Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
When he immigrated to Canada he expected to get involved in the blues scene, but
found it wasn't a good fit. One night his girlfriend at the time suggested a bar where a
country and western band was playing and the band leader encouraged audience members
to get up and join them. Lance found that playing country and western fit him like a com-
fortable old boot. “I did that for 20 years and I played with a lot of excellent musicians.”
That experience also laid some of the foundation for the style for which Pura Vida is so
well known.
Likeforsomanyexpatriates, CostaRicawasasurpriseloveaffairforLanceandLetty.
In the late 90s they'd heard from a Toronto bartender about a place his girlfriend had con-
vinced him to go on holiday. It was, of course, Costa Rica.
“When he came back he was transformed,” Letty says. “He couldn't stop talking about
the country and especially Quepos and Manuel Antonio.” The following year Lance and
Letty took a week to see it for themselves. “The year after that we came for two weeks. We
played a little music and met a lot of musicians. That started a process of coming back and
forth and trying to figure out how to spend all our time here.” The lifestyle, natural beauty
and vibrant music scene struck a chord with them, helped in part by the support of the local
community, people like Vera at Dos Locos. “She's great to musicians,” Letty says.
“What we hear from tourists that come here is that it's wonderful to walk in the door
with no cover charge and see a live band,” Lance adds. They had both noticed the music
scene in Toronto declining in the 90s before they left, with live bands becoming less pop-
ular. Some people haven't seen a live band since college and so by providing a platform
for live music, Dos Locos lets people enjoy a special afternoon or night out. It also costs
considerably less than they might pay in the U.S., and with top notch talent.
“We get some really good players coming down and spending a month,” Letty says.
“People are knocked out by the quality of music here in town.”
Looking at the turnout on a Saturday afternoon, it would appear she's right. The Dos
Locos 'matinee' gigs came about as a collaboration between Vera and the Pura Vida Social
Club with an open invitation to local and visiting artists. “We tell people 'You don't have
to come and pull the train all afternoon,'” Letty says, indicating the lead microphone.
“It had never been done before,” Lance explains, and the event has become very pop-
ular, particularly with folks not keen on coming out at night for the other gigs.
A chapter about the Pura Vida Social Club wouldn't be complete without a mention of
their loss last year with the passing of their British drummer Niven “Gringo Starr” Keymer.
NivenandLettyhadbeenacoupleinTorontointhemid-70sandhadremainedfriends.
“Niven had played drums in high school and picked up playing again after managing and
doing sound for a bluegrass band and a folk act. Starting around 1982 the three of us used
to jam at the house of a couple with 2 teenagers. This group Lance, Niven, Ed, Maya, and
me called ourselves Middle Age Spread, and did a little playing in Toronto. Lance and Ed
