Ida is an American
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band from New York City.
They are known for their three-part harmonies; sparse, minimal, often quiet arrangements; and their three singer-songwriters.
Their music shows strong folk, pop, punk, world, R&B, and American roots music influences, but there are also ''avant garde'' and experimental aspects to their sound.
History
The band began in 1991 when Daniel Littleton and
Elizabeth Mitchell
started recording and performing as a duo. After playing shows with double-bassist Rick Lassiter they recorded a 4-track cassette of their songs.
Jenny Toomey
Jennifer Gillen Toomey (born 1968) is an American indie rock musician and arts activist.
Career
Toomey was a member of the bands Geek, Tsunami (Virginia band), Tsunami, Liquorice, Grenadine (band), Grenadine, So Low and Choke, among others, a ...
, co-owner of
Simple Machines Records heard it, and offered to release an album on her label. Between 1994 and 1997 Ida released three full-length albums and several seven inch singles with Simple Machines Records including split singles with The Secret Stars and
Portastatic. Shortly after the release of their debut ''Tales of Brave Ida'', Daniel's brother Michael "Miggy" Littleton joined the band as a drummer and multi-instrumentalist. Their second album, 1996's ''
I Know About You'' received much critical acclaim from the independent music press.
CMJ
CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
praised it as "subtle, gentle and picturesque",
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to:
Individual publications
* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...
gave it five stars, their highest rating,
Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
wrote "…Incredible Stuff". Bassist and singer-songwriter Karla Schickele
(Beekeeper) joined the band in late 1996.
Ida's touring earned them a devoted following of listeners, and the attention of both the press and major labels. Their performances with violinist Ida Pearle, cellist Elaine Ahn, and clarinetist Sue Havens gave them a distinct and complex "chamber pop" sound. They released two EPs in 1998, ''Losing True'', and ''The Ida Retsin Family'', before signing with
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
. After a shake up at Capitol Records, Ida successfully got out of their contract and released 1999's ''
Will You Find Me'' with
Tigerstyle Records, an independent label. ''Will You Find Me'' received greater recognition than any previous Ida record and landed on year end "Best of.." lists in both ''
Spin Magazine
''Spin'' (stylized in all caps as ''SPIN'') is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. ...
'' and ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' while receiving praise from
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
and
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
.
In 2005 Ida released ''
Heart Like a River'' with
Polyvinyl Record Co., their current record label. Violinist Jean Cook (
Jon Langford
Jonathan Denis Langford (born 11 October 1957) is a Welsh musician and artist based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Langford is a founder member of the punk band The Mekons, the post-punk group The Three Johns, and the alternative count ...
,
The Waco Brothers) joined the band at this time, followed by drummer Ruth Keating. The band relocated to
Woodstock, NY and began recording at Levon Helm Studios, where they collaborated with
Levon Helm
Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hel ...
and played several Midnight Rambles. This led to the release of ''
Lovers Prayers'' in 2008, and 2009's ''
My Fair, My Dark'' EP. Recorded simultaneously with ''Lovers Prayers'', a collaboration with outsider folk legend
Michael Hurley led to 2009's ''Ida Con Snock'' which was released on
Gnomonsong,
Devendra Banhart
Devendra Obi Banhart (born May 30, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Texas and raised in Venezuela and California. In 2000, he dropped out of the San Francisco Art Institute to pursue a musical career. ...
and
Andy Cabic's label.
Ida's music has appeared on both the radio show and the Showtime series of ''
This American Life
''This American Life'' is a weekly hour-long American radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is ...
''. In 2008 they were featured on NPR's ''
Bryant Park Project''. They have toured, collaborated, or played shows with many bands and artists such as
Low,
His Name Is Alive,
Levon Helm
Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hel ...
,
Michael Hurley,
Tara Jane O'Neil,
Bernie Worrell
George Bernard Worrell, Jr. (April 19, 1944 – June 24, 2016) was an American Keyboard instrument, keyboardist and record producer best known as a founding member of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective. In later years, he also worked with ...
,
Rachel's,
Karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
,
Retsin, Beekeeper,
Mates of State,
Elliott Smith,
Bob Mould
Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar (American band), Sugar in the 1990s.
Early ...
,
Cat Power
Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist.
Born in ...
,
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie (commonly abbreviated to DCFC or Death Cab) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. Death Cab for Cutie's music has been classified as indie rock, indie pop, and alternative rock. The ...
,
The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields are an American Band (rock and pop), band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as frequent multi-instrumentalist. The band is named after the André B ...
, The Secret Stars,
The Holmes Brothers,
Broadcast
Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...
,
Mark Eitzel,
Steve Malkmus and many others.
