On The Verge

Ivan & Alyosha

Seattle, Wash.
The Brothers Karamazov
www.myspace.com/ivanandalyosha

While some bands arrive at a general formula for songwriting, Seattle’s Ivan & Alyosha leave room for all five members—singer/guitarist Tim Wilson, singer/guitarist Ryan Carbary, bassist Pete Wilson, guitarist Tim Kim and drummer James McAlister —to take the reins when it comes to penning lyrics and music. The group, which started as a collaboration between Tim and Carbary in 2007, recorded the five pensive indie rock tracks on the band’s new EP, Fathers Be Kind, in a barn behind Carbary’s parents’ house in August. “We included songs that don’t necessarily belong together but needed to be on the same record,” Pete says, noting that the acoustic, folksy “Glorify” was almost not included. “It’s exciting when we have songs that are from different angles but it’s the same band playing it.” That sense of unity is also underscored by the band’s moniker, which it took from two debating characters in Dostoevsky’s novel Brothers Karamazov. “Initially, it was just a band name but now we’re developing what it means to us,” Tim says. “The band started with just Ryan and I, so it’s like two brothers writing songs about life and people, faith and spirituality, relationships—and the good, the bad and ugly.”