Dominique Durand and Andy Chase of Ivy

Season 3 - Episode 303

Aug 31, 2022

I’m embarrassed to say that I was unfamiliar with the music of Ivy. And when Mark Lipsitz at Bar None mentioned them to me, I dived into their catalog.

It was then that I was reminded of the importance of recorded music.

Ivy is Dominique Durand, Andy Chase, and Adam Schlesinger.

The band was formed when Andy placed an ad in The Village Voice, hoping to find a musical partner to form a band. When Adam (and future Fountains of Wayne singer Chris Collingwood) responded, Andy, recognized in Adam a kindred spirit. But since Chris and Adam were in the process of forming their own thing (eventually, Fountains of Wayne), it meant Andy was stalled in the formation of his band.

But Dominique, Andy, and Adam formed a friendship and eventually convened to record some music. Despite Dominique’s reluctance to sing, Adam heard a very distinct voice in her and suggested that they use those demos to try and get a recording contract.

Andy and Dominique were a young married couple as Ivy was forming, but it was apparent to the two young men that Dominique wanted absolutely no part of being in a band.

This story alone makes the podcast well worth your time.

Andy and Adam brought a Lennon/McCartney aspect to their songwriting as the principal songwriters and creative forces. This is to say that Andy’s view is a little left of center while Adam leans a little more commercial and when combined with Dominique’s voice, it’s astounding.

The music of Ivy is the convergence of three very distinct voices… and personalities, but with a shared vision. Whether you call it “shoegazing” or “indie pop” or “indie” or whatever, the band’s entire catalog is pure pop perfection.

Despite their lack of commercial success here in the United States, for over 15 years, Ivy was one of the most licensed bands in the business. They’ve had their music in films like:

There’s Something About Mary
Me, Myself, and Irene
Shallow Hal (film score)
Insomnia

And TV shows like:

Alias
Veronica Mars
The 4400
Grays Anatomy

And far too many commercials to list.

Suffice it to say, you may not be familiar with the name of the band, Ivy, but you have undoubtedly heard their music.

Dominique eventually reconciled her career as a lead singer, and she remains married to Andy (arguably, the Pat Benatar and Neil Geraldo of 90s indie music). In April of 2020, in the same week, they learned that Ivy’s record contract with Nettwerk Records had expired and that they lost their friend and bandmate Adam Schlesinger to COVID-19.

Adam’s passing was a giant loss to the music community and culture. And on a personal level, it was a gut punch to the other two members of Ivy. Luckily, and despite the still resonating pain of their loss, Dominique and Andy share their stories about Adam.

This episode is the origin story of Ivy and all that went along with it, including Apartment Life.

What lay ahead for Ivy is still a bit of a question mark, but it does include a vinyl release of Apartment Life. While they were putting that together, Andy and Dominique unearthed a bunch of unreleased Ivy demos with Adam that both were excited about.

As a recent convert to the Ivy catalog, fingers crossed.