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the band
Beginning as a hastag and a dream, Kyle Martin started using the moniker “Sonomacana” to represent the way music sounds in Sonoma County while he blogged and hosted his radio show “Kyle’s Calendar.” Over the years, he began to embrace the genre of Sonomacana as his own, and decided to form a group dedicated to the cause of spreading the good sounds of Sonoma County.
While Sonomacana has taken many forms as has worked with many artists, the core of the group consists of Lara Brown on vocals, flute, ukulele, and percussion; Kyle Martin on vocals, guitar/bass, melodica and percussion; and Dave McLean, lead guitarist extraordinaire.
Sonomacana explores the sounds of rock, ska, and reggae with a Sonoma County twist! Specializing in good vibes and immaculate taste, their blend of originals and covers ensures you’ll leave your worries at the door and move to the beat of our loving ambition.
Join Sonomacana for a show, and you’ll hear songs that are over 100 years old and songs playing on the radio. We aspire to bring joy and a chill moment wherever we go!
kyle martin
Kyle Martin is a Santa Rosa, CA native and performer, producer and promoter for the region’s music industry. Born from a musical family, Kyle enrolled in choral music programs and traveled internationally performing with Santa Rosa High. He studied under many instructors learning vocals, piano, guitar and percussion.
He formed his first band in 2000 called “Lost Leader” - a fast paced punk group. While attending Santa Rosa Junior College, Kyle participated in concert and chamber choirs and began his solo career as a songwriter and performer. In 2007 he began to host events at The Boogie Room and Gardens where for over two years he held hundreds of performances by local and internationally acclaimed groups. It was also the birthplace of the Kyle Martin Band.
Kyle has since produced and performed 10 full length records with different groups and two albums at Prairie Sun Recording, a Grammy award winning studio. Kyle is Currently the owner of Scratch Track Studio which is the headquarters and rehearsal space of Sonomacana.
Lara Brown
Lara Brown started playing music at the age of seven when she was introduced to the flute in elementary wind band. She continued playing flute through high school, enjoying her experiences in youth symphony, marching band, and winter percussion ensembles. At Cuesta College she studied flute under the tutorship of Cassie Tarantino and was a founding member of the Brazilian choro combo Choro de Ouro.
At Cal Poly, Lara participated in the Arabic Music Ensemble, Wind Orchestra as first chair flautist, and was a member of the marching/pep band which lead her to become a brother of Kappa Kappa Psi, Iota Pi chapter.
In 2014, Lara and Dave founded Dry Ice Queen, a rock/funk venture that performed locally with all original music. In 2020, they performed on the Halloween cover show at the Phoenix Theater as No Doubt, which was immediately released to YouTube due to lockdown. Lara joined Sonomacana in 2022 and began to incorporate flute into her rock band performing.
dave mclean
Dave plucked his first guitar out of his neighbors trash at the age of 14. It was a small scale acoustic strung with nickel strings that never stayed in tune but would prove a life altering experience. Initially cutting his teeth in the punk and metal scenes, he eventually found a mentor in Nathan Montgomery, a local guitar hero who would ultimately become a gigging partner.
Dave featured in a variety Detroit area rock bands including I the Sky and Return to Dust, recording numerous LPs and EPs over the years, and performing live acoustic and jazz sets with other local artists at the same time. He moved to Santa Rosa, CA years ago and now calls the area home. He and vocalist Lara performed together for several years before joining Sonocana and falling in love with the genre and band.