Marc Gunn is an Irish and Scottish folk singer with a strange affinity for Celtic ballads, drinking songs and cats, and he is the lead singer for the Brobdingnagian Bards.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
I Walked Through the Mountains
Yesterday was another relaxing day. From Eugene, I drove back to Portland, checked into the hotel and spent some time with a new friend I made at the cat show, Jennifer. She invited me to see the mountains where she and her husband have a nice cabin in the woods North of Vancouver, Washington.
Wow! It was amazing. We drove out through a park and stopped off at park where she used to roam as a kid. We wandered though the rough trails, saw glassy waters, cascading falls, and immaculate beauty. I crouched on some rocks opposite one of the falls and watched the water spray on my glasses. I poked shards of ice in puddles. I closed my eyes and meditated with the sound of rushing water.
It's funny. I don't meditate nearly as much as I feel I should. I've started to more before bed. But when I do... Dio! It's pure joy. My senses come alive. Every touch of stone was more precious. Every water-logged branch that I found from recent flooding was more sensual. I could smell fish on the bark. I could taste the pine in the air. The water splashing on my face. Life was just that much more precious.
We wandered through the trails, the mud, rocks and ice. We climbed over fallen trees cleaned of bark and silky smooth. It was delicious.
Then up to the cabin, we went. Right on the river, it sat humbly admiring the vista. Though I never saw one, Jennifer showed me a picture of a bald eagle that called that stream I-1 as it flew proudly above the rushing waters. We lit a fire and drank hot jasmine tea. I sat by a stove fire and napped in the warmth.
My senses were heightened. I heard the sound of steaming water to my left. What thought was a minute later must've been more. Because when I awoke. I found a kettle on the stove smoking... on my right. And cabin empty. I hugged myself warmly and walked out onto the deck with the brisk air tickling my breath.
The sun was now setting so it was time to head back to Portland. But before we got there, we stopped off at Jennifer's Cat Sanctuary in Vancouver. Jennifer is a cat whisperer. I'm hoping to feature her in my Cat Lovers Podcast in a month or so after I do a feature on the cat show.
A cat sanctuary. Prrrr! Well over a decade ago, Jennifer and her husband moved onto a nice tract of land with a few feral cats. One by one and she started helping them, feeding, caring for their health and spaying and neutering the cats, and then finding homes for the sweet babies. Many years later, she has an amazing sanctuary.
We walked into this home and were greeted by dozens of the sweetest, most loving little putty tats. They purred, meowed, and begged for loving attention. They got as much as I could give. I felt like Dr. Lazarus from Galaxy Quest as we strolls in arms raised after having helped released the Thermians from suffocating death. They were very loving, but Jennifer is definitely their mom. She has one beautiful cat that should've lost his eye two years ago, but through Jennifer's love has kept it for longer than a vet would've expected. She has kitties with dental problems, some with FIV, three-legged cats, cats with skin problems, feral cats, and most desperately in need of loving homes where they can be worshiped as they deserve.
It was touching to see all the loving kitties. And I feel a wee bit more committed to finally visiting Austin's own cat sanctuaries.
Oh! On a similar note, a friend who found a cat two years ago that was diagnosed with Feline Leukemia turned out to be a false positive. So a special note. If you find a cat diagnosed as such, have the cat re-tested before you take further actions. And on another note, Jennifer apparently has helped three out of four cats overcome Feline Leukemia. So learn how you might be able to help your feline friends.
That must've been the most-relaxing house concert I've done, especially solo.
Yesterday morning, I drove from Portland to Eugene listening to Marketplace and Music Business Radio podcasts. It was another beautiful drive. Oregon really is a gorgeous state. Lovely trees, rolling hills, mountains in the distance. I started thinking about it and realized if it weren't so much further away from Europe, I wouldn't mind living in this state. But I still would like to be closer to Europe so I can make frequent trips.
Anyway, I arrived in Eugene earlier afternoon and met up with Kari Haley from The Signal Podcast. We grabbed some coffee after a quick drive through Eugene. Then after geeking out about some of her Firefly goodies she got food and such ready for the house concert in the evening. Time flew by and before I knew it there was a knock at the door and it was 6:30pm.
It was a small turnout as I expected. I was told that six people confirmed for this. That probably helped me to relax a bit in itself. I think eight people showed up in all. We gabbed as a few more people came in and then I started playing some time after 7:30pm.
There was no set list. No real plans of what I would do. I just started picking songs that people had mentioned earlier and then flew through a nice mix of solo songs, cat songs and bard songs. Forty five minutes later or so, the first set ended and we watched an episode of Ask A Ninja Podcast.
The second half went just as easily as I even played a few songs that Andrew and I do together. That was weird... having folks chirp in the lines because I don't remember them. Weird but amusing. Oh! And all my cats songs... I remembered the lyrics. Much easier to do with as much as I played them this weekend.
