The Irish diaspora to America brought the happy gift of Irish music, informing and influencing folk, ragtime, blues and even jazz. In this unique collection of original and traditional music, Celtic American musician Marc Gunn leafs through music known, remembered and new to find common themes, melodies and memories.
The Bridge is just that - a connection not only between Irish and American music, but also between Marc Gunn's previous work primarily in Celtic music and his roots in folk, and newer influences of blues and jazz for this New Orleans-based musician.
Above all, the Bridge expresses Marc Gunn's deep love for the music of both his home and where his heart resides.
Track listing (not in order):
- The Bridge (M. Gunn)
- Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (H. Arlen, T. Koehler)
- Black Velvet Band (Trad.)
- The Furball Set: Dobby Goes to Dublin (S. Gillogly)/The Cat in the Corner (trad.)/The Can of Salmon (S. Gillogly)
- Peggy Gordon (Trad.)
- Auld Lang Syne (R. Burns)
- Liquid Sunshine (M. Gunn)
- No Songs Left to Sing (M. Gunn)
- A Lil Bit O'Love (M. Gunn)
- Wild Mountain Thyme (F. McPeake)
- Healy Pass (M. Gunn)
- Gypsy Rover (Trad.)
Produced by
Rich Brotherton. Marc Gunn, autoharp and vocals. Jamie Haeuser, bodhran and background vocals.
Samantha Gillogly, fiddle.
Bethany McLyr, flute. Rich Brotherton, Guitar and octave mandolin. Cover art by Marc Gunn. Graphic design by Charles Davis (CLNDavis@bellsouth.net).
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Last week, I went into the studio to record
Happy Songs of Death. It was far more successful than I anticipated. I laid all the autoharp tracks and most of the vocal tracks. These included:
- Clementine Blues
- Won't You Come With Me
- Flupandemic
- Waxies Dargle
- Johnny Jump Up
- High Jeannie High
- Whiskey, You're the Devil
- Jug of Punch
- Rosin the Bow
- The Foggy Dew Swing
- I'll Drink from Dust Till Dawn
It sounds great so far. I'll post a rough recording of "Rosin the Bow" in the next
Pub Songs Podcast which I will be editing after this blog.
I gotta say, I'm really excited about this CD. Yes, there are some new versions of songs done by the
Brobdingnagian Bards, but it is the theme that makes me giggle with glee. Okay, most of these songs aren't funny. It's mostly the irony in the performance--nice upbeat music with horrible songs of death. But they're fun, and that's what I hoped to achieve in creating this album.
What is left to record?
Well, I have one new song I wrote called "Red, Red, and Black Death" that is a bouncy song inspired by a quote from an Italian author in the 16th century about the plague and also inspired by Angelo Branduardi's song "
La Pulce d'Acqua" (hear it on YouTube).
I also want to record a couple of instrumentals. And someone suggested "Twa Corbies" which I don't know
how I missed that one. Two crows picking the bones of a dead knight. I mean, c'mon, that's happy death magic! ;)
Hopefully, next week I'll find more time to record. But it's progressing at a slower pace than usual. That's okay though. It'll give me a lot of time to make you a great record.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.Labels: cd_news
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, February 27, 2009
Take a breath...listen. Listen to an instrument that in the hands of Marc Gunn, becomes a pathway to fairy fields and drifting clouds, to magical realms and deepest dreams.
The autoharp -- conventionally known as the instrument of middle schools and German engineers -- is transformed into an expression of heart, spirit and soul, with Celtic roots and fairy branches, and the capacity to erase all but the calm, happy and comfortable end of a day.
Listen...
Heart's Ease began about five years ago while I was recording
Soul of a Harper. I recorded my first solo instrumental tunes, and I loved them. At the time, I thought about recording an instrumental album inspired by the fae folk. My first tunes were named that way. But two years ago, I started back on the path, starting with "Stardust Serenade", a song inspired by the movie
Stardust. The others came in bursts with fans and friends naming the tunes.
This is a relaxing album of peaceful heart-felt emotion. Imagine sitting in a warm bubble bath, a candle burning, and you'll have an idea of how to enjoy this peaceful CD, perfectly named
Heart's Ease.Track Listing:- Stardust Serenade
- Heart's Ease
- She Vanished in the Mist
- Songwind
- The Mage of Mirth
- Desire
- Amber Wednesday
- Fairy Tale Waltz
- Summer's End
- Wildflowers of Party Field
- Return to Lonely Mountain
- Song of Assisi
- Phoenix Tears
- Of Twilight Shores
Buy MP3 Album!$9.99. Instant access. Download the nicely formatted MP3s to your computer. Download free MP3 samples.
Buy the CD!$16. The take-it-with-you version.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Thursday, February 26, 2009
I don't know if I've published this anywhere, but thought I'd share the cat song lyrics I've written (as well as contributions) for my collection of
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers. It's a fun collection of cat songs for cat lovers. Read, listen, and get a smile on your face.
Let me know if I missed anything.
Oh! And feel free to share this list of cat songs to your blog.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.Labels: cd_news
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Sunday, October 12, 2008
Well after much begging and cajoling, we gave in and decided to make the first two
Brobdingnagian Bards CDs,
Marked By Great Size and
Gullible's Travels, publicly available. Not only that, but the first 15 copies are signed by us.
Marked By Great Size was first released in the Fall of 1999 at the
Texas Renaissance Festival. It included the sixteen songs that we first played at Renaissance Festival, including early recordings of "
Do Virgins Taste Better" and "
The Dragon's Retort" which we later were guilt-tripped into re-recording as
one song on
A Faire to Remember.
Gullible's Travels was released in March 2000 at
Things Celtic in Austin and then throughout. It featured our first recording of "Tolkien" which rocketed our popularity on MP3.com. Many of the songs were re-recorded on later CDs or added to compilations, but there's nothing like hearing the album in it's entirety.
If you ever wondered what the Brobdingnagian Bards sounded like... in the beginning. Now you can. Pick up a copy of the CDs while you can.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.Labels: cd_news
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, August 18, 2008
I am thrilled to announce the release of my fourth new CD of 2008--
What Color Is Your Dragon? is now on CD Baby. This album represents something different, especially to FuMPers like Worm Quartet. Why? I cover a LOT of different folk songs and filks on this CD and none of them have to do with cats... Okay, there's ONE small appearance in one song, but it's barely noticed and the song was written fifteen years before I became a
cat lover. So that doesn't count.
Instead you get
Lord of the Rings, Bugs Bunny, Firefly, Star Wars, Dr. Who, and
Harry Potter in one big filky smackdown of autoharp folk goodness. There are a ton of original songs along with a few guest submissions from fans. One fan compared to the Brobdingnagian Bards' chart-topping album,
Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales. I don't know about that, but it's a ton of fun.
And
What Color Is Your Dragon? can be yours now when you
order at CD Baby.
I hope you love it. Slainte!
-Marc
PS. Please tell your friends about the new album and help me spread the word. Thanks!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Thursday, August 07, 2008
I first saw
Rich Brotherton's name on the back of a CD by
Ed Miller. I didn't know who he was. I listened to the album and loved
Ed's music. Little did I know that Rich was the engineer and producer behind the recording. When I heard
The Tea Merchant's
first CD, I was extremely impressed. It sounded awesome. Lo and behold, Rich Brotherton's name came back up.
When I finally decided to record my second of Irish music and cats, I called up Rich Brotherton to produce the album. Little did I know that he had a couple decades of experience playing Celtic music. Nor did I know he was a brilliant multi-instrumentalist, playing the guitar, cittern, mandolin, bass, tenor banjo, and I'm sure I missed some. But in the end Rich produced my album
Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers, and it sounded so good I decided I want him to produce my next big album.
At long last, Rich Brotherton has a website for
Ace Recording, the name of his recording studio. The website does not begin to capture the magic and life that Rich puts into his productions.
If you're looking for a brilliant producer in Austin, look no further. For that matter, he's worth a trip to record!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, May 30, 2008
I looked at my Diskfaktory account today and saw that
Going for Brogue was shipped a few days ago. I was all ready to blog about it when I had a knock at my door. The UPS guy dropped off the new CD.
Going for Brogue is a different kind of CD in my mind, because I have a different kind of CD philosophy.
There are four types of CDs that I record. One is for the media to be praised or criticized at their heart's content. One is for the fans who just want to hear music. One is for educational purposes. And one is for me. Some of those types cross-over, but they all serve their specific purposes.
For instance,
Whiskers in the Jar is a great media-grabber. Consequently, it was recorded in a studio with an incredible producer (Rich Brotherton). Yes, a lot of fans want to hear it, and of course, cats are close to my heart, but it's production was a product of the media. I'm gonna send it to as many reviewers as I can.
A Tribute to Love was a personal project. Yes, I wanted to have some music for Valentine's Day, but ultimately, it is a romantic and passionate album that highlights my own personal romanticism. It is a lot closer in style to my first solo CD,
Soul of a Harper, though with more of a New Age feel overall. But again, very personal.
On the other hand,
Going for Brogue was compiled for fans and for educational purposes, specifically for my
Irish song lyrics website. I have a lot of fans who want to hear more Irish songs. Combine that with my desire to educate, and I plan to record more albums to help others learn Irish songs the way I learn them, by ear. This CD will serve that market. The production was all done in my home studio. The recordings are mostly simple, just me and my
autoharp. It's a fun CD for those who love Irish pub songs and sea shanties. And I'm happy that it is finally done.
Time to send it
Going for Brogue to CD Baby and finish mixing my next fan CD,
What Color Is Your Dragon?.
Originally published at Marc Gunn .com. Read. Interact. Breathe. It's easy; it's free.Labels: cd_news
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, May 21, 2008
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".
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Today was another day of mixing and recording for
What Color Is Your Dragon?. Didn't feel nearly as productive. I have about four songs that are right on the edge of being finished, but are on hold. One, "Don't Go Drinking with Hobbits". I think I have to re-record. It's a very clean, sharp-sounding recording, but it sounds boring.
