Marc Gunn is Celtic American songwriter and podcaster from Austin, Texas. He combines a passionate affinity for alternative folk ballads, Irish drinking songs, fantasy, Sci Fi, and cats on the autoharp.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Rich Brotherton - Ace Recording Studio in Austin, Texas
I first saw Rich Brotherton's name on the back of a CD by Ed Miller. I didn't know who he was. I listened to the album and loved Ed's music. Little did I know that Rich was the engineer and producer behind the recording. When I heard The Tea Merchant's first CD, I was extremely impressed. It sounded awesome. Lo and behold, Rich Brotherton's name came back up.
When I finally decided to record my second of Irish music and cats, I called up Rich Brotherton to produce the album. Little did I know that he had a couple decades of experience playing Celtic music. Nor did I know he was a brilliant multi-instrumentalist, playing the guitar, cittern, mandolin, bass, tenor banjo, and I'm sure I missed some. But in the end Rich produced my album Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers, and it sounded so good I decided I want him to produce my next big album.
At long last, Rich Brotherton has a website for Ace Recording, the name of his recording studio. The website does not begin to capture the magic and life that Rich puts into his productions.
If you're looking for a brilliant producer in Austin, look no further. For that matter, he's worth a trip to record!
I think I first learned this song from The Wolfe Tones when I first started learning Irish songs. It captured my imagination as it told the story of an Irishman who immigrates to Australia. The song was collected in Australia in the 1950s by H.P.C. 'Duke' Tritton. This version is sung with an Irish pirate brogue for my CD, Going for Brogue.
- Marc's Music News - Whiskers in the Jar Arrives - CD Release Parties - Street Teams
Published 1-4 times per month. To manage your subscription, go to the end of this newsletter. Visit My Store Now!
Marc's Musings
Greetings Amici,
I was woken early this morning by the apartment maintenance crew. They arrived to replace the power box for some reason. Fortunately, I went to bed earlier than usual less night. I hope to be well-rested for Ireland when we leave next week.
But there's still so much to do. I have three podcasts to finish, and I still need to figure out who's gonna be cat sitting for me while I'm gone. Plus, I have a lot of promotion to do because Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers has finally arrived.
MARC'S MUSIC NEWS Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers has arrived. I spent a couple weeks impatiently following the progress of the production order on the Diskfaktory website. Last week, I saw it was shipped. Two days ago, there was a knock at the door. The CD was here.
I can't begin to explain my jubilation. You would think that after a decade of recording music and 30+ albums that I would get used to the idea of a new CD. I guess not. I was more excited than ever.
Admitedly, I'm really proud of this album. When you are trying to produce a traditional Irish CD... and you play the autoharp... it helps that you have a producer who knows Irish music inside and out. Rich Brotherton does.
Don't get me wrong. Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers met all my expectations and then some. It even had my autoharp as the main rhythm instrument. But Whiskers, well, you really have to hear this CD. The music that backs up the fun, cat loving vocals is just top notch. In some ways, it's almost a more serious Irish album than the first one (excepting being about cats of course).
In any case, it is done. When it arrived, I immediately filled the orders of everyone who sponsored the album early. Those are now in the mail. I should have the rest of the CDs for all the pre-adopters out before I fly to Ireland. So we both will be able to listen to some amazingly fun Irish music... about cats!
Oh! And this is your last chance to pre-adopt the CD. Sunday, I will close off the orders on the website until the album is available on CD Baby.
Don't forget to download the latest release from Whiskers called "When the Dairy Farm Caught Fire" (by Jean Prior, Nancy Pearsall, Marc Gunn). It's free from the MarcSongs Podcast.
MARC GUNN LIVE! I had a fun time at the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival these past four weeks (read about it on my website), but I confess, I'm glad to be home. So much preparation before I fly to Ireland.
For instance, now that Whiskers in the Jar is done, I want to do some CD release parties. I have the first instore planned at Things Celtic on June 21st. It's the summer solstice and afterward there will be a Celtic author, Michael J. McCoy, introducing his book Celtic Spirit-Fire: An Adventurous Journey Into The Sacred World.