Usually by the end of a tour set, I am wiped. I'm not sure why it was so relaxing. But it was nice. The show was a lot of fun. Everyone seemed to go away happy and jovial. And it was just a pleasant fun evening all in all. I haven't listened to the recording I made, but if it came out halfway decent, I'm gonna try and post it in the Pub Songs Podcast. So I want to thank to everyone who showed up.
Beer songs. Yeah, I perform a lot of songs about beer. Some call them pub songs. But more particularly, they are indeed songs about beer. When you play Irish music, you find lots of songs about beer and other forms of alcohol. Here's a few songs that I perform about beer:
The Pub Songs Podcast is a personal podcast of Marc Gunn. It opens with some pub songs from Ireland, Scotland and around the world, song that you may hear in pubs, plus, folk song lyrics and news. It also features poetry, rants, and raves and some of the favorite non-Celtic bands of Marc Gunn.
The original idea behind the podcast was to teach people about a variety of pub songs. The first two songs were from that media. But I quickly ran out of time for research. So when I reworked the Pub Songs Podcast a few months later, I decided to make it a personal podcast, one where I could not only rant and rave about my favorite things are talk about things I love, but also where I could highlight music.
In every show, there's at least one pub song from around the world, though mostly from Ireland and Scotland. Then, since I love many different styles of music, I branch out from there. Some times, I'll have a song by yours truly, Marc Gunn. Other times, I'll feature bands I find through my Irish & Celtic Music Podcast or my Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. Most recently, I started recording hour-long shows, highlighting songs that I perform, though not always pub songs. In fact, my musical interests lean more towards ballady music, but I like to think they're all still fun.
The podcast comes out in seasons with fifteen shows in each season. Listeners can download the show by hand for free, or they can make a donation and download the season that is nicely zipped up for your listening pleasure.
Incidentally, the original format of the Pub Songs Podcast was recently replaced with another podcast I started called Your Weekly Irish Stout. That podcast features one free download from an Irish pirate band called Irish Stout.
I was watching the first season of Rome and had an interesting idea for portraying the news.
In modern times, we have political cartoonists, television shows, radio programs, that all discuss the news. In Roman times, they had actors on stage acting out the "news" of recent battles in a comical fashion. I just saw one showing Vorenus saving Pullo in the arena, which sparked this idea.
What about a comedy troupe that acts out modern news in a comical fashion. I wonder if this is done at all? It's not based on repetition like plays. It's more like an NPR 5 Minute News Update, live on stage, making fun of the current news.
That'd be interesting. It's just fascinating to see the Roman equivalent to things that are still being done today. Time to go hunt down the Onion podcast.
Tonight, I wrote some news that I sent off to the Ceili, a newsletter put out by Southwest Celtic Music Association. It got me thinking of my successes.
I'm not really one to brag about about my accomplishments. Most of the time, I forget to tell people about them period. Part of the reason is because I forget to. But mostly, I'm just not like that. I grew up with the idea that it is best to be humble. Consequently, I have trouble bragging about myself, my band, or my many accomplishments in the Celtic music world.
That is what press releases are all about. It's one of the things any band, or even business, should do to secure their success. But for me, it's a constant struggle. I kinda wish I had a manager who could do that for me. Someone to manage my affairs and say, "he's pretty cool". But then, that's every musicians dream. Isn't it?
I remember early on in my music career, bands were always wanting managers. I've probably paid my dues and could do with a manager meself. Though I don't think we could adequately afford to pay one. It always comes to down to money though.
Well, any case, I did the best I could about providing news that quantified success as I was able. Here's what I hope will be added in the next edition of the Ceili:
The Brobdingnagian Bards released their ninth album, "The Holy Grail of Irish Drinking Songs" in December. The album is a compilation of drinking songs from several of their earlier albums, plus a few new songs from upcoming CDs. The Bards, in conjunction with Things Celtic in Austin, are hosting a tour of Ireland, June 7-15. The tour was designed with the Rennie in mind with a host of fantastic historical spots.
Marc Gunn is currently working on another solo CD to compliment his 2005 hit album "Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers". This CD entitled, "Irish Drinking Songs, the Cat Lover's Companion" features all the original Irish songs that were parodied on the cat CD. Also, for well over a year now, Marc Gunn has hosted the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast ( www.celticmusicpodcast.com). The show has maintains the honor of being one of the top 20 music podcasts on iTunes with over 20,000 downloads of each show. Gunn also recently ended the voting for the 2nd Annual Celtic Music Awards. These awards are maintained by his Celtic MP3s Music Magazine ( www.celticmp3s.com) and allows fans to vote for their favorite Celtic music groups. Results will be posted in a special edition of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast and in the magazine in March.
Aside from the iTunes comment and a quick "hit album" for my cat CD, there's really not that much bragging there. Is there? I didn't mention our upcoming interview in Tribeza magazine for our Celtic Wedding CD.
Instead, I look at it and think, "What really is important?" I mean, I've published my Celtic MP3s Music Magazine for over nearly seven years now. I may have a good 15,000 subscribers, but is that really important?
Ultimately, no. Ultimately, I'd rather say, I brought some degree of joy to people's lives. I'd rather find at the end of my life that I've helped someone in some way, that I've inspired someone.
