
Roger Lockyer
Folk \ Roots \ Comedy
Roger Lockyer has been active in the Newfoundland music scene for over a dozen years, promoting shows and serving as a booking agent and manager to several prominent acts.
After returning to his home province after a decade in Ontario, Roger joined the board of directors of the Folk Arts Society in 2006. The following year he began assisting in the programming of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival and in 2010 assumed the role of the festival's Artistic Director which he held for 2 more years. During that time Roger developed a strong network of contacts throughout North America and took and even stronger interest in how the music business works.
Roger continues to work with the NL Folk Festival whenever possible having just completed work on the 2018 edition.
In 2012 he formed Foleymore Entertainment, a concert promoter and talent agency based in St. John's.
Roger has always had a passion for the spoken word traditions in Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2013, Roger helped establish From Stage to Stage, an all recitation troupe that has since gone on to release two successful spoken-word performance albums and have toured throughout the province.
Roger began managing the career of Matthew Byrne with the release of his 2014 album Hearts and Heroes. In support of that album Roger began booking tours for Matthew across Canada and the United States, helping establish him as a prominent voice on the traditional scene and further strengthening his own skills in the music booking and talent management arenas. In 2015 he welcomed singer-songwriter Sherman Downey to his roster and along the way has lent assistance to acts such Gary & Whit, Dave Penny, and Allan Ricketts.
Roger has always had a strong desire to help establish small market venues in Newfoundland as viable tour stops for visiting and local artists. Working with venues like The English Harbour Arts Centre , Freshwater Concerts, and Citadel House, among others, Roger has assisted acts like Nuala Kennedy, The Spinney Brothers, and Murder Murder make successful appearances in rural Newfoundland. He also helped establish The Winter Island tour which sees Matthew Byrne and Sherman Downey pair up for an annual duo tour of the province that has seen them perform in more than a dozen venues around the island.
2017-2018 has seen Roger continue to both develop the careers of his artists and present quality shows in Newfoundland.
– He is once again assisting with the programming of the Newfoundland and Labrador folk festival.
– To support the release Matthew Byrne's 3rd album Horizon Lines Roger planned a 27 date tour of Canada that saw the artist travel from Vancouver to a hometown release show at George St. United church. Through relationships built at music conferences around the continent, Roger has expanded Matthew's team to include a US booking agent, publicists in the US, Canada,and the UK as well as a UK record deal.
– Christmas 2017 saw Sherman Downey and From Stage to Stage team up for an 11 date Christmas tour around the province that saw them travel from Labrador city to two sold-out shows at the LSPU Hall in St. John's. The tour is slated to be repeated in 2018, again under the auspices of the Arts and Culture Centres.
– In April of 2017 Roger also promoted two sold out shows at the Hall featuring Juno award winner David Francey with another show from British folk icon Martin Simpson just around the corner.
Roger continues to be fascinated by the music business relishes every opportunity to learn, and to continually move his artists forward.