Latency - Feile Artist Introduction

In this episode, Kevin talks with Shawn McDonough and Hillary Palmer about the origin of Latency, who is involved in it and what audiences can expect from them at this year's Féile. We'll also share a sample of their sound to give you a taste of what's in store.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hello everyone and welcome to the Tides That Tie, a podcast about all things Aaron Moore in Beaver Island. I'm Ron Gregg. Over the next few weeks, as we're counting down the days to the Emerald Isle Irish Pala on Beaver Island, we'd like to introduce you to some of the incredible artists who will be taking the stage this September. It's a chance to hear a little bit about their music, their stories, and what inspires them before they arrive on the island. In this episode, Kevin talks with Sean McDonough and Hillary Palmer about the origin of latency, who is involved in it, and what audiences can expect from them in this year's Fela. We'll also share a sample of their sound to give you a taste of what's in store. You can find more information about the Fela and purchase tickets at the Beaver Island Irish Heritage Group website, www.bihg.com. Thanks for listening and enjoy the conversation.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

I'm Sean McSona and uh I am part of Latency. Kevin, you were really a big piece of the origin story, but I I think in a small way I've been trying to find a way to play music more closely with Hillary for a while. Um which has always interested me, and we've gotten the opportunity to share stages plenty of times, but usually very far opposite ends of the stages, and was hoping to find a spot where we could be closer together. And then I think just by virtue of being able to sit in with um Jerry and John and John and Anne and at Phaela's past, and then being able to play some music with Jerry over and um Aaron Moore this past year really I think sparked up the overlap between a lot of us and the music that we appreciate and love and what we're trying to do with it and how uh maybe unseriously but seriously we take ourselves. And uh not to mention Jackson, not to mention I'm sure the host of other island folks that are gonna be joining in you know, ways large and small in the process. And yeah, it really excited to make uh y as much as it is about playing music, it's also been a really cool opportunity to form some new relationships and and to learn of and about new music that is constantly pouring in from the other sources.

SPEAKER_03 2:10

So I am Hillary Palmer, I am part of Latency, and the members of our group are myself, John McDonough, we have Jackson Smith, John Flanagan, John Gallagher, Ann Cunahan, and Jerry. I myself am a singer, and we have Ann Cunahan on the accordion, and John Cnith on the boron, Jerry on vocals and guitar, Jackson Smith on guitar, and Sean McDonough will also be singing as well as the bass and jumping.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

Yeah, we uh we will be playing, I think, a good mixture of things from the Irish and American like 20th century songbooks. Um and I say 20th century because that's probably where the majority of our music originated. Maybe a little bit twenty-first century, but that that will certainly be the exception. Um I and I think one of the things that Jerry challenged us with pretty early was hey, we we all play in different iterations around the Fela, around Beaver Island, so let's try and choose songs that um are new or that aren't represented in other other bands. Tom Waits and and the band and traditional Irish songbook, some jigs and reels from led by Anne. Uh just kind of all over the place. So how did the band come together?

SPEAKER_03 3:36

Um, I had received a message from Kevin Green asking if I would be interested in a project that he was thinking about. And I said, whatever it is. Um and then he told me that he wanted to collaborate, you know, the two islands per se, and you know, come up with a band. Yeah, so we got together to talk about songs and tried to figure out a way to practice live so there wouldn't be so much lagging in between, and we tried different versions of programs and it just kind of didn't work for us, but I don't know, it's been kind of a fun process trying to figure it out how we were gonna make it work and everybody's just being such team players.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

Yeah, we started after after Kevin laid the groundwork for getting the group together. We s we scheduled our first meeting and met, I think it was on Google Meets. Um very, you know, cognizant of all the different time zones that folks are in doing these things, but had a great chat and kind of left with the idea that we were gonna try and find a way to synchronously perform together on different sides of the world, different, you know, different parts of the globe. And despite our best efforts, could not, you know, could not find a way that was probably financially feasible, um, technologically feasible that would allow us to do that in a way that didn't have a great deal of latency. And so that term kept coming up, and I think Hillary was actually the first one as the the word had probably repeated itself to be like that might there might be a band name in that. Uh and I don't know if she was she may have been saying it as a joke to begin with, but I think everybody else kind of stopped for a second and was like, Yep, that's uh that's the thing right there. And so it was a l a little bit of serendipity um and a little bit of, you know, finding in our our our identity and the thing that was causing us the most pain.

SPEAKER_03 5:36

Yeah, so we've been trying to, you know, do our parts individually and you know, lay a track down and then you know, have everybody do their parts and try to put it together somehow or to show your version of what you're doing or the key you're doing it in and the style and the tempo and all of that. So trying to individually come together and that into one. So we are all on the same page as to somewhat of an idea of like the tempo and the key and the version that each person is thinking they're in their mind what they're gonna do. And I I I think it's gonna it's gonna end up being all right. Everybody's fantastic musicians and it's it's it's very exciting and fun project, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

Yeah, if it's the if it's a the twentieth century songbook, it's definitely a twenty-first century project and that we are gonna be coming together to play our first show at the Fela. Which will be f fun and a little nerve wracking, but ultimately I think to what Hillary said, um a lot of trust in the other people that'll be up there. So it should be good. So what are you what are you both looking forward to as you play together at the Fela?

SPEAKER_03 6:42

I am honored and definitely looking forward to standing side by side to all of the musicians that are gonna be up there with me. I'm looking forward to us, you know, collaborating with each other and having a good old time and just playing for the people.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

Any thought any thoughts on what it means for the two islands to come together in one band?

SPEAKER_03 7:03

Yeah, I think it's very special that Jerry and John Gallagher wrote that Two Islands One Soul song, and I think it's very special that we get to come together as a band latency and be able to play with each other and have that connection and just feel the love for each other and the music on stage.