My show will feature a lot of songs from the new CD, as well as a wide mix of my music to fill you with peace and joy.
Summer Solstice Cat CD Release Sat, June 21, 2008 Things Celtic @ 2PM 1806 W. 35th Street Austin, TX 78703
PS. I am looking for other places to hold CD releases. If you're interested in having me release the album in your town, then please help me set up a gig at a coffee house, cat shelter, pub, or house concert. I would love to play my cat songs (and much more) in as many places as I can to promote the album. So email me and lets talk about how we can make it happen.
DR DEMENTO AND NEW STREET TEAM PROMOTIONS Last week, I was thrilled to see "I'll Tell My Cat" from Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers was played on Dr. Demento. I'm such a huge fan of Dr. Demento, and that is one of my favorite songs to play live. I'm excited to have it there.
If you enjoy the song, I am asking fans to request it so the song might reappear on the Funny Top 10. I'd love your support.
No sooner had I switched my mailing list to ReverbNation than I started my first street team promotion for Whiskers in the Jar. The goal is just to spread the word about the new CD so your friends will hear about it. And the biggest promoters will get one of my brand new Celtic Cat T-shirts. In the future, look for exclusive limited-edition CDs and other great gifts for street teamers.
Oh! What's a street team? It's basically a group of fans who are willing to help promote my music on- and offline.
Finally, I just started selling my music on AmieStreet.com, a brand new music download portal, and to kick things off, they are giving my fans $5 to download my music.
All you have to do is click on the link below to get $5 to download our music or browse through their catalogue, if you already own all our stuff (which I don't doubt is the case ;p).
Please add "marc@thebards.net" to your whitelist or email address book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!
Do Marc's Musings ever inspire you? If so, there's something you can do. Help me out. Pass the inspiration on. Share with others, and I'll keep sharing songs.
Marc Gunn is Celtic Geek songwriter from Austin, Texas with a strange affinity for ballads, Irish drinking songs, acoustic Alternative Folk, podcasting, Sci Fi, and cats.
The world is dominated by massive organizations that strangle the life out of the independent arts. You can stop it at the source. Your good will and support of the arts through kind donations, purchases, and friendly word of mouse will make your feel great!
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
I was sure I would miss the UPS guy. It has happened to frequently. Another slip appears on my front door saying, "We'll try again tomorrow." But lo and behold, Whiskers in the Jar has arrived. YAY!!!!!!
The new graphics by Ingrid Houwers are spectacular. The CD, produced by Rich Brotherton, is awesome. It's done. Tonight, I'm gonna pack up all the Pre-Orders and get those out ASAP. I'm still waiting on T-Shirts to arrive, but they should be here in a day or two also.
Thank you ALL for helping me make this happen. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate it your support of our music. THANK YOU!
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
If Ireland Were Filled with Dragons, What Color Would They Be?
Oklahoma Ren Faire is over. Next up... Ireland. One week to go.
-- Quote of the Week: "Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to speak up and remove all doubt." Abraham Lincoln. I always loved that quote. And it's close to my heart.
-- Song of the Week: "Carey" by Joni Mitchell from Blue (new feature) I'm not sure why I love this song. I heard the song from a friend in my first year with the Bards. My love of the song was reinvigorated by my friends Jamie and Katie. It's a wonderfully visual song filled with world travel and passion.
-- I don't like charging for my music. I love giving it away. And I've had a few new creative ideas for doing just that for people who join my street team. Look for exclusive CDs if you're on my Street Team.
-- My second cat CD, Whiskers in the Jar, is now in the mail. I really hope it arrives at the end of this week. I can't wait. I have a CD release scheduled for the Summer Solstice at Things Celtic. I still hope to do other releases... if I can find a place in Louisiana, I'd like to do one there... maybe Dallas too as I seem to be getting a few more demands there. Though not sure where offhand. I'd love some help.
