Interview with Kathryn Gretsinger from CBC Morning Radio

Kathryn Gretsinger: Good morning.
Larry Foley: How's it going?
Patrick Moran: Good morning.
Kathryn: Very well, thanks. Does it feel early?
Patrick: Yeah, it's startin' to now.
Larry: Yeah, definitely.
Kathryn: Usually you're stepping on the stage and really waking up at the opposite end of the day, hunh?
Larry: Usually.
Kathryn: So are you set for the weekend? Everything in order?
Larry: We're good to go all around. From port-a-potties to snow fencing to beer garden...
Patrick: Sunshine.
Larry: All that. We were talking to the Man and it's on the way.
Kathryn: Well, the fella from the softball assocation was saying the same thing. So he's put in a good word for you as well.
Larry: Oh, excellent.
Kathryn: There you go. So now tell me, you've been awfully busy over the last year or so, touring the new CD. Where have you been?"
Larry: Everywhere. *singing* I've been everywhere man, I've been... Yeah, we went out on the road I guess for the longest haul in the last little while for about 8 weeks over April and May. So that took us coast to coast and since then we've been back to Ontario. Been down to Boston and New York and we were even as far as Yellowknife. How long ago was that?
Patrick: Way up north...
Larry: Couple of weeks ago.
Patrick: Yeah.
Larry: We were in Yellowknife for the Folk on the Rocks festival, which was really neat. It's the first time we've been.
Patrick: Sharon and Lois.
Larry: We met Sharon and Lois.
Patrick: Yes, or Sharon and Bram.
Larry: Sharon and Bram, yeah.
Patrick: Lois was missing in action in action somewhere.
Kathryn: Oh that's too bad.
Larry: So I stepped in and it was Sharon, Lawrence and Bram.
Kathryn: There you go. And did it go ok for you?
Larry: It's was great!
Kathryn: What kind of response are you getting to the music you play?
Patrick: Surprisingly, this past year we're noticing more people actually knowing the band. Which was, you know, before we were always kinda going out blind and trying to break into new markets. But, noticed every time we play there's more and more people, you know, helping us out with the words when we forget 'em.
Larry: Yeah, watch their mouths.
Patrick: It's really good. They bail you out a lot of the time.
Kathryn: What's it like to go to a whole new city and see people singing your music back to you?
Larry: It's really great. It just shows that sloggin' it out and sloggin' it out does eventually pay off. We've been to every city in Canada now five times. And you know, like I said, once you show up there and people are coming out singing your tunes along with you then... which is a great feeling, you know. It's amazing how stuff travels.
Patrick: And, of course, there's Newfoundlanders everywhere you go.
Kathryn: Yeah.
Larry: Of course that always helps.
Kathryn: Plenty in British Columbia, that's for sure.
Larry: Yep.
Patrick: Yeah.
Kathryn: Would you like to begin this morning by playing a bit of a tune for us?
Larry: Sure, why not?
Kathryn: Ok, what would you like?
Larry: Seeing as we're here.
Kathryn: Might as well. You've got the gear with you and the microphones set up.
Patrick: Oh geez, where'd that come from? Wow.
Kathryn: It's magic.