That's one of the reasons I like recording live. It usually captures a fresher, more energetic sound. Not cold and sterile. Course, this one
was recorded live. But I think I recorded it too late at night.
If I get it done, I'll have 18-20 songs on the CD. The songs are a lot shorter overall, barely three minutes. But it sounds less freaky, like I expected it would. I think it's just "If I Were a Horse" that is freaky. So I'm debating whether I even want it on the album.
I am hoping to bring in my friend Clif Haley to record guitar on one song. Haven't seen him in forever. He used to play with Plow Monday. Fantastic guitarist and interestingly, he's playing more blues rather than rock these days.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Several years ago, I started the
Irish Songs & Lyrics website to help musicians like learn new songs by ear. The site features Irish song lyrics, chords, and streaming audio files so you can listen to the songs you want to learn.
Unfortunately, the website stopped growing because we stopped recording. I decided to expand the website in 2006 by recording a bunch of Irish pub songs under a different name--4 Irish Whiskey. To make it more "authentic", I recorded the songs with an Irish accent.
Then a year later, a fan sent me a book of sea shanties. I thought some of those songs would make nice additions to the website, so this time I took on a pirate persona and added new songs to the website.
Now I decided it is time to release the music officially under my own name. I remixed the songs and compiled the two CDs into one. It's called
Going for Brogue: Irish Pub Songs and Sea Shanties with an Accent. The CD features 19 Irish pub songs and sea shanties performed by yours truly with a variety of bizarre Irish accents. There's over 68 minutes of music on one environmentally conscience CD.
Going for Brogue is raucous fun that shines like the heart of Irish folk music.
Track Listing:- A Drop of Nelson's Blood
- The Holy Ground
- The Night that Paddy Murphy Died
- Isn't It Grand, Boys?
- Botany Bay
- Old Fenian Gun
- The Mermaid Song
- Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye
- Irish Rover
- The Humours of Whiskey
- Whisky in the Jar
- Fiddler's Green
- Haul Away Joe
- All For Me Grog
- Bonnie Ship the Diamond
- The Foggy Dew
- Rattlin' Bog
- Whiskey, Johnny!
- Mingulay Boat Song
PLUS, when you order the CD you'll have a link on the CD to download a digital pack of graphics for your computer, website and profile, and a 37-page ebook of song lyrics, chords and information about the album.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, April 28, 2008
I had this big discussion a while back about the whys and what fors of kilt wearing. I love my kilt. I love the colors, the comfort factor. The only downside really is my boots, of which I need a better replacement. While I love it, I also recognized that a large number of women love to see me, and other men, in kilts.
Before I ask the psychological question "Why?", I thought I'd announce this new idea for a compilation CD--
Kilted for Her Pleasure. Originally, I was just looking at creating t-shirts for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Then I thought, this too cool a title not to make into a full album. So I decided a CD of music by Kilt-wearing Celts was in order.
Like the CD idea?
Also, if you enjoy seeing people in kilts, why?
More on the album as it progresses. Meantime, Celtic bands can
submit music here (if they haven't done so already).
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, April 21, 2008
I'm not always a bright person. I do a lot of things, because I want to, instead of whether I should or shouldn't. It's partially vanity. But then sometimes, I do things to marketing test. They can be expensive tests.
For instance, if you heard my latest
Pub Songs Podcast, that I've released a few solo projects under different names, mostly notably
4 Irish Whiskey. This was a marketing test to promote music on iTunes using keywords. I duplicated that test with
Irish Stout, which was comparatively much less profitable. Thus, Irish Stout is going bye-bye, very soon.
The next step is releasing a compilation of some of these Irish brogue songs, called
Going for Brogue, under my own name. That's slated for the next couple o'months too, as I finish up several other CD projects. Meantime, let me thank everyone who picked up a copy of those albums, as well as
Live Songs from an Irish Pub. I hope you enjoy the music for years to come and especially the collector's aspect of these CDs, as they will never be available again.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Saturday, April 19, 2008
I went to the acupuncturist today to help me fight off a sinus infection I feel is trying to make headway in me. While being filled with needles, I realized a couple of synchronistic things about my life.
My Celtic heritage:
- I was born March 17, St. Patrick's Day.
- I belong to the Scottish Clan Gunn, but learned I was also part Irish.
- I never listened to Irish music until I started Brobdingnagian Bards.
My Cat heritage:
- I never grew up with cats. I had Pekingeses as a child.
- My ex-fiancee introduced me to cats. A couple years later, I started rewriting Irish songs about cats.
- I then learned March 17th is also St. Gertrude's Day, the Patron Saint of Cats.
Now the final bit of synchronicity--my sinus heritage:
- I've had poor sinuses all my life. Though it wasn't until the last ten years that I started having chronic sinus infections.
- The pressure points, aka needle insertion points, to help with my sinuses surround my nose. In fact, I realized today, they were kind of like whiskers. Am I an Irish Cat? ;)
Sorry. Long build, for a poor joke. Hehe! The cat CD is now posted on SoundClick. You can now listen to
"Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers" below. If you like the album, please...
Buy the CD!$15. The take-it-with-you version.
Listen to it free onlineAbsolutely free. The complete CD. All 14 tracks. Completely free to listen to online.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The new CD cover for "Whiskers in the Jar". It was designed by the amazingly talented
Ingrid Houwers. If you want some amazing Celtic art (among other things), check out her website! You can currently
pre-order the CD at CatDrinkingSongs.com.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Looks like my single is now available on CD Baby--
The Gift Of Cat Love. It features three songs from the upcoming CD,
Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, April 04, 2008
Introducing
Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers! If you love
cats and Celtic music, you will love this latest offering from Marc Gunn & The Dubliners' Tabby Cats.
It all began with a phone call. I started meowing in the middle of "Wild Rover". Then I wrote my first cat song.
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers was born. The CD was wildly popular. Before I knew it I had people asking when I would release my next Cat CD. Sure, I had a few songs already written, but not enough for a second CD. I spent the next two years writing some songs and asking fans of the first album to submit some lyrics. The results are now here!
The album features twelve songs and two sets of Irish tunes. The songs are a mix of Irish and Scottish songs rewritten about cats. You'll hear songs about cats eating catnip, waking you up in the middle of the night, staring off into nothingness. You'll laugh as cats take over a dairy farm, splashing milk all over the place or a nice feline friendly twist to the Sylvester and Tweety Bird cartoon. Cats fight off canine pack recruitment and Harry Potter makes an appearance as does cat cloning. No really! It's twisted, but amazing fun.
The CD was produced by Celtic music lover, Rich Brotherton, and it shows.
Whiskers in the Jar is an album of purrlicious fun for cat lovers everywhere.
- What Shall We Do With a Catnipped Kitty
- Molly Malone, the Cat's Perspective/Planxty Hewlett
- Kitty at the Door
- Danny Boy
- To Catch a Cat
- Big Strong Cat (My Puddy Tat, Sylvester)
- Cuddles McGish
- When the Dairy Farm Caught Fire
- Kitty's Rambles/Dowd's 9 Lives/Jenny's Chickens
- The Old Woman and Her Cat (Dundee Cat)
- Kitty Martin
- Harry Potter and the Rising of the Moon
- Orange Kitten's Mew
- Whiskers in the Jar
The graphics were designed by Celtic artist,
Ingrid Houwers. The final album is coming soon.
Buy MP3 Album!$9.99. Instant access. Download the nicely formatted MP3s to your computer.
Buy the CD!$15. The take-it-with-you version.
Listen to it free onlineAbsolutely free. The complete CD. All 14 tracks. Completely free to listen to online.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, April 02, 2008
As of Wednesday, the new CD
"Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers" is nearly done. That means, Cat Sponsorships are now over. I hope to send the CD off to the printers before the end of March. That means, I will be mailing CDs out at the end of April to everyone who pre-orders the album.
The official release of the album will be in mid-May. But for now, you can now pre-order
"Whiskers in the Jar" on the
Adopt a Cat CD webpage.
I want to thank EVERYONE who helped sponsor the album. And another thank you to everyone who pre-orders the CD now. Thank you!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Good day. The
Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers is nearly done being recorded. Today, Chris Buckley of The Tea Merchants came in the studio. He recorded a set of tunes and played the finishing touches of "Whiskers in the Jar". Rich is about to lay the guitar on the tune set and then the day comes to a close. I just looked at my spread sheet. That will mean all that is left is my autoharp on the tunes and Cedric's background vocals on "
Cuddles McGish". Then mastering. And the CD is done! Wow! And Whew!
So what does this mean?
Well, the album won't be mastered until after
St. Patrick's Day. And I'm still waiting on cover art from
Ingrid Houwers (had to resubmit info to her after the album name changed). Once the CD is mastered though, then I'll decide on the official release date for the CD. Probably a good three months or so later. Though
adopters will get it MUCH sooner.
So I guess I'll start looking for some cat holidays this summer...
Meantime,
go download "Danny Boy" and share it with your friends.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Thursday, February 28, 2008
Just finished mixing "
Big Strong Cat (My Puddy Tat Sylvester)". It sounds way cool. Special thanks to Pab Sungenis, Tom Smith and Leslie Larkins. Recorded Michelle on bodhran for a few songs today. W00t!
Quote of the Day:
"A banjo and a tuba... That's funny!"
- Rich Brotherton
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, February 19, 2008
I've been brainstorming CD titles for my next
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers CD. The one I had,
More Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers, just seems a bit obvious but hokey. So I've gone back to the drawing board. I'm compiling names and asking for people to vote on their favorite names. The main naming list comes from
Livejournal.
Though people voted on the titles on
Livejournal and
Myspace.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Thursday, February 14, 2008
I spent all day in the studio today. In fact, I'm still here, typing as Rich lays a bass to "Kitty Martin".
The day was awesome. We laid the basic tracks for three songs:
"Cuddles McGish" was the first song. We laid cittern, autoharp, bass, some guitar accents, and some raucous vocals. Just needs Cedric's fiddle, I think, and it maybe done. Though we'll see after we get the fiddle added.
