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Just came back from a fun weekend in Seattle where Locarno released our new CD to a sold out crowd at the Triple Door. If you are looking for something to remind you of warmer days this holiday season I suggest you get a copy. https://locarno.bandcamp.com/album/luz-y-sombra-2 
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It's been a great start to the fall season and I am excited to share a few upcoming shows with you. I will headed up to the Okanagan this weekend and next with Locarno for concerts in Oliver, Penticton and Kelowna. Come catch us if you are in the area. www.locarnomusic.com
Locarno Tour: Frank Venables Theatre - Oct 23 Dream Cafe - Oct 29 Rotary Arts Centre - Sugar Skull Strut - Oct 30 Closer to home I will be performing a house concert at Tzvi's Place on Nov 6th as a benefit for WinterSkin an organization dedicated to helping Syrian Refugees in Jordan survive the coming winter. Details here Stay warm and hope to see you all soon! One of my favourite parts of the summer is festival season and this summer will find me trekking around B.C. to quite a few festivals both near to home and further abroad.
June 6 - Robin Layne Band at Cafe Deux Soleil - 9 pm June 12-13 - Locarno on Tour in Nelson and Invermere June 16 - Mazacote - FIFA Women's World Cup Celebrations June 19 - Locarno at the Dragon Boat Festival June 20 - Mazacote at the Dragon Boat Festival June 21 - Special guest with the Heavyweights Brass Band at the Vancouver Jazz Festival June 28 - Mazacote at David Lam Park for the Vancouver Jazz Festival July 1 - Locarno - FIFA Women's World Cup Celebrations - 2-3 pm July 1 - Tambura Rasa - Granville Island Canada Day - 6 pm July 5-8 - Jam Camp on Saltspring - Rhythm Facilitator July 9-12 - Vancouver Island Music Festival with Locarno July 17-19 - Vancouver Folk Music Festival with Tambura Rasa July 19-24 - Jam Camp in the Kootenays - Rhythm Facilitator August 6 - Mazacote at Harmony Arts Festival in West Van August 7 - Mazacote at Deep Cove August 16 - Robin Layne Band at the Latin SummerFest More to be confirmed soon! Can't wait to see you all this summer!  I can't believe that we are only two weeks away from the first Vancouver World Music Festival! I've always thought it would be an amazing experience to host a music festival as most of my favourite moments, both performing and as an audience member, have been at festivals. There is something special that happens when a group of people come together for a common purpose and that is what VWMF is all about. What is our purpose? To host an awesome evening of dance music from around the globe while raising funds for Instruments of Change, an organization that offers community building music programs to residents of the downtown east side through their Women Rock! camps.
One of the things I have committed to doing this year is to make positive change in the Vancouver music scene. The idea for this festival started over drinks with my good friend Tom Landa back in November. In January when I came back from my study trip in Mexico, I chatted with Tom and he said that the ball was already rolling! We have had tremendous support from our fellow musicians to put this thing together on a shoestring budget and I can't wait to celebrate with you on the dance floor April 3rd. You can purchase tickets in advance through www.ticketweb.ca or at Zulu, Highlife or Red Cat Records. Tickets are $24+SC in advance and $30 at the door. The show starts at 8 pm with Tambura Rasa, Haram, Locarno and Kutapira www.worldmusicfest.ca or on FB here  I had the amazing opportunity to head down south this winter to Mexico and study marimba in Chiapas and Mexico City. The photo on the left is a shot of a traditional marimba built by hand at the home of Carlos Nandayapa. The Nandayapa family has been building and playing marimbas for over a hundred years and I was fortunate to get the chance to study with both Javier and Norberto Nandayapa, two of Mexico's most renowned marimba players. It is always incredible to get the chance to be a student again and to absorb the culture that the music comes from. Highlights included a trip to Palenque to see the Mayan ruins, visiting friends in San Cristobal, a taste of the beach, the marimba music that exists everywhere throughout Chiapas, and of course Mexico City and Teotihuacan. Big thanks to Canada Council for the Arts for making this trip possible.