One of my heroes is C. Wayne Owens aka Seymoure. Once upon a time, he was a touring comedian and Renaissance festival entertainer. But it wasn't just the humor or talent with improv and puns that really stood out to me. It was his ability to inspire. When I talk to Seymoure, I find new meaning in my life. I find direction about what is important. Seymoure inspires me to think, about life, the universe, and everything. And if I had one wish for my dying days, it would be that I was able to inspire people as Seymoure has inspired me.
I don't think I'm nearly as eloquent as he is. He thinks on his toes, while I think, deliberate, toss ideas around and then comment. But maybe in other ways. I will find my direction to inspire and help people, selflessly, to the joy of many.
If I had one prayer, it's that my life might be one of inspiration, healing, and sacrifice.
Well, the Irish Song Lyrics podcast hasn't come together yet. Can't seem to get the RSS feed working and then I though I might make a few more changes. We'll see if I continue it.
I just updated the Your Weekly Irish Stout Podcast. I'm publishing that every week now. Into a good four weeks. It hasn't received much of a response, but my download numbers are growing. There are a good 42 subscribers and 130 downloads each week. Not too shabby for that band.
Next up is I'm creating another podcast. This one the Irish-Song-Lyrics.com podcast. I haven't set it up just yet. I noticed I need to make a few more changes to it. Like graphics-wise. Not sure how to do that yet.
Meanwhile seem to be trying to burn my tomato soup for lunch. erk!
Where was I? New graphics. Well, anyway. That's all for now. Off to do the work.
If you're familiar with Clandestine, the Celtic group that dissipated a few years back after taking the nation by storm, well, they are reformed and playing again with a minor lineup change. And they have a new website: www.clandestineceltic.com.
You can find more about the original incarnation of Clandestine here.
About this time last year, I had this brilliant idea of creating a monthly Celtic calendar and distributing it around Austin so folks in Austin would know when Celtic happenings are happening. I created a template, even went so far as to purchase a domain--www.austincelticcalendar.com. Then gigs and life got the better of me and I never did anything further with the website.
It's a shame really. I think Austin really needs this calendar. And while I'm motivated enough to get it running, I just don't have the time. I have too many projects as it is.
That said, I've been craving more social interaction with folks around Austin. So with the success of my Austin Italian Language Meetup group, I decided to start a few more meetups. The latest is the Austin Celtic Meetup. This new meetup has taken over the website for the Austin Celtic Calendar and designed to increase interaction among the Irish, Scottish, and other Celts of Austin. There are a bunch of us. And hopefully, I'm not the only one hoping to meet more people. We'll find out next month!
FYI. The third meetup group I started is the Austin Yoga Meetup Group. I'm fairly new to Yoga, but I like the folks that do it. They typically are very colorful people with an interest in healthy living, like I have.
For many years now, I've wanted to go to Oregon. I hear such wonderful things about it. I finally have the opportunity thanks to an International Cat Show taking place at the end of January. Since we have a number of fans up in that area, I decided to try and put together a small house concert while I'm there. Kari Haley has kindly volunteered to host it.
Monday, January 29, 2007 Kari Haley House Concert @ 7-9pm. Eugene, OR 97402 Call or email Erin to RSVP. $10 donation Show starts at 7:30pm so arrive early.
I wonder what year I started my Autoharp Music Tips website? Was it indeed in 1999? Not sure. But whenever it was, it's long been found at autoharp.bardscrier.com. Well, not any more!
I am proud to announce the start of a brand new Autoharp Music Tips URL. The website that has helped thousands of autoharp fans find great music and learn how to play the autoharp can now be found at www.autoharpmusic.com.
There's something rewarding about starting a new URL. I'm not sure what it is. It's not like the autoharp information has really changed. I mean, the website still holds the same exciting content, complete with links to everything autoharp-related. But it's like there's a new beginning. Something new to share with people.
Speaking of which, I prolly should get off my arse and start updating my many links to the old website, huh?
Austin Music Awards - Vote for the Brobdingnagian Bards
Every year, the Austin Chronicle holds a music poll. A couple years ago, the Brobdingnagian Bards won "Best Novelty Band". I want to win that again, but the category I have my eye on is "Best Folk Band". We came in #2 back then. I want to hit #1.
So once again, I posted my picks for who to vote for in the Austin Music Poll. Feel free to pick your favorites. But please take a moment to vote.
Once your done voting, please tell your friends who are fans of our music. We need a LOT of votes to win, but I believe we can do it with your help.
Thank you all for supporting us!
-Marc
PS. If you have a problem submitting, try again, or print and mail to Music Poll, The Austin Chronicle, PO Box 49066, Austin, TX 78765.
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According to the rules, ANYONE in the world can vote. This means YOU. Feel free to cut and paste the selections below into the online voting form, or pick your own Austin favorites. But please don't try stuffing the ballot with family members. If they want to vote, ask them to do it themselves.
In italics, I also listed some of my personal favorites in Austin for you to consider as well.
