This email came to me today from Modern Bard:

Hi Marc,

So I've been updating Modern Bard for the past two days now and I've noticed something. You sir, are the Chuck Norris of Renaissance Festival Musicians. Not including compilation CDs, you have released 34 recordings (that I've counted so far), making you the most prolific faire artist ever! I just wanted to congratulate you on this mind numbing (or is that ear-numbing) accomplishment. The next closest is Heather Alexander with 33 recordings (if you count Compilations). Of course, if we tack on your compilation count, you soar even further ahead.

So, since I'm the guy who keeps track of this stuff, I thought I should say something and hey, maybe this calls for a celebratory re-release of those Ichabod recordings of yours. Can't let those vanish forever man, they aren't in the archive yet.... ;)

Bob

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

Over a week ago, I wrote my new song "Monahan's Mudders Milk". I'm really excited about it. It is sooo much fun and infectious. Cedric of the Bedlam Bards is the first to start covering the song too.

Last night, we played it at the Cactus Cafe. I haven't had a chance to listen to the recording we made, but we had an awesome time playing it! And everyone seemed to really get into the song.

That said, I had Cedric add fiddle and a bunch of Firefly fans add background vocals. Now I need to start making a list of ALL the people singing. Whew! Big list since a dozen of them were at my house concert in Louisiana last Friday. Meantime, let me know what you think.

OH! And the song was also featured on The Signal Podcast! W00t!

---

Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

I should elaborate on my Life Is Just a Vacation post that "If Life was The Vacation, and Death was just a temp job. What would your last thoughts be before you died?"

It's not easy answering that question. For me, "I'm glad I became a musician" is a nice last thought, but I don't think it's the only one. One of the big things that Dead Like Me picks out is that a lot of people are filled with regrets, sorrow, missed opportunities as they grow older. Wouldn't it suck bad if at the end you realize that Life was The Vacation?

Think about that a moment. What are vacations like? Ever been to the beach? You lounge around all day, sun bathing or swimming the water. You read a book. You walk along the beach and pick up shells as mementos.

Or the mountains. I Love the mountains. The cool air, the hiking across unwalked terrain, molded by the elements. You sit in a cafe overlooking a tremendous valley, drink wine, and chat with family or friends. Man, what a vacation!

For me, playing music IS a vacation. It's a break from the computer and managing all the zillion projects I do. It's time away from the TV and the cell phone. It's meditating and moving my body. It's being cuddled by cats, who purr as I pet them. It's seeing new things that inspire me. It is the art of creating something new that gives pleasure. It is sunsets and hanging out somewhere in the middle of the night with friends. It's good food.

Knowing all of this, I can't help but think that while some of my life is a Vacation, there are still many areas where I feel I'm not enjoying the vacation enough. And so if Life was The Vacation, and Death was just a temp job. I want to make sure more of life is living.

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

I broke down and signed up on Twitter at http://twitter.com/marc_gunn. I shouldn't have, but someone made a good point that it could be really useful when we're wandering around DragonCon trying to setup a show. I can always Twitter where we're at and let folks know.

One of the many uses. So if you want some random thing-a-ma-bobbies from me... Eventually I'll figure it out. :)

---

Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

I was watching an episode of Dead Like Me called "Vacation". I love the show. It raises all kinds of interesting philosophical questions. Here's one to think about...

Imagine that Life was The Vacation, and Death was just a temp job. What would your last thoughts be before you died?

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

The Pegasus Awards honor the best in filking, which is very much like my new CDs What Color Is Your Dragon? and Whiskers in the Jar. The nominations end tonight.

The nominating ballot is here: http://www.ovff.org/pegasus/2008nomballot.html

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

Way cool! Check this out:

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling is now available for pre-order on Amazon. This book of fairy tales was written to supplement the Harry Potter series and will be published in two new editions on December 4, 2008. The Standard Edition features all five fairy tales from the original The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a new introduction by J.K. Rowling, illustrations reproduced from the original handcrafted book, and commentary on each of the tales by Professor Albus Dumbledore. Amazon’s exclusive Collector's Edition includes a reproduction of J.K. Rowling's handwritten introduction, as well as 10 additional illustrations not found in the Standard Edition.

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

The Cactus Cafe show tonight went great. There was a nice mix of music and a ton of fun. :)

We raised $212 from donations and CD sales for Thundering Paws.

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

Just in time for my Cactus Cafe gig tonight, my latest CD What Color Is Your Dragon? arrived today. You can be the absolute first to own it when you come to my show tonight. The CD features 17 fun-filled tracks of filk music goodness.

We're playing one of the songs from the CD tonight called "My Father Was a Werewolf." It's a Harry Potter song written by Peg Kerr and parody of a same named song by Redhill Rats.