-- I am nearly done mixing my CD, What Color Is Your Dragon? Folk Music with Delusions of Grandeur. That'll be my fourth solo CD to come out this year. Wow! From there, I'm hoping to start back to regular MarcSongs Podcasts. I want weekly podcasts of free music downloads and maybe finish an instrumental CD, as well.
-- Going for Brogue arrived this week. The CDs are at CDBaby. I'm just waiting for them to process it. But you can get more CDs for your money if you pre-order it now.
Last weekend of the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. It was much more fun for me than previous weekends. I'm not sure if that is because of some acupuncture herbs, it was the last, or if I finally adapted to the heat and humidity that was still present this weekend, but that didn't overheat me for the first time. Prolly it's a combination of all three.
The shows were much more fun this weekend, especially today. A bit crazed and goofy as we rearranged all of our songs into bluesy versions, or turned sad songs happy and happy songs sad. We butchered 'em and had an awesome time doing it. I must say it really made me think about how I perform songs.
I love to playing music, but I am moving more and more towards home studio work and less toward live performances. This weekend made me think about it. Not to say, I want to cut out live shows. But I do sorta feel like I need to adjust my thought as to How I perform.
Elvis Presley said, "You have to put on to draw a crowd." This last weekend was the only one where I felt like we actually drew a crowd by putting on a show. Though really I think that was only because people are finally getting to know us at this faire.
We put on some good shows today. They were fun. And I'd like to think every show I do would be as much fun, but I confess, funny is not my favorite thing in the world. I love to laugh. But moreso, I love to feel. I'd rather cry. It's the reason two of my solo CDs are just ballady (Soul of a Harper and A Tribute to Love). But many times, those ballads are just not dynamic enough for live performances. Which is prolly the reason some performers don't perform live like Enya or what not.
Alrighty, I think I'm done rambling for now. Lost my train of thought after a tiring day. I'll be happy to get back home.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
Scarlet Johansson has a CD. It's called Anywhere I Lay My Head. It's an album of Tom Waits covers. I'm not too familiar with Tom Waits, but I have a Huge Crush on Scarlett. Mreow! So I downloaded the album from Amazon tonight. And I actually kinda dig it.
The news and reviews (most of which are mostly scathing... Actress' voice lost in instrumentation was my favorite headline) said Scarlett was a big fan of The Jesus & Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins and Depeche Mode. I dig those bands. So I feel like I understand where she's coming from more than the vast majority of reviewers who aren't gonna like any celebrity breaking into a niche market.
I'll admit I may be a wee bit biased, because it's Scarlet. Mmmm... But as I said, it's decent. I'd like to listen to it on better speakers than my laptop but right now 3 out of 5 stars. We'll see what happens when I actually have time to listen and if I want to listen more. That's my big test. Is it added into my regular rotation of albums I listen to. There aren't many. So It's a big question. But we'll see. So far, I like.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
W00t! I just checked out DiskFaktory and it looks like Whiskers in the Jar was shipped yesterday. YAY! So you have only a few remaining days if you would like an autographed copy. Make sure you tell me who you would like it to if you want it autographed. I really hope it'll arrive before we go off to Ireland.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
I have a lot of plans. But it's always weird when I'm wavering in between goals. I've just about finished What Color Is Your Dragon?. It's about done. I just need to master it. Now I'm looking at what's next. I'm kinda in between goals at the moment.
The other projects I have lined up--an autoharp instrumental CD, a St. Patrick's Day CD, Kilted for Her Pleasure compilation and How Irish Music Saved Civilization.
That last CD will require much money because I want to record it with Rich Brotherton. I am hoping I can record that album in August. But it depends on my money situation. The others compilations and original music. I guess I can also get back to writing and recording songs for the MarcSongs Podcast. Some more Irish songs would be good for the Irish Songs & Lyrics website.
And booking. I want to book more shows locally. I have the one at Things Celtic. I also want to set one up at Elysium. And I'd like to find some regular gigs around town since my summer is looking a little light. I have a lot of time to do stuff. Just need the motivation.
