Ivan & Alyosha (also known as I&A) is a folk-pop indie band from Seattle, W… Read Full Bio ↴Ivan & Alyosha (also known as I&A) is a folk-pop indie band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 2007 with the current members, Tim Wilson and Ryan Carbary. They were later joined by Pete Wilson and Tim Kim.

There’s a scene in Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov where the main characters Ivan and Alyosha discuss the existence of God. Ivan, in particular, questions the idea of God. Alyosha, on the other hand, is a monk, a believer, some may say, a holy fool.

Talk of faith and exalted things is rare in indie rock today. Enter Seattle band Ivan & Alyosha. Throughout their second release, the five song Fathers Be Kind EP, the band chart their own course between divinity and disbelief.

“I left my family and my home/to fight the battle on my own
I stole a car and drove away/but in my hate St. Paul did say
‘Glorify the Lord above/with your drink and making love
Glorify the Lord my son, with your whisky and your gun.”

Ivan & Alyosha began as the solo outlet for Tim Wilson but in spring 2007 the band formed after Tim met Ryan Carbary through a former band mate and mutual friend. Ryan and Tim began playing and recording together and a trip to Los Angeles to work with Eli Thompson (Richard Swift, Delta Spirit) spawned the name Ivan & Alyosha. According to Tim, Thompson is a huge Dostoevsky fan and the name stuck. With that, Wilson and Carbary released The Verse, The Chorus, their debut EP on Cheap Lullaby Records (Joan as Police Woman, The Silver Seas, Teitur). The stand out track “Easy To Love” earned NPR Song of the Day honors as “a propulsive, sweetly booming ode to love as a feat of endurance.”

The name Ivan & Alyosha is apt for a band cutting its teeth. As Ivan in Brothers Karamazov moves through the novel with doubts, Ivan & Alyosha navigate the indie rock world contemplating their path as a band. Tim says he writes songs about what’s current in his life. He recently married and had a son. Songs like “Living for Someone” and “Fathers Be Kind,” reflect Ivan & Alyosha grappling with the idea of being in a band and trying to fashion a career. Not only to follow their dreams but to earn a livelihood and support their families; a feeling he expresses in the former song, “Expecting our first child / Amid the great recession”. Despite the uncertainty, Ivan & Alyosha’s soulful folk tunes suggest a band inspired, hopeful and longing; a band unafraid to probe their collective faith and doubts.

Plus, things are different this time around. Tim and Ryan are joined by two others – Tim Kim and Pete Wilson, Tim’s brother. The band built a studio in a barn at Ryan’s parent’s house in Snohomish, 45 minutes outside of Seattle. Snohomish provides an idyllic setting with a charming main street lined by bars and little distraction. Self-recording their upcoming EP allows the guys more time together to create and perfect the new songs. Recently the band spent a week in New York playing gigs at 92Y Tribeca, Maxwell’s in Hoboken and Brooklyn’s Littlefield. They also took a trip to NPR Headquarters in Washington DC to record an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, and opened a run of shows for the Jayhawks’ Mark Olson.

In the Brothers Karamazov, when Ivan asks Alyosha to renounce his beliefs, Alyosha refuses. Rather, he kisses Ivan on the lips. Seattle’s Ivan & Alyosha are not nihilist indie rockers but a new brand of tender dreamers. And non-believers be damned! God, or no God - these guys are no holy fools. They have their music to prove it.

Some Friend You Are
Ivan & Alyosha Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Taking a walk to the sea
Feeling the cool of the breeze
Watching the setting of sun
Floating away on the
horizon
I thought you were a friend of mine
thought you were a friend of mine
Taking the sting of the pain

out for a walk in the rain
All of the sins I don't know
Trying so hard to hold on
Let go
thought you were a friend of mine
I thought you were a friend of mine
I thought you were a friend of mine
How come you never said goodbye
Makeing a way through the snow
waving at people you know
Wishing it all was a dream
remembering when you were here
with me
I thought you were a friend of mine
I thought you were a friend of mine
I thought you were a friend of mine
How come you never said goodbye
(Guitar solo)
Memories of you resolve
whether it's right or it's wrong
Why do I ask of astray
Watching a child as she plays
I thought you were a friend of mine
I thought you were a friend of mine
I thought you were a friend of mine
How come you never said goodbye
I thought you were a friend of mine

I thought you were a friend of mine
(piano solo)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ivan & Alyosha's song "Some Friend You Are" describe the feelings of betrayal and abandonment by a friend. The song takes the listener through different situations where the singer is trying to come to terms with the loss of this supposed friend. In the first verse, the singer is taking a walk to the sea, feeling the cool breeze and watching the sunset while reminiscing about the friendship they thought they had. In the second verse, the singer is walking in the rain with the intention of healing the pain caused by the betrayal of the friend, who never said goodbye. As the song progresses, the singer tries to make sense of the situation, asking themselves why this supposedly close friend would leave without a word.

The chorus, "I thought you were a friend of mine, how come you never said goodbye," expresses the sense of confusion and hurt that the singer feels as they try to make sense of the loss of their friend. The song ends on a bittersweet note, with the singer looking back on memories of their friend, wondering whether it was right or wrong to remember them, and watching a child play.

Overall, the lyrics of "Some Friend You Are" convey a deep sense of loss and regret, as the singer grapples with the feeling of being let down by someone they thought they could trust.

Line by Line Meaning

Taking a walk to the sea
Going on a stroll towards the ocean

Feeling the cool of the breeze
Sensing the refreshing feeling of the wind

Watching the setting of sun
Observing the sun as it sets in the sky

Floating away on the horizon
Seeing the sun disappear over the distant line of the sea

I thought you were a friend of mine
Believing that you were a close acquaintance

Taking the sting of the pain
Enduring the discomfort of sadness

out for a walk in the rain
Going outside for a walk during a rainfall

All of the sins I don't know
Being unaware of any possible misdeeds committed

Trying so hard to hold on
Persisting with effort to remain connected

Let go
Relinquishing control or attachment

How come you never said goodbye
Wondering why there was no farewell given