How’d a farm boy from Northern Idaho and a Yoruba boy from Lagos West Africa come together in Boise, Idaho to create genre-bending mix of music incorporating styles from their respective homelands.

For Dayo, it started when at age 22 he migrated to study film in California. It was his first trip to the United States and without family or friends to ease the transition, he launched into his early adult life as a student. Thanks to his Grandma’s influence, he grew up playing African percussion instruments at church and was entrenched in deep cultural traditions and music, but it wasn’t until moving to Idaho years after obtaining his film degree that he brought his drumming into his life in the US. Just like back home in Nigeria, it proved to be a way to connect with people in the community and build a new beginning in Boise. The city was multi-cultural however many communities kept to themselves and Dayo begin to see the power music had to pull people together.

About the same time Dayo was studying film in California, Todd made the decision to drop out of college. Music’s call was so strong there was no other choice. So he hit the road playing and touring with a variety of musical acts singing and playing keyboard. His career progressed to owning and operating The Audio Lab recording studio. Through the studio he got an education in many types of music and the opportunity to produce many bands including Built to Spill, Caustic Resin, and literally hundreds of others. His other gigs include a professional job playing piano for a Southern Baptist church. Piano players love church music like guitar players love the Blues and the same is true for Todd.

The paths of these musicians merged at the right moment in time and they brought their creative forces together to deepen the styles and messages in Afrosonics’ sound. Out of the desire to bring communities together, Afrosonics creates music featuring a collective of musicians from the Middle East, Europe, Africa, South America and the United States. At the heart of the group’s progression, the band has conscientiously integrated new American musicians (former refugees from war torn areas of the world) into the collective that is Afrosonics.

The genre twist deepens with the infusion Idaho musicians into the collective with roots in country, rock, jazz and opera. Diverse voices bring many paths together in one musical destination.

Afrosonics have shared the stage with Angelique Kidjo, Vieux Farka Toure, The Wailers, Tito Puente Jr., Budos Band, Antibalas, Built to Spill, TV On The Radio, Cha Wah and many others.

As an Idaho grown music project, we seek to reflect the diversity of our state while delivering music that appeals to a broad audience. We would welcome the opportunity to come back up North to play or at any other Idaho/Northwest events you are curating.