Course in July, I'm planning a bunch of Irish & Celtic Music Mini-Podcasts. There will be CD giveaways and lots of shows for my three-year anniversary.
This helps. I work best when I have goals scheduled. But right now, I'm in that "be patient" scenario, where I just have to patiently do what needs doing and wait to see what happens. That's weird for me.
Meantime, tomorrow, we drive to Muskogee for the final weekend of the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. In two weeks, a much need break to Ireland.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
What happens when the dairy farm catches fire? The stray cat go crazy and have a field lapping up all the milk in this raucous song by Jean Prior, Nancy Pearsall and me. Jean came up with the idea when she started rewriting the lyrics to "Old Dun Cow". It got so funny that I had to put it out on my new CD Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers.
Ga! Wouldn't you know. Tonight I re-recorded the last songs for What Color Is Your Dragon?. Tomorrow, I listen and see if there are any final changes that need to be made. Which I hope there aren't and not just because I want to finally release this album.
"Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" was one of the songs I re-recorded. It sounds great. And I made a good mix. The problem... as I was transferring music around, I shift-deleted the main autoharp and vocal tracks. That bypasses the trash can and hard deletes, I think. In any case, I no longer have the master tracks. So if it needs fixing, I'll need to re-record... again. Mind you, I do have a nice mixdown. I just hope it doesn't need to be changed.
The only thing I need to decide on is the last track on the CD. More details later... I think it's bed time.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
I looked at my Diskfaktory account today and saw that Going for Brogue was shipped a few days ago. I was all ready to blog about it when I had a knock at my door. The UPS guy dropped off the new CD.
Going for Brogue is a different kind of CD in my mind, because I have a different kind of CD philosophy.
There are four types of CDs that I record. One is for the media to be praised or criticized at their heart's content. One is for the fans who just want to hear music. One is for educational purposes. And one is for me. Some of those types cross-over, but they all serve their specific purposes.
For instance, Whiskers in the Jar is a great media-grabber. Consequently, it was recorded in a studio with an incredible producer (Rich Brotherton). Yes, a lot of fans want to hear it, and of course, cats are close to my heart, but it's production was a product of the media. I'm gonna send it to as many reviewers as I can.
A Tribute to Love was a personal project. Yes, I wanted to have some music for Valentine's Day, but ultimately, it is a romantic and passionate album that highlights my own personal romanticism. It is a lot closer in style to my first solo CD, Soul of a Harper, though with more of a New Age feel overall. But again, very personal.
On the other hand, Going for Brogue was compiled for fans and for educational purposes, specifically for my Irish song lyrics website. I have a lot of fans who want to hear more Irish songs. Combine that with my desire to educate, and I plan to record more albums to help others learn Irish songs the way I learn them, by ear. This CD will serve that market. The production was all done in my home studio. The recordings are mostly simple, just me and my autoharp. It's a fun CD for those who love Irish pub songs and sea shanties. And I'm happy that it is finally done.
Time to send it Going for Brogue to CD Baby and finish mixing my next fan CD, What Color Is Your Dragon?.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
I just published Show #50 of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. It got me thinking about the PodCastAwards. These are people's choice awards, meaning you can vote for the podcast when it starts up on July 1st and starts accepting nominations. I want the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to win for Best Podsafe Music and maybe some more categories. But I'm gonna need your help to do so.
So I decided in July, which also happens to be the three-year anniversary of the podcast, I'm gonna pump up production of the podcast with short features to garner your votes for the PodCastAwards. I hope you will help out by telling people about the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.
More to come...
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
Just one more weekend left at the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. It was a good weekend. Not nearly as many heat problems, or I'm acclimating a little better.
-- Quote of the Weekend: "I never knew an autoharp could be so sexy!" Spoken after the soon to be infamous "tuning time" of the autoharp.
-- The ReverbNation site is going well. I have already climbed to #8 on the Folk Charts. Yay! People like me! And I started my first Street Team promotion to get spread the word about my music, in particular Whiskers in the Jar. I'm still learning how it all works though. Hope to have a few new promotions coming soon.