Tonight you'll also hear my new song "Monahan's Mudders Milk", complete with fiddle drum and your singing along.

Yes. This is a sing-along show. The first set is mostly cat songs from both my feline friendly albums. The second is a hodge podge of new and used music.

Cedric is joining me on the fiddle and Michelle Hedden will be rocking out on bodhran. Doors open at 8pm. Show starts at 8:30pm. Please bring your friends. This will be a night to remember!

What Color Is Your Dragon? will go on sale on CD Baby in a week or two.

---

Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

What a great trip to Louisiana! I spent a couple days walking around the Quarter and the Garden District. New Orleans is such a beautiful city. Then I had my two shows. They went over great, introducing some new songs and arrangements. The CD release at the Saltwater Grill even pulled in couple media people as well as Celts and cat lovers. A few verses of "Jasper Tabby Kitty Cat-y", and we raised some good money for the LASPCA. Then Saturday evening, a group of us went out and saw The Figs play at Tipitina's. Great fun!

UPCOMING SHOWS
-- I have two more CD Release Parties coming for Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers. So please mark your calendar with these dates below:

• Weds, July 30, Cactus Cafe, Austin, Texas. The event benefits Thundering Paws, a Central Texas animal shelter. Cedric of the Bedlam Bards will be there, and I think I'll have Michelle Hedden playing bodhran as well. This is gonna be fantastic show. Who's going?
  
  
• Sat, Aug 2, DFW House Concert, in Watauga, TX. Straight up mix of Cat songs and Celtic favorites.

-- Playing For Keeps. A podiobook by Mur Lafferty. I finally got around to listening to this book. It is AWESOME! You can download and listen to it for free as a podcast. The print version goes on sale at Amazon.com on August 25th. BUY IT on that day!

-- Quote of the Week: "Most beds sleep up to six cats. Ten cats without the owner." Stephen Baker.

-- CD of the Week: Emerald Fire by Maidens IV. I love these gals. They have some of the best contemporary Celtic trad music around. Each album is better than the last.

-- Does anybody read this? If so, do you have any thoughts, comments or suggestions on how I can make these weekly updates better? Please post a comment and let me know.

-- Autoharp Sold. But I may have another one coming soon to the net near you.

-- Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is one of the Top 5 music podcasts on iTunes thanks to the recent separation between audio and video podcasts. New show coming very soon!

-- Check me out on Myspace, SoundClick, Demand a Show on Eventful, Wikipedia, Facebook, Livejournal, Sonicbids, and DeviantArt. And if you'd like a CD...

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

This weekend was a Great success! Two fantastic shows in Louisiana and some time to spend in New Orleans. How can you go wrong with that?

The Friday night house concert was fun. It rained that evening, but a lot of friends from the Louisiana Renaissance Festival showed up despite the rain. I've been working on some new arrangements with a touch of jazz and blues for a lot of my songs, and I got to highlight some of those along with the traditional songs and of course cat songs.

Afterward, I gathered most everyone up and we recorded a raucous background chorus for my new song "Monahan's Mudders Milk". I'm gonna try and take all these recordings and mix them together for this week's MarcSongs Podcast.

Yesterday's show at the Saltwater Grill in New Orleans was fantastic. Two reporters showed up for the show alongside a bunch of cat lovers and Celts and even a few walk ins who ended up buying CDs. In all, we raised $160 for the LASPCA. The first set was almost all cat songs. The second was filled with more Irish music and the time just whiskered by. I can't wait to hear the recordings.

A HUGE thanks to Jamie for making this weekend a brilliant success!

---

Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

Last year, my parents bought me a cheap bike at thrift store. I rode it once. Last week, I dusted it off, oiled the chains, re-inflated the tires, and rode it again. Now I'm doing so every few days. I was out on it tonight in fact. Aside from being horribly out of shape, I noticed one problem. After biking 30 minutes around my hilly neighborhood, my legs burning, I pull up to my apartment and moan when I see the steps.

The staff calls my apartment Goat Hill, because there are a lot of craggy steps that wind up a hill before you even reach the stairs. So after severe pain in my legs and out of breath, I have to carry that dang bike up ALL those stairs to my apartment. I think I'm ready to move!


-- Quote of the Week: Old Man at the Two Windmills: "Still, true love does exist."
Suzanne, Owner Two Windmills bar: "I know. After 30 years behind a bar, I'm an expert. I'll even give you the recipe. Take two regulars, mix them together and let them stew. It never fails." from Amelie.

-- CD of the Week: The FuMP CD, Vol. 9. It features two songs by yours truly. It's now on sale in The FuMP music store.

