Angie MacIvor: Saxes, Vocals and Keyboards

My love of music began at birth, growing up in a household where my family was always listening to many different styles of music. Rock, Pop, Jazz, Fusion, Metal, Soul, and even some Country; my parents have always had eclectic musical tastes. I think this had a two-fold effect on me: firstly, I was destined to always be a lover of music (whether I actually played it or not) and secondly, I would always have an open mind when it came to musical styles that were new or unfamiliar to me.

My actual study of music began at the age of 8 when, inspired by the hymns at my Catholic church, I began taking organ lessons. It was an arduous process as my parents, wanting to be sure I was serious, picked up a second hand organ that was so old it needed to warm up before it could play and each note had a slight “breath” before it would sound. I can remember many painful practice sessions over the 2 or 3 years it took to prove myself before I was rewarded with a real 2 manual organ with all the buttons and pedals and everything. I took lessons for 6 years and then decided that it would be more useful to me to study some piano, which I did for a few more years, long enough to satisfy the Grade 6 Conservatory requirements (which would be useful later).

During this time, I started Junior High and began playing the saxophone with the school band. Soon I was obsessed with this amazing instrument that can be at one moment mournful and sweet and the next moment harsh and shrieking and then be angry and growling. I committed myself to this instrument, even making the decision to stop my piano lessons so I could focus. I attended summer music camps and workshops and got involved in as many ensembles as I could. Once I began studying jazz and learning how to improvise, I knew I had found my musical calling. I felt, and still feel, that I am my truest self when I am on a stage, playing my horn and expressing myself through improvisation and pure musicality.

After high school, I studied saxophone at Acadia University, earning a Bachelor Degree in Music Performance. After living in Ottawa for a couple of years, I joined a local rock/jazz/groove band called Quivertwist and had the opportunity to play some live shows in and around Ottawa. I also started singing some back-up vocals in a tribute band and realized that singing was almost as fulfilling to me as playing saxophone.

The Rebel Wheel found me as I was struggling to figure out what to do next. Quivertwist had been on hiatus due to a fruitless search for a replacement drummer and I was fresh from a few months of vocal lessons and ready to try out my pipes. I knew Paul, Gary and David already from being around the Ottawa Music scene a bit and was thrilled to be asked to become the “fifth wheel”. I can’t wait to see what will happen next with this band as we begin to collaborate on new material.