After more than 13 years on hiatus (since 2010) Ida briefly reformed in 2023 for
Numero Group's 'Numero Twenty' show in Los Angeles. In 2025, the band rejoined Tsunami for a more extensive national tour, announced initially in September 2024
Band members
Daniel Littleton was a member of Annapolis, Maryland hardcore punk band The Hated, and along with
Jenny Toomey
Jennifer Gillen Toomey (born 1968) is an American indie rock musician and arts activist.
Career
Toomey was a member of the bands Geek, Tsunami (Virginia band), Tsunami, Liquorice, Grenadine (band), Grenadine, So Low and Choke, among others, a ...
, was a member of Liquorice, whose album ''Listening Cap'' was released by
4AD in 1995. He has released one solo album on Last Affair Records, ''Nobody's Fault But Mine/Down By The Riverside''. A duo album with
Tara Jane O'Neil, ''Music for a Meteor Shower'' was released by
Tiger Style in 2002. In 2006 ''New Salt'' was released, a CD of guitar-based free improvisation by a trio including
Geoff Farina (
Karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
, Glorytellers), Littleton, and drummer Luther Gray (Ida,
Tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
,
Joe Morris,
Joe McPhee). In 2010 the trio added saxophonist Jim Hobbs, and released ''West'' on the
Clean Feed label under the name of Lawnmower. Mountain Ocean Sun, a "free drone" music collective also released a CD on Home Normal in 2010 called ''Peace Conference''. This recording featured Littleton, Jean Cook,
Warn Defever (of
His Name Is Alive), and Hitoko Sakei. Littleton has also appeared on recordings by
His Name Is Alive,
Ted Leo
Theodore Francis Leo (born September 11, 1970) is an American singer and musician. He is the frontman and lead guitarist of the rock group Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and in 2013, he and Aimee Mann formed the indie rock duo The Both.
Earl ...
, and
Tara Jane O'Neil. He accompanied
Lester Chambers of
The Chambers Brothers
The Chambers Brothers are an American psychedelic soul band, best known for their eleven-minute 1968 psychedelic soul hit " Time Has Come Today". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions ...
at the first
Future of Music Conference in Washington DC in 2001. Littleton's music has been featured in the films of Angel Velasco Shaw, notably ''Umbilical Cord'' which was shown at
The Guggenheim, and 2008's ''The Momentary Enemy''.
Elizabeth Mitchell is a children's music artist who records for
Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was f ...
. Her album ''
You Are My Little Bird'' was a critical success and led to her being featured on NPR's
All Things Considered
''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...
, where she was interviewed by
Melissa Block. She also runs and owns Little Bird Records, which keeps her early independent children's music recordings in print. She has been featured on NPR's Talk of The Nation,
The Bryant Park Project, and in
Time Magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...
. Elizabeth Mitchell's main collaborators are Daniel Littleton (her husband) and
Warn Defever. She also performs with her daughter Storey Littleton and with violinist Jean Cook. She has collaborated with
Levon Helm
Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Hel ...
,
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter and musician who founded the rock band the Lovin' Spoonful in 1964 with Zal Yanovsky. During his time in the Lovin Spoonful, Sebastian wrote and sang some of the ban ...
,
Jon Langford
Jonathan Denis Langford (born 11 October 1957) is a Welsh musician and artist based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Langford is a founder member of the punk band The Mekons, the post-punk group The Three Johns, and the alternative count ...
, Suni Paz,
Ella Jenkins,
Lisa Loeb,
Dan Zanes, Amy Helm, and The Children of Agape Choir from South Africa. Her album ''
Sunny Day'' was released in October 2010.
Mitchell has also appeared as a vocalist and instrumentalist on recordings by
His Name Is Alive,
Retsin,
Tara Jane O'Neil,
Sasha Frere-Jones with
Tom Ze, The Sands,
Ted Leo
Theodore Francis Leo (born September 11, 1970) is an American singer and musician. He is the frontman and lead guitarist of the rock group Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and in 2013, he and Aimee Mann formed the indie rock duo The Both.
Earl ...
, and
Saturday Looks Good To Me.
Mitchell and Littleton backed Lisa Loeb on her song "
Stay (I Missed You)" which was a
number-one hit in 1994 and appeared on the soundtrack for the film ''
Reality Bites''.
Mitchell and Littleton have performed and recorded under the name Nanang Tatang, an electro-pop duo. They released one album, ''Muki'' on TigerStyle records in 2003.
Michael Littleton left the band in 1999 and played with
Tara Jane O'Neil,
The Mad Scene, and
Lois Maffeo before became a founding member of New York City bands
White Magic and
Blood on the Wall. White Magic's debut album ''Through The Sun Door'' was released on
Drag City, and
Blood on the Wall released three full-length albums, ''
Blood on the Wall'', ''
Awesomer'', and ''
Liferz'', all on
The Social Registry label.
