ivy room presents

FRIDAY SEPT 5TH

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Kristen Ford

Briget Boyle

Meli Levi

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7pm doors / 8pm show

Advance Tickets Available / $18 Door

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IVY ROOM | 21+

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Kristen Ford

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The breaking point is nothing but a glimmer of faint light way out on the horizon behind Kristen Ford. On her newest album, Pinto, the queer, biracial, L.A. songwriter blasts way beyond the point of caution and unveils a wild landscape of visceral emotion.

Ford’s world is one of the deepest feelings: whether fuming at queer repression, falling head over heels in love, or learning to finally and wholeheartedly practice true self-acceptance. Pinto is a place where she can be candid enough to openly share her losses while being mindful enough to acknowledge her wins. In revealing both her scars and her successes, Ford raises a spirited cry that invites the listener to boldly embrace themselves, to take up space, and to loudly state that “enough is enough.”

The lessons that Ford explores on Pinto are those learned the hard way: from helplessly watching the state-sanctioned suppression of queer rights in the US, through finding new love after a gut-wrenching divorce, and from the daily microaggressions that come with being sold a patriarchal expectation of ‘womanliness.’

With a series of acclaimed releases under her belt, no one could accuse this veteran songwriter of lacking poetic nuance, but it is hard to ignore the raw and undiluted messages that are contained within Pinto. “You can’t control me, my pride or my joy, I don’t owe you a damn thing, if I’m a girl or a boy,” she rages in her honeyed-husky vocals on “Wild Heart.” Elsewhere, she sneers “Raise your glass to the mighty Mississippi, and God bless a Southern man, how quickly you forget my great great great grandmother, she died picking cotton on stolen land” on “White Man’s Dream.” Pinto is undoubtedly Ford’s most political, most pointed, and most energizing outing yet.

What sets Ford apart from her similarly enraged songwriting allies is her unique ability to craft these feelings into candy-coated rock that uses its sweet exterior to deliver these bitter truths. Whether it’s the realities of living outside the “good ole boys party” contrasted against the crunchy guitar bounce of “White Man’s Dream,” or the plight of the lost millennial on the undeniably smile-inducing single “Here’s To You Kid,” Ford deftly navigates uncomfortable topics with clarity and purpose. Elsewhere, she breaks the tension by making space for moments of queer joy on “The Fall” and “Brand New Pair (Alright),” and radical self-acceptance on “Grrrl In The Mirror.”

It was at a Ford show in 2022 that she first caught the ear of legendary songwriter Ani DiFranco. It was to be another pivotal DiFranco moment for Ford, who credits attending an Ani show at age 15 as the spark that led her to become a songwriter. Over the preceding months, the two struck up a working relationship that has since seen them tour together and co-write four of the twelve songs that will appear on Pinto. Their connection continues with the release of Pinto, which arrives on August 22nd via DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records.

Pinto would not be the dynamic, ass-kicking, name-taking, barnstorming experience it is without the team of trusted collaborators that Ford carefully assembled to bring this album to life. Initial tracking began with engineer Matty Alger at The Cabin in Ford’s then-hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, took a Louisiana detour for overdubbing at DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Studios before arriving at John Driskell Hopkins’ Brighter Shade Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. Hopkins, who is perhaps best known as a founding member of Zac Brown Band, has also built a distinguished career in his own right as a songwriter and producer. With Pinto he takes on the role of producer (alongside Ford and co-producer DiFranco), wrangling all these parts into the carefully crafted final album, while also co-writing the uplifting ballad “Richest In The World” and lending his rich baritone voice to that song and others on Pinto. The final polish arrives courtesy of multi-platinum GRAMMY-winning mastering engineer Randy Merrill (Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo) at Sterling Sound in New Jersey.

In its journey traversing the nation, Pinto is dappled with color and flavor as varied as America and reflects Kristen’s experience as a lost millennial, roaming endless freeways in search of the truth. The truth, as far as Pinto is concerned, is that YOU still matter. Working people, women, queer people, immigrants, creators in their 30s and beyond, still matter. We didn’t time out on that. It is an album that embodies Ford’s belief that “the rulebook has been thrown out by the current administration, but we can turn this disorder back on them and boldly create the world we want.” Or, as she puts it in her less guarded moments, “it’s time to be louder, be bigger, be brasher motherf*cker!”

Briget Boyle

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With gritty, vulnerable lyrics, powerhouse vocals, and her vintage Gibson J45 ringing like a truth-telling bell, Briget Boyle brings the raw edge of ’90s rock into deeply human territory. Her songs confront grief, love, identity, and chaos with unflinching honesty. There’s no pretending here - just a voice, cutting through the noise, asking: Are you ready to feel this?

Her songwriting doesn’t skim the surface. Mining her life for meaning, Briget crafts anthems out of heartbreak, resilience, and everything we’re usually too scared to say out loud. She doesn't hide the scars; she sings them. Her music is forged in the space between brokenness and transformation, shaped by years of collaboration, community, and the messy process of becoming.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Briget grew up inside the music industry. Her father, the late Tim Boyle, was a legendary recording engineer, and her early musical education took place in Hollywood’s scoring stages, where she contributed to sessions for Starship Troopers, Animaniacs, and Money Talks. By 12, she was writing songs of her own, eventually studying Music Performance & Composition at the College of Santa Fe.

A chance encounter with Balkan folk music changed everything. Briget dove headfirst into traditional singing, performing with Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble, Brass Menažeri Balkan Brass Band, and True Life Trio. That work expanded her voice—literally and metaphorically—and grounded her in community-driven music-making that continues to shape her sound today.

Briget doesn’t sit still. She’s the founder of Waxsimile Productions (an independent label and creative production house), a sought-after vocal coach, a creative director, and a pillar of the Bay Area’s world and indie music scenes. Her work lives at the intersection of tradition and reinvention, voice and vulnerability, structure and soul.

Her latest album, Heartbreak Residue, is a searing exploration of grief, love, and release—songs that don’t resolve neatly but stay with you like a conversation you can’t forget.

Briget is not just making music. She’s making space—for the truth, for the breakdown, for the rebuild.

BAND:

• Briget Boyle - guitar, voice

• Genesis Fermin - drums

• Tim Silva - voice, percussion

• Michael Bang - lead guitar

• David Wellerstein - bass

Meli Levi

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Meli Levi delivers a captivating blend of progressive indie rock, folk, and soul, drawing audiences in with their heartfelt vocals and deeply personal lyrics. They draw on many transformative years spent meditating to infuse their sound with vibrant introspection. Meli’s sound creates an intimate connection that resonates with listeners long after the final note.

Meli has shared the stage with Brandi Carlile, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Kelly Finnegan (Monophonics), Kristen Ford (Righteous Babe Records), and Abby Posner. Meli was selected as a semi-finalist in both the 2024 International Songwriting Competition and the 2024 Unsigned Only Music Contest. Meli’s music is for fans of Hozier, Adrienne Linker (Big Thief), Maddison Cunningham, and Radiohead.

Meli is currently in the studio recording a new full-length album with producer and label consultant Jeffrey Wood (The Housemartins, Warner Bros.).