-- I have my first date booked for my Cat CD release--Summer Solstice Instore at Things Celtic. I want to try and organize a few shows in July to promote the album. I was thinking it would be really cool if I could organize some shows at some cat shelters. Anyone want to help me to do so in Dallas, Houston or San Antonio.
-- My friend Susi has a cool website for Custom Instrument Bags at www.fiddlybags.com. She does good work. Check 'em out.
-- Guerrilla music marketer Bob Baker is holding an Indie Buzz Bootcamp in late June. Well worth attending if you're a musician looking for music promotion advice.
-- Last week, I spent a bit o'time working on What Color Is Your Dragon?. I still need to re-record a couple songs. It's tough motivating myself to do so, especially since I have the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to record this week. And I have a lot of fans asking about the next show.
Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers is now at the factory being duplicated. It should hit the mail by the end of the week. So I decided it is time to start organizing some CD release parties. I'm starting it off in June, after I get back from Ireland, at Things Celtic. The show will feature a number of Cat songs from the new album as well as some from the original CD, as well as a wide variety of music performed by Marc Gunn. I am working on a lot of new music. And I hope you will join me at Things Celtic to hear some of these new songs live.
Sat, June 21, 2008 Things Celtic @ 2PM 1806 W. 35th Street Austin, TX 78703
If you're not already on my mailing list at ReverbNation, sign up today.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
Nine years Andrew and I have been on the road staying at hotels across the U.S.. We found the worst hotel yet. It's the Azalea Inn in Muskogee, Oklahoma. DON'T stay here. Three weeks we've been here and if it's not the stench of mildew, the overwhelming odor of paint from "renovation", no towels, crappy management, bad response time, non-working internet. The list goes on. The final straw was today. We arrived and the room was touched. The tip we left for the cleaning staff was taken along with the old towels. THAT'S IT! What the frack!?!
Okay, I'm doing complaining for now. Bad management at the Azalea Inn. Don't stay here.
Ever since I remembered my flying dream, I've had a bunch of other dreams fly through my mind. Most recently is Hawaii.
My parents moved there while I was in college in the early 90s. So I had a great place to visit during my semester breaks--Hawaii or Italy. Yeah, I suffered. Not.
However, I have two vivid experiences that haunt me to this day. One was on the island of Hawaii at the Southern-most tip of the United States of America. There were a bunch of people jumping off the clip. Some of the folks there talked me into jumping the 50 or more feet down into the ocean. I was terrified, but I did it. It stung when I hit the water, and when I swam to the surface and opened my eyes, I could see nothing, because I had bad vision.
Since then, I've had LASIK surgery. And while I still owe money on it, it was the best expense of my life! However, at the same time, I'm left longing to see what I missed in Hawaii.
The other time was when I was on Oahu and a gungho friend of mine decided we would climb this mountain on the North Shore to this nature preserve. It was free climbing. The mountain was slate and crumbled as we climbed. I remember turning around halfway up and seeing the long shore currents attacking the island. It was stunning. But when we made it to the top, a light rain had begun. This stunning valley of lush forest, untouched by human hands was a blurry vision to me. I could not see a thing through the rain drenched glasses. I was heartbroken.
That, in particular, was the vision that made me decide to get LASIK. And now I find myself having not gone back to Hawaii. It will be a long while before I can make it back, but I'm dreaming of it daily, longing to climb that forbidden mountain again and see and feel. Dio buono! One day!
Time to finish mixing What Color Is Your Dragon?! Most of it is done. Just a few more edits, and I think I can call it finished.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
MP3 Downloads of "Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers" Now Available
By popular request, you can now purchase MP3 downloads of Whiskers in the Jar on the CD Adoption Page. That is the only CD you can adopt there. All the others are available on CD Baby.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read news. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
Clif Haley came into the studio yesterday to lay some guitar for "My Father Was a Werewolf" for What Color Is Your Dragon?. It sounds pretty hot. You can listen to it if you're a fan on ReverbNation. I'd love your feedback. The only suggestion I've heard is beefer choruses, meaning more people in the chorus.
