Born in Chicago to first generation Lithuanian immigrants, young Ivas first learned music through his family’s folk sensibilities, then as a teenager, felt the powerful pull of Chicago blues. After furthering his blues education in weekend performances while attending Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, he morphed into full-time music performance, playing the region with an electric blues band and releasing several acclaimed CDs between 2007 and 2012. He then immersed himself in Americana, acoustic-based, country and folk, culminating in an album of original and traditional songs, produced by Gary Gordon in Sparta, Illinois and featuring some of the area’s top acoustic musicians. The record received excellent reviews from the likes of Billboard, American Songwriter and No Depression magazines, topped the Folk DJ chart and propelled Ivas fully into the realm of acoustic roots music. Now he’s back into the electric blues, fueled by a full four-piece band --- and sometimes more--- continuing his adventures into American roots music, ever expanding his audience while pursuing excellence in performance.
Born in Chicago to first generation Lithuanian immigrants, young Ivas first learned music through his family’s folk sensibilities, then as a teenager, felt the powerful pull of Chicago blues. After furthering his blues education in weekend performances while attending Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, he morphed into full-time music performance, playing the region with an electric blues band and releasing several acclaimed CDs between 2007 and 2012. He then immersed himself in Americana, acoustic-based, country and folk, culminating in an album of original and traditional songs, produced by Gary Gordon in Sparta, Illinois and featuring some of the area’s top acoustic musicians. The record received excellent reviews from the likes of Billboard, American Songwriter and No Depression magazines, topped the Folk DJ chart and propelled Ivas fully into the realm of acoustic roots music. Now he’s back into the electric blues, fueled by a full four-piece band --- and sometimes more--- continuing his adventures into American roots music, ever expanding his audience while pursuing excellence in performance.