I got up earlier than usual to go to 24-Hour Fitness. I've wanted to learn Yoga for a while. They have a Sunday at noon Yoga class (early? what can I say, I'm a musician).

This was my first-ever Yoga class. Oy! What a workout. I'm not used to actually exercising. But it's good for me. I'm gonna start going regularly methinks.

After meditating cool down, I left the gym and decided to go to Mother Egan's Irish Pub for their newly started Celtic Brunch. The band playing--The Tea Merchants. I walked in at the end of a rousing set of reels. There were a solid fifty or so people gathered on the covered deck at Mother Egan's. I only saw one table open so grabbed it.

It was the end of their set. So I ordered the Egan's Eggs while I waited for the next set. The weather was just perfect with a nice breeze blowing across the porch. There families, couples, folks just out of church, and a lot of bright smiles on people's faces.

The next set kicked into gear and the band rocked the house. Folks were clapping, stomping, dancing around as waitresses dogged them. The band was tight. They sound even better than ever every time I see them. Today was no exception.

One of the owners, Mick, walked out onto the deck during a set of a very powerful polkas. He was beaming. The Greencards used to play a Sunday brunch there for a couple o'years. I could tell he saw the same success of The Greencards as he did with The Tea Merchants.

The end of the show was riveting. Twenty minutes of Irish tunes that moved every foot in the house.

Most Austinites don't realize how much great Celtic music there is in Austin. To me, the Irish & Scottish community is fragmented. But let me tell you, folks like the Austin Celtic Association, the Celtic Cultural Center, Things Celtic, the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine, and now my own Irish & Celtic Music Podcast are out there on the front lines promoting some of the hottest new Celtic artists out there. Many of them are from right here in Austin.

Go to AustinCelts.org and find some of these great Celtic Performers that are playing EVERY week.

PS. On February 18th, the Brobdingnagian Bards and the Bedlam Bards will get together at Mother Egan's to do a CD Release for The Circle, a new compilation CD of Renaissance festival musicians benefitting victims of Hurricane Katrina. This is a side of Celtic music that doesn't pop up much in Austin, but we'll leave you rolling in the aisles.