Ivy Brings ‘Traces’ of Adam Schlesinger to Sony Hall

Damian and I had the pleasure of seeing onetime indie pop darlings Ivy on Thursday at Sony Hall, something that once seemed highly improbable given the band's travails.

The trio (unofficially) broke up (officially) acrimoniously around 2011 -- with Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger closing their recording studio and becoming estranged for many years -- but had discussed making a new album after reconnecting in February 2020, only for Schlesinger to die of Covid-19 six weeks later. 

Devastated by his death, Chase and Dominique Durand reconnected with former Ivy champion Mark Lipsitz -- now CEO of Bar/None Records -- to give the band the proper sendoff it deserved. The plan was to reissue Ivy’s first three albums with unreleased bonus material, but while combing through the archives in 2021, the pair uncovered a treasure trove of unfinished songs spanning the band’s entire career.

With the blessing of Schlesinger’s family and estate, Chase and Durand enlisted longtime touring keyboardist Bruce Driscoll to help complete the material. The result was last year’s “Traces of You,” featuring contributions from Schlesinger drawn from demos and fragments recorded between 1995 and 2012. The album included 10 newly finished songs, with the remaining tracks set to arrive on a second collection later this year.

Which brings us to Thursday, the second date (after Chicago) following a 15-year hiatus. And rather than awkwardly trying to replace Schlesinger, Ivy built the show around him, using his pre-recorded bass tracks throughout the performance while projecting playful archival videos during songs like “Worry About You” and dedicating “I Think of You” to their late bandmate. (Durand also got emotional noting that Lipsitz, who had "discovered" the band even though she had refused to ever perform live, died before the album's release. He was just 61.)

The low-key, emotional set mixed classics from across the band’s catalog (“I’ve Got a Feeling,” “Edge of the Ocean,” “Get Enough”) with four songs from “Traces of You,” with Chase and Driscoll handling backing vocals and a trumpet player popping in for a couple of numbers, while Durand charmed the crowd with intimate banter in her trademark accent, singing as if a day hadn’t passed.

Dominique Durand

Ex-husband Andy Chase 

Bruce Driscoll

Catholic priest on drums?

Before the show began, Damian and I met up with our friends Brian and Toby -- whom we'd run into at the Beacon Theatre last November just as news circulated that Ivy would perform live again. Brian mentioned he’d peeked at the setlist and noticed it covered a lot of ground -- though notably absent were any songs from the “breakup” album, “All Night,” which Chase hated because he didn't like the electronic direction Schlesinger was going in. I was perfectly fine with that, having always felt it and its predecessor, “In the Clear,” were weaker than the band’s earlier work.

Later, while autopsying the show with Brian via Messenger in the days that followed, I mentioned this and he responded that he "came in" with "Long Distance" (the band's third album) and felt each album since "had its moments" -- and that, in fact, he actually knew the first two albums the least. 

It got me thinking about how the point at which one "comes in" with an artist can have such an oversized effect, remembering that my husband "came in" with “Bedtime Stories,” so to me his view of Madonna is completely warped. (And don't get me started about his relationship with Blondie and “No Exit”!)

Given that I'm actually an Ivy-come-lately, having only discovered the mid-90s band in the early aughts through a New York Times colleague, the irony is not lost on me that I'm hardly in a position to be a purist about their "early good" stuff. But then I remembered that once I found out about them, I made a point of learning the albums in chronological order, so maybe the whole "came in" theory still holds.

With this in mind, I proceeded to play "In the Clear" and "All Night" over and over and it wasn't long before I was asking myself: what's my fucking problem? These albums are incredible and fully on par with everything else Ivy has done -- the former is refreshing and the latter’s dance groove is pure joy and proof that Andy was out of his mind to be angry with Adam for wanting to experiment with that genre. (I believe Chase has since gotten sober, but not enough to perform songs from it!)

So, it was an incredible evening buoyed by the fact that my go-to Ivy catalog just increased by 40 percent or so -- with more TK -- even if I still think "Wish It All Away" is by far their best song. 😀

Watch: Ivy: A Tribute to Adam Schlesinger

Read: My "Adam" moment back in 2016

Adam Schlesinger: Not Just The Guy On The Right

Listen: Both releases by Paco -- Andy and Dominique's Ivy-esque side project -- are available to stream. Hear their 2001 self-titled extended play HERE and 2004 album, "This Is Where We Live," HERE. 

