Ivy Ross is an experimental folk-rock singer-songwriter who has been living in Tucson for the last four months. Ross will perform at 9:30 p.m., Sunday, April 17, at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. Her new seven-song album, Seed Card, comes as a digital download—the code for which is printed on an actual wildflowers-seed card.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
It was the Jacksons' Victory tour in 1984, in Washington, D.C. I was with my whole family.
What are you listening to these days?
Aretha Franklin, Lucky Brown, Calexico, Comaneci, Bob Dylan and MC Yogi.
What was the first album you owned?
The red and blue albums of The Beatles: 1962-1966 and 1967-1970. They were together in a cassette box set, a gift from a friend's mom. I wore those tapes out.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?
There's nothing that people love where I am, "What's the deal with that?" ... But I least understand screamo, or any music that is deeply violent.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
The Lucky Mystery Now Orchestra. They are an evolving group in the Pacific Northwest that includes a horn section, visuals, dancing and narrative storylines.
Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?
The Guilty Band, from Brattleboro, Vt. They actually backed me up when I played there. It's a bit of rockabilly guitar, and I don't know how to describe the drumming.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
"Blake's View" by M. Ward; and a song of mine, called "The Death Waltz."
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
I listened to a lot of Leonard Cohen early on. That awakened me to the possibility of true poetry being alive and well in song.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Odetta at Carnegie Hall, live in 1960. It was such an important moment in music history.
