do you ever find yourself comparing your new music to your old music? 

Shawn: No, I think for the most part, if you go home and write five songs in a day, every song is going to sound different. I think just being able to look back and see the growth in me, and us, as musicians, and the process. It's definitely more moving than it  was when you're 16 writing a song in your bedroom. I think it's good to just keep getting a couple percent better every time.

Wyatt: I was gonna say, the only time I really do that is when I notice, "oh, that sounds more mature,” or looking back on the older stuff. Obviously, I could spin my wheels all day thinking of how I might have said something differently, or how I could have produced something better. The point is progressing in a way that I like and being able to look back and still appreciate the me that wrote that. Even if I would never write that now. 

Shawn: You gotta put the pen down or you'll keep writing a song until 10 years later.

Where can people find you?

Shawn: Find us that we are The Ivy across all platforms, and our music is on every popular streaming platform, but it is not at bowling alleys on their music decks.

Jordan: Yeah. I looked up our music the other day and it wasn't there.

Wyatt: We’re trying to get on TouchTunes. TouchTunes if you're listening, help us out.

The Ivy anticipated the Chicago stop of their tour, and were welcomed with a sold-out show at downstairs Subterranean. The band announced their month-long spring tour back in January with Chicago being right in the middle ground of those tour dates, with their closing show having played on April 23rd in Texas. 

Lyncs, also known as singer/songwriter/producer Jacqueline Hynes, supported The Ivy along the way. Right before hitting the road together, the artists collaborated and released “Don’t Fall Asleep To This” which acts as the anthem for the tour and a unifier for the two groups. Wyatt Clem and Hynes match up perfectly on vocals, as they call out to each other, and hearing it live brought on chills. Chicago based singer/songwriter Kelsey Montanez opened for both acts with a set full of pop, a welcome contrast that really got the crowd warmed up for what was to come. 

As the crowd rolled in and grew throughout the night, this is the most I’ve seen a crowd come together and experience the music, which I believe is the whole point of concerts! The Subterranean is such an intimate venue, which really allows for you to get up close and personal with the artist, which The Ivy embraced. Synth as a sound is something that seems to be making it’s way back into modern music, with The Ivy already being ahead of the game since they’ve been on this train since 2016. After years of practice by attempting to recreate dubstep and various beats, they know exactly how to create the sounds they need. Their specialty are these dreamy, soft beats that can be heard throughout their entire discography. Their song “Gold” sounds like summer, you feel like you get thrown head first into a music video, seeing it live paired with the cool wild stage lighting, it really pulls you in.