MARC GUNN

Haunted by the Hiccups of Hawaii

2008-05-15T18:18:00.006-05:00

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

2008-05-15T01:06:00.005-05:00

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.

My Father Was a Werewolf (Rough Cut)

2008-05-15T00:40:00.003-05:00

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.

Matron of the Arts - Diana Greco

2008-05-14T20:02:00.007-05:00

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.

How I Dream of Flying

2008-05-14T13:16:00.010-05:00

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.

Ren Fest Podcast 3-Year Anniversary Approacheth

2008-05-13T18:32:00.004-05:00

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.

Indie Buzz Bootcamp

2008-05-13T15:31:00.003-05:00

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.

Find out more here.

Reserve Your Seats Now for
Indie Buzz Bootcamp 2008

An exclusive group of only 150 people will be
able to attend this first-time-ever event.
Will you be one of them?

Save 25% on enrollment this month ...
and get a 2nd person in at nearly half off!

I invite you to attend a life-changing,
one-of-a-kind experience ...

Funny Musicians Sale to Help Current Disasters!!!

2008-05-13T14:12:00.003-05:00

Grant of Throwing Toasters writes:

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):

Vol 1 - http://cdbaby.com/cd/fmsc
Vol 2 (features Weird Al) - http://cdbaby.com/cd/fmsc2

I am on Volume 2 with "The Mining Ship the Red Dwarf".

Custom-Made Musical Instrument Bags

2008-05-13T14:06:00.002-05:00

What a cool idea. Custom made instrument bags. If you need a bag for your musical instruments, check out this site for stuff like:

brocade whistle cases
brocade and silk violin, viola and fiddle bags
bodhran cases
gig bags
instrument bags
brocade music book covers
musical instrument bags

yet to come:
hard-sided bodhran bags
brocade camera bags with drop-down front
brocade lap-top cases

www.fiddlybags.com

Weekly Update

2008-05-12T22:39:00.005-05:00

-- 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.

-- Whiskers in the Jar (as well as Going for Brogue) is at Diskfaktory being printed. I'll let you hear a few more songs on the Pub Songs Podcast later this week if you haven't already listened online. The Gift of Cat Love is now iTunes.

-- Did you see the new SoundClick widget on iTunes? You can listen to a bunch of my songs on my website while you read my latest news.

-- Check me out on Facebook, Myspace, SoundClick, Demand a Show on Eventful, Wikipedia, and DeviantArt.

The Gift of Cat Love Now on iTunes

2008-05-09T23:15:00.003-05:00

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)

2008-05-08T23:09:00.000-05:00

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.

Vivid Dreams and Drums

2008-05-08T11:03:00.005-05:00

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.

I like the sound of my Irish Drinking Songs CD. Ari, you rock!

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

2008-05-07T21:47:00.001-05:00

I finally got around to watching this. Too funny! My cats enjoyed it too.

Renaissance Lasciviousness

2008-05-07T16:40:00.004-05:00

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?

Upcoming CD Notice

2008-05-06T23:15:00.007-05:00

Later this summer or possibly in the Fall, I hope to record my next studio album with Rich Brotherton, who also produced Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers. The concept behind this album is the fusion of traditional Irish music with American folk and blues. The title--How Irish Music Saved Civilization.

I'm really excited about this album, the chance to work with Rich again and the fusion of musical styles... I'm psyched. I don't entirely know what tracks will be on the album, except "Lil Bit of Love", but I do have a nice list of songs that I am working on.

The trouble right now is $. I looked at my finances today, because I wanted to record a three-song single to promote the Civilization album. But boy are finances tight. I still owe nearly $7,000 on Whiskers in the Jar, plus hundreds on several other CDs. Money is tight.

One of the reasons I compiled Going for Brogue and What Color Is Your Dragon? was to raise money for this new CD. Unfortunately, it looks like I will have to be patient and recoup some money before I release a single. And certainly before I record a full album.

Meantime, I am practicing a lot to prepare for this new CD. It will be awesome... Now I just need to recoup some mullah!

A Peak at Today

2008-05-06T20:52:00.004-05:00

Busy day. I can barely remember it. I cleaned, did laundry, practiced, watched some movies, and I made biscotti... or attempted to. I'll try them out tomorrow and see how good they taste.