-- Speaking of CDs... You can order my CDs by mail. If you don't have a credit card. Or CD Baby, the great site that it is, allows you to pay by check or a dozen other ways. Check it out.

-- Autoharp for Sale. I've put one of my autoharps up for sale. Want to own a piece of me? Now you can. If you want something a little I just received word that my Celtic Knot Necklaces made from broken autoharp strings, are now completed. They're being mailed to me. Sadly, I want get them until after I get back from Louisiana. But you can order one now anyway.

-- Have you listened to my music today? One of the great things about working on a computer is that you can listen to my music even if you forget to bring your CDs or iPod to work. That's because I have a lot of music online. You can listen via SoundClick, Myspace, or ReverbNation. Or you can "tune in" to an internet radio stations like Highlander Radio or Ren Radio where you can request my music. Plus, I have podcasts you can download any day of the week. Listening is fun and easy... in fact, if you don't watch out, it will turn into a habit that will bring a smile to your each and every day.

-- Whiskers in the Jar Reviewed on Associated Content. The new CD continues to get rave reviews, just in time for my CD Releases.


UPCOMING SHOWS

-- I have three CD Release Parties coming for Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers. Mark your calendar with these dates below:

• Sat, July 26, Saltwater Grill, New Orleans, LA. This CD Release benefits the LSPCA. Make sure you also check out my house concert in Robert, LA.
  
  
• Weds, July 30, Cactus Cafe, Austin, Texas. The event benefits Thundering Paws, a Central Texas animal shelter. If you're on my Street Team, you could win a free DVD when you help me promote this show.
  
  
• Sat, Aug 2, DFW House Concert, in Watauga, TX. Straight up mix of Cat songs and Celtic favorites.

-- Check me out on Myspace, SoundClick, Demand a Show on Eventful, Wikipedia, Facebook, Livejournal, Sonicbids, and DeviantArt. And if you'd like a CD...

---

Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

The presidential race is upon us. Most people are frustrated. We all know politicians lie. After watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, I realize the only way to change status quo is to treat the disease that rages on. As Dr. Horrible says, "The fish rots from the head as they say. So my thinking is why not cut off the head... it's not a perfect metaphor... but I'm talking about an overhaul of the system. Putting the power in... DIFFERENT... hands."

Yes. Dr. Horrible is our last hope for peace (well, not exactly) and justice in the world. So vote for Dr. Horrible on election day. Tell your friends. Let's start the grassroots campaign now. We already have one evil person in office. Why not someone who at least can sing! :)

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

I've wanted to write a Firefly song for a while. Since I focus a lot on drinking songs, it seemed only right to do another one. This song was inspired by the episode "Jaynestown". It's all about that incredible the liquid bread, Mudders Milk.

This is an unfinished song. I want to include a some backup vocals from Firefly fans. I also want to see if I can talk Cedric the fiddler and Firefly filk master (Check out his Firefly CD On the Drift) to lay some fiddle to it.

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

by Marc Gunn, July 19, 2008

I've been wanting to write another Firefly song for a long time. Today, I decided there was no stopping me, and it would be a drinking song. So I flipped on Jaynestown and watched it a couple times. As I stepped out the door to go grab a bite to eat, the lyrics flooded into me. So I came home and recorded the song.

(Won't you) Pour me a glass
Of Monahan's Mudders Milk
We'll wash the mud away.
If you poor me a glass
Of Monahan's Mudders Milk
We'll leave Higgins' damn Moon some day.

I was 12 years old
When my daddy brought me here
With two brothers who loved to laugh,
But 10-20 in this muddy hole
We lost the laughing muscle mold
And my brothers lost their lives to mudders gas.

My daddy raised one fist
To tell the boss he's pissed,
Another to the foreman on third shift,
But when he raised his shovel
To protest his low wage troubles
He was shot down and dumped in a muddy ditch.

Well mudden's all I know
Until I've 'nough to go
And take my own three boys far from here.
Maybe another place much worse
In this here cold Verse
Till then I drink my Monahan's for cheer.

Pour me, pour me, mudder, mudder, mudder me,
Mudder, mudder me my milk.
Poor me, mudder me, mudder, mudder marry me
Mudder marry me my milk.

---

Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

MARC'S MUSINGS -- July 19, 2008

- Marc's Music News
- Swan Songs
- Autoharp for Sale
- Three CD Release Parties for Whiskers
- Dr. Horrible

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,

Last week, I had the priviledge of playing music at a hospice through a non-profit in Austin called Swan Songs. It was an intensely powerful experience as I watched someone cross over.

