The $50 bill rests behind glass, framed and hung in the Laymans’ music room.
It’s the first payment they ever received for playing music, at a small music festival in Northern Virginia, to a crowd of maybe 20 people.
What started as family jam sessions, with siblings Cole and Logan on guitar and bass, respectively, and their mom, Sandy, on drums, led to open mic sessions and then to a paid gig.
“This is crazy that we’re getting money to do this,” Sandy remembers thinking. “It was just our fun joy.”
Now, Cole and Logan Layman, the duo behind blues group In Layman Terms, are well-established in the Hampton Roads blues community. They’re headed to Memphis, Tenn., this week to compete against the blues’ best musicians at the International Blues Challenge. And their debut album, “Tangled,” will be released April 8.
Still, making music has never been about money or recognition. Blues brings them joy, as it always has.
“It’s the most genuine music,” Cole said. “And when you’re playing, you’re not sticking to a part. You don’t have to worry about what comes next, because really, you’re playing from your soul.”
Talented teens
They’re regular teenagers. As a senior at Warhill High School, Cole, 18, recently completed college applications. Logan, 15, runs cross-country and track as a Warhill sophomore. They love hanging out with friends, and they haven’t yet experienced heartbreak, despite that common blues theme.
When Cole and Logan take to a stage, though, it’s easy to forget their youth.
Bobby “BlackHat” Walters, blues singer and leader of the Bobby BlackHat Band, first encountered the siblings at Mojo Bones in Ocean View. He remembers Logan, playing a bass guitar bigger than she was, belting with an even bigger voice.
“Their musical talent is extraordinary,” Walters said. “I’ve watched them just get better and better.”
Though they’ve played music since kindergarten, Cole and Logan are largely self-taught. The siblings discovered the blues on YouTube, of all places, watching Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy.”
Though they love music of all types, from funk to jazz to pop, the siblings find freedom in playing the blues.
“It’s telling a story,” Logan said. “You can express things that you wouldn’t be able to express in words into songs.”
“Blues is very passionate music,” Walters said. ‘They’ve been able to capture that.”
Yet, they put a Layman spin on it.
“We really write and play music a lot for change, and we hope it can inspire people,” Cole said. They wrote the single “Won’t Let It” to encourage those fighting cancer.
They’ve finished recording their first album. But Cole and Logan thrive in live settings, taking any stage with seasoned confidence and following where the music leads.
Representing the Blue Ridge Blues Society, In Layman Terms will compete at the 2016 International Blues Challenge, starting Jan. 27. This marks their fourth time at the challenge, but their first time competing in the band category, backed by Sandy on drums. Logan and Cole are some of the younger competitors in that category, joining blues musicians from around the world, including Walters and his band.
“They earned their right to go there,” Walters said. “They have just as much chance as anybody to make it into the finals.”
Keeping the blues alive
They’ve heard the line many a time: You won’t make it far playing the blues.
But Cole and Logan are on a mission to keep blues alive.
“It is my goal to inspire younger musicians, and people my age, to start listening to blues music,” Logan said. “I would definitely love to inspire … musicians to play the blues.”
“To see young people that are embracing this genre, that are taking it to the next level, that are carrying on the tradition is very comforting,” Walters said.
Logan has two years of high school ahead of her. Cole approaches four years of college. And though they’d love to become full-time musicians, Logan loves marine biology and Cole loves to write.
No matter where life leads the Layman siblings, “I don’t think they’ll ever stop playing music,” Walters said. “I think that’s in their soul.”
For more information, visit 3inlayman terms.com.
Bridges can be reached by phone at 757-275-4934.
Upcoming shows
Feb. 5 – Bacchus Wine and Food Festival, Newport News
Feb. 6 – Mardi Gras Party at The Corner Pocked, Williamsburg
March 12 – March of the Lions, Williamsburg
March 12 – Water Street Grille, Yorktown
March 28 – World premiere of debut album on ‘Music on the Couch’
April 8 – WAVY 10 Live Music Friday, 11 a.m.
April 8 – Album release party at The Camel, Richmond
April 9 – Album release party at Daddyo’s, Williamsburg