"Big Strong Cat (My Puddy Tat Sylvester)" turned into a beautiful delight. Since the original song is an old Music Hall song, Rich added tenor banjo that gives it an Old-Timey feel. Very fitting for the
Merry Melodies world it comes from. I'm tempted to see if Rich can do the
Merry Melodies theme song on the banjo as a reel or something. He said, it was a good polka so could work. But we'll see.
"Kitty Martin" is Epic. How it got that way, I don't know. Neither of us knew the original song, "Henry Martin", very well. And while we listened to a couple versions, we kinda created our own. And it turned into an almost acoustic 70s Anthem Rock song. lol. Okay, not quite that, but maybe not far removed. I have the definite feel of Pentangle or Steeleye Span in it. Rich's guitar on it is, whoa, amazing! Still hoping to add a whistle. Though I might look into some fiddle as well.
So, I've been doing some thinking regarding the title of this album. I just don't really want to do "More Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers". So if you have ANY suggestions for CD names. Please let me know ASAP.
Here's what I anticipate will be on the CD:
- What Shall We Do With a Catnipped Kitty
- Danny Boy
- Molly Malone, the Cat's Perspective/Planxty Hewlett
- Harry Potter and The Rising of the Moon
- When the Dairy Farm Caught Fire (by Jean Prior, Nancy Pearsall, and me)
- The Naught Kitty (by Melissa E. Ramey)
- Orange Kitten's Mew by kdmitche (I need to get her name)
- Kitty Martin (by Cara Chapel)
- Big Strong Cat (My Puddy Tat Sylvester)
- Cuddles McGish (by Cedric the Fiddler)
- Kitty at the Door (by Cara Chapel)
- Whiskers in the Jar (by Nancy Pearsall)
Well, almost time for me to re-lay my vocals for "Kitty Martin". So talk more later.
Thanks again to
everyone who's adopted the Cat CD!Labels: cd_news
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Marc Gunn was chosen as a Gold Artist Winner for his new CD
A Tribute to Love by RadioIndy.com as one of their best artists for his focus on musicianship, songwriting and recording quality.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Saturday, February 09, 2008
Whew! What a day! I'm tired and wired. Today is the start of my studio recording for my next
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers CD. I drove over to Rich Brotherton's studio at 10 am with Starbucks in hand. We got started rather quickly. I played him
"What Do You Do With a Catnipped Kitty" and away we went.
The recording went smoothly, and I got to see just how good Rich is. He's an Amazing instrumentalist and laid backing tracks for guitar, bass, mandolin and cittern. Though I think we're gonna leave off the cittern. Hopefully, I'll have a rough mix I can post this evening. Then we jumped into
"Danny Boy". I didn't know I sounded so good.
Now I'm taking a short break. Back in the studio at 8pm to record Emilee Rush's parody of
"Molly Malone".
Then the
real work begins. I haven't had time to work on a bunch of songs, like the parodies of Cara's "Henry Martin" and Cedric's
"Cuddles McGish". So I've a friend who will edit them with me on Friday and then this weekend, I must practice my arse off, so I won't waste any time in the studio.
Meanwhile, I should have the 3-song single available tomorrow evening. And I talked to
Ingrid, and she too came up with the idea of a Celtic cat label on a bottle of beer. So she's starting work on the new CD cover soon.
So tell your friends, my next Cat CD is officially underway! W00t!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Yesterday, I met with Rich Brotherton about producing my next cat CD
More Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers. I drove over there yesterday afternoon, and I was excited to learn he lives just five minutes from my place. And Rich has recorded and produced scores of amazing musicians, including Ed Miller, The Tea Merchants and a lot of bigger names outside the Celtic music world.
The meeting got me really psyched to start recording. If he had available spots sooner than the 6th, I woulda jumped all over them and started on the single. Basically, we're gonna start by recording three songs: "What Do You Do With a Catnipped Kitty", "Danny Boy", and one other song... TBD. Hopefully, that'll give me an idea of how long it's gonna take to record these songs. Then we're gonna jump straight into the rest of the album. And if that flies by quickly, I'll record another companion CD of Irish and Celtic songs. But first things first, the cat CD.
That said, I am still trying to raise money to help pay for the album. If you want to
Pre-Adopt the album, please do.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, January 22, 2008
I hadn't even officially released
A Tribute to Love when I started working on my next solo album--
What Color Is Your Dragon? Folk Music with Delusions of Grandeur.The album started when I realized I have a LOT of songs recorded that are not yet available on full-length albums. I listened to many of them and realized most were
filk songs.
So I decided that would be the main focus of this album. I would compile a list of songs on a variety of Sci Fi/fantasy genres including:
Lord of the Rings, Bugs Bunny, Firefly, Star Wars, Dr. Who, and
Harry Potter. Added to that would be a few songs I wrote a long, long time ago (not necessarily in a galaxy far away) and a few new songs exploring new musical genres (blues, in particular).
The result is my latest album available in August 2008--
What Color Is Your Dragon?. The album features 17 tracks of fun music that one fan compared to the Brobdingnagian Bards' chart-topping album,
Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales.That is kind of appropriate because the first song on the album, "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" was inspired by real-life event that happened several years ago at
DragonCon when I went out drinking with hobbits and by the end of the weekend was so sick I had no voice to sing with. "The Virgin Diet" was a song inspired by another song popularized by The Bards called "
Do Virgins Taste Better Medley", as well as the fan-produced magazine that arose from that song,
The Medieval Virgin.I get a lot of emails from fans with song lyrics. Now and then some songs really stand out and I record them. "The Nazgul Song" and "The Lusty Young Sith" were written by fans who decided to parody songs played by Brobdingnagian Bards. The lyrics made me smile so much, I decided they
had to be recorded.
Nevertheless,
What Color Is You Dragon? has taken on a life of it's own as I dug into my experience to write most of these songs about some of my favorite Sci Fi and fantasy fandoms. This was a wonderful way to share my love of those fandoms in song. I am happy to share this album with you.
Oh! A special thanks to Nikki O'Shea, the
Bards Comic artist, who beautifully designed the CD cover. I hope you enjoy the new album.
Track Listing:- Don't Go Drinking with Hobbits
- A Rabbit for Halloween
- Samwise Gamgee
- The Virgin Diet (How to Have Fun Losing Weight)
- How Do You Tell a Woman You're in Love with Her?
- Pleasant Peasant Pheasant Plucking Song
- She Said Her Name Was Saffron (Our Mrs. Reynolds)
- Monkeys Over Mongolia
- Lusty Young Sith
- For the Setting Sun
- If I Were a Horse
- The Last Chicken in Dublin
- Pig's Song
- I Saved the Planet Earth
- The Nazgul Song
- Gollum Blues
- My Father Was a Werewolf
Buy MP3 Album!$9.99. Instant access. Download the nicely formatted MP3s to your computer.
Buy the CD!$15. The take-it-with-you version.
Listen to it free onlineAbsolutely free. The complete CD. All 17 tracks. Completely free to listen to online.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Thursday, January 17, 2008
Someone asked why it wasn't possible to have one page with all my CDs available for sale. So I updated my CD store. You can now
Buy CDs all at once through my shopping cart. That includes Marc Gunn, The Dubliners Tabby Cats, Brobdingnagian Bards, compilation CDs, albums I've performed on, and even albums from my record label. It's all there!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, January 16, 2008
I love giving away free MP3s. And what is more beautiful than giving away MP3 Love songs when you have a new CD? "
A Tribute to Love" is officially available in February 2008. But that doesn't mean I can't give away free Love MP3s now!
So that's what I am doing. You can try out the album now. There are four, free, full-length love MP3s that you can now download from the album. Try it out. This isn't your typical love songs CD. It's a journey through love and romance, the hills and valleys. You really have to just experience it.
Download the Love Songs right now, then find out more about "
A Tribute to Love"!
You can also read the lyrics.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Christmas is almost here. Heck! I don't know if you can get these in time, but I do know CD Baby is amazing at shipping, and well, everything they do. So here's a few last-minute
Celtic Christmas CDs and other Celtic CDs for the holidays that I'm sure people will love.
Celtic Christmas Music CDs
See more Celtic Christmas Music CDs.
New Celtic Music CDs
Search for Tons of Great Celtic Music CDs.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, December 18, 2007
My friend Jack, who you may know as "Captain Black Jack" Murphy just released his new CD
"Pogue Mahone Means Kiss My Arse". The CD is now
on iTunes. His album was released on my label,
Mage Records.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, December 10, 2007
I just got word that my friend
Jack Murphy just released his CD, "
Pogue Mahone Means Kiss My Arse". It's a fun CD. A bit bawdy in places, but a lot of fun. And I helped him out a wee bit on the recording.
Craig of Farrington now has a couple new CDs on CD Baby as well. Craig plays bawdy and romantic songs on the lute.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Cats. I love 'em. I love them so much that I decided to record a CD,
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers, and an
Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lover's Companion CD as well. But the questions from fans (and my cats) kept coming, "When are you gonna record ANOTHER cat parody CD?"
Over the past couple of years, I've been writing and collecting songs. I finally looked and I have enough songs to fill a CD. So I decided it is at last time to start recording the next CD--
MORE Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers.My goal is to start recording in January and February, starting with another CD (and maybe vinyl) single
What Do You Do With a Catnipped Kitty. I still need to find a producer for the album though. Ari Koinuma is moving and won't be able to produce the new album. But I have two new people in mind to produce the new album. I just need to talk to them about the project.
In the meantime, the album will cost $8-10,000 to create. Oy! And I don't have that kind of mullah. So once again, I am looking for sponsors to help me record and release the album. I put together several Sponsorship Packages for anyone interested in helping. The Personal Cat Sponsorship Packages include lots of CDs, t-shirts and even wooden mugs. The Cat Business Sponsorship Packages will allow you to pre-order copies of the CD AND promote your business on the website and on the CD itself.