After the tears, I felt blessed that I have the opportunity to share my music with so many people in the world... to emotionally move people with smiles, laughs, and sometimes tears. It is that emotional commitment that guides my music to new places and helps me to grow as a human being. Thank you for being a part of that growth.


MARC'S MUSIC NEWS
Yesterday, I started to do some major work on my autoharps. It's stuff I haven't done in a while, but needs doing. You know the type.

In the process, I decided it was time to unload one of my autoharps to make room for a new one. The one to unload is an Oscar Schmidt Electric Autoharp with a 4-band EQ, internal pickup, and fine tuners. It's in great shape. I have barely played since I bought it three years ago. You can find out why I am putting it on sale on my website, or just buy it on my merch page. So if you want a Marc Gunn keepsake... :)

Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers is selling better than I anticipated. Thank you for telling your friends about the album. The word seems to be spreading like feral kitties in the summer (Don't forget to spay and neuter your cats). Please keep the momentum going and post a blog or tell a new friend every week. You can use the widgets at ReverbNation to make your promotional efforts even easier and even get some freebies.

Keep an ear open! I have several CD release parties planned in the next two weeks...


MARC GUNN LIVE!
That's right. I have three more CD release parties planned for Whiskers in the Jar in New Orleans, Austin and Fort Worth. Come join me for a fun mix of Celtic and feline favorites.

Friday, July 25, 2008
Haeuser House Concert @ 8PM
Robert, LA
Suggested donation $10
RSVP to ghislainederouen@hotmail.com or call 225-266-3979

Saturday, July 26th, 2008
Saltwater Grill @ 2-4 PM
1340 South Carrollton Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70118
Benefiting the Louisiana SPCA
Free parking - Kids Welcome

Weds, July 30, 2008
Cactus Cafe @ 8PM
23rd & Guadalupe, University of Texas at Austin
Texas Union
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 475-6515
Benefiting Thundering Paws, a Central Texas animal shelter.

Saturday, Aug 2, 2008
DFW House Concert @ 8PM
Watauga, TX
Suggested donation $15. BYOB.
RSVP to raevyn3450-iwg@yahoo.com

Of course, you will already know ALL about these gigs if you made a demand on eventful.

In other news, GenCon with the Brobdingnagian Bards is a go. DragonCon, however, is not. We were not invited back as guests this year. However, we are going to visit anyway. With any luck we'll have a couple shows. I WILL be there for a podcast promotion panel and also for the pirate party.


DR. HORRIBLE!
Have you heard of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog? It's a new web TV show by none other than Joss Whedon, creator of Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. It stars Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible and Nathan Fillion as his arch-nemesis, Captain Hammer.

It's about an evil scientist, Dr. Horrible, who is video blogging about his attempt to join the Evil League of Evil. He also has a crush on a girl at the local laundramat. The show is a musical that reminds me a bit of Jonathan Coulton's song "Skullcrusher Mountain". It has the fun, witty dialogue that Joss Whedon is a master of. Fun show! Go check it out.

---
Many blessings. Drop me a line and say, "hello". Slainte!
- Marc Gunn

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Quick Links to Marc Gunn

• CD, MP3, and Merchandise Store
• Upcoming Shows
• Photo Gallery
• Street Team

• MarcSongs Podcast
• Marc Gunn's Pub Songs Podcast
• Renaissance Festival Podcast
  
• Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
  
• SONG HENGE - the Celtic Music Archive
• Brobdingnagian Bards

---

About Marc Gunn
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!

The Brobdingnagian Bards were NOT invited back as official guests of DragonCon.

Andrew and I had a big talk this morning after watching The Dark Knight (loved it) about whether the Brobdingnagian Bards will show up at DragonCon at all. I already committed myself because I volunteered to be on a podcast panel. But Andrew?

The fact is we've had literally dozens of people ask if we are going. After five years of performing at DragonCon to a growing fan base, our fans expect us to be there. So rather than disappoint all the people who go out of their way to support us each year, we decided to swallow the costs for you and make one more trip to the Con.

Now that we know we are going, we hope to organize a couple unofficial shows for you. We're looking at various tracks, open spaces, or even playing down in the filk room. Just keep an eye open to one to this blog for details. Hopefully, we'll have something established before the Con starts.

Mostly though, we are going to have fun, take it easy, enjoy the con and your company. Maybe we'll even see some panels for the first time ever at DragonCon!

To fund the trip, we hope to supplement our income by organizing 2-4 gigs on the way back. So if you have any gig ideas between Austin and Atlanta, please let us know.

Oh! For that matter, if you have a big room and don't mind a ton of Nagians coming to your room for live music, please email us.

I hope you will make some time available to see us at the con!

