La Palma

Tell us about you and your work

La Palma is Chris Walker and Tim Gibbon. Tim lives in Philly and Chris lives in San Francisco, and we make music by passing sounds back and forth correspondence style. We met years ago when we both lived and played in bands in Washington DC.

What inspires you?

The inspiration for our work comes from the sounds, sights, and experiences of our everyday lives. But a lot of times it's a little detail that will spark the inspiration to write a song. Something like seeing a flower growing in the early spring or a little phrase that one of our kids say will be the starting point for a song that taps into a bigger physics landscape. A lot of those tiny elements, often recorded on our phones as voice memos or snapshots, work their way into the textures of our songs and videos.

What does community mean to you?

None of us are free until all of us are free. Community is essential for survival and it's our responsibility to nurture and protect each other.

Favorite film

Over pizza one night we discovered that Basquiat is a film that was formative to both of us growing up... as teenagers this movie really spoke to us both, though we haven't seen it in years.

Favorite song

We have so many favorite songs. But one that we have in common is "Tears in the Typing Pool" by Broadcast. Years ago Tim put this track on a mixtape for Chris and it was a point of artistic connection. We both love the combination of intimate and spaced out, raw acoustic and warped electronics.

Favorite place

The Iglesia de San Juan Chamula in Chiapas, Mexico is a really amazing place that we've both visited and been inspired by, independently. It's a very old Mayan/Catholic syncretic church where the pews have been replaced by a floor of pine needles, filled with the smell of candle offerings and sounds of Mayan guitars and people praying in Tzotzil. We both had our own experiences and were moved by this uniquely beautiful and spiritual place.