Karla Schickele was a founding member of the band Beekeeper from New York City, along with her brother, guitarist and composer Matthew Schickele, and drummer
Jan Kotik. They released the album ''Ostrich'' on
Southern Records in 1999. Karla also records under the name k. and released two albums ''New Problems'' (2001) and ''Goldfish'' (2002), both on TigerStyle Records. A third k. album entitled ''History Grows'' was released in 2012. She also released a split single with
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists. She played keyboards with the band
Low when they toured Europe with
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
in 2004. Schickele is the founder of Brooklyn's Willie Mae
Rock and Roll Camp for Girls. She is the daughter of American classical music composer
Peter Schickele.
Violinist Ida Pearle has performed and recorded with
The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields are an American Band (rock and pop), band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as frequent multi-instrumentalist. The band is named after the André B ...
, appearing on their ''
69 Love Songs'' album. She has also played with
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, and appears on the ''Hearts Of Oak'' album. She has recorded and performed with
Low,
His Name Is Alive, and many others. She designed the art for many albums by artists like Ida,
Ruby Falls,
Ted Leo
Theodore Francis Leo (born September 11, 1970) is an American singer and musician. He is the frontman and lead guitarist of the rock group Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and in 2013, he and Aimee Mann formed the indie rock duo The Both.
Earl ...
, and
Elizabeth Mitchell, as well as the book cover art for "The Latest Winter" by poet
Maggie Nelson. Ida Pearle is a children's book author and illustrator.
Jean Cook, violinist for Ida, also performs with
Jon Langford
Jonathan Denis Langford (born 11 October 1957) is a Welsh musician and artist based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Langford is a founder member of the punk band The Mekons, the post-punk group The Three Johns, and the alternative count ...
,
The Mekons,
The Waco Brothers,
Elizabeth Mitchell,
His Name Is Alive, the
Art Ensemble of Chicago
The Art Ensemble of Chicago is an avant-garde jazz group that grew out of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, AACM) in the late 1960s. The ensemble integrates many jaz ...
, and Mountain Ocean Sun. She is a founding member of
Anti-Social Music and has performed with improvisers such as
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet.
Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...
,
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...
,
William Parker,
Evan Parker and indie rock bands like
Belle And Sebastian,
Pulp and
The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady is an American rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), Franz Nicolay (keyboards) and Steve Selvidge (g ...
. Since 2008 she has been the director of
Future of Music Coalition.
Ruth Keating drummer and multi instrumentalist, along with Karla Schickele, is a founding member of The Willie Mae Rock and Roll Camp For Girls. Along with guitarist and frequent Ida collaborator Matt Sutton, she plays in NYC's Malarkies and
The Naysayer.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Tales of Brave Ida'' (1994)
* ''
I Know About You'' (1996)
* ''
Ten Small Paces'' (1997)
* ''
Will You Find Me'' (2000)
* ''
The Braille Night'' (2001)
* ''Shhh...'' (2002)
* ''
Heart Like a River'' (2005)
* ''
Lovers Prayers'' (2008)
Live albums
* ''Insound Tour Support Series Vol. 11'' (2000)
*''Angel Hall'' (2003; recorded in 2000)
* ''The Bottom of the Hill'' (2-CD set, 2005)
With Retsin
* ''The Ida Retsin Family: Volume One'' (1998)
Singles/EPs
* ''Losing True'' (1998), EP
* ''Shhh'' (2002), Single
* ''
My Fair, My Dark'' (2008), EP
Compilations
* ''Who Were You Then'' (2008)
* ''Tellings: The Simple Machine Years 1994–1997'' (2008)
* ''Tales of Brave Ida'' (CD accompanying book, 2008)
Compilation appearances
* ''A Tribute to Bob Dylan, Vol. 3 – The Times They Are A Changin, (Sister Ruby Records, 1998) "Boot of Spanish Leather"
* ''Random Acts of Radio'' (Random Records, 1998), "Walk Away Renee"
* ''
This Is Next Year: A Brooklyn-Based Compilation'' (Arena Rock Recording, 2001), "Hearts Don't Break" (Disc 2, Track 7)
* ''In My Living Room'' (Kimchee Records, 2003), "Losing True"
* ''Amos House Collection (Vol. II)'', "Jubilee"
* ''Never Kept a Diary'' (Motorcoat Records, 1998)
Book with CD
*''Tales of Brave Ida'' (2008)
References
External links
Official SiteOfficial MySpace PageIda on Polyvinyl Records siteYou Are My Flower site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ida
1992 establishments in New York City
Indie rock musical groups from New York (state)
Musical groups established in 1992
Musical groups from Brooklyn
Polyvinyl Record Co. artists