I just got the news. The Brobdingnagian Bards are officially NOT booked for DragonCon 2008. This is very disappointing news to me. I love going to DragonCon. It is one of those highlights that I always look forward to every year. Knowing that we don't get to entertain all of my fellow geeks out there makes me sad. It was a pleasure.

That said, I am still going to DragonCon. Currently, I am booked on a podcast marketing panel. I was also invited to bring "Captain Black Jack" Murphy, Pirate Extraordinaire to the Pirate Party on Saturday night. As soon as I hear a confirmation about that I will let you know. But I think it's fairly solid.

I gotta admit a part of me is rather excited about this opportunity. I loved doing the shows in the filk room, on the Concourse and in the auditoriums. I had many brilliant times. But not having those solid shows means that I might be able to see more of the Con. I'm thinking about spending more time in the Hilton catching some podcast panels, visiting more tracks to play some of our genre-specific filks, and I'm throwing the idea around about doing a room concert or several (if anyone is interested).

Will Andrew be there? I don't know just yet. Tomorrow, we're gonna talk about it and see if we can make it financially feasible for a group. But right now, I just don't know.

Meantime, bookmark my website. I will have more news about DragonCon coming soon.

---

Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

It's that time again. I need some reviews for Going for Brogue: Irish Pub Songs and Sea Shanties with an Accent to go up on CD Baby AND on iTunes. I will send you a free autographed copy of the CD if you are willing to review the album for me. Only the first FIFTEEN people to respond will be able to take advantage of this opportunity.

Sorry. The Free CDs Went Fast. They are all Gone.
Please Buy Your Going for Brogue: Irish Pub Songs and Sea Shanties with an Accent here. Want other Free CDs?

All you have to do is Follow the Instructions below:

1. You MUST use iTUNES. While I would like to see your reviews on cross-posted on CD Baby, I'm doing this promotion specifically for iTunes. So if you want to Win a CD, you'll need to download and install iTunes (you'll need a credit card) so you can review the CD if you don't already use it.

2. Email me at marc (at) thebards (dot) net. Put "TALK_TO_MARC_GUNN" in the subject line and in the body of the message, post "I want a Free Copy of Going for Brogue". You Must INCLUDE your name and mailing address in the message and to whom you would like the CD autographed (if you want that done).

3. I'll then email you and tell you the link to download the album of MP3s in a ZIP file.

4. Click the song titles above and listen to the album online.

5. Write a review. It doesn't have to be long. Even a nice paragraph of how the album made you feel is all I need.

6. If you want, you can also cross-post your CD review in your blog with a link to
http://cdbaby.com/cd/gunnmarc3/from/celtic/

7. Post a review on iTunes.

8. Once that is done, email me to let me know both those reviews are up. I will then send you a free copy of the album.

That's all that is required to win. However, if you enjoy the album, you can do more to help promote the CD, like:

• Email your friends to read about the CD review
• Post a blog on your favorite social network site(s)
  
• Tell others once the album is released on CDBaby.
• Cross-post your review on Livejournal, iTunes, Myspace, Facebook, Message Boards, and include a link to the CD.
• Add one of my songs to your profile if you have a Myspace account
• Make a video using songs from the CD

That's it. Once I have my FIFTEEN Reviewers, I will post a message here.

Three years ago I needed a new autoharp. I saw some cool autoharps on Amazon.com. The one I picked out was an Electric Autoharp 45C with 4 Band EQ and fine tuners. It was shipped to me, and I fell in love. It sounded great both acoustic and electric. I found only one slight problem...

I'm a bit picky with my autoharps. In general, I find that the older autoharps sound better. But I wanted one that had a pickup. I also wanted to try out an autoharp with fine tuners.

Fine tuners are a brilliant devices for autoharps. Without them, autoharps are tuned with a wrench on the tuning pins. The trouble with that is that too much tuning and you strip the wood. Then you're in trouble. I have an autoharp like that right now. It has an empty spot where my F7 string once lay. The wood is stripped, and I haven't taken it into the shop to be repaired. It's such a hassle.

Fine tuners are solve this problem by reducing the wear on the wood. You tune mostly through the pins and then "fine tune" it at the base of the autoharp. That means the pins are turned less, and the wood strips less as well.

Most professional autoharpers Love fine tuners. Sadly, I am not one of them. The reason is, I am notorious for playing my autoharps in fierce conditions. Sometimes I play them all day outside in the heat or cold. Plus, I still play my autoharps like I am in a rock band. While I do my best to take care of my instruments, playing the autoharp in this manner makes me break a lot of strings. With non-fine tuner autoharps, I can replace a string in five minutes. But fine tuners slow me down a lot.

