Emily Bess and Madeline Franek of Ley Line joined Doug Gertner on Afternoon Sound Alternative for a vinyl DJ set and conversation about their music. They discussed their work on Project Traction, a mentorship program for women and non-binary producers, and shared highlights from their recent show at Gold Hill Store. Ley Line will open for The Wood Brothers at Big B’s Orchard in Paonia on Saturday, July 20, and return to Gold Hill for another show later this month. They spun favorites by Tune-Yards, Rosalia, Milton Nascimento, and more, celebrating their roots in both Austin and Colorado. (Guest DJ: 7/17/25)
Doug Gertner: I’ve got some guests coming up next—Emily and Maddie from Ley Line are in the studio. They knew that last song we played. You wanna say it again?
Ley Line: Project Traction.
Doug Gertner: Tune-Yards?
Ley Line: Oh, Tune-Yards! Of course—Sanctuary. Yeah, a new favorite. Just added to my liked songs.
Doug Gertner: Same here. That was Sanctuary by Tune-Yards—Merrill Garbus and company—from their brand-new album Better Dreaming. Another track that caught our ears was by the Oriental Brothers International Band. There’s a new remix album out called Afro-Colombian Remix, and we heard the Uproot Andy remix from that.
Before that, we heard “Way, Way Out” by Secret Monkey Weekend from Lemon Drop Hammer. Also, a friend of mine, Zoe Aqua, just dropped a new album called In a Sea of Stars. I found it on Bandcamp. We heard “Sweeta,” a kind of Romanian ska track inspired by Klezmer and Romanian music. Zoe toured synagogues in Transylvania with a bunch of local musicians and recorded that tour.
Tasty stuff. That brings us near the top of the hour here on the Afternoon Sound Alternative. I’m Doug Gertner, happy to be in Boulder—especially since that means I get to welcome one local resident and one Austinite from the band Ley Line. They’ve picked out some of the music today.
Let’s start with a Ley Line track, and then we’ll come back and talk more about what we’re listening to. This one was recorded live at the Pershing a year ago in June.
Ley Line: 2023—was it? I think it might have been. These days, time is a blur. But yes, thanks for playing the live versions.
Doug Gertner: From the Pershing Theater in Austin—this is from the Live at the Pershing EP. Ley Line will be choosing the music for the rest of the show, but I want to spin one of my favorites first—it’s called The Well. You’re listening to the Afternoon Sound Alternative on KGNU.
As mentioned, in the studio with me in Boulder are Emily Bess and Madeline Franek from Ley Line. I first met them here in 2018 when they came in for a session. I was an instant fan and have followed them ever since. So delighted to have them back in!
Before we talk about what brings you to the region, let’s talk about that last track—Live at the Pershing. It dropped this year, but was recorded a couple of years back, in your hometown.
Ley Line: Thanks, Doug. It’s always such a pleasure to be here.
Doug Gertner: Thanks, Emily. That album traces to Project Traction. I’ve got the track “How High” in front of me, and I see you listed as a producer—also on guitar and kalimba. Tell me more.
Ley Line: I will! I got connected to Jim Eno—amazing human, drummer for Spoon, and longtime Austinite. We met him through Black Fret, now known as Sonic Guild. He invited us in for a few sessions and later created Project Traction, which works with female and non-binary producers and artists.
I was lucky enough to be invited, and I passed that invitation to Netty Agi, a phenomenal multi-medium artist in Austin. Netty had the song mostly ready to go, and it turned into an awesome collaboration. Elisa Grace, a close Ley Line friend who now lives in Berlin but grew up in South Austin, came in and played keys. Netty just welcomed everyone in.
Jim brought in his tape machine magic. Project Traction is incredible—they’re expanding to other parts of the country. It’s really a labor of love, and this is one of my favorite tunes.
Doug Gertner: Let me read from the album notes: Project Traction is a mentorship program that helps women and non-binary musicians gain traction in the audio production field—an underrepresented group, as we know. More power to Project Traction! And to you all—for doing this work long before we met. I remember Field Notes came out in 2016. Your origin story starts with meeting up at Telluride, bonding as two duos.
What brings Ley Line to town now? I heard about a Gold Hill Store performance last night—some friends sent me a photo first thing this morning!
