Austin’s multilingual folk fusion group, Ley Line, is proud to be an official artist performing at SXSW Online 2021 conference and part of the Black Fret showcase. Black Fret is an Austin based non-profit that has given away more than one million dollars in grants to more than 100 Austin acts since its launch. In 2020, Ley Line was awarded an esteemed grant from Black Fret and is proud to be featured on their hourlong SXSW showcase on March 17 at 5pm CT. Register to watch the performance at http://sxsw.com.
In addition to their SXSW inclusion, the group just dropped a new episode of “Following Ley Line,” the bands podcast that takes a deeper look into their world of travel, creation and inspiration. Episode 4 “The Well: Coming home to myself” is a conversation about their song “The Well” from We Saw Blue. Listen at https://www.youtube.com/leyline
May will also see the release of their Visual Album, which is an accompaniment to Ley Line’s critically acclaimed album We Saw Blue, and is a captivating musical-journey across Brazil guided by the four multilingual women connected by music, poetry, and a reverence for nature. The footage captured during the band’s 2017 tour through Brazil reveals the intimacy and curiosity with which they travel and connect to the people, places and traditions that inspire their music.
Madeleine Froncek elaborates, “The Visual Album gives context to the people, places, and experiences that inspire our music. It also builds a bridge across the cultures and languages represented on the album through subtitles and imagery that guides viewers to a deeper understanding of the meaning of the song. Our music sparks a lot of questions; what language are you singing in? What are you singing about? Where did you learn that instrument? So, we decided to create a piece of art that allows our audience to dive deeper into our music through a visual experience and our upcoming podcasts.”
Kate Robberson adds, “We live in a time where political borders are tearing us apart, traditions are being lost to the forces of globalization, and the health of our planet is at stake. Music and visual storytelling are powerful tools that create positive cultural transformation. Our work as musicians and filmmakers highlights the care with which we explore the world. As four avid travelers, we learn the local language, travel slowly, and develop lasting relationships with the people we meet. In return, we have woven stories, songs, and imagery we’ve collected into a cultural bridge to unite our global audience with the communities we are welcomed into. Our album ‘We Saw Blue’ and accompanying visual album explore our innate connection to the earth, the power of ritual, and the role that cultural art plays in personal and collective transformation.”
In addition to the Visual Album, Ley Line has stayed busy during COVID-19 by producing a podcast series about the inspiration, stories, and creation behind each song from We Saw Blue. The podcast is aptly titled “Following Ley Line” and is out now on Ley Line’s YouTube page. Emilie Basez states, “‘Following Ley Line’ was a dream of ours for years. We have the most interesting conversations in the van while on tour and we wanted to start recording them. At shows we get asked all the time how we met, why we chose the name Ley Line, and more. We thought our fans would be interested to learn more about our songs and the stories that inspired them.”
Even with the uncertainty of live music in 2021, Ley Line has managed to tap into their other creative endeavors, with these two projects showing different sides of the band. Lydia Froncek shares, “The cool thing about Ley Line is we are all much more than musicians, we have so many passions from education and design to film and audio production. When someone wants to try something new we support each other and find a way to make it happen. I wouldn’t say we have a favorite medium, they all work together to give a more complete picture of who we are and why we make the music that we make. Plus, it lets us each shine as individuals. But it really takes the whole team to bring every project to life.”
Ley Line is excited to share their new content in hopes to inspire connection with them and the world around you. The band concludes, “We Saw Blue is about embracing the beauty and diversity of our world and uncovering the harmony that connects us all. Especially now when we can’t be with each other in person, we can’t travel or even hold our friends close, we hope this visual album is a reminder of how amazing and diverse our world is, and how we can continue to support each other through the ups and downs of life.”
MEMBERS:
Emilie Basez: Guitar/Vocals
Madeleine Froncek: Upright Bass/Vocals
Kate Robberson: Ukulele/Vocals
Lydia Froncek: Percussion/Vocals
LINKS:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/leyline
Website: www.leylinesound.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/leylinesound
Instagram: www.instagram.com/leylinesound
Twitter: www.twitter.com/leylinesound
