As the child of a theatrical family, Alycin Hayes grew up backstage at the renowned Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada. Duke Ellington introduced her to music on her family's piano when she was just three years old. Ravi Shankar dropped by for tea with his sitar to share his insights on Indian percussion music with her when she was an impressionable 13 years of age. Since then she has spent most of her life exploring and adventuring around the world.
Alycin first splashed into the international press when at 15 she took an impromptu swim with the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Elliot Trudeau. She has traveled overland through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, studied yoga in India with Swami Gitananda, watched the the sunrise over Mt. Everest, canoed through Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil's Amazon basin, danced with fire walkers in Fiji, studied Capoeira in Brazil with Mestre Sombra, researched King Halle Selassie's Barbary lions in Ethiopia and studied Thai temple drumming while designing musical instruments for the elephants that play in the Thailand Elephant Orchestra.
Alycin Hayes studied Drama at the University of Texas and also has a degree in Zoo Animal Technology. Her animal behaviour research has been published internationally. She has ridden her American Indian horse in 25 and 50 mile Endurance races in Canada and the USA . Last year she was a groom/crew for the Canadian Equestrian Endurance team for the FEI 2008 World Championship 100 Mile Race in Malaysia. Alycin is certified in Reiki and uses her skills in her Intuitive Horse Massage.
Some of the many percussion instruments that Alycin plays are jazz washboard, bongo cahons, magic keys, ashiko, djembe, log drum, guiro, caxixi, berimbau, wooden spoons, gongs, chimes, singing bowls, hill tribe elephant bells and many other unique instruments she designed and made herself. She has facilitated her workshops at retreats and colleges in Canada and the USA.
Alycin Hayes has performed music in United States, Canada, Iceland, Thailand and Malaysia with a wide range of musical groups that have included African, Jazz, Celtic, Latin, Reggae, Folk, Rock and her own Original Percussion Soundscape Music.
In 2007 Alycin recorded a CD with the Canadian drumming group THE RHYTHM SISTERS. In 2008 she released a CD with the Florida Suwannee Folk Rock Band PROGRESSIVE MADNESS. Alycin is now recording some of her own sultry percussive folk songs.
What others say about Alycin's Music:
"Great work Alycin. You have a bit of the Marianne Faithful thing going on." Trudy Artman
"Your band Progressive Madness sounds like a reincarnation of the Traveling Wilbury's; Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison and Roy Orbison reincarnated into touchable, hearable and feelable, life-like people, spanning generations (still living) that you can touch, hear and feel. The real thing!" Jim Masterson
" I LOVED the soundscapes on the seagull song!! Not sure how you did it but it was wonderful." Jan Kalmusky, British Columbia, Canada
"I just had a listen to the music you recorded with Progressive Madness. Seagull Song is a beautiful atmospheric piece. It creates a wonderful audio picture. Certainly lots of diversity to the music of the band. And I can certainly relate to their name - Progressive Madness - I know I'm definitely making progressive towards that." Brent Jones, Ontario, Canada
"Very inspiring " Dinah Christie, Ontario, Canada
"Really a unique sound" Jack Barnes, Drumanticks Newsletter, Ontario, Canada
"Thanks it was fun, fun!" Layne Redmond Salvador, Brazil
"Out came Alycin with a half a dozen laughing and smiling women and soon there there were scores of percussion instruments ... The energy was electric that night;
The crowd was up dancing and playing, playing and dancing! " Pam Bell, Editor of Gourd Fever Magazine
Some musicians Alycin has performed with
Grant Peeples
Flash Silvermoon
The Blues Sisters
Dave Dowling
Progressive Madness
The Rhythm Sisters
Carole Allison
Tomas R. Einarsson
Ubaka Hill
Baba Leon & The Lost Safari Drummers
Gabriola Island's SAGE
Alycin's First Band
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ALYCIN HAYES
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Singer, Songwriter, Percussionist
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 Performing  Workshop in Canada  Children spontaneously join Alycin onstage  Alycin playing in London
A few of Alycin's lyrics
Moth Singed Candle
"Singeing my wings
each time I fly by
I never learn
to avoid my pain
Like a moth to a flame
I return my love again..."
Panther of the Florida Night
"He ran bravely, blindly
into the woods with fright
He ran kindly, knightly
to save her from her plight
Cause she cried
Help me, help me
Help save our panther of the night..."
Fair Weather Friends
"Fair weather friends
They come and they go
Like changing seasons
Or fresh melting snow..."
Copyright © 2006 Alycin Hayes
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