A Quartet’s Mission to Inspire with
Music from around the World 

Words by Sommer Brugal Photos by Eric Morales

For new listeners, the quartet that makes up the band Ley Line suggests starting with the song Oxun. Using both the Spanish and English languages, Oxun combines lyrics passed on from a woman the band met while traveling through Brazil, and the words offer an oral history for the way songs are passed down from one person to the next.

It’s this really cool fusion, and it’s all centered around uplifting our life source of fresh water,” says band member Kate Robberson. The song illustrates a sense of responsibility and stewardship of the earth, while also offering a vibrant celebration. Kate explains that so often, the idea of activism and making change can feel heavy and serious, but having songs that uplift the movement and those who are working tirelessly are equally as important. 

That combination of duty and action, yet beauty and admiration of the world’s natural resources, is something any listener will gain from Ley Line’s music. The all-woman group and business blend sounds and influences from Brazil, Latin America, and West Africa to encourage a connection back to the water, to each other, and to the environment. 

The four musicians met at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2014, but it wasn’t until 2016 the two duos – one being Emilie Basez and Kate; the other, twins Lydia and Madeleine Froncek – began playing music together and forming their premier album, Field Notes. 

The foundation, Madeleine says, was built on “vulnerability and creating intimate spaces of intention.” 

“The sound came together organically, reflecting everyone’s voice and laying the groundwork for what Ley Line would become,” Emilie says. Their newest album, We Saw Blue, released in 2020; however, it is more reflective of the diversity of places they’ve been. “You can hear the world influence, you can hear Brazil, you can hear West Africa,” says Lydia. “It just feels like us four right now.” 

For the quartet, storytelling is a central part of their mission, but music is just one aspect of that. 

The group has a visual AP, released earlier this year to accompany We Saw Blue, which documents their travels through Brazil in 2017, and a podcast, Following Ley Line, which takes a deeper look at the songs featured. Both invite audiences into the conversations happening behind the scenes and in between practices. They “help paint the larger picture of what we’re trying to do with our music and how we’ve all come to be together,” Kate adds. 

Whether during shows or through educational programs, the musicians often share folk songs from around the world, speak in-depth about the instruments they’re using, and pay respect to the places each has been and the people who’ve educated them. In doing so, they hope it will inspire curiosity about other cultures and help people realize that everyone is more alike than different. 

Contact:
leylinesound@gmail.com
leylinesound.com
@leylinesound