I also realized that one of the cats pissed on some pillows and such. Oh, and I published a Cat Drinking Tails newsletter announcing Whiskers in the Jar. I just realized I forgot to tell my readers that the new CD is done. I also had to resend a new master of the CD, because there were scratches on the first one. Another delay, grr. So much email to go through.

First Weekend of Oklahoma Renaissance Festival

2008-05-05T20:28:00.003-05:00

I am home lounged in front of the TV watching Music & Lyrics. Tiziano climbed up onto the couch, circled and plopped down leaning against me to hinder my ability to refill my bourbon. Torre is crouched quietly on the other side of the couch.

I love coming home. My weekend at the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival was fun, but exhausting. I must confess too much so. I feel wiped, and we head back on Thursday for a Three day weekend. That will be touch methinks. But it's hard to complain when I had the joy of spending time at Mother Pockets Soup Kitchen with the whole family. And family they are. I love that group. Such kind, good-hearted people, they take away the stress and worries of the world by being.

The weekend had lots of other pleasures too. The Castle Muskogee is a good faire. They have a strong cast and some of our most-amazing friends through the years perform there, like Bedlam Bards, Queen's Gambit, The Lord Mayor's Company, and many more. I got to meet Alexander James Adams, see The Jolly Rogers, Lord Kerridwyn, Nancy Daily Green, and of course, there were shows.

Our shows went great. I got to meet my friend Emilee's new baby (stunningly cute!). We hung out with our Monkey, and played music better than ever. Aside from the physical exhaustion, it was a good weekend. And there are three more to go! :)

Foul-Mouthed Crypticism

2008-05-05T20:20:00.003-05:00

Hmm? Did I let the cat out of the bag and shouldn't have?

A while back a published a CD. It served two goals. It was a test project and it was a CD to publish some bawdiness. After mentioning it for Going for Brogue and on the latest Renaissance Festival Podcast, I've seen a surge of CD sales. I'm not sure I really want that. The CD is a little foul mouthed and bawdy to a small degree. I like what I did, but I put the best, most family-friendly songs on the Brogue CD. Not to be cryptic or enticing, but I published the album under a different name for a reason. So unless you're into skankiness, don't bother. And I prolly will publish another album under that name in the future, because it gives me an outlet for something different.

Stuff on My Cat

2008-05-05T19:57:00.003-05:00

This is too cool! I got several posts from people who saw a picture of my CD, Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers on Stuff On My Cat. That's a beautiful thing.

I'd love to see more pics of people with my solo CDs, T-Shirts, Celtic Cat Wooden Mug, whatever. If you have any fun pictures of those, post them on Flickr or on Myspace. Or what about doing a special video with my CDs that you post on YouTube?

Once you've done something, post a comment here where your picture or video is at and I'll send you a free live CD of mine.

The Clothes Make the Man (or Woman)

2008-05-03T23:09:00.003-05:00

In 2003 or so, I published an eBook called "Ten Tips on How to Bring the Fans Back Time and Time Again". Today, I got my first criticism of it. Their complaint was that I sounded more like a politician than a musician.

I'm used to criticism when it comes to my music marketing tips. I've was really aggressive in the past. No where near as much now. But I decided to go back and read that book. I still stand by all those tips.

This ebook and all my articles are educational tools designed to build character that will lead to success. Sort of like Bob Baker's Artist Empowerment Podcast and stuff. Not all these tips are for everyone right now. To illustrate this, I'll repost my reply:

Thanks for the feedback. I understand your point, but I have a different philosophy which not everyone understands. It's the concept that if you give selflessly, you will receive. That article is designed to educate musicians on ways to give selflessly. I am an idealist and I look at the greater issues, not sales of CDs, but the betterment of humanity. Putting on a great show or showing your love and respect for you fans is part of that goal.

You see, to be successful in any business, you have to respect they people who support you. And the way to do that is to learn how to respect people. It's not an intuitive part of human nature. People naturally want to be greedy or to take care of themselves.

As an example, a few years ago, I decided to selfishly donate a percentage of CD profits to non-profit organizations. My goal was to publicize the donation and thereby attract media to build my fan base. The problem was I didn't publicize it.

