Trendy Indies

The Continuing Story of Trendy Indies

Iva remembers making posters when she was nine. They were for free speech demonstrations just before the Velvet Revolution. She remembers one particular night when the communist occupiers sent the police to break up the demonstrations. She and her family, in a small apartment atop one of the rectangular buildings that had sprung up all over Czechoslovakia ever since the Soviets took over, feared the worst. But soon after, the main square was filled with the sound of jangling keys and shouts of freedom.

Suddenly, everything was different. She remembers toys and fruits and music flooding in from all around the world. And she was able to leave.

For the next nine years she traveled all over Europe and the United States as a soloist in the Czech choir, Jitro, filling cathedrals in villages and concert halls in larger cities.

Jason picked up his first guitar when he was thirteen and quickly developed an addiction to the feeling of steel strings against his calloused fingertips. A few years and a few hundred songs later, he realized that he didnít mix well with guitarists in general. In fact he balked at the idea of classifying himself as one. He preferred simple strumming as a means to an end to help him sing his poems. And, in between canvasses, he was always writing them, filling boxes with loose scraps of scribbled papers.

Iva and Jason first sang together in November of 2004 when Jasonís backup singer didnít show up for his performance at the Asha benefit concert at UCLA. It was Ivaís first experience on stage singing non-classical music, but they sang together as though theyíd been doing it for years. Now theyíve recorded their first album and are on their first tour throughout the northwest. Their influences span from artists such as The White Stripes, Will Oldham and Joanna Newsom to ethnic music from cultures around the globe.

For performance dates and plenty of music to listen to, you can visit their website at www.trendyindies.com.