**Wonder What It's Like**

Kathryn: Two of the four Punters. Pat Moran and Larry Foley in the studio with me this morning in St. John's. So the idea for Punters in the Park, where did it come from?
Larry: Well this is the third annual, a lot of it had to do with the fact that one, two summers ago we were gone practically all summer. We missed the Folk Festival. We missed every event going so we said "well, let's make our own."
Kathryn: Have you're own party.
Larry: Yeah, kinda. So the last two years we did it in conjunction with the Bowring Park Foundation. This year we took it out on our own and did it in conjunction with the Newfoundland Cancer Treatment Foundation. Because, you know, this is a chance to give something back to the community too so it was a very worthy charity that keeps money here in Newfoundland. It's not like other national, sort of, charities where the money raised goes to a national fund or whatever. The money for this charity stays in Newfoundland. So that was very important to us also.
Kathryn: Why was that important to you, Pat?
Patrick: Well with the Cancer Foundation, like a lot of my relatives I think over the past year, I think I've had four. One time when I was away I think I had four relatives in the hospital with cancer at the same time. So it was good to see that maybe me playing the fiddle and Larry playing the guitar can help people who are very close to us, you know. So keeping it here was a big deal, you know.
Kathryn: Do people respond to that, knowing that you're holding an event that has a purpose beyond music?
Larry: Um, I hope so. You know, you're not looking for a medal or anything either. It's just a chance to take what you do and, you know, we're doing a concert anyway. So to be able to do a little bit of good for the Newfoundland and Labrador is.. 'cause you know, without people we don't have much of a job. It's the people who buy our CDs and come to the shows. It's a bit of a cliché but once again you like to be able to give back.
Kathryn: I gather, you've had wonderful response from the local community to your music over the last several years.
Larry: Yeah, I mean it started from ground zero, like you know,...
Patrick: Mom and Dad.
*laughter*
Larry: Pretty much.
Kathryn: Clapping in the background.
Larry: Living room performances and stuff like that. Um, but yeah, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador have been awesome to us. And as Pat touched on earlier, the people from here who live right across the country. It's neat in a way because people come out whether we're in Calgary or we're in Vancouver or in Toronto or wherever and people come out for a night of home. But it's also kind of sad in a way that everybody, that some many people from here are away. If everbody goes home it would be so much better.
Kathryn: The island might sink if everybody came back at the same time.
Larry: Could happen, could happen definitely.
Kathryn: What about trying to line up a concert like you've planned. How do you decide who to invite and how to line it all up?
Larry: Very difficult, very difficult. In a lot of cases some of it even comes down to scheduling. Who can make it and who can't. You know, we'd like for it to be a three day thing but you don't want to compete with the Folk Festival either. Which was a great time by the way. We had an awesome show and we really loved it.
Kathryn: It was terrific. Great turn out as well.
Larry: It was beautiful. But mostly with this concert we wanted to keep it to bands that were pretty well Celtic flavoured bands. And you always like to give a new band a start. This year we've got the Impalas on. Last year, Gearbox played. So you know, we like to try to round out the bill as much as possible.
Kathryn: Now, The Impalas, any connection here Pat?
Patrick: Um, my brother plays bass in the band and Larry's brother sings in the band.
Kathryn: Kind of neat to see the young ones coming up behind you.
Patrick: So we've got a little farm team coming, you know. It's nice to see.
Larry: Coincidental, but hey, there it is.
Patrick: Yeah, it was total... I don't think we had anything really, we maybe had a little bit to do with it but not very much to do with it at all. They kinda met on their own.
Larry: Yes.
Patrick: But we pushed 'em in the right direction.
Kathryn: And what kind of music do they put together?
Patrick: They're rock and rollers all the way. Pretty much. Yeah, they're a pop band.
Larry: *in mock British accent* True rock and rollers.
Patrick: They're kind of Oasis-ish.
Kathryn: Hair's a little bit longer, just a little bit.
Larry: No...
Patrick: No...
Larry: Shorter actually.
Patrick: They're a lot taller than us though, for some reason.
Kathryn: Alright, let's have another song then if you will.
Larry: Cool. Ok, um..
Patrick: What would you like to play, anything?
Larry: We're going to do a number that's been good to me over the years. I've always wanted to say that.
Kathryn: Get a load of you. Yeah.
Larry: We're going to do one of Dermot O'Reilly's songs that actually people have really responded to off the new CD and it's called Candlelight & Wine.

**Candlelight and Wine**

Kathryn: Larry Foley and Patrick Moran, two of the members of the Punters. They're going to be in Bowring Park this weekend starting at 2:00 in the afternoon.
Larry: That's what the posters say.
Kathryn: Rain or shine, the poster also says.
Patrick: The poster never lies.
Larry: Gates open at 2:00pm, and bands start at 3:00. Celtic Connection's on first then Greg Donaghey, Impalas, Arthur O’Brien, Billy & The Bruisers, Ennis Sisters, Irish Descendants, Punters and then the grand finale.
Kathryn: One more time, just a little bit more slowly.
Larry: Oh, I thought we were under the clock there.
Kathryn: Just a little bit. You've still got a minute to go.
Larry: Ok, I'll do it again. I wanted to see how fast I could say it actually. Um, Celtic Connection, Greg Donaghey, The Impalas, Arthur O'Brien, Billy & The Bruisers, The Ennis Sisters, The Irish Descendants, The Punters... know them fellas or what?
Patrick: Nope.
Larry: And then the grand finale at the end. A bit of a jam gonna happen.
Patrick: That's our second band, Grand Finale.
Larry: Yes, La Grande Finale
Kathryn: Now if people want to pick up tickets in advance they're $15 at O'Brien's or Fred's Records or Don Cherry's or Ziggy's. They can also pick them up at the gate.
Larry: Or Allan's Video locations actually. The poster also says that. Yeah, you can pick them up at the gate but, you know, they're five bucks more at the gate, so, buy now.
Patrick: Get out and get them now.
Kathryn: Buy now, buy early.
Patrick: Don't complain tomorrow.
Larry: And in case people are wondering they're selling really, really well. Like, there's thousands gone already. So, better hurry up.
Kathryn: And CDs will be available as well in the park?
Larry: I would imagine so. Yeah, not to mention hats and t-shirts. We've got a quota to meet before the end of the month.
Kathryn: Alright, well thank you both very much for coming in bright and early. Wish you all the best for tomorrow.
Patrick: You're very welcome. See you there.
Larry: Thanks.
Kathryn: Look forward to seeing you on the other coast one of these days.
Larry: Will do.
Kathryn: Thank you. Larry Foley on vocals and guitar, Patrick Moran on the fiddle. The Punters in the Park goes rain or shine tomorrow starting at 2:00pm at Bowring Park.