Ley Line: Maddie here—I’m living just below Gold Hill in Salina, up in the canyon. It’s a special musical community. There’s a line of schoolhouses up that way, the Gold Hill Inn, and the Gold Hill Store, where I work weekdays.
Yesterday, I opened the store at 11 a.m., fed people cookies, and then came home to my bandmates, who had just arrived in town. We practiced, then headed back up to Gold Hill for a show. It was a 50-person cap—we went a little over—but it was still intimate enough for people to dance. A misty evening in the mountains. Very special.
Doug Gertner: Sounds lovely. Lisa and Eric, and their friends, sent me word too. Where else can people catch you on this run?
Ley Line: Maddie’s been our independent booking agent this time around. Our anchor gig is this Saturday in Paonia—we’re opening for the Wood Brothers at Big B’s Orchard. Around that, we’ve got some sweet, intimate shows. All the info is online.
Doug Gertner: That’s big news. Big B’s makes the best apple cider—real cider, only available during cider season. I’m excited to follow you guys to Paonia, if that’s okay.
Ley Line: Please do! Emily Scott Robinson is also on that bill. She lives in Colorado. It’s going to be a beautiful night among the apple and fruit trees.
Doug Gertner: If folks are tuning in from Carbondale, they can catch you there too. Head to fivepointslive.com for the details. I know you’re playing a yard show on your way back from Paonia to Denver on Sunday the 20th.
Welcome back. I’m in the studio with Emily and Maddie from Ley Line—Kate and Lydia are probably loading up the car for your next gig. So glad you’re in town. We talked about Project Traction and “How High.” What’s next?
Ley Line: We’ve got an eclectic set. Next up is Milton Nascimento. We’re going to play “Ravo Canela”—a mix of rhythms and that distinct Brazilian flavor.
Doug Gertner: Looking forward to that. Where’s everyone living these days?
Ley Line: Kate and I (Emily) were both born in Austin. I’ve moved around a bit, but Austin has always been home. As a band, Colorado feels like a second home—Maddie has family here.
Doug Gertner: I’ve gotta ask—Is Austin still weird?
Ley Line: Absolutely. What I love about Austin is its connectivity. It’s easy to plug into the creative community. Ley Line was based there for about seven years.
Doug Gertner: When I met Maddie and Lydia, you were all based in Austin. Now Lydia’s in Brooklyn, right?
Ley Line: Yes—she started an organization called Tone Shift. Amazing events. I’m up in Salina, just loving the mountains. Last night’s show felt like a melting pot of fans—Austin folks in town, Boulder and Colorado fans who now feel like family.
Doug Gertner: Lisa and Eric saw you at the Dairy Center in 2019. I remember the socially distanced shows in 2021. Your following has grown steadily.
Now, you brought in a big vinyl collection today.
Ley Line: Yep! Doug invited us in and said we could play CDs or vinyl—and all we had were records. So Emily and I pulled out some favorites, including local legends like Elephant Revival.
Doug Gertner: Let’s talk about them. I think I first saw you at Arise Festival. Did you play with Elephant Revival there?
Ley Line: Maybe that’s how we connected to the festival. We met the band at Old Settler’s Festival in Austin—jammed in the campground. Bridget Law, their fiddle player, invited us to that festival.
Before that, I had a solo moment—Bonnie texted me about opening for them at the Telluride Opera House. I was road-tripping through Colorado, and it all lined up.
Doug Gertner: Bonnie also played the Summit Music Hall in Denver—remember that? A hard rock room! You and Lydia jammed with her—percussion fiesta!
Ley Line: We love Bonnie. And before that, we heard The Deer—another Austin band we love. We met them around the same time—2016 or 2017—at Old Settler’s.
Doug Gertner: I still think of Ley Line as an Austin band, even with everyone spread out. Glad you converged in Colorado. Great show last night in Gold Hill, and more to come.
Ley Line: We’ll be back in Gold Hill on the last Wednesday of this month. It’ll be Emily and me, and a lot of music that inspires us—come out and see what happens!
Doug Gertner: Sounds great. Next up is a supergroup—Boygenius.
Ley Line: We’re playing the opening song from the Boygenius album. It’s a voice memo, very candid. Reminds me of Lay Line in that way.
Doug Gertner: Amazing artists coming together. We’ve got about five or ten more minutes before Metro. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks to Ley Line for being here.
Boygenius, coming up on the Afternoon Sound Alternative.