Since I've been back things have been busy with teaching and gigging with Tambura Rasa, Curtis Andrews, my new marimba trio and with Locarno. Locarno started a new recording this past weekend and will be busy playing gigs every weekend this month, starting with a run up to Kelowna and Penticton this weekend for some Valentine's day gigs.
The other big news is that together with Tom Landa (Paperboys and Locarno) we are producing the Vancouver World Music Festival on April 3rd. World music has always been close to my heart and it is this love for other cultures and traditions that has driven my career as a percussionist. We will feature four local world music bands and present a night that spans the globe at the Imperial on Main St. For all the details check out the website. www.worldmusicfest.ca I would love to see you there!  It's been a great start to the fall season so far and I have lots to be grateful for on this thanksgiving long weekend. Sometimes in the rush of day to day life, I find it's easy to lose track of all the work that we as artists and entrepreneurs put into getting to where we are. I've been making a point of reflecting on what I am grateful for whenever I feel as though my life has gotten too busy and ultimately reminding myself that I am lucky to be able to make music for a living and share that gift with others. Thanks to all of the people who've inspired me along the way and continue to inspire me daily.
On that note, it was a treat to get to go down to LA with my wife Bless and help her find fabric at the LA Textile and Fabric Expo a couple of weeks ago. So great to get to extend the summer and check out LA again. I haven't been back since I studied at the LA Music Academy ten years ago. We had a wonderful and successful time and the ball is rolling for Bless' new yoga clothing line. Keep your eyes peeled for Bless & Robin Yoga clothing coming your way soon! As soon as we flew back into town, I had a long day of teaching sharing world rhythms and marimba music with the alternative school 8J9J, followed by the marimba program I run at Britannia Community Centre to kids and teens, then a show with Locarno at the Kay Meek Theatre. The next day, I hit the road with the Paperboys for the first time on a fun tour to Revelstoke, Kelowna and finishing in Oliver at the Festival of the Grape. It felt like summer at the festival with the wine flowing and the sun beating down on us. This week I've been busy teaching at SoM and preparing for the Tambura Rasa album release tonight! We've been working hard on this album since June when we recorded at the Armoury Studios. My good friend Ivan Tucakov has put in countless hours mixing and editing the songs and I can't wait to present them live for the first time! This weekend I am excited to visit my family in Victoria, eat some pumpkin pie, and see my new niece in person for the first time. As I said, lots to be grateful for this fall season. Tuesday evening, I hit the road with Locarno for a showcase at the Arts Northwest music conference in Eugene, Oregon, followed by a mini-tour of the Northwest with shows in Eugene, Seattle and Brackendale. Wishing all of you a restful and joyous long weekend!  Well it's been a wild and beautiful ride this summer and I'm looking forward to finishing it off this weekend with Tambura Rasa at Quadrapalooza and the Sunshine Music Festival in Powell River. So many sweet moments this summer, starting with joining Quique Escamilla at the Vancouver Island MusicFest, where we got to share a workshop stage with Cyril Neville, Devon Allman, and Mokoomba. The next weekend we got to meet up with our buddies Jaron Freeman-Fox and the Opposites at the Harrison Festival of the Arts and then a whirlwind of Vancouver Folk Fest, followed by switching gears to play Island Music Festival with Locarno.
The Locarno tour continued with a stop in the Slocan Valley, where it felt like the 70's had never left. Swimming in the lake at midnight after our set was a real highlight! And then Hornby Festival, which was all too short of a visit to this remarkably beautiful island. Many thanks to all the lovely folks we met along the way. I'm already looking forward to next summer! In the meantime, here are some upcoming shows this fall for all you world music lovers. Sept 6th - Robin Layne Trio at Cafe Deux Soleil Sept 10th - Mazacote at UBC Sept 12th - Tambura Rasa at Just Dance Sept 13th - Robin Layne Trio at the Old Barn at UBC Sept 17th - Kutapira, Zimbamoto, Robin Layne Trio at the Fox Cabaret Sept 19th - Locarno at the Evergreen Cultural Centre Oct 2nd - Locarno at the Kay Meek Theatre Oct 10th - Tambura Rasa CD release party at Academie Duello  Thanks everyone who came out to the debut of the Robin Layne Trio a couple of weeks ago. We had a blast with a full house of smiling, dancing people. Feeling inspired to continue writing and preparing to record this fall. Stay tuned for more shows to come this summer!