Instead, I gave away money. I turned those donations into a habit. Now I regularly give away a few thousand of dollars a year to non-profits. And the most unexpected thing happened... I did not profit from the publicity. Instead, I profited internally, spiritually, I got thank you letters from organizations who said how much they appreciated my donations.

The same thing with the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. It began as an ezine to promote MY band. But eventually, I stopped promoting MY band selfishly and started promoting other bands. Then I started the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. All of a sudden, I got fan emails from people telling me how much they appreciated me sharing this great music with them!

The point I'm trying to make is that on the surface those tips may seem like "selling out". But they are not. "Selling out" is a state of mind. If you do not agree with them and you are an artist, don't do them. Because THAT is selling out. But to read those tips and realize that by doing so you will make other people feel good, to ingrain those tips into your heart so the next time you see a "fan", you give them a hug, because you learned to CARE about them. That is not selling out. That is improving your social conscience. And I believe that that is good for humanity.

I don't know if I made my point or not. But I do believe that if you act a way that you think will benefit you, you will learn one day not to "act". It will become a part of your nature. And then you ARE that person. And hopefully, that person is better than the one that started.

I know I have a Lot of faults that still need correcting, but that is the opportunity of life.

ReverbNation

2008-05-02T11:38:00.003-05:00

I'm all packed and ready to go to Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. Going to pick up Andrew in a few minutes. Meanwhile, I'm passing time watching Buffy and doing some web updates. I added Going for Brogue to the CD special at Whiskers in the Jar ordering site.

I also signed up for ReverbNation. A number of bands that I know and respect use the site. So I'm going to give a run and see what it can do for me.

A Day of Podcasting and Weekly Update

2008-05-01T23:27:00.004-05:00

Whoa! Time for a breather. *sigh* It was a busy day. I decided to take a break from recording What Color Is Your Dragon? to get other stuff done:

Renaissance Festival Podcast #94 posted, an ezine was sent out, and I redesigned the podcast website. It looks a lot cleaner... maybe too clean. Let me know what you think?
Vote in the Musical Challenge. There's a new form to vote in the Ren Fest Podcast Musical Challenge. Go vote!
Practiced with Michelle. I love playing with percussion. It's a completely different dynamic.
Sent out the latest Marc's Musings.
Worked with Diskfaktory to keep the production going for Going for Brogue: Irish Pub Songs and Sea Shanties and Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers. They should both arrive at the end of the month.

In other news from the week:

What Color Is Your Dragon? Folk Music with Delusions of Grandeur is progressing nicely. I had some rough mixes that I hope to clean up next week. Still no song list yet.
I haven't restarted MarcSongs Podcast. I'm gonna try and get that rolling again on Tuesday.
Brobdingnagian Bards Tour of Ireland. This is your last ever chance to join us in Ireland. We're discontinuing after this year.

Going Brogue Could Save Your Life

2008-05-01T23:15:00.004-05:00

MARC'S MUSINGS -- May 1, 2008

- Marc's Music News
- Going for Brogue and more New CDs
- Last Chance for an Ireland Tour
- My Blog Could Save Your Life

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,

Texas, having beautiful spring days, who would've thought?

Every time I stepped outside after the big thunderstorm last weekend, I was amazed. The weather was delicious, cool, and lovely. The only problem is I haven't been out to enjoy it. I had a lot planned and not enough time to do it. But the results are getting me excited

MARC'S MUSIC NEWS

Thanks to my acupuncturist, I am at last feeling great. My sinus problems are all gone, and my motivation kicked in over the weekend.

You see, I've had several CDs that I planned to finish this spring. The first and most important was Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers. It is at the printers as we speak and should arrive by the end of May.

The second was a CD called, What Color Is Your Dragon? Folk Music with Delusions of Grandeur. It's a CD that I've been recording over the past year and releasing as singles on the MarcSongs Podcast. There were a couple songs that still needed recording. So I kept putting it off... until this weekend. The music is now recorded! I hope to mix it this week.

The third was a last minute decision. It's a an album of Irish songs and sea shanties that I recorded over the past few years with an Irish accent for my Irish-Song-Lyrics.com website. It's called Going for Brogue: Irish Pub Songs Songs and Sea Shanties with an Accent (go fig!). That album was my big accomplishment for the weekend. I remixed it, and sent it off to the printers. You can now pre-order a copy, and you should have it by the time I make it to Ireland in June.