My expected release of the
More Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers is Fall 2008. You can help me get this new ball of string rolling, please
Adopt the CD Now!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, December 05, 2007
I just got word that "
A Tribute to Love" is now available on iTunes. If you were one of the folks who got a preview copy, could you please
post a review on iTunes? Thank you!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, December 04, 2007
I love getting that email from CD Baby saying a new CD is Ready to go! And I received that email today. I am not officially releasing the CD until February. That's when I'll start telling the rest of the world about it. But YOU can now buy your copy or dozen and share it with friends, family and loved ones for Christmas. But no need to tell everyone just yet. This is just a thank you for you who are like me and Believe in Love!
Oh! But if you got a free copy of the CD, please re-post your review on CD Baby! Thank you!
I believe in love. It's an essential part of human existence. There are so many great aspects to it, and not all of them are romantic: love, love lost, marriage, infatuation, longing, lust, frustration, love for animals, places, and things. It is not all cut and dry. There is no perfection, except perhaps in accepting the imperfection of our own understanding.
We put a lot into that little word. Yet, it's only through opening our hearts and acceptance do we really embrace and receive love back.
That is how I approached my new CD, A Tribute to Love. It's not just another love CD, all romantic and mushy. It's an internal journey through the ups and downs of love. And it is only a fragment of the experience that you may have shared in your life.
This album is not for everyone. I accept that this may not appeal to you in your current path in life. Yet, I hope when you are ready and you listen to the album, you will experience the emotions I experienced in making and releasing the album. I hope you will see it as more than just music, but a way to share your love with others.
Much love,
Marc Gunn
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, November 26, 2007
Here it is! I got the cover for the
Renaissance Festival Podcast's new compilation CD. It features photography by
Chip Talbert,
Kimberly Stockton as Elizabeth I and graphic design by the amazing, hard-working and generous,
James McDaniel II. Thank you!!!!!!
(Ain't that purty!)
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Thursday, November 08, 2007
The Renaissance Festival Podcast is a free, bi-monthly, downloadable radio show of Renaissance festival entertainment. It is hosted by Marc Gunn and Kristen Roger, and produced Joe Haydu and Marc Gunn, the show features music and entertainment from around the world.
Now we are proud to announce our latest compilation CD. This album benefits the podcast though a portion of the profits benefit a non-profit organization that will help the faire community as well and as needed.
This compilation is a lot like an episode of the Renaissance Festival Podcast with a fantastic mix of music and comedic faire commercials with our unique podcast touch.
Here's the complete track listing. Please visit the artists and find out more about the groups who support the
Renaissance Festival Podcast.
Track Listing:
1. Fugli, "Crazy Leo's Indulgences",
www.povera.com2. Bedlam Bards, "Bedlam Boys / Bear Dance",
www.bedlambards.com3. Bramblebush, "Mary Mac",
www.bramblebush-music.com4. Bocca Musica, "Nancy",
www.boccamusica.com5. Bounding Main, "High Barbaree",
www.boundingmain.com6. Fugli, "Never Marry a Mermaid",
www.povera.com7. Tenpenny Travelers, "Dapper Dan",
www.tenpennytravelers.com8. Minstrel Woode, "Jolly Beggarman",
www.minstrelwoode.com9. Brobdingnagian Bards, "Hobbit's Dance",
www.thebards.net10. NeidFyre, "Old Maui",
www.neidfyre.com11. "Captain Black Jack" Murphy, "The Humours of Whiskey",
www.irishsong.net12. Queen's Gambit, "Rocky Road to Dublin / Foxhunter's Jig",
www.queens-gambit.com13. Pirate Comedy Show, "Tourists Promo",
www.piratecomedyshow.com14. Vince Conaway, "Cantiga",
www.vinceconaway.com15. Marc Gunn, "Finnegan's Wake",
www.marcgunn.com16. Jesse Linder, "The Leaving of Liverpool",
www.jesselinderbard.com17. Marooned, "Spanish Ladies",
www.marooned-lv.com18. Marc Gunn & Lorella Loftus, "PlagueAway: The Pestilence Potion",
www.marcgunn.com19. Terry Griffith, "For My Grandfathers",
www.pittsburghirish.org/griffith20. Blackjacks 'n Blarney, "Old Black Rum",
www.renwidow.com21. Thyme Awaye, "Highland Harry",
www.myspace.com/thymeawaye22. Seymoure, "The Pudding Song",
www.seymoure.net23. Marc Gunn & Lorella Loftus, "The Faire Is Over",
www.marcgunn.com/It album features photography by
Chip Talbert,
Kimberly Stockton as Elizabeth I and graphic design by the amazing, hard-working and generous,
James McDaniel II.
The CD will be officially available for sale on CD Baby in December.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Alrighty, I have the latest arrangement of tracks for the upcoming
Renaissance Festival Podcast compilation CD. It features 24 tracks of great
Renaissance festival music! That is 78 minutes of music. Wow!
Track Listing:
1. Fugli - Crazy Leo's Indulgences
2. Bedlam Bards - Bedlam Boys / Bear Dance
3. Bramblebush - Mary Mac
4. Bocca Musica - Nancy
5. Bounding Main - High Barbaree
6. Fugli - Never Marry a Mermaid
7. Tenpenny Traveler - Dapper Dan
8. AD - PlagueAway
9. Minstrel Woode - Jolly Beggarman
10. Brobdingnagian Bards - Hobbit's Dance
11. NeidFyre - Old Maui
12. Captain Black Jack Murphy - The Humours of Whiskey
13. Queen's Gambit - Rocky Road to Dublin / Foxhunter's Jig
14. Pirate Comedy Show - Tourists Promo
15. Vince Conaway - Cantiga
16. Marc Gunn - Finnegan's Wake
17. Jesse Linder - The Leaving of Liverpool
18. AD - The Naughty Wench
19. Terry Griffith - For My Grandfathers
20. Marooned - Spanish Ladies
21. Blackjacks 'n' Blarney - My Magic Place
22. Thyme Awaye - Higland Harry
23. Seymoure - The Pudding Song
24. Marc Gunn - The Faire Is Over
I'm still waiting for a few higher quality files to make the final mix. But most of it is done. Oh! And still waiting on the album cover. I forgot to check in on that. So better go do that now. Emailed. Hopefully, I can get this out next week! WOOT!
Then on to the next CD project which is a mostly a solo CD with a few bonus tracks of faire artists. Melanie Gruben has volunteered for that CD. If anyone else is interested... and I love my friend Nancy. She came up with the coolest CD title that I want to use for this solo CD--"What Color Is Your Dragon?" Ain't that a cool title? I love it!
Okay. Time to pack. I leave tomorrow. Durn it and I didn't do the Halloween special of the podcast. Crap. Never heard from Kristen either. Ah well... Sleep and I'll be fine.
LOL. Just listened to it. I LOVE my commercials. What a break! LOL
Oh and if you're a Ren Fest performer and want to be on my next CD, let me know.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Thursday, November 01, 2007
I have a lot of projects on my mind. Yes, a LOT! Most recently, I've been working on some compilation CDs to be released on my label,
Mage Records. I also have a bunch of new compilations planned. So I thought I'd use this page to list compilations currently completed and those in progress or planned for the future.
In-Progress Compilations:These compilations are currently in production. If you want to be a part of the compilation, you need to contact me ASAP. They will soon be complete.Renaissance Festival PodcastThis compilation evolved out of a need to raise funds to support the Renaissance Festival Podcast. It features 20+ tracks of music and entertainment from bands and musicians performing at Renaissance Festivals. It's like an episode of the podcast without all the talking.
Compilations Under Consideration:These compilations are not yet underway, but feel free to submit music for the compilation. Please specify which on you are interested in being a part of.What Color Is Your Dragon?This isn't exactly a compilation CD. It's another Renaissance festival CD by Marc Gunn with several guest tracks from a number of fantastic faire musicians.
Celtic BeatlesThis is an aggressive CD idea I've had for a number of years. Celtic-styled covers of Beatles songs.
Celtic Drinking SongsAnother in a long line of CDs about Irish Drinking Songs.
I'm Seasick!Okay. That's not the real name of the CD. But this is a CD of seafaring and pirate songs and music.
Past Compilations:All of these compilations are currently available for sale. Victims of Irish MusicBorn from the struggle to keep acoustic Irish music alive and relevant, "Victims of Irish Music" gathers the finest independent Celtic musicians who are winning the fight to keep instrumental Irish and Celtic music as vibrant and meaningful as it was when musicians in Ireland were victimized for their love of music.
The Holy Grail of Irish Drinking SongsMarc drinks. Andrew drives. This partnership has led to one of the most-productive Celtic music groups in Texas. Though one half of the Brobdingnagian Bards does not drink, this doesn't stop the duo from having a lot of fun singing their favorite Irish Drinking Songs. You don't have to drink alcohol to enjoy this fun compilation of the Brobdingnagian Bards most-popular songs about drinking.
Digital Flashbacks by Celtic Stone
Legendary Celtic music from the Renaissance Festival circuit in the 1980s. High-energy combination of traditional Celtic and American music with rock and jazz influences. This is a compilation of Celtic Stone music before they broke up.
The Circle
Love Renaissance festivals? Want to help victims of Hurricane Katrina? Now you can do both with
The Circle, a new compilation CD featuring some of the best Renaissance festival entertainment in the nation. 100% of the profits go to the Red Cross for hurricane relief. Do your part AND get some great music.
A Celtic Renaissance WeddingCeltic Wedding Music Compilation features our most-romantic songs on one CD and at one LOW price. A continual best-selling CD and exclusively available online. This Celtic Wedding Music Compilation features our most-romantic songs on one CD and at one LOW price!
The Secret World of Celtic RockDid you enjoy music cheaper than a meal at McDonalds? You ain't heard nothing yet... The Secret World of Celtic Rock pays tribute to the incredible sub-genre of Celtic music called "Celtic Rock." With well over an hour of great music, this CD is packed full of some of the best independent Celtic Rock groups around the world, and 100% of the profits of this album benefit Celtic non-profits. Shhh! Don't tell anyone... It's a secret!