Song of the Day: 'I've Got a Feeling' by Ivy

Was heartened to see that a couple of video tributes have popped up on YouTube for Adam Schlesinger, the gifted songwriter and musician who tragically succumbed to Covid-19 last year. (The EP and five albums his band Ivy put out between 1994 and 2011 rank high in my heart.) THIS tribute features a long list of friends and colleagues, including Stephen Colbert, for whom he composed "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!," Rachel Bloom, with whom he wrote 150 songs for "Crazy Ex Girlfriend," Letters to Cleo singer Kay Hanley, who provided the vocals for the "Josie and the Pussycats" film songs written by Adam and others, his proteges Fever High and Kathy Griffin, for whom he wrote the adorable "I'll Say It." And THIS one that went up last week features lots of studio footage and extensive interviews with Andy Chase and Dominique Durand, his bandmates from Ivy, who provide today's song of the day. I've got a feeling we won't be blessed with someone with the talent of Adam Schlesinger anytime soon.

Song of the Day: 'Digging Your Scene' by the Blow Monkeys

 

The Blow Monkeys were one-hit wonders in the U.S. -- and it was a good one -- but apparently had considerably more success at home. They had four albums and eleven singles in the U.K. charts between 1986 and 1990. And then after reforming in late 2007, they released five more albums, including one live. (They're said to be planning an album and tour for 2021).

My friend Taffy reminded me that the song has long been associated with the early days of the AIDS crisis, with Wikipedia writing:

The Blow Monkeys subtly discuss the hatred and criticism of individuals who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Tommy Marx from PopMatters claimed that the intrigue and hatred behind the single prompted its success in becoming "a major hit." Vocalist Dr. Robert -- who is married to a woman and has children -- sings about life as a homosexual, where he worries, "Tell me why is it I'm digging your scene? / I know I'll die, baby." At the time, this situation prompted Barry Walters from Spin to write, "Dr. Robert loves camp, so it's difficult to determine if he's bi or just British." Writer Colin Larkin thought similarly, stating in his book "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music" that "Digging Your Scene" was "one of the earliest songs about AIDS." Music researcher Michael Anderson agreed, declaring the "backlash" would "court controversy."

At the time, my reporting TA at the Cronkite School of Journalism told me I reminded her of singer "Dr. Robert." I didn't really see it -- I guess I was more angular then -- but it sure beat another comparison: the Fixx's Cy Curnin. 

Ivy put out an album of covers in 2002, which included a fun gender flip of the Monkeys' biggest hit.

Song of the Day: 'That Thing You Do!' by the Wonders

UPDATE: Very sad to learn that Adam died today at 52. :-(

Read that Adam Schlesinger -- best known for his work with Fountains and Wayne and (my favorite) Ivy -- was in dire condition thanks to the coronavirus. Turns out it's not quite as grim as first reported -- he's NOT in a medically induced coma -- but he is on a ventilator fighting for his life. Thinking of how much great music he's given us, such as this classic he wrote for the 1996 film of the same name starring Tom Hanks, who was the first celebrity to be diagnosed with the dangerous virus.

I had the chance to meet Adam at a gig for Fever High -- the Bananarama-esque group he plays with now -- a few years ago and he's what you'd call a mensch, happy to chat with a fan and even share a little gossip. When I asked if there would be another Ivy album, he said that Dominique Durand had discovered that Andy Chase -- his married-with-children bandmates -- was sleeping with their nanny so ... probably not! Here's wishing him a full and speedy recovery. 

Update from his Fountains of Wayne bandmate Chris Collingwood.

Song of the Day: 'Only a Fool Would Say That' by Ivy

Today's song -- a cover of my favorite Steely Dan tune -- is in honor of Walter Becker, the band's cofounder who died over the weekend at 67. RIP.

Music Box: Brookville

Whether he's operating as one-third of Ivy, one-fourth of Paco, or solo under the moniker of Brookville, Andy Chase is consistently writing, playing and producing a low-key brand of music that's always catchy, always intelligent and always makes me want to hear more. (I wonder if his citing Blondie, Prefab Sprout, the Go-Betweens and Everything But the Girl as influences has anything to do with my hero worship feelings for him, or his being kinda cute?)

His delightful wife Dominique Durand handles most of the vocals in their group projects, so it was his Brookville albums -- 2003's "Wonderfully Nothing" and 2005's "Life in the Shade" -- that I felt like I got to know him best, on which he mixes atmospheric instrumentals and infectious Euro-romantic pop songs, If you're looking for a place to start, check out "Summer Parade" and "This is How It Ends," two songs that my iPod -- and my ears -- seem to love coming back to over and over again. Or check out the video for "Nothing's Meant to Last" below.

I've had Brookville on the brain this week because I saw on the official MySpace page that there's a new album on the way and three New York gigs have been booked -- Dec. 11 at Union Hall; Dec. 18 at Arlene's Grocery; and Dec. 19 at Rockwood Music Hall. For details, click HERE. I can hardly wait -- Liza and Andy in one week, who needs presents?

See all Music Box posts HERE.

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