In fact, I broke a string nearly two years ago. I finally replaced it yesterday. Consequently, the instrument has barely been played.

Despite the fine tuner issue, I really don't want to sell this autoharp. Nevertheless, I need to buy a new autoharp that I can regularly take to gigs. Because of that reason, I have decided to sell this gem.

If you are interested in purchasing it, check my merchandise store to buy the autoharp now. Want autoharp music tips?

(Cat not for sale:)

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

I've been hearing about this for a while. Yesterday, it went live, but the website was down most of the day. So I finally saw it today. It is Awesomeness!

Admittedly, I love musicals, and Joss Whedon (the creator) kicks total butt! Add to it Dougie Houser (Starship Troopers too) and Malcolm Reynolds, my trusty Firefly captain, and wow, what fun!

It makes me want to do a video blog too. LOL! Ah boy, go watch it. It's free to watch. Though you'll want a subscription too.

---

Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

April Porter is my long hair Sensei. She taught me everything I needed to know about how to take care of my hair. If you've ever wondered why my hair looks so great, I give most of the credit to April. She has very, very long and beautiful hair that looks amazing! Yesterday, she posted some suggestions in her Livejournal on how to take care of long hair. Here's what she wrote:


Long Hair Advice
by April Porter

If you want your hair to grow long, my first suggestion is don't cut it. *grin* O.K., that's a bit obvious. Actually, if you want it to be all one length, try this - if parts of it are a length you like and parts of it are shorter, then leave the short bits alone and trim just a little off the long bits. If you do this once a month or so, eventually your hair will be all one length. If you cut it all off to match the shortest bits, it'll start off all one length (good), but you'll feel like you have so much further to go (bad).

As for growth, one of the most important things you can do is protect the ends. This means sleeping on a pillowcase and sheets which aren't rough (some people swear by satin) at night and being mindful of what's going on with the ends during the day. If you have a backpack or other over-the-shoulder bag, make sure your hair is out of the way before you put the bag on your shoulder(s). Also, try pulling the hair to the front of your body (over a shoulder) when you sit so that the hair isn't between your back and the chair.

As for products, you're going to want to avoid products with Sodium Laurel Sulfates and Sodium Laureth Sulfates - they are very harsh cleansers used in most commercial shampoos. A lot of conditioners will contain -cones of one sort or another, like Silicone, Dimethicone or Amodimethicone. These are exactly the same thing that plastic surgeons used to shoot into fake boobs; the stuff will essentially make a plastic coating over your hair strand, which will make it look outwardly shiny but is actually cutting off all moisture from the strand itself and making it more prone to breakage. Good products can be found at health stores like Whole Foods and possibly also at regular stores with a "health foods" isle. If you'd like suggestions for specific products, feel free to ask. *smile*

After you've washed your hair, comb (never brush wet hair) it out with a wide-toothed comb, starting from the bottom and working your way up. (Not combing up, of course, but getting the lowest tangles out first.) If you encounter a tangle, work it out very gently. Wood is a good choice for combs as long as it is very smooth - plastic combs can produce a lot of static which is bad for hair.

Lastly, if you happen to look at the ends of your hair and see a split end (or 2 or 3 or 20), cut directly above the split, perpendicular to the hair shaft, with the tips of some very sharp scissors. I have a couple of hair cutting shears that are reserved for that purpose alone. I call cutting the split ends like this a "Search and Destroy" mission *laugh*, and it's a great thing to do during the commercials or while riding as a passenger in a car (natural sunlight shows the splits really well).

I hope that helps! If anyone wants ideas for hair styles that protect the ends, I've got those, too. Generally, I just wear my hair up with hairsticks all of the time, so the ends are tucked under the rest of the hair. There are many different ways to wear hairsticks, though. I might go into that in another post, if there's any interest.

Side note: I LOVE hairsticks. I wear them all the time. April also makes custom jewelry. I posted about her LOTR Wedding Headdresses in a previous post.

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

I think I need to write a song about lap cats. You hear all about lap dogs. I used to have one as a kid. But you hear very little about lap cats, and I've never heard no songs about them. Yet, I have two cats who LOVE sitting in my lap. Tiziano is here right now, licking my arm. Youch! Durn rough tongue. If he wasn't so cute!

-- Quote of the Week: "Beware of people who dislike cats." Irish proverb.

-- Swan Songs is an Austin, Texas based project designed to organize private concerts for individuals and families living with life threatening illness. Patients have the opportunity to request a favorite style of music or local area musician. By bringing live music directly to the home, hospital or hospice facility, Swan Songs helps to create a healing and comforting environment through the fulfillment of musical wishes at the end of life. I had an amazing experience with them last week.