Coventina's WellThe second
Celtic MP3s Music Magazine compilation CD featuring twelve hand-picked Celtic music tracks by some of my favorite artists
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, October 31, 2007
I'm finally reviewing the Ren Fest Podcast CD I was hoping to put together. As I was looking through the tracks of my own and those from others, I realized I had about enough music for two CDs. So depending on how the mixing goes for my own tracks. I might just go ahead and release those albums simultaneously.
However, if I am to do that, I'll need a few more submissions from bands. If you are interested in being on a compilation CD, email me marc @ thebards.net with REN_FEST_PODCAST_COMPILATION in the subject. And I will tell you more.
Thanks. Slainte!
-Marc
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Sunday, October 21, 2007
Do you have a business? Would you like to help promote the Marc Gunn, the Brobdingnagian Bards or Mage Records, in general? Did you know you can buy CDs from Mage Records at wholesale prices for resale?
Yup! You can. You need to purchase a minimum of 30 units (aka CDs) to take advantage of the special offer. From there, you can start selling the CDs at Irish festivals, Renaissance faires, record stores, Celtic shops, Highland Games, veterinarian offices, pet stores, on eBaby, at Amazon, or wherever you want. Just sell them and order some more to keep selling.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, October 16, 2007
My new solo CD
A Tribute to Love is now here. Tonight, I autographed a whole bunch of CDs. And they should be in the mail this week. So if you reviewed the CD, you should expect yours next week. Thank you all for your help and I hope you'll help out a wee bit more by posting reviews on iTunes and CD Baby when I finally get it up there. Though I think that'll be a couple months at the earliest. But thanks!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, October 15, 2007
Hey and while you're supporting the
Top the Celtic Charts promotion, I just found out that
LIVE: Nex Monoceroti, Per Risibus and
Three Movie and TV Songs for Geeks Like Me are now both on iTunes!
Feel free to post your reviews of those CDs while you're there. Thanks!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, October 15, 2007
We did it. Our new CD
LIVE: Nex Monceroti, Per Risibus hit #1 on CD Baby today! Woohoo!
Thank you to everyone who purchased a copy of this fun new album. You ROCK!
Thank you! Thank you!
And as an extra special gift, it looks like
The Holy Grail of Irish Drinking Songs also climbed into the Top 40 at #30. Way cool!
I hope you all have a brilliant weekend! Ours is extra nice.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Saturday, October 13, 2007
The new Brobdingnagian Bards CD
LIVE: Nex Monoceroti, Per Risibus is still selling fairly well at CD Baby, though it has begun to slow down a lot. Right now, we are about 30 CDs away from my goal. As I recall
CD Baby's Top Now Charts update once a week on Monday. So if we can pull in enough CDs over the weekend, we might chart a little bit higher. But I'm not certain at present if we're gonna have enough to top the charts.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Thursday, October 11, 2007
I know. I know. I'm posting a LOT about the CD, but I just saw that our new CD
LIVE: Nex Monoceroti, Per Risibus is the Editor's Pick on CD Baby's
Musical Comedy Charts. WOOT! Guess we did something right! :)
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, October 08, 2007
It's just past mid-day and the new the Brobdingnagian Bards' CD,
LIVE: Nex Monoceroti, Per Risibus is selling well. We're about a third of the way from our goal for today. If we sell over 100, maybe 120 CDs, we should
hit #1 on CD Baby in the next couple days. It usually takes a few days for the charts to update. So it might not show up tomorrow, but we can hope. We'll see how many we sell today.
A BROBDINGNAGIAN Thanks to everyone who's ordered the CD today. Ya'll rock!
Oh! And when you get the album, please listen and post a review at CD Baby as well. T'anks!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, October 08, 2007
Back home from
Middlefaire. My first faire solo. It wasn't too bad. I pulled off the shows well enough. Well, I did on Sunday at least. Saturday, I felt like I was in a daze. It was one of those days, I really wish Andrew was there because he could hopefully cover for 'space out' Marc. But again, the shows seemed to go over fairly well with my audience.
It was nice playing cat songs too. But it was also tough coming up with other original songs. So many people play the same songs at faires that I wanted to play songs that weren't quite as popular. Andrew and I have that with songs like "
Exclamations", "
Lily the Pink"... and most of the songs Andrew sings. LOL.
I need to find more songs like "
Lish Young Buy-A-Broom". I played that a wee bit. I love that song. Such great lyrics. Kinda romantic. Kinda playful. I don't have enough songs like that one. Hmm. Maybe I should write song.
I did improv a song. Those are fun. And this was deteriorated into sick, perverted comedy quite quickly... But it was amusing. The
Drunken Damsels listening in there didn't help much. The Pervs. ;) I had fun hanging a wee bit with those lasses. And of course, always with the
Bedlam Bards too. The bastards have me listening to their music now. Grrr! :)
Oh and the Damsels have a cool virgin of "Versions"... wait! Flip that statement. Hoping to get those lyrics to post on the website.
But I was saying... Same songs. A friend mentioned the repetition of songs in the Irish music world. Admittedly, I'm HIGHLY guilty of that. But then, I have a devious plan *insert wicked laugh here*, which is to attract new fans to find our other music. And I have been writing a LOT of music recently. Sure, most are instrumental, but not all. And I'm moving in the direction I hope to.
Anyway, enough jabbering. It's late. In fact, it's almost midnight... which means.......
And help us push that song to #1 on CD Baby!!!!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, October 08, 2007
Well, the Brobdingnagian Bards' New CD,
LIVE: Nex Monoceroti, Per Risibus, is here! And we need your help. We want to push this album to #1 on CD Baby. So we would like you help. Please order your copy of our new CD on Monday, October 8th.
As an added bonus, the CD will be on sale all next week.
Yes, you could buy it from me at
MiddleFaire, but we want to totally terrorize the
charts on CD Baby and send the CD to #1. So please, please, please purchase your copy of this CD on Monday. And help show the internet world that the
Brobdingnagian Bards are better than the crap being forced down your ears by corporate radio.
Thanks!
Slainte!
- Marc Gunn
Oh! And if you're
signed up to our newsletter, I'll be sending a reminder about his on Sunday evening.
PS. And if you already have the new CD from DragonCon, please post your review of the album on CD Baby. Thanks!
PSS. And please share this post with others!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, October 03, 2007
In 2006, I wrote and recorded a song that I absolutely loved called "A Rabbit for Halloween". It told the story of Bugs Bunny and Witch Hazel in the episode "Broom-Stick Bunny". I loved the song so much, in fact, that I tried to sneak it on to my new album,
A Tribute to Love. But everyone who listened to the album said the same thing, "It doesn't fit." They were right.
Now another Halloween is coming and I was really hoping to release this song on a CD. But I don't have one coming out any time soon. So I decided to release a single.
In the music business a "single" signifies one to three songs on a recording. So I thought I would package this single with two other like-minded songs I've written. One was inspired by the movie
Stardust, and the other was inspired by a television show
Firefly. I packaged them all together and decided to release a themed single called
Three Movie and TV Songs for Geeks Like Me.
Track Listing:- A Rabbit for Halloween (Bugs Bunny and Witch Hazel) - Listen
- Stardust Serenade (Stardust movie) - Listen
- She Said Her Name Was Saffron (Firefly) - Listen
Order Now: 2007, 3 Songs, Mage Records
Extra Special Offer
Order autographed copies of Three Movie and TV Songs for Geeks Like Me, and pre-order A Tribute to Love, and a Celtic Cat Wooden Mug. Buy: $65
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, September 14, 2007
Dang! I should be asleep. I have to wake up in less than five hours. Grrr. But my mind is racing.
I was thinking about a CD cover for what I've decided will be single: "A Rabbit for Halloween", "Stardust Serenade", and "She Said Her Name Was Saffron". I can always do a full album in based on this theme in the future. But for now, I'm just gonna have those three songs on the Single.
So the Cover. I was thinking it'd be funny to have those three themes combined--Bugs Bunny & Witch Hazel, Stardust, and Firefly--in a cartoon style. Like imagine, Bugs Bunny helping Witch Hazel up out of a crater (per Stardust) with maybe a Firefly at the top of the crater... No, no, no! It'd have to be Bugs Bunny helping
Saffron up out of a crater with Witch Hazel greedily eyeing them or ready to cast spell... oooo, That almost works. If you're any good at drawing pictures, feel free to send me one. Oh hey! And maybe the Genie can be there in the role of the Prince of Stardust... hehe! This could be fun!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, August 29, 2007
My new tune, "
Stardust Serenade", has received a LOT of traffic recently. I wrote it after watching the movie
Stardust. The movie was just as inspiring today as I saw it once again at the Alamo Drafthouse.
I spent this weekend putting the final touches to my new solo CD,
A Tribute to Love. So I thought, what's one more single to release? So I added another new instrumental song inspired by
Lord of the Rings and a single from
A Tribute to Love and created
Stardust Serenade and other Movie-Inspired Music. It's just a simple three-song single. I don't even have graphics for the album. But the tunes are quite beautiful. I hope you enjoy them as much I enjoyed writing them.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, August 28, 2007
As if CD Baby wasn't cool enough, it now offers MP3 downloads. You can download entire albums at 200 kbps variable bit rate MP3s with absolutely No DRM!
Dang! I love CD Baby. They have totally revolutionized the independent music business. So hurry up and be the first to buy MP3s from the new store. Check out the
Mage Records Music Store at CD Baby.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, August 28, 2007
I know I should be sleeping already, and I will in a moment. But I went through the songs to see what would be best and easiest to get out in time for Halloween. And I came up with a five song EP featuring:
- A Rabbit for Halloween (Bugs Bunny and Witch Hazel song)
- Return to Lonely Mountain (Lord of the Rings instrumental)
- She Said Her Name Was Saffron (Firefly song)
- Stardust Serenade (Stardust movie instrumental)
- Harry Potter and The Rising of the Moon (Harry Potter song)
Another one I doubt I'll make available outside the internet, but I think that'll make a nice sounding EP. I'm still brainstorming CD titles, but what about
Five Movie and TV Songs for Geeks Like Me. Let me know if you have any ideas.
