Cody Ives Band

Cody Ives Band was founded by Cody Ives and Daniel Butler in late 2007. Starting as an acoustic set playing shows at local parties and social events, as well as sets at restaurants around Central Arkansas. In 2009 Cody and Daniel decided to add a full set to the group, due to growing requests from local fans around Saline County as well as Central Arkansas. The band added Chris Johns, Lead Guitarist of local band Stowe Ln., to the group on Bass Guitar, as well as his brother Michael Johns, a local singer/songwriter on drums. With this addition brought a full stage production to the band, as well as new audio equipment and stage sets. The Cody Ives Band began to rehearse and play shows. They began recording at Oak Forrest Studios, their personal in home studio and in late 2009 produced a 6 song live demo titled, “Stimulation Simulation.” In February 2010 the group added Jonathan Beech on Keyboard to fill up the missing sounds in the band and create a full group, and the Cody Ives Band as we see them today. The group played their first show with Jonathan on March 21, 2010. The show was a success and the next week the band was asked to play at Landers Harley-Davidson, for their motorcycle rally. In early April 2010 the band began working on a better quality demo as well as the addition of new original songs. Cody Ives and Michael Johns are the main songwriters in the group, and Chris Johns and Jonathan Beech are behind the production and the musical aspects of the group. They also use outside influences and songs when adding new originals to the group, such as Jerry Stowe and Malinda Shoptaw. Malinda Shoptaw is a Central Arkansas songwriter with top of the line talent in song writing. The band does her song, “I’d Die Trying,” and has had the privilege of playing such a great song since the group formed. Jerry Stowe taught most of the group a lot of what they know in music today. The Grandfather of Michael and Chris Johns, he has been a big inspiration to the group and their music. He is an established songwriter, as well as a Lead Guitarist and has even appeared on stage with the group on more than one occasion.

CODY IVES - VOCALS / HARMONICA

I was born in Little Rock, Arkansas to parents Justin and Marsha Ives on the 25th of January, 1986. Being the first child, I was spoiled rotten by my grandparents before I could talk. When I was two my mom gave me a Fisher Price cassette player. The very first song it ever played was "Row Your Boat". So from then on it was known as "Ro-Ro". I took Ro-Ro everywhere I went, and played a Richie Valens tape over and over until mom had to buy me a new one. My dad took me to daycare in the mornings and all he ever listened to in that old Chevy was local Oldies station, "Cool 95 FM". So the earliest memories of music for me were good old Rock N Roll classics.
When I was in 2nd grade, every Thursday I would ask my mom to get out my "Garth Shirt" for school. I would go stand out on top of the fort in the playground and sing to all the girls below. Now when I was 12 my mom started shipping me off to Grandpa's cotton farm in Northeast Arkansas for the summers. Riding in a tractor cab all day can get pretty boring, but not with a radio! The only radio stations you can pick up through the dust are all country, so I started singing along.
The next fall I got a Fender 6 string dreadnought jumbo acoustic, and started taking lessons at a local music shop. My hand could barely reach the strings but I learned a few chords before the guitar went in the closet for a few years, and then it was sold. I wouldn't touch another guitar for over ten years.
In my senior year of high school I sang George Strait's "Cowboys Like Us". I remember friends from other high schools getting suspended for skipping class and coming to watch me at Bryant. I also around that time, met a girl that would change my life for the better, and eventually fell in love.
I moved out from my parents house and kinda bounced around for a couple of years. It was then I had the great fortune of meeting Jerry Stowe, and his two grandsons Michael and Chris Johns. Their mother and father were kind enough to take me in, and we would stay up for hours playing music in their living room. I realized I needed to learn to play guitar, and cursed myself for quitting as a child.
I asked for a guitar for Christmas of 2007. It was the best gift I have ever received. My best friend at the time, Daniel Butler, also got a guitar that Christmas and we went down to his shop. We stayed down there every single night for 6-8 hours a night, for two years. It was during this time another friend of mine introduced me to something that would turn my world around; Red Dirt music. Namely, Cross Canadian Ragweed.
I purchased every CCR album I could find and burned them all on one CD and put it in my truck. It stayed in there for two years before the CD player broke and ate the CD. I would drive for hours down the back gravel roads and just ge