MARC GUNN LIVE!
Speaking of Ireland, we came to a big decision. This year's Brobdingnagian Bards Tour of Ireland is the last tour we're gonna do. Quite sadly, this is the second year we're losing money on it. While we have a great time, we're still indie musicians and can't afford to take big losses. So that's it.

That said, we do have four more spots available on this year's tour. This trip will be a one bang up party that you don't want to miss. So if you're interested in going AND you can afford it, email me ASAP. Right now, the trip lists for $2600. But if you let me know immediately, I'll knock off $100 from the price until Monday.

Meantime, we're heading back to the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival this weekend and the next three. This will be our last engagement before we fly off to Ireland.

READ MY NEWS AT MARCGUNN.COM. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Okay, maybe it really won't save your life, but I hope you'll enjoy it! hehe! :)

I made a big change a couple weeks ago. I decided to start using my homepage blog more. In the past, I blogged on Livejournal or Myspace quite regularly. Both are great websites, and I haven't abandoned them. But I feel I can offer more when it's coming straight from my homepage. I have a new RSS feed which will allow you to add my blog to your newsreader--http://www.marcgunn.com/blog.xml .

That said, there's a LOT of news I posted in the past week as I made updates to my website. I reorganized my CDs and merchandise page to make it easier and more accessible. There are some questions that need answering (here and here) and much more. You can even get email updates of blogs. Lots to do. I hope you'll be a part of my community.

---
Thank you for interacting with me. Please drop me a line and say hi. Slainte!
- Marc Gunn

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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!

Simple Guide to Hosting a House Concert

2008-05-01T15:45:00.006-05:00

How would you like to have live music from Marc Gunn in your home? You can with house concerts.

House Concerts are intimate musical performances held in private homes, usually without a sound system to an audience of 20-40 people. It is a fantastic way for you to hear my music live and interact with me in a relaxed social setting.

Your job is to Promote the Event to as many people as you feel comfortable having in your home. Send email or postcards to all of your family and friends and to people you know are interested in Celtic and folk music. Then watch as you become the envy of them all, in hosting this fun and light-hearted show.

Duration is typically two hours long with two sets of 45 minutes and one twenty minute break between sets.

Admission to the house concert typically requires $15 donations from attendees. It is a good idea to have someone collect money from attendees. Donations should yield between $300-600 for the evening's entertainment.

It is best to take Reservations for the house concert. Overbooking will insure that you have a full house even if someone cancels. As this is technically a private event, please do not put your address on flyers.

Many hosts serve Food and Drink, but this is not required. BYOB is quite acceptable. Chairs should be acquired for each of your reservations. You can rent them from party supply companies for as little as $1-2 a chair.

Lodging may be requested if I am coming from out of town. If I fly in for a house concert, I may also request Travel to and from the airport.

CD Sales are the lifeblood of all musicians. It's very important to have a table to sell CDs and frequently, it helps to have someone sell the CDs during the intermission or after the show.

House concerts are amazingly fun and rewarding. They do require work, but the feel-good rewards will last a lifetime.

For additional information on how to host a house concert, or have a question? Please email me.

More Tips on How to Host a House Concert?

House Concert Articles:

What others are saying...

Concerns were just typical...will there be enough food, wine, etc.... until party time when the what if no one shows up thing hits... It was pretty much a perfect night though. Lots of friends, good food and music...gods, the music just wonderous. I still can't believe it happened...you were sitting in my living room playing all the stuff I listen too, live! And the jamming! When can you come back? --Val Dodd

It was a wonderful event, and words fail to express the excitement and spirit of the whole evening! The Bards were magnificent in every way, and I urge ANYONE to consider hosting a house concert. People were throwing money at me; I issued ribbons tied to people's wrists as they paid, and I had NO ONE out of over 60 people attending who failed to track me down and pay the gate. It was a great way to kick off out preparations for the 5th year of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival, and I am grateful to Andrew and Marc for making is such a rambunctious and fun event. If you DO want to host a concert, email me and I'll be happy to share details of what made it work. --Jamie H.

MARC GUNN

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Indie Buzz Bootcamp 2008

I invite you to attend a life-changing,
one-of-a-kind experience ...