Okay, sleep...
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, August 28, 2007
So I had a couple others listen to
A Tribute to Love, and one of them convinced me, yes, "A Rabbit for Halloween" really doesn't belong on this CD. I think I was keeping it on there because I REALLY wanted to release it this year before Halloween. But it doesn't fit the mood of the album. It really doesn't. *sigh*
So then after removing it from the track listing, I started thinking about how I could release the song. And thought a single would be the way to go until I can get a full album out. So I started thinking, "What other two songs could I put on a single?" I started compiling a few, next thing I knew I had ten songs... with a TV and movie theme...
Okay, I prolly won't do that, but still it's tempting... I mean: "A Rabbit for Halloween", "She Said Her Name Was Saffron", "Harry Potter and The Rising of the Moon", "Stardust Serenade", and I have a bunch more that *might* be good. I'd just have to listen to know for sure.
What would be a good name for it?
Oh! And graphics... hmm....
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, August 28, 2007
I believe in love. It's an essential part of human existence. There are so many great aspects to it, and not all of them are romantic: love, love lost, marriage, infatuation, longing, lust, frustration, love for animals, places, and things. It is not all cut and dry. There is no perfection, except perhaps in accepting the imperfection of our own understanding.
We put a lot into that little word. Yet, it's only through opening our hearts and acceptance do we really embrace and receive love back.
That is how I approached my new CD,
A Tribute to Love. It's not just another love CD, all romantic and mushy. It's an internal journey through the ups and downs of love. And it is only a fragment of the experience that you may have shared in your life.
The album is nearly complete. I plan to release it in mid-October. But for those of you who joined me on this path by listening and sharing,
you can now pre-order A Tribute to Love.
This album is not for everyone. I accept that this may not appeal to you in your current path in life. Yet, I hope when you are ready and you listen to the album, you will experience the emotions I experienced in making and releasing the album. I hope you will see it as more than just music, but a way to share your love with others.
Much love,
Marc Gunn
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Thursday, August 23, 2007
Although I'm just now doing the CD Release for Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lover's Companion, I am already working on my next CD, A Tribute to Love. The album is nearly complete. There are a few tweaks I want to make, but right now, you can listen and enjoy the album for free, right here.
Let me know what your favorite songs are on the album. Don't forge to
Order your Copy the album.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Todays
show at Things Celtic went well. There was a nice-sized turnout. There seem to be more and more people showing up at these shows. One day, I'd like to do a nice evening show somewhere, maybe even longer than the typical hour-long show that I do at Things Celtic, too. Maybe for my next CD release?
Hmm. Which raises an interesting thought. I really don't enjoy trying to book gigs at typical venues. It's fun playing those places, but not so much trying to convince people to book me. That's one of many things I love about
Things Celtic. I already have a good friendship with them, and they are willing to allow me to use their store as a place to promote my music. (Thank you Lanora!)
But the next solo CD,
A Tribute to Love, is a bit different. As I mentioned, this is
not a Celtic album. In fact, there's only one traditional
Irish song, though another uses an Irish melody.
So I wonder, what would be a fitting place for a non-Celtic CD release about love?
Guess I'll have to brainstorm that one a wee bit. Meantime, thanks to everyone who came out.
Oh! And
I also updated my website a wee bit, such that the blog is now on the homepage.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Saturday, August 11, 2007
Yesterday, I was listening to an audio book by
Seth Godin. He talked about living the marketing message you want to share. I realized that's probably the reason
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers has done so well. I love cats!
Last night, I was watching a movie and Torre climbed up on little fold out table and stood there like an Egyptian God. He stared off quietly as cats do, looking off into a parallel universe or something.
When he saw me staring, he took a careful moment measuring the distance to the sofa with his eyes. His legs flexed, and he leapt onto the sofa and climbed on my lap. He looked at me to see if I would object. Of course, I didn't. And a couple minutes later, he circled and lay down quietly to nap.
I love when cats do that. I love the way they love. It's so different and yet similar to the way we humans love. My cats are extremely loving and faithful to me. They know their daddy and show it all the time. Sure, sometimes it's a bit stand-offish, but that's just the nature of the cat. If you try petting him when he doesn't want a petting, he shakes you off and walks away. Torre hates it when I kiss him on the forehead. Sometimes he bares it. Sometimes he struggles away. But he's always back with more love to give and share.
That's the amazing thing about love. I'm working on a CD called "
A Tribute to Love". Admittedly, I'm far from an expert. I am single, after all. But I do know that love is two-way even if I can't always adequately balance it.
In order to receive love, you need to give it.
But too often our pride gets in the way. We let it hinder our ability to receive by not giving it to others. It works in many arenas too. That's one of the reasons I try to help indie bands so much. It's to receive that feeling of respect that I so greatly desire too. Love is the same way. You have to give it to receive it.
I was thinking about this as I was driving home listening to that Seth Godin audio book, thinking about it in terms of my Love CD. I don't just want to release another CD. This feels like it should be something different. The album is mixture of love songs. Some are traditional Celtic, but most are original songs that I've written over there years that express different aspects of love that I've experienced.
Yesterday, I was thinking about even raising the price on this CD while donating a significant portion to a loving charity. I've thought about limiting the release to only people of a certain loving disposition who want to love and be loved. But I'm not sure either of those things really get to the
heart of what I want.
I want something that shares my love with others. I want something that
you can share with people you love. I want to hear hearts beat rapidly throughout the world, all in the name of love.
Maybe it's a little hopeful since I still need finish recording and mix the album. Maybe it's too big a dream to expect from one little album, but love is important in life. And with any luck, I hope to bring a little bit more into the world.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, July 27, 2007
Shoot! I've been so busy trying to get ready for Ireland I forgot to promote the fact that my new CD is out on the June 6th. Yes,
Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lovers Companion is officially available online in TWO DAYS!!!
I was hoping to try to get the word out so I could get everyone to
go to CD Baby on June 6th and purchase a copy, thus, push the CD up their charts. And I forgot!
Because I forgot. Could you please help me get the word out. On June 6th, email your friends, blog about it, podcast about, tell everyone you can to go to
http://cdbaby.com/cd/mgtdtc3/from/celtic/ (or at least I *think* that'll be the URL) and purchase a copy. The CD will even be on sale. Please help me push it up the charts!
And of course for those of you who've already reviewed the CD, get ready to post your reviews. You can
read a bunch of reviews here.
Thank you all for your help!
Because June 6th is also the day I'll be flying to Ireland. Wouldn't that be a great day to top the CD Baby charts?!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, June 04, 2007
My live performances on the
Pub Songs Podcast have gone over very well. I've only released two from my home studio, but I get a lot of emails from people who enjoyed them and want to hear more. So I listened to the shows again and picked the recordings that were made in those shows. They will make up the first in a series of albums from the Pub Songs Podcast.
This first album is called
Folk Music with Delusions of Grandeur. Why the name? I played rock music in my early music career. I play folk music, but I'm a bit of a rocker at heart. I mean my new sideburns are kinda testimony of that. But being the realist, I know that currently folk music lacks the power and ability for mass appeal like rock music. But never the less, I dream of rocking out in an arena... with my autoharp and Celtic folk songs.
This album will feature some of the songs I recorded for my Pub Songs Podcast. Plus, I decided to add a few songs that are just hanging around waiting to be added to a CD. Here are some of the songs you may hear on the new CD:
- Black Velvet Band
- Jock Stuart (A Man Who Wears A Kilt Every Day)
- Star of the County Down
- The Virgin Diet
- Lish Young Buy-A-Broom
- Lord of the Pounce
- Loch Tay
- The Pleasant Peasant Pheasant Plucking Song
- Eleanor Plunkett
- I Saved The Planet Earth (Dr. Who)
- Monkeys Over Mongolia
- A Rabbit For Halloween (Bugs Bunny & Witch Hazel)
- Won't You Come With Me
- Happy Birthday, Dear Hobbit & Friend
- Advertisement: PlagueAway, the Pestilence Potion
- The Faire Is Over
I hope to finish mixing the album after I return from Europe. And it may well be out in mid-July 2007.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Thursday, May 31, 2007
Graphic artist, Molly C. Loar, finished the CD cover
Marc Gunn's upcoming CD,
Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lover's Companion. The result is a stunning piece of art.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Sunday, May 13, 2007
I just noticed that our CD,
A Celtic Renaissance Wedding, is the one of the
Top 10 Most-Popular Celtic New Age CDs on CD Baby at #6. It is also listed as the Editor's Pick of great CDs there. Considering it has twice been one of the Top 100 CDs sold in their annual poll and the number of outstanding reviews for this album, it is no great surprise.
A Celtic Renaissance Wedding was first released in 2003 as a compilation of romantic Celtic and Renaissance love songs for fans of the
Brobdingnagian Bards and for couples getting married. The low price has made it a huge success over other
Celtic wedding CDs.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Saturday, May 12, 2007
Well today, I received the final master of
Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lover's Companion. It sounds great.
Ari Koinuma did a great job mixing and mastering this CD.
So if you like
Irish drinking songs, this song will be a treat... Although I should point out, this CD is for the cat lover. You'll hear kitties talking throughout. This means the CD will be available for sale next month. Keep an eye on my
Celtic Music CD Store to pick up your copy of the album.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, April 11, 2007
I setup a new blog at our Celtic Music CD Store. It features
Celtic Music CD News from
Mage Records, my record label. The blog is short, sweet and to the point. It includes the Top 20 Celtic CDs sold each month as well as a list of podcasts that feature the music of our artists.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, April 04, 2007
I just updated the Celtic Music CD Store with a
Celtic CD news section to announce the latest CDs by my independent record label,
Mage Records. It doesn't match the rest of the site yet, but it will.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, March 12, 2007
I'm trying to figure out which pictures for an album cover looks better for my
Victims of Irish Music compilation CD. Which do you prefer?