Any other thoughts?
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read news. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
Patronage of the Arts has a long and vibrant history that is at least as old as the Bible. In the Renaissance, rich families would provide life style for individual artists like Leonardo and Michaelangelo for their artistic contributions. Musicians like Bach, Beethoven, and many more were able to bring their genius to the world because of the generosity of their patrons. For that reason, I want to thank those who patron my music with their generous donations like...
Diana Greco
Diana didn't go to the Louisiana Renaissance Festival website to become a Matron of the Arts. But while there she came across the Brobdingnagian Bards. She liked Celtic music, but was not a huge fan. She listened to the music and found it lively and addictive, so she came to the faire and was hooked.
What really caught her eye though was Marc Gunn's description as "Psycho cat lover". Diana has 23 cats, so she knew the feeling. She bought Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers and Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lover's Companion. After listening to those CDs, she started buying Bards music. Diana became a matron, and the rest is history.
If you would like to become a Patron of the Arts, then make a donation. I hope to highlight other patrons once a month.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read news. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
Last night, I dreamed of flying. It is a dream that has been recurring for several months now.. I don't remember most of the details. However, I do remember it was a lot like scuba diving. I had the ability to levitate and fly by regulating my breathing. And last night, I was teaching someone how else to fly too, by breathing.
That struck a chord when I was telling someone about it today--control your breathing and you can fly.
What fascinating thought.
At the end of every yoga class, Anna, my instructor would guide us through pranayama, which is basically the art of breathing. I always hated those, but I accepted and appreciated them because I trust my instructor to guide me well. But this takes on a new level. If I learn to breath, I can fly.
Maybe not in the literal sense, but the idea of breathing to experience life to its fullest is powerful. Anna talks about it time and time again that during the day we forget to breathe. Yet, it is one of the most-healing tools we have as humans.
A while back, my Grandma was having trouble thinking and getting weaker until she was put on oxygen. The trouble was she wasn't getting oxygen to her brain. We need it. It heals us. It guides us. It makes us feel.
Those were the thoughts that accompanied me home today as I plugged in my iPod and played a bunch of songs I compiled in a playlist yesterday that I titled "Spiritually Wow". It was list of songs that move me. I haven't listened to the entire list yet, but "Open" performed by Serious Kitchen was on that list. The lyrics to "Open" are below:
"Open" by Mike Scott
Open to the world open to spirit open to the changing wind open to touch open to nature open to the world within open to change open to adventure open to the new open to love open to miracles open Beloved to You
Open to learn open to laughter open to being blessed open to joy open to service open to saying "Yes !" open to risk open to passion
I have a lot that I feel. It's what inspired me to record A Tribute to Love. It's what guides me to write and share music. And I guess it's also what makes me dream of flying.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read news. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.
I just got done recording Show #95 of the Renaissance Festival Podcast with Kristen. We had an awesome time. It hit both of us, but assuming we get our shows out in time, show #100 will be our 3-year anniversary show, coming out at the end of June.
Wild! Three years of doing this show. I can hardly believe it. But it's true.
So for the show, we're gonna go down... the bawdy route with an extra long... show. We'd like to get some promos from faire performers. So record a "Happy Anniversary" MP3 and send it our way. I'll get it in the show. The more interesting the better.
My friend, Bob Baker, wrote the book on music marketing. It's called Guerrilla Music Marketing. Now he's started the Indie Buzz Bootcamp in St. Louis, MO with some amazing marketers in the lineup. I'd love to be able to hit this event. If you're in the mid-West, don't miss it.
So, there's been some crazy crap happening in the world recently. The Earthquake In China and the cyclones in Myanmar. The governments are being jerk offs and barely allowing aid in.
As much as I'd L O V E to put together a Funny Musicians 3 to aid in these disaster (not to mention the twisters and storms here), I simply don't have the resources right now. HOWEVER, since I still have several hundred copies of the first two volumes I've decided to lower the prices for a month and donate all the proceeds from the sales to relief efforts! So if you haven't bought copies, want to buy more copies as gifts or just want to give to good causes, please feel free to pick up an extra copy or five!
PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD!
Links to individual albums (with sound clips included):
-- I'm back from another weekend at the Castle Muskogee. It was a decent weekend all things considered, but Saturday I was hit with heat problems that left me forgetting lyrics on Sunday. It was another sad reminder that I am not physically able to perform at faires. For now, I continue to do so. But I won't be able to much longer, I think. My constitution is just too weak.
-- When I got in, I finally booked our U.S. flights for the Brobdingnagian Bards Tour of Ireland. Our trip is now all scheduled. Oddly enough, we still have a couple spots left open for this tour. And this is the last Brobdingnagian Bards Vacation Tour of Ireland. So if you ever wanted to join us on a tour, contact me now.
-- I'm getting ready to transfer my Marc's Musings mailing list to ReverbNation. The site seems just too useful not to take advantage of. If you're not already on my mailing list, sign up now.
-- I've spent a few days brainstorming ways to visit more faires in 2009. These won't be gigs, but an opportunity to do promo for the Renaissance Festival Podcast. So if you ever wanted to meet me at a faire, keep an ear open on the podcast. And watch for new Faire Minion stickers and shirts.
-- Tomorrow, my friend Clif Haley comes in to record for one of the songs on What Color Is Your Dragon?. The CD features a number of original songs as well as filks submitted by fans. I hope to have a track listing by the end of the week. Then you will be able to pre-order that album as well.
CD Baby loves me! They said so. They also told me that The Gift of Cat Love is now iTunes. That is the cool three-song single I released to preview Whiskers in the Jar. The CD features "What Shall We Do With a Catnipped Kitty", "Danny Boy", and "Molly Malone... The Cat's Perspective/Planxty Hewlett".
If you have the CD or have downloaded the songs for free, please post a review on CD Baby and iTunes for me. Those reviews help others iTunes and others to realize just how cool it is. Thanks! :)
Student Days, Whiskers in the Jar and Exclusive MP3s (Coming)
Just done with Student Days at Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. It went well. Michelle Hedden is playing bodhran for us all weekend, and it's ton fun having rhythm. At the end of the day, I went and played some cat songs for fans and the Queen. I don't ever play those songs so it's a bit of a shame in my mind. Course that also means I had trouble remembering them. But I worked through most of them.
Then I got back to the hotel and learned that Whiskers in the Jar is at last in production. W00t! Not sure how long it'll take to get it out to me, but quicker is better!
I also setup a Fan Collector Widget from ReverbNation (below) and uploaded some songs to that site. I think I'm gonna setup some exclusive MP3s there too, since it gives the option. The site has a Lot of cool features. Now I just need to figure them out.
I had a really vivid dream last night. I don't quite it except it had to do with my music career. And what's really weird is I still feel like reliving that dream... even though I can't remember it.
*shakes head* Ugh!
Now I'm uploading "Gypsy Rover" to ReverbNation. I'm tossing the idea of moving my Marc's Musings mailing list over there, because a lot of bands seem to like the site. I'm still not entirely certain I'll be able to use it, but I'm considering it.
I'm also just about ready to go pick up Andrew and Michelle. The Brobdingnagian Bards will be a three-pieces this weekend at Castle Muskogee with drums.
A while back, I was looking at this painting in the National Gallery of Art in D.C.. It was a painting depicting an Venetian casino. The plaque read that these rooms were typical places for gambling and lasciviousness. Patrons would come in costume with masks to hide their nature in true Venetian style. The painting struck me hard, "What a great idea for a Renaissance festival?"
Since then I've done a lot of brainstorming (though I can't remember the name of those "casinos") on this idea. Today, I met with a friend and the idea grew a wee bit more.
So picture it a moment--a Renaissance, mask-themed event with live, bawdy music and Renaissance gambling (for prizes). Add to it a wee bit of faire-style acting, with almost like a murder mystery dinner. Does that sound as much fun to you as it does me? Would you come to Austin for an exciting night of music and entertainment if I put something like this together?