Speaking of summer, it feels like it has already arrived and I am excited for the festival season ahead. Here's where you can find me this summer! June 21 - Dragon Boat Festival with Tambura Rasa - 5 pm June 21 - Bakes Place, Bellevue with Locarno - 10 pm - (yes, I will be driving down right after the TR show) June 22 - Victoria Jazz Festival with Locarno - 6:45 pm - Centennial Square - Free concert for all my Victoria friends and family June 28- Fan Club with Locarno - 8:30 pm - Vancouver July 1 - Canada Day - with Munkie Ncapayi's 9 1/2 South African Drumming project - Canada Place July 6 - Drumming and Marimba Workshops in Comox Valley July 11-13 - Vancouver Island Music Festival with Quique Escamilla - stoked to join Quique on percussion for his West coast tour July 18 - Harrison Festival for the Arts with Quique Escamilla July 19 - Vancouver Folk Music Festival with Quique Escamilla July 20 - Island Folk Festival with Locarno July 25-27 - Unity Music Festival with Locarno July 28- Aug 1 - World Marimba Camp for Youth at Britannia Community Centre August 2 - Hornby Island Music Festival with Locarno August 8 - Salsa night with Mazacote in Vancouver August 9 - North Vancouver with Mazacote August 11-15 - Jam Camp in Kelowna August 18-22 - World Marimba Camp for Youth at Britannia Community Centre August 28-Sept 1 - Quadrapalooza and the Sunshine Music Festival with Tambura Rasa  For all lovers of marimba and world music:
May 17th Robin Layne Trio w/special guests Ivan Tucakov and Colin Maskell 9 pm - Cafe Duex Soleil - $10 I've been working on a new project that features my own music for marimba and we will putting on a little concert at one of my favourite venues on the drive, Cafe Deux Soleil. I am thrilled to be joined by Ben Brown on drums and Wynston Minckler on bass. I am equally excited to share the bill with Ivan Tucakov - guitar, Colin Maskell - sax/flute and me (this time on percussion). We'll be playing music from around the world. Dancing will be encouraged. Hope to see you there! And now to catch up: I hope you've all had a good winter and are enjoying return of the sunshine - I know I am! That being said, I was lucky enough to get away to Mexico this winter with Locarno (see above photo) - we played a festival, ate tacos, learned more about the traditional music, and soaked in the sunshine. This summer we will be keeping busy playing festivals around B.C. Stay tuned for more updates on that. In the meantime, you can come check us out on May 16th at the Fan Club for any night owls out there. We go on at 11:30 and will keep you dancing all night long. It's another beautiful day in what has been one of the best autumnal seasons we've had on the west coast in quite some time. While I know sometimes it's hard to leave the house on a cold, possibly wet, fall day, I've got a couple of upcoming shows that are definitely worth the effort!
Locarno will be back at the Fan Club on Nov 23rd. If you haven't seen this band yet, treat yourself. It's worth it! It's also the eve of my birthday, so we will be celebrating in style. Bring your dancing shoes. I'll be bringing out the marimba for this one! 8 pm start time - $10 cover I am also thrilled to be presenting a duo show with my brother Josh Layne, classical harpist extraordinaire. We will be giving an intimate house concert on Dec. 8th at Tzvi's place a beautiful communal house in East Vancouver. Marimba and harp in duo and solo form. It's been about ten years since the last time we managed to do a show together, so don't miss out! More info on coming soon |
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