Version 1
Version 2
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, February 23, 2007
The latest CD from the
Brobdingnagian Bards,
Real Men Wear Kilts, is six years in the making. I forget. It's been a LONG time. I remember how it started too.
We were in Salado playing an evening party for Clan Gunn when our friend Royce implanted the idea that we should do a Scottish CD. We had just finish
Songs of Ireland, and I was already thinking about it too. I'm
Scotch-Irish but never really embraced my Irish half until recently. To me, I was all Scottish! I've long wanted to record more Scottish songs, but somehow fate intervened and most of the music I learned was Irish. Who am I to go against fate?
That didn't stop this idea. We didn't know many Scottish songs back then. But I had quite a few I wanted to learn. So we started learning them.
Shortly after that I designed some free
Real Men Wear Kilts stickers to giveaway. Then my friend
Jen Clower-Brown redesigned them to the current style.
Time passed and still we hadn't touched this CD idea. Finally in January of 2007, something clicked inside us. We learned and accepted something about us as a band.
You see the Brobdingnagian Bards are not a typical
Celtic music group. I love keeping traditional songs alive, but as a group we, well, we have fun with the music. We play around with the lyrics pronunciations. I can't begin to tell you how many people have emailed and said, "It's TROOSERS, not TROUSERS!" Other Scots laughed when I sang "Loch Lomond" with an Irish accent a few years back.
Well, we don't accents nearly as much as we did, but when you're an American singing songs written in the Scots dialect, you have to make a few decisions. Do you rewrite songs? Do you use them as is?
For us, nothing is sacred we do what we do without apology... with one caveat. We want you to know what to expect. If you're expecting some contemporary Celtic sound from Scottish musicians, listen to
Ed Miller. He's outstanding. If you're expecting us to not screw up the Scottish dialect, think again.
All in all, I think Andrew said it best, "We're not Scottish. So we're crap!"
That said, our eleventh album,
Real Men Wear Kilts is here. It is an album Scots-Irish music for people like us. Photo is by Jen Clower-Brown.
Tracks:
- Green Grow the Rashes
- Flower of Scotland
- Donald, Where's Your Drunken Scotsman?
- Beer, Beer, Beer
- Oor Hamlet
- Loch Lomond
- Ye Jacobites By Name
- Black Velvet Band
- Seven Drunken Nights
- My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose / 500 Miles
- Follow Prince Charlie
- Health to the Company
- Mari Mac
- Rosin the Bow
- Jedi Drinking Song Prequel
- Auld Lang Syne
Yes. There are more songs, but I don't know all of them yet.
Buy MP3 Album!$9.99. Instant access. Download the nicely formatted MP3s to your computer.
Buy the CD!$15. The take-it-with-you version.
Listen to it free onlineAbsolutely free. The complete CD. All 17 tracks. Completely free to listen to online.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, February 23, 2007
The idea for this CD arose in the Fall of 2006. I wanted to release an album of love songs for Valentine's Day. Alas, through too much procrastination, that goal totally fell through. It was put on the back burner until... Valentine's Day, when I leaped head first into this project with all my heart.
Love. I've been in love. I've felt myself floating on it's wings and sang to the angels in thanks. Once upon a time, I was a hopeless romantic. But I don't like being hopeless. So I became a hopeful romantic. I began looking for love and found myself falling. The challenge I discovered is that just because I'm in love doesn't not mean we are meant to be together. Our differences may segregate us and keep us from achieving whatever holy state of being may exist from a "perfect" romance.
And perhaps THAT is the real challenge. My expectation. There are ups and downs, ins and outs in love. It's not all romantic love songs. That's why when I began to choose the love songs I wanted to record, I decided to keep it real. To cover a wide variety of love that is not all flowers and candy. Some times it's filled with heartbreak. Other times, it's comical. Still other times it's unreal, mystical.
That's what this CD is about.
A Tribute to LOVE! is an album of love songs. There are some folk songs about love, and then there are some songs from my own experience. These are the songs I love to sing when I want to feel romance in my life. And I hope others will find them just as romantic.
Track Listing:- Silhouette of Longing Love
- The Gosling Reborn
- When She Held Me In Her Arms
- Another Lonely Night
- A Faint Heart
- Froggie Went A-Courtin'
- The Hobbit Journey Home
- Star of the County Down
- Tiziano Gunn
- They Call Me Crazy
- Here's to the Dreamers
- Marry for the Heart
- Heart and Soul
Order "A Tribute to Love" Now
2008, 13 Songs, Mage Records
Special Offer
Order autographed copies of Three Movie and TV Songs for Geeks Like Me, A Tribute to Love, and a Celtic Cat Wooden Mug. Buy: $65
If you would like to hear the entire CD, just click the various songs below:
After you've given it a few listens, post a comment about what you think of the CD.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, February 23, 2007
Productive day.
Ari finished all the guitar parts for
Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lover's Companion. That means there's just his backup vocals and mixing to do for that CD. Well, that and I need to come up with some graphics for the album. He did another great job. There's some more tasty solos. Ari is awesome.
While he was recording, I worked on graphics for
Victims of Irish Music. I'm not sure I'm satisfied with the album cover yet. But Roy Janik sent me links to a lot of Ireland photos that I was able to use for the rest of the CD. Now I just need to finish mastering the album.
And I need to record my
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. I'm a wee bit behind on that one. Though the shownotes shouldn't take long. Maybe once I get back from my
Italian Language meetup.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, February 19, 2007
Born from the struggle to keep acoustic Irish music alive and relevant, "Victims of Irish Music" gathers the finest independent Celtic musicians who are winning the fight to keep instrumental Irish and Celtic music as vibrant and meaningful as it was when musicians in Ireland were victimized for their love of music. Last year, I borrowed a book from harper, Doc Grauzer, for casual reading about the history of Irish music. In the book, the author explained that many Irish musicians were forbidden by Britain to play the music of their heritage and suffered the consequences for disobeying. But the concept seemed to have greater depth to me as an independent Celtic musician.
Music has evolved a lot since those days. Styles have changed. Dylan went electric. Enya changed the whole concept of "Celtic music" to many in the United States. While I enjoy all styles of Irish and Celtic music, I feel that in order to know where you are going, you should know where you came from. Our cultural heritage is important, as is our musical heritage.
This album includes a wide range of acoustic instrumental music. It is not all traditional, but it is an exciting glimpse at how 21st century independent Celtic musicians are keeping tabs on their cultural heritage. It covers a wide range of musical styles by bands who refuse to allow their heritage to be victimized.
If you are love your Irish heritage, you can show your love of it with this captivating and energizing compilation of amazing music.
A portion of the money earned from this compilation benefits the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Another portion benefits a non-profit Celtic organization (TBA). But all of it supports the heart of our Irish heritage.
- "Cooley's Set (Reels: Cooley's Reel,/Sporting Paddy/Toss The Feathers)" by Wild Clover Band from Behind the Blarney
- "Sleeping Under The Tables Set" by Kennedy's Kitchen from A Pocketful of Lint
- "Lannigan's Ball/Rambling Pitchfork/Tar Road Sligo" by Cady Finlayson from Harp and Shamrock
- "Staten Island Hornpipe/Morpeth Rant" by The Jolly Rogues from Captain Billy's Privateers
- "The Gneeveguilla Reel/Drag her Round the Road/The Golden Keyboard" by Arabesque from Glen Road to Cordoba
- "The Boys from Blue Hill/Cherish the Ladies" by Bow Triplets from One Spot On Earth
- "Princess Royale" by Thomas "Doc" Grauzer from Infernal Harp Racket
- "Chicago Trippin up the Stairs by Boston Blackthorne from Better Late Than Ever
- "Rocky Road to Brenham" by Celtic Stone from Digital Traditions
- "Geordie Lad" by Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer from Thumb Twiddling
- "Old Grey Cat" by Marc Gunn & The Dubliners' Tabby Cats from Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers
- "Congress Reel" by Poitin from Live!
- "The Road to Lisdonvarna/Morrison's Jig" by Vince Conaway from Distractions from the Muse
- "Polkas and Slides" by The Tea Merchants from The Tea Merchants
- "Banks of Spey/High Road to Linton" by Highland Fling from Highland Fling
- "Campbell's Farewell to Red Gap/Newcastle" by Bedlam Bards from Furious Fancies
- "The Skylark/Humours of Tulla/Lucy Campbell's" by Culann's Hounds from Year of the Dog
What are others saying about Victims of Irish Music?Happy Peace
author: Matt H
Quite often I like to listen to a CD where I don't have to focus in order to enjoy it. Life is busy enough; one needs to unwind from its stresses. That is exactly why I love this compilation. It has enough bounce to lift the spirit, just take a listen to Cooley's Reel or Chicago Trippin and your feet won't stay still. But just as one cannot dance without taking a break once in awhile, songs like Pricess Royale and Geordie Lad come to the rescue and allow you to slow the pace. When dealing with a variety of artists, it is difficult to maintain a coherent whole. I believe that Marc and friends have done just that. Few CD's can bring as much rest and refreshment as this one does so well. I have no doubt with music like this that the Irish heritage will continue to thrive!
Mmm
author: Wing L Mui
This is a great "gateway drug" into Irish music. It's got a bunch of tunes that even I, who isn't that familiar with Irish music, find familiar. The playing is good and varied enough that even when I accidentally put a song on a loop for ten minutes I didn't notice---normally I'd go insane. Overall it's a great compilation. The energy level is a bit low for my tastes (I describe it as "why am I not drinking a Guinness?", while my ideal level of energy is "why am I not dancing?") and it's certainly not as good as a live rendition complete with Guinness and possibly dancing. But, hey, it's pretty close and it does the trick when you're driving, working, or in some other situation where you want to warm up for the drinking and the dancing later.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, February 12, 2007
What do you get when you cross a bawdy pirate with a Scots-Irish bard, a lot of beer and drinking songs? You get Irish Stout.
