Ivory Circle

Singer-songwriter Connie Hong writes the kind of songs that beg to serve as the closing overture for an epic and heartfelt movie that both destroys and uplifts you, her ballads simultaneously adding weight and whimsy to the scene where the star-crossed lovers run through the subway platform, finally finding one another and embracing; or that climactic moment when the heroine takes flight, leaving her tortured past behind (as indicated by the passing skyline through her car windshield).

Formerly a middle a school choir teacher in suburban Aurora, Colorado, Hong regularly composed music during lunch her breaks and rehearsed them (to her students’ delight) for her classes. After leaving the classroom to create and perform full-time, Hong teamed up with local Denver bands Consider the Raven and Reviving Cecelia before starting Ivory Circle as a stripped down solo project with longtime friend and producer Chris Beeble (of the Say So).

On their acoustic debut EP Entropy, Ivory Circle has crafted five lush and beautiful movements that arouse the listener to emotion despite the simplicity of ingredients: Entropy features the classically-trained Hong on piano and vocals, with Beeble adding sparse and poignant accompaniment. One of the highlights is the opening cut “Pretend,” a song both heartwarming and gut-wrenching in which Hong’s delicate vocals convey a story of love, loss, death, reincarnation, and (I think) murder. Another is “Scarlet Letter Girl,” a lilting minuet (waltz?) that exemplifies Hong’s dynamic vocal range. Entropy is a planned preface to a (highly anticipated) future full-length album. - 12 Questions

Connie Hong is best known for her time singing in Reviving Cecilia. These days, Hong is using her classical training on more piano-driven pop songs pared down to vocals, piano and sparse percussion in Ivory Circle (due at Summit Music Hall's Moon Room this Thursday, June 27). Working with an old friend, multi-instrumentalist and producer Chris Beeble, Hong has written songs with a wide-open feeling. Her current batch of compositions have a more emotionally naked character to them and sound as if they're coming more directly from the heart. The act's debut EP, Entropy, feels symphonic in scope and vision, delving into post-breakup introspection minus the bitterness or maudlin angst.

— By Tom Murphy
- Denver Westword

Connie Hong is best known for her time singing in Reviving Cecilia. These days, Hong is using her classical training on more piano-driven pop songs pared down to vocals, piano and sparse percussion in Ivory Circle (due at Summit Music Hall's Moon Room this Thursday, June 27). Working with an old friend, multi-instrumentalist and producer Chris Beeble, Hong has written songs with a wide-open feeling. Her current batch of compositions have a more emotionally naked character to them and sound as if they're coming more directly from the heart. The act's debut EP, Entropy, feels symphonic in scope and vision, delving into post-breakup introspection minus the bitterness or maudlin angst.

— By Tom Murphy
- Denver Westword

by Jon Solomon

Connie Hong shares vocal duties in the five-piece band Reviving Cecilia, but with Ivory Circle, her solo project, she wanted to strip things down. And that's just what she's done here, with the help of producer and multi-instrumentalist Chris Beeble. On "Pretend," the opening cut of Ivory Circle's five-song debut EP, Entropy, Hong showcases her range: At first her voice, accompanied only by piano, sounds wispy and delicate, but a minute later, she's belting as powerfully as Florence Welch. "Scarlet Letter Girl" and "Ashes to Ashes" demonstrate even more of her dynamic range, and you can see how her classical training has seeped into the songwriting. Entropy is a striking and poignant debut from Hong. - Denver Westword

I've been absolutely enchanted with this project since "Pretend" debuted in April. Connie Hong's sublime vocals and delicately driven piano have created a treasure in Ivory Circle's Entropy EP. Each track is carefully crafted, obviously given a lot of thought and work to make them just right.

Make sure to pick up a copy of the Entropy EP on Bandcamp or iTunes.

- The Ruckus

I've been absolutely enchanted with this project since "Pretend" debuted in April. Connie Hong's sublime vocals and delicately driven piano have created a treasure in Ivory Circle's Entropy EP. Each track is carefully crafted, obviously given a lot of thought and work to make them just right.

Make sure to pick up a copy of the Entropy EP on Bandcamp or iTunes.

- The Ruckus

by Tim Wenger

Connie Hong is on to something with her project Ivory Circle. Mellow but traumatic, emotional and honest, the EP entropy is a five-song journey into her mind, which takes the listener on a climbing journey into what soft, melodious indie rock can do. “Scarlet Letter Girl” is the catchiest tune on the disc, with a dominating piano line that plants a dancing image of a woman struggling to find her way.

Impressive for a solo project, Hong herself lays down the vocals and piano, and splits percussion duties with Chris Beeble (the Say So). The record, at times, paints an image of Hong putting on a poignant and arousing performance in a dark, smoky bar.
- Colorado Music Buzz Magazine

by Tim Wenger

Connie Hong is on to something with her project Ivory Circle. Mellow but traumatic, emotional and honest, the EP entropy is a five-song journey into her mind, which takes the listener on a climbing journey into what soft, melodious indie rock can do. “Scarlet Letter Girl” is the catchiest tune on the disc, with a dominating piano line that plants a dancing image of a woman struggling to find her way.

Impressive for a solo project, Hong herself lays down the vocals and piano, and splits percussion duties with Chris Beeble (the Say So). The record, at times, paints an image of Hong putting on a poignant and arousing performance in a dark, smoky bar.
- Colorado Music Buzz Magazine

Ivory Circle

Entropy

Independent

4 out of 5 stars

The debut EP by former Aurora middle school choir teacher Connie Hong, Entropy is truly lovely.

Hong, who used to spend her lunch breaks writing songs that she would later play for her students, shows tremendous vocal and piano prowess throughout the short, but lush five song EP. Her classical training is evident on nearly every note and every part of her deceivingly simple song structure.

The fact that just a voice and a piano (almost exclusively) make that rich and that compelling of a sound is alarming. On Entropy Hong moves between ethereal sounds to powerful overtures that seem to be part of a full orchestra, despite the fact that accompaniment is sparse throughout. There is some added percussion and some light flair here and there, but mostly this is a woman and her piano and that simplicity allows the songs to stand wonderfully on their own.

Entropy is meant to be a teaser to a forth-coming full-length release by Ivory Circle, and hopefully the tracks added to the full album will follow the same path as these very impressive debut songs.



:: Moon Room at Summit Music Hall :: June 27 ::
- The Marquee

Ivory Circle is the solo project of Reviving Cecilia's (one of my favorite Denver bands who even Brian likes) Connie Hong. I had a feeling this was going to be a good song as soon as the project was announced, but wow. It's more beautiful then I had imagined. "Pretend" is breathtaking and once again Connie's talent has blown me away.
- The Ruckus