Flash Company- Irish Music (Great For Any Season) (November 2021)

Issue Nineteen- November 2021:

By Mercedes Barreto

What is it about traditional music that entices your spirit? Is there something about traditional Irish music that entices your body and soul? Flash Company is here to show you Irish music like never before, as described and witnessed in this guided, yet informative article.

What was the beginning of Flash Company? What got you guys started, and what was that moment like?

“Prior to the mid 1980’s, my knowledge of Irish music was limited to the stuff you commonly hear on Saint Patrick’s Day; tunes like When Irish Eyes Are Smiling and The Unicorn. Consequently, I never gave it much thought. It just wasn’t part of my musical universe. I was a singer/songwriter in the James Taylor mold, and that was my world. Then in the mid 1980’s, I was attending a songwriter’s workshop that was not going well. So, I left my songwriting classes and enrolled instead in a mandolin class being taught by esteemed Irish musician and musicologist Mick Moloney. Hearing real Irish traditional music, I was entranced. (Much later, I would find out that I am, indeed, part Irish – thank you Ancestry – which may explain my instant affinity for this music.) Returning home, I plunged into learning more of this music and, as someone interested in history, learning more about Irish culture and history. Flash forward to 2016: on a 2013 trip to Ireland, I was entranced by the music I found there in rural pubs in places like Doolin and Dingle. When I
came home, I thought how great it would be to play that kind of music with others. My problem at the time was that I knew no one in my local  area who was into this music. Then in a chance conversation with another singer/songwriter, Jim Pospisil, I discovered that Jim shared my enthusiasm for Irish music and that we played complementary instruments for this music. So drafting a guitar player, we put together a trio. That first rehearsal was magical for me. I could close my eyes and picture myself back at a pub in Doolin whiling the night away playing this wonderful music. The jigs, the reels, the humorous and energetic tunes, and the heartfelt ballads…. All were now within reach. In 2017, Jim, a man of Polish extraction, and myself – not yet knowing I was even a small fraction Irish – were joined by a someone who was 100% Irish… my old college bandmate, Bryan Maloney, who was, as luck would have it, was also wishing for an outlet for his Irish music enthusiasms. And so, our first gig, a benefit for a local organization turned out to be a two night sell-out. And we were on our way!”

What are some things that Flash Company would like to share with the world from this year 2021 so far, if for some reason, you could share it with a global audience? What is the highlight for your band in 2021?

“I don’t think we look at ourselves in global terms. We love this music that we play, and we love the sense of camaraderie that we get from it. This music is often joyful, sometimes poignant….it’s very rich in emotion, and it tells interesting stories that are universal. So, we’d like to share that with any audience that we can. In the area in which we live, Irish music is dormant for much of the year, coming alive every March for the Saint Patrick’s Day season. We’d certainly like to broaden our audience and encourage everyone to be more open to the the joys of this music, and, for that matter, all music. It is, as the cliché says, the universal language. We should all be open to what it has to offer and to the value that it can have in helping people to bridge the differences between them.”

“Like most musicians and artists that we know, the Pandemic brought a halt to everything. We played our last pre-Pandemic gig in March of 2020, and were not able to play again until March of 2021….and even that was tentative as everyone was masked and distanced and basically unsure that being out at that point was safe. In March of 2020, we had 21 gigs lined up, and we were tremendously excited. The Pandemic resulted in 19 of those gigs being cancelled. So, we’re now at work trying to put that kind of schedule back together to regain the momentum that we had prior to the Pandemic. Success for us is bringing the joy of this
music to a broader audience, and seeing folks smiling, laughing, singing along with us. That connection between audience and musicians is what keeps us going, so we hope 2022 will bring us more and more opportunities to enjoy and deepen that connection. As far as the long run is concerned, all of us are senior citizens, and we’ll keep playing just as long as we can!”

“Our original songs are faithful to the musical traditions of Irish music, and many of them tend to be humorous in one way or another. A couple of them are slower, balladic tunes, but by and large, they are up-tempo songs intended to bring a smile to your face and give you the urge to tap your feet or even dance. At this point, I’ve been doing the lion’s share of the writing, and I thank my bandmates for supporting me, but the other members of the band are also beginning to turn in tunes for us to do, and we’re looking toward making an album this winter that will be composed largely, or perhaps completely, of original music in the Irish tradition. Songs like Saint Johnny’s Dance and Lisdoonvarna manifest the humorous storytelling tradition of Irish culture, and audiences respond very well to it. Jim has written a lovely tune called Darkest Time of Year that points to the fact that music can bring us out of the depths of a hard winter and, by extension, bring us closer together. That goes over very well, too, especially at Christmas time.”

If Flash Company could perform in one venue of preference, and the venue chosen can be anywhere not mattering the time or location, where would you perform, and why?

“We’ve had the pleasure of performing in small and large venues, to small and large audiences, and we love it all. A favorite venue of ours is the Towne Crier in Beacon, NY. I have a long history with the venue as a solo artist from my singer/songwriter days, as does Jim Pospisil, and it’s especially meaningful to us to bring Flash Company there. It has all the comforts that musicians love – nice dressing room, great sound and lights, big stage – so it has a very “big time” feel. At the same time, other places we play that are smaller or perhaps don’t have those extras, put us in touch with great audiences and each is just as enjoyable in its own way.”

“We can be found on YouTube, though most of the videos there were posted by fans and are basically cellphone videos. We do hope to complete our first album as a band in the coming months….hopefully before Saint Patrick’s Day 2022… and that will most likely be available on CDBaby.com. And, of course, you can go to our website at www.flashcompany.band. We try to keep the site interesting, with up to the minute calendar information, a blog that is usually
humorous, videos, and other goodies.”

Anything you would like to add here?

“Stop by the website. Leave a comment or question. We love to hear from our
audience or from anyone with an interest in Irish/Celtic music!

Follow us on Facebook at Flashcompanyhudsonvalley.”

Photo Courtesy and Credit via Roy Notaro.