-- The Maritime Heritage Network, based in Seattle, featured my CD, Going for Brogue, on their website in early June.

-- Simple Guide to Hosting a House Concert. I embedded two new videos from ConcertsInYourHome.com which offer simple guides on how to host a house concert.

-- Celtic MP3s Music Magazine is newly updated. I finally linked the homepage directly to the reviews and free music downloads. You can now sign up to get email updates each day a new post is made. That's where you'll find this CD review of...

-- CD of the Week: "The Whiskey Never Lies" by Sligo Rags. What a fun band! The title song was rather popular on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. It's a great mix of Celtic, folk, and bluegrass.

-- MarcSongs Podcast. "Kitty's Rambles/Dowd's 9 Lives/Jenny's Chickens" is a rockin' set of one jig and two reels. It's free to download when you subscribe to the podcast.

UPCOMING SHOWS

-- I have three CD Release Parties coming for Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers. Mark your calendar with these dates below:

• Sat, July 26, Saltwater Grill, New Orleans, LA. This CD Release benefits the LSPCA. Make sure you also check out my house concert in Robert, LA.
  
  
• Weds, July 30, Cactus Cafe, Austin, Texas. The event benefits Thundering Paws, a Central Texas animal shelter. If you're on my Street Team, you could win a free DVD when you help me promote this show.
  
  
• Sat, Aug 2, DFW House Concert, in Watauga, TX. Straight up mix of Cat songs and Celtic favorites.

-- Check me out on Myspace, SoundClick, Demand a Show on Eventful, Wikipedia, Facebook, Livejournal, Sonicbids, and DeviantArt. And if you'd like a CD...

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

When I decided to put together my cat CDs, my goal was to serve up a delicious blend of traditional Irish music, but make it about cats. So I picked some of the best Celtic musicians in Austin to help me record these albums. This set of tunes starts was picked by fiddler Christopher Buckley of The Tea Merchants. It starts with a bouncy jig and busts into a couple rockin' reels. Even with an autoharp it comes across sounding totally tradlicious.

"Kitty's Rambles/Dowd's 9 Lives/Jenny's Chickens"
Listen: LoFi
Recorded by Marc Gunn
From: Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers
Read Lyrics: n/a

Download MP3: 128 kbps
Buy MP3 for 99 cents: 192 kbps or iTunes
Donation: Make a Donation
Subscribe: http://www.irish-song-lyrics.com/podcast.rss

Want to see Marc Gunn perform? Join my Street Team.
Buy Marc Gunn MP3s.

Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License. If you enjoy the music, please purchase the MP3, buy the CD, post a review, repost this blog, or tell a friend. Every little bit helps to make to keep these free MP3s coming. Thanks! Find out more about the MarcSongs Podcast now.

by Catherine L. Tully

Artist: Sligo Rags
Album: The Whiskey Never Lies
Year produced: 2007

Starting off with a "barbershop quartet-like" intro to their title track, "The Whiskey Never Lies," Sligo Rags then launches in to an energetic (and fantastic) song; the perfect attention grabber for this CD. I wasn't sure what to expect next. And this album is like that...by track 3 I was intrigued and looking forward to each new sound/song to see what fresh offering was coming down the pipe...

There is an ease to the musicianship here that is refreshing. It takes expert players to make things sound so fluid. Blending Celtic, folk, bluegrass and a tiny bit of rock/funk stylings, this band has a unique sound to contribute to listeners. The mixture of humour and traditional sounds with fresh arrangements and musical virtuosity means a feast for the ears. The folk/bluegrass influence assures that the tunes are never too jarring, but the Celtic pull means that they are also energetic or infused with feeling.

The dedication to their craft shines through, and you can tell that they put a lot of effort into this CD. They have truly put their best out there for all to see; and it is pretty dang great. Have a listen and enjoy...

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Catherine L. Tully is a freelance writer and photographer who specializes in the arts. She has written for American Style and Classical Singer, among other magazines, and reviews music for Marc Gunn's Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. You can reach her through her website at CatherineLTully.com.


New to Celtic MP3s Music Magazine? Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or sign up to get email updates. Find free Celtic music downloads from Marc Gunn!

Join Marc Gunn as he promotes the release of his newest musical romp through traditional Irish music with a kitty-cat twist, Whiskers in the Jar.

Saturday, Aug 2, 2008
DFW House Concert @ 8PM
Watauga, TX
Suggested donation $15. BYOB.
RSVP to raevyn3450-iwg@yahoo.com
Raenell will provide directions to the event.

House concerts are the coolest way to catch any musician. Just feet away, you can enjoy live music at it's finest, acoustic, and free from smoke or other distractions. Find out more about house concerts.

