Ley Line Will Perform Live in Houston This Month

Austin's multilingual folk fusion group, Ley Line, has announced their upcoming concert in Houston at McGonigel's Mucky Duck on August 19th. The band is touring in support of their critically-acclaimed album "We Saw Blue." The band has garnered praise from Billboard, NPR's All Things Considered, Atwood, PopMatters, Glide, and KUTX, alongside high profile Spotify playlists boosting play counts to 500,000 and rising.

We Saw Blue is in many ways the origin story of Ley Line. Bandmembers Kate Robberson and Emilie Basez met in Brazil in 2012 and travelled the country playing shows, learning traditional folk songs and writing their own music along the way. When twins Madeleine and Lydia Froncek joined their duo project in 2016, much of the band's repertoire was influenced by the sounds and experiences Kate and Emilie had gathered during their time in Brazil. In 2017, Ley Line decided to return to where it all began. They raised money to buy a van and took off for a four month long tour from the south of Brazil to the Northeast. Their self-managed tour included stops around the country playing venues, cultural centres, leading workshops in schools and all the while staying with new and old friends they met along the way. We Saw Blue is comprised of songs the four women learned and composed in Brazil and songs written after their return home. Kate explains, "Not only was this adventure a way to dive deeper into our study of Brazilian music, it was also an opportunity for the four of us to solidify our bond by experiencing the rewards and challenges of traveling together."

The album carries a strong connection that runs through the songs and highlights the name We Saw Blue. Maddy elaborates, "The theme of water is central to the album and has become a metaphor for both the process of creating the songs and the experience we hope to offer to our listeners. Water has the ability to make its way around any obstacle, as Margaret Atwood said, 'Water doesn't resist, it flows.' The process of making We Saw Blue has been a winding journey but the intention has always been to connect deeply with each other and the world around us. This album documents Ley Line really refining our unique sound through an exploration of Brazilian folklore and the spirituality embedded in nature." Emilie adds, "Water is universal and symbolizes the connection every human on earth has to each other and the natural world. Music has that same ability to connect across language and culture. In the story of Ley Line, our travels have always revolved around visits to oceans, rivers and waterfalls and we sing of our reverence for water in songs like 'Sereia' and 'Oxum.' The songs on this album speak to the way we integrate our surroundings and our influences into the music we create." Lydia echoes the sentiment, "Our hope is that listeners will be transported to the adventure, beauty, growth, and healing that inspired this album."

Ley Line is a group of four songwriters, each with a unique voice and style. Their individuality shines through in each song as they contribute lyrically and instrumentally. While some songs are written or brought to the group by one member, We Saw Blue is special in that it features the first songs they wrote completely collaboratively. The group imagines their songwriting as a dialogue with music, listening for what the song needs and the results impressively showcase just that. Ley Line started recording the album in the fall of 2017 after returning from Brazil and worked with a cast of talented producers and engineers to bring We Saw Blue to completion. This includes Claudio Ramirez (mixing and production), GRAMMY nominated Moses Elias (engineering, mixing and production), Grant Johnson (engineering, mixing), Michael Ramos (engineering), Michael Longoria (percussion on Ciranda), Daniel Fears (Trombone), Michael McCleod (engineering), Paul Price (engineering), Seth Gibbs (engineering), and Mark Hallman (mastering).

In May 2021, the band debuted their independent film "We Saw Blue: An audio-visual journey through Brasil" at Paramount Theater. Three years in the making, the visual album "We Saw Blue: An audio-visual journey through Brasil" was filmed & produced by Ley Line, combining footage from their 2017 tour through Brasil with the songs featured on the band's sophomore album. The Austin Chronicle hailed their performance as "a welcoming prayer, enveloping intoxicating rhythms and healing in the hypnotic swirl of their voices lilting in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English."

Show Details:

Thurs, Aug 19th @ McGonigel's Mucky Duck
2425 Norfolk St
Houston, TX 77098
Set Time: 9:30pm
All Ages
$30 (group seating available)
Tickets

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