Irish Stout is a concept band featuring Captain Black Jack Murphy's gritty Irish vocals and Marc Gunn folkiness on autoharp. The band performs Irish pub songs and bawdy piratey humour. We're talking songs you really shouldn't sing about. Ask their friend Lazarus Long. Lazarus was kind enough to supply topics for some of the band's more original material.
But that's not here yet. Right now, the duo has just released their first album,
A Collection of Irish Pub Songs. This fun and raucous collection of
Celtic songs is just what every drinker and music lover wants to hear while dieting on their favorite Irish stout.
If you're having a drink, join Murphy and Gunn for a night of
pub song singing!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, February 09, 2007
An autoharper's spiritual wandering through Celtic songs. Beautiful and fun Celtic folk songs to celebrate your Scotch-Irish heritage.
Are you Scots-Irish, too?After six albums with the
Celtic Folk MP3 Superstars, the
Brobdingnagian Bards,
Marc Gunn decided to create a solo album based on his most-popular solo recordings from 2000-2003 that he named "Soul of a Harper." Warm and quieting with a touch of bardic fun, it features beautiful vocal balladry and a unique style of
autoharping make it a favorite among Scotch-Irish descendents. And it was even chosen by Austin radio's Celtic Storm as one of the
best Celtic albums of 2003.
- The Bridge
- The Lady of Setliff Manor
- Killiecrankie
- The Parting Glass
- My Titania, Wake You, My Sweet Queen
- The Leprechaun (You're No Irish Laddie!)
- The Barrel Song
- Lanigan's Ball
- Middle Earth Bragging Song
- Happy Birthday from Ireland
- Kyara, Elven Mistress of Whispers
- My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose
- Buttercup's Lament (Princess Bride)
About Soul of a HarperLong before the Brobdingnagian Bards came to be, I planned to record a solo album to highlight my music and songwriting. A shortage of time and funding prevented this. Then The Bards came along. A lack of time was now more an issue than ever. I'm excited to finally complete an idea that began after my first solo CD, Ichabod's Geography was released in 1997.
I started recording this album in the Winter of 2000 using a 4-track I got that Christmas. I posted the songs on MP3.com. "Buttercup's Lament" became my first solo song to break into the Celtic Top 40 hit.
After finishing the sixth studio album with the Brobdingnagian Bards, "Memories of Middle Earth" in the Spring, I decided to finish this album. I updated a number of old pieces and recorded several new songs.
I think this album better reflects the person that I see in the mirror each day--reflective and romantic. The album title was taken from a song written for me by fantasy author, Rie Sheridan. It does a great job at capturing the feeling of the album.
While I may not be a harper in the traditional sense, my music, instrumentation, and songwriting are a contemporary tribute to the harpers and bards of old who created musical magic for people during their travels.
My own musical journey has been long and often
frustrating, but my boots have served me well and
my soul has reaped the rewards.
Thank you for being a part of my journey,
Marc Gunn, Dec 2003
Credits"The Bridge", "The Lady of Setliff Manor", "Happy Birthday From Ireland", "Titania Wake My Sweet Queen", "Kyara Elven Mistress of Whispers", "Middle Earth Bragging Song", "The Leprechaun", and "Buttercup's Lament" are all original songs written by Marc Gunn.
"Lanigan's Ball" is a traditional Irish folk song. "Killiecrankie" and "My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose" are Scottish folk songs by Robert Burns.
"The Parting Glass" is a traditional song I recorded after watching Waking Ned Divine after an event hosted by the Gaelic League of Austin in October.
Lyrics for the "The Barrel Song" (aka "The Sick Note") are by Pat Cooksey and sung to the tune, "The Garden Where the Praties Grow".
All music was self-produced, recorded, and performed in my home studio. I designed the graphics and CD layout. Photos of me and editing were done by Nancy e. Pearsall. Other photos are by me.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Sunday, February 04, 2007
A couple years ago, I was chatting with a fellow autoharper,
Alan Horvath, who made the comment that the autoharp was the most-Elven instrument he could find.
I LOVED that comment. Maybe it's my thing for elves, but it got me thinking. For the longest, I've wanted to create an album of elven music or more particularly fairy music. My first solo CD,
Soul of a Harper, included two instrumental tunes inspired by elves: "Titania, Wake You, My Sweet Queen" and "Kyara, Eleven Mistress of Whispers". Yes. That is just the start of many more
tunes of the fae.
I'm really not sure where my fascination of the fae began. I look back at several of the women I've dated and they all are fae-like. Some of them were actresses who played fairies at faires or at conventions. All I know is that I have the fascination and I want to make music inspired by fairies.
The album is progressing slowly, but look for it in the near future.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Sunday, February 04, 2007
I played the autoharp this weekend at a house concert. I really love my instrument. It has such a beautiful sound. Today I was thinking it is the perfect
wedding ceremony music instrument for people who want something beautifully different.
Imagine for a moment the sound of a classical guitar. Full and soulful. That's the autoharp. Add on top of that heartfelt and original. That's the autoharp. The
autoharp is magical instrument. No one plays it, mostly because it is slow to tune. But it has such a wholistic and peaceful sound it can take your breath away.
That's one of the reasons I'm recording a
CD of instrumental music, to highlight the magical sounds of the autoharp.
There's more to it than that, though. My band, the Brobdingnagian Bards, doesn't play too many
Austin weddings, but listening to the autoharp over and over, I think it is the perfect wedding ceremony music. With or without the recorder, it's lush and tasteful. Just like
Celtic weddings in general. When it's done, I'll probably release the album as a
wedding CD too.
The music is just too cool not to.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Sunday, February 04, 2007
Just finished another session with
Ari Koinuma. He's producing my
Irish Drinking Songs, The Cat Lover's Companion CD. I don't remember if I mentioned it here. This album is not nearly as fancy as the first CD. It's just me on vocals and autoharp and Ari on backup vocals and guitar.
So no wailing fiddles or what not, but I'm really not complaining. I was skeptical at first. Ari doesn't play
Celtic music. So I didn't know what the guitar would add, but wow. The guy is talented. He's come up with some tasty picking and solos. A bit more modern sounding than a lot of stuff I do, but It Sounds SO GOOD!
All my autoharp parts are all laid. Most of Ari's guitar parts are done. Then just add some background vocals and the
CD will be complete. And I'm really looking forward to it. Ari just knows how to produce an album. Just brilliant!
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Sunday, February 04, 2007
Back in high school, I was huge fan of Weird Al. It was a natural progression because my dad was a fan of his comedic predecessors. When I grew up, he sang lots of comedic songs. He'd parody songs and write songs on the fly while playing his banjo. So it was natural for me to hear Weird Al's parodies and become a huge fan.
I bought Weird Al's albums and listened over and over again. But I had one small problem. Not all the songs were parodies. And those that were I wasn't entirely sure what the original songs were because I lost the cassette jackets or the jackets were incomplete. So in my senior year of high school, I made my own compilation tape featuring the Weird Al song, followed by the original version. It was neat to hear the differences.
It was this desire to hear the original that inspired me to record a new CD:
Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lover's Companion CD. This album features all of the original songs found on my
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers CD. You can hear how a song evolved from a fun Irish song into a purrfectly fun song about the cats we love.
While the production isn't nearly fancy as on
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers, it still has all the energy and fun that you enjoy from that CD. All the music comes from my producer
Ari Koinuma and Marc Gunn.
Here are the songs you will find on this CD:
- Finnegan's Wake
- Black Velvet Band
- When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
- The Moonshiner
- I'll Tell My Ma
- Patriot Game
- Black Is The Colour
- Bonnie Ship the Diamond
- Gypsy Rover
- Wild Rover
- The Barnyards of Delgaty
- Fiddler's Green
- Lord of the Dance
If you enjoy
Irish drinking songs, then this is a delightful album for you, full of feline vitality, and also a nice compliment to the Brobdingnagian Bards latest CD,
The Holy Grail of Irish Drinking Songs. These are the CDs you will want for
St Patrick's Day.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Need some St. Patrick's Day songs you can count on to set just the right mood as you kick back and enjoy the holiday? Then this is the perfect CD for you, packed with everything you need for a good 'ol Irish celebration in 19 tracks. Put on the drinking songs and ballads and general fun will be had as you listen to the
Brobdingnagian Bards do their thing!
The Brobdingnagian Bards excel in entertaining. The simple, yet skilled musical arrangements for each tune give the songs the Celtic Renaissance flavor that they are famous for. Just two men, Marc Gunn and Andrew Mckee make up this band, and they play, and play off of each other well. (Oh, and just in case you weren't sure, it is brAHb'ding-näg-EE-en Bards.)
As anyone who has heard the Bards already knows, the singing is always energetic, and it leaves no doubt that these gentlemen just love what they do. This is a CD that can and should be played from start to finish, and even be set on repeat without it getting tiresome!
This duo provides that special kind of music that encourages camaraderie and sets things up for a good, social atmosphere. You'll feel like you are out with a couple of friends that have a lot of talent when you play this CD. A St. Patrick's Day, two green thumbs up from this listener!
Buy the Album: "Songs of Ireland (St Patrick's Day Music)"
Get your
Catherine L. Tully is a freelance writer and photographer specializing in the arts. She has written for Dance Teacher Magazine, Classical Singer and Dance Spirit among others, and reviews music for Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. You can reach her at www.freelance-zone.com.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, March 15, 2006
I just got off the phone with David Clauss the leader of the former Celtic music group
Celtic Stone. My hope is to re-release their music on CD through my record label,
Mage Records.
This is a pretty exciting. I've met so many fans of this band. They were extremely popular in the 80s at Renaissance Festivals. I'm also hoping I'll get a chance to add them to the
Renaissance Festival Podcast.
Cross your fingers.
Oh, hey! If you're familiar with the group, what CD is the first one you would like to see reissued.
Their CD
Digital Traditions is once again available for sale.
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, August 05, 2005