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Marc Gunn is a musician and podcaster specializing in the celtic culture of music. He plays Celtic and folk music on the autoharp promoting himself with podcasts and free music downloads. He's given away away more Celtic MP3s than anyone else on the planet and turned the autoharp into more than just a folk instrument. Do you love your Celtic heritage? Do you love Celtic and folk music? Do you want free MP3s? Marc Gunn is the man who will make your Celtic musical dreams happen.

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

Yesterday was an awesome day. Somehow I made it through most of my emails. I've had a lot of trouble keeping up with email over the last few months. So cutting them down to under 40 was amazing to me. There was that nice feeling of accomplishment. Now I just need to do the same with all those on myspace.

It wasn't all work though. In fact, it was mostly a day off. I told my friend Deb that we would hang out. So we went for a walk in the botanical gardens and then after getting too hot, we drank margaritas at Chuy's. Then we heard that Los Lonely Boys were performing at Blues on the Green, a free event at Zilker Park. That is right by Chuy's so we walked over there for the show.

It was a packed evening the opening band, featuring the son of Doug Sahm, was nothing special, but Los Lonely Boys were fun. It reminded me of 4th of July too. I noticed then that there were a lot of people who didn't seem to experience the fireworks or the concert. Instead, they tried to capture the experience.

Isn't it funny how that works, especially with the age of digital cameras and video cameras and cellphones. It's so easy to not "live in the now". I found myself checking my cell a lot too.

I think that's really one of the things I love about Europe. In Ireland and Italy, I don't have a cellphone. Sometimes I didn't even bother bringing out the camera. Instead, I have a bigger habit of just experiencing. I like that better. It makes it easier to think and expand your mind. I find that's when I start writing. Again, that's taking me out of the "now", but my mind comes alive. That's one of my problems with the digital age. I spend far too much time in front of the computer instead of experiencing the world around me.

Off to go live...

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.

Three years ago today was my last day at the "day job". That's when I became a full-time musician. While I am thankful that UT Austin gave me the job that guided me to my musical career. I can't say that I miss it a moment. I love recording music, playing it, podcasting, and getting to know people.

-- Quote of the Week: "Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow." Jeff Valdez.

-- Marrus Art. Last Fall, my friend Marrus, a brilliant fantasy artist, made the funniest sketch for the cat lover who doesn't sleep much. She called it "Furry Sandbag Torture Chamber". I begged her to put something on Cafepress. She finally did. Get your copy now.

-- Ringtones available on iTunes. I was just surfing iTunes and noticed that several songs had Ringtones. So if you're looking for any. Check it out.

-- CD of the Week: Irish to the Core by The Wolfe Tones. This is the album that started all for me. Someone lent me a cassette copy when Andrew and I used to play on the South Mall at UT. I loved. Really quirky voices and fun music. "Rock on Rockall" is one of my favorites. I keep meaning to learn that song. Hmm... Need to work on that.

-- Still working on the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. I got side track by the next item on this list. But the magazine is still coming together. In fact, I'm transferring all the old CD reviews to one blog, the Free Irish Music Downloads blog. You can now sign up to get email updates. This will be CD reviews and free MP3s as soon as they are posted! It's a cool service from Feedburner. So check it out.

Now the reason for my sidetracking...

-- What Color Is Your Dragon? Folk Music with Delusions of Grandeur. The album is done. I'm sending it off to the printers any day now. W00t! You can listen and download "The Lusty Young Sith" via the MarcSongs Podcast. Different from the pre-sales of other CDs, this one is not yet on sale. Hope to have it out next month.

Also, don't forget...

-- Mark Your Calendar - Cat CD Release Party in Austin and New Orleans. One of the first things I did upon feeling better was to secure some CD release parties for Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers. The CD is now on CD Baby and iTunes.

• Austin CD Release. Right now, I have an Austin release at the Cactus Cafe on Weds, July 30th. Please note, that this was not the original date reported. But it is the correct date! I really need a LOT of help getting the word out about this gig. It's a benefit for Thundering Paws. So please tell your friends and make sure you head out there for this gig.
  
  
• New Orleans CD Release. No sooner had I solidified the Cactus, when my friend Jamie helped me score a CD release in New Orleans at the Saltwater Grill on Sat, July 26 in the afternoon. It benefits the LSPCA. There's also a house concert up in Robert, LA for those who want a more intimate show.
  
  
• Please consider posting a review if you own Whiskers in the Jar.
  

-- Check me out on Myspace, SoundClick, Demand a Show on Eventful, Wikipedia, Facebook, Livejournal, Sonicbids, and DeviantArt. And if you'd like a CD...

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Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.