Tom Landa, leader and founder of the Paperboys and Latin roots band Locarno, is certainly delivering the music to people this spring. Not only is he the festival programmer of CelticFest Vancouver, but he’s also starting up a new venture—the Vancouver World Music Festival, which kicks off at the Imperial next Friday (April 3).

“My Locarno bandmate [marimba player] Robin Layne and I decided to do this together, seeing what a rich pool of world-music players we have,” Landa told the Straight. “So the idea for this first year is to have local bands, and then watch it grow from a one-day event to something much bigger, and be able to bring artists from around the world.”

The debut bill features Gord Grdina’s Haram, the marimba-based Kutapira, Tambura Rasa, which “concentrates on Turkish and Slavic beats and melodies”, and Locarno.

“The festival is something I think this hugely multicultural city needs, and something I’ve long wanted to do,” said Landa.