Ivas John Sees "Good Days A Comin" June 3rd

(Press Release) RIGHT SIDE UP RECORDS is proud to announce the release of guitarist/singer/songwriter IVAS JOHN's "GOOD DAYS A COMIN" on JUNE 3, 2016. The album, co-produced by Ivas John & Gary Gordon, was recorded at Inside Out Studio in Southern Illinois and features 12 songs .... 8 originals (four of which were co-written with his father Edward John) and 4 distinctive interpretations of classics including Merle Travis' "Dark As A Dungeon," Tom Paxton's "Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound," "Greenville Trestle High" ( James Jett ) and Allen Reynolds' "Wrong Road Again."

In the studio Ivas worked with an A-team of acoustic musicians. Highlights include hall of famer David Davis - mandolin, former Bill Monroe fiddle man Robert Bowlin, Tim Crouch - fiddle/mandolin and folk duo The Gordons ( Gary Gordon, dobro and Roberta Gordon, harmonies ). Echos of Appalachia merge with Mississippi blues and folk with country. His mastery of both fingerpicking and flat-picked guitar might remind listeners of Mississippi John Hurt or Doc Watson while remaining uniquely Ivas John.

The son of Lithuanian immigrants, Ivas John was born and raised in Chicago. As a child his first musical experiences revolved around Lithuanian folk music.     He remembers hammering out melodies on the family piano, playing trumpet in the school band and trying his hand at drums but nothing stuck until he held a guitar. His father was a truck driver by day and by night a fixture of Chicago's vibrant '60s folk and blues scene. The music coming from the living room record player shaped his future. The sounds of Ray Charles, Hank Williams, Bob Wills, John Lee Hooker, Leon Redbone, Mississippi John Hurt, The Chieftains, Little Walter and Bob Dylan were the music dreams.

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While still in his teens, Ivas headed down state to the woodlands, attending Southern Illinois University and quickly earned a place in the local music scene. Within months he was backing up luminaries Rip Lee Pryor and Alligator Records veteran, Big Larry Williams.      Ivas' insatiable quest for music took him through the halls of early jazz, swing, ragtime and country blues guitar. He moved from a strat to a hollow body with clean, thoughtful melodic playing, an advanced sense of harmony and great dynamic range. He felt the pull to put his own band together. Ivas developed a voice tucked away since childhood folk singing and fronts one of the most sensational touring blues bands in the Midwest yet today. A new side of himself emerged writing, arranging and performing original music and the transition from college student to full time working musician was seamless.

Ivas John band recorded their debut album "Street Music" in 2007 followed by "Live from St. Louis" recorded from the main stage of the Big Muddy Blues Festival in 2009. In 2010, the band released a double disc album and DVD of original work with "Look Who's Cryin' Now" on the label from the colorful and legendary St. Louis nightclub BBs Jazz, Blues & Soups. 2000 shows later in 2012, Ivas shifted his musical mind with the release of "Doin What's Natural", collaborating with his band and other excellent regional players. Ivas played banjo, lap steel, electric and acoustic guitar showing off country love songs, primal delta blues, honky tonk two-steppers and be-boppy jazz instrumentals.

During this time Ivas moved from the woods to the river. In Cape Girardeau, MO the roll of the Mississippi towed him under the influence of past masters in folk and country music…Ivas studied the world of Woody Guthrie, Jimmie Rodgers, Doc Watson, The Delmore Brothers and balladeers like Tom Paxton and Gordon Lightfoot. While mastering fingerstyle and flatpicking techniques his writing took on historical content, rural images and country wisdom. Pure acoustic sounds and storytelling in song became a passion and soon half of his performances were unplugged. Ivas' arrangements and vocal phrasing of traditional songs make them new and they never seem like fillers in performance. Ivas authentically portrays old time tales of adventure and tragedy, bringing to life dusty, forgotten visions of an American past. Equally well, he can render timeless love themes -- stories of longing and hope with soulful realism, clarity and great emotional impact.

In 2015 Ivas met with producer Gary Gordon to discuss his next album. The two connected immediately. Gordon's vast career in the world of acoustic music as a producer and performer helped shape Ivas' ideas to make a meaningful all-acoustic recording.

Ivas has contributed music to HGTV's "House Hunters," and appeared on PBS TV plus many other regional shows. He won Nightlife magazine's "2015 Artist of the Year" and helped found the Southern Illinois Blues Society as well as the Cross Rivers Roots Festival ... a heritage event in Cape Girardeau. In addition to performing 20 plus shows a month, Ivas teaches guitar workshops and enjoys being a community organizer. Ivas is known not only for his extraordinary music, but also for his kind and magnetic personality on and off stage.

What's next for Ivas John? No doubt it will be continued national and international success, deepening mastery of guitar and vocals, a reverence for pure music, maturing command of the stage and late night father-son songwriting sessions. With success in electric blues under his belt he is full steam ahead in the acoustic music world.

Indeed, "Good Days A Comin" for Ivas John.

www.ivasjohn.com