Starting out, what was your first taste of success?
"We got signed without ever playing a single show. Two of the demos that got us signed were immediately released as a 7” in both the States and England. The A-side called “Get Enough” was quickly picked by Melody Maker magazine as their Single Of The Week, and suddenly all this excitement and focus was directed at us...we still hadn’t played a show yet, still were totally green and naïve. That sudden attention from the press helped launch our career, for sure."
You’ve been together as a band since 1994. In what way has your relationship with Dominique influenced the group musically?
"I guess it’s helped us through the good times and bad - Ivy might have broken up a few times already if it wasn’t for me and Dominique's commitment towards each other. I also think knowing Dominique so well and sharing her perspective on this world around us – even understanding her own idiosyncrasies – has helped me write songs that speak to her and, as a result, work so well when she sings them as Ivy."
James Iha has appeared in some form or another on almost all of your releases. What kind of an experience is it to work with James?
"Great. He’s been like a rabbit’s foot. Totallt good luck to have him participate. Great guy too, and he's played on every Ivy record since Apartment Life. He’s even played on my Brookville albums. He’s very melodic and I love to just have him noodle around on each song – he’ll grab a fx pedal or two and try something on the fly - and I’ll go through his takes later and pull out the best moments. He likes working this way so it’s always fun to have him contribute."
Both you and Adam have done a lot of work as producers and composers outside of Ivy. What projects do you enjoy working on the most?
"I've done very little producing because being in both Ivy and Brookville take up so much time and creative energy. I usually end up producing one, maybe two, things a year. Because I produce so little the stuff I seem to gravitate to tends to be the projects I feel will challenge me, rather than what might be an easy “job” or pay well. The Tahiti 80 records I’ve done have put me to task because those guys are such accomplished writers and producers themselves, so it always elevates my game and makes me discover things about my own abilities. Working with them I’m finding I’m always trying to push the envelope, which is really rewarding. Right now I’m producing Juliana Hatfield. She is so insanely talented and such a wonderful, captivating person but she really needs to break free of the sound that served her so well in the 90's. She could be so much more than what she's been, so this is my challenge - to bring that out. That’s the kind of thing I enjoy working on – helping an artist blossom and metamorphose, being part of that process."
Besides more Ivy releases, can we expect to see more projects involving film with you and Adam?
"Man, I hope so. Scoring Shallow Hal was such a great experience for Ivy and we are always looking for that next film."
