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Although based in Seattle, Ivan & Alyosha create a sound that’s distinctly Californian, with acoustic instrumentation and bright vocal harmonies that evoke the West Coast’s summery, Southern locales. The band formed in 2007, when solo songwriter Tim Wilson met Ryan Carbary. Taking their name from Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, the two began playing together, eventually traveling to Los Angeles to record a folk-pop EP with producer Eli Thompson. The Verse, The Chorus was released in early 2009, paving the way for a healthy tour and a decent amount of national buzz, including a nod from NPR’s “All Songs Considered.” Things picked up again in early 2011, when the band -- now a four-piece featuring Wilson’s brother, Pete Wilson, as well as Tim Kin -- released the sophomore EP Fathers Be Kind and launched another tour. ~ Andrew Leahey