Marc Gunn is Celtic American songwriter and podcaster from Austin, Texas with a strange affinity for ballads, Irish drinking songs, alternative folk, fantasy, Sci Fi, and cats.
Monday, May 05, 2008
First Weekend of Oklahoma Renaissance Festival
I am home lounged in front of the TV watching Music & Lyrics. Tiziano climbed up onto the couch, circled and plopped down leaning against me to hinder my ability to refill my bourbon. Torre is crouched quietly on the other side of the couch.
I love coming home. My weekend at the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival was fun, but exhausting. I must confess too much so. I feel wiped, and we head back on Thursday for a Three day weekend. That will be touch methinks. But it's hard to complain when I had the joy of spending time at Mother Pockets Soup Kitchen with the whole family. And family they are. I love that group. Such kind, good-hearted people, they take away the stress and worries of the world by being.
Our shows went great. I got to meet my friend Emilee's new baby (stunningly cute!). We hung out with our Monkey, and played music better than ever. Aside from the physical exhaustion, it was a good weekend. And there are three more to go! :)
How would you like to have live music from Marc Gunn in your home? You can with house concerts.
House Concerts are intimate musical performances held in private homes, usually without a sound system to an audience of 20-40 people. It is a fantastic way for you to hear my music live and interact with me in a relaxed social setting.
Your job is to Promote the Event to as many people as you feel comfortable having in your home. Send email or postcards to all of your family and friends and to people you know are interested in Celtic and folk music. Then watch as you become the envy of them all, in hosting this fun and light-hearted show.
Duration is typically two hours long with two sets of 45 minutes and one twenty minute break between sets.
Admission to the house concert typically requires $15 donations from attendees. It is a good idea to have someone collect money from attendees. Donations should yield between $300-600 for the evening's entertainment.
It is best to take Reservations for the house concert. Overbooking will insure that you have a full house even if someone cancels. As this is technically a private event, please do not put your address on flyers.
Many hosts serve Food and Drink, but this is not required. BYOB is quite acceptable. Chairs should be acquired for each of your reservations. You can rent them from party supply companies for as little as $1-2 a chair.
Lodging may be requested if I am coming from out of town. If I fly in for a house concert, I may also request Travel to and from the airport.
CD Sales are the lifeblood of all musicians. It's very important to have a table to sell CDs and frequently, it helps to have someone sell the CDs during the intermission or after the show.
House concerts are amazingly fun and rewarding. They do require work, but the feel-good rewards will last a lifetime.
For additional information on how to host a house concert, or have a question? Please email me.
Concerns were just typical...will there be enough food, wine, etc.... until party time when the what if no one shows up thing hits... It was pretty much a perfect night though. Lots of friends, good food and music...gods, the music just wonderous. I still can't believe it happened...you were sitting in my living room playing all the stuff I listen too, live! And the jamming! When can you come back? --Val Dodd
It was a wonderful event, and words fail to express the excitement and spirit of the whole evening! The Bards were magnificent in every way, and I urge ANYONE to consider hosting a house concert. People were throwing money at me; I issued ribbons tied to people's wrists as they paid, and I had NO ONE out of over 60 people attending who failed to track me down and pay the gate. It was a great way to kick off out preparations for the 5th year of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival, and I am grateful to Andrew and Marc for making is such a rambunctious and fun event. If you DO want to host a concert, email me and I'll be happy to share details of what made it work. --Jamie H.
I paid final bill for the Brobdingnagian Bards Tour of Ireland to Celtic Ways. Eight days in one of the most-beautiful countries on the planet. Due to the weak American dollar and lower than expected attendance, we are losing money, but it's IRELAND. So I can't complain too much. Tickets are all booked up. We are ready to go!
Because of the low attendance, we came to a tough decision today. This is the last Brobdingnagian Bards Tour of Ireland. That's right bardic vacations are no longer in our foreseeable future. I was hoping to do Scotland and Europe in the future, but I'm forced to admit that it doesn't look the demand is strong enough to do these trips.
That said, we do still have room for about four more people on this final tour. So if you were wanting to join us in Ireland. This is indeed your last chance. Right now, the website says it'll cost you $2600 for the land travel and all meals. However, if you email me [marc at thebards dot net] before Friday, May 2nd, I'll knock off $100. But I need to know ASAP. So contact me soon!
Meantime, I'll be practicing my Irish songs for great music and craic!
So tired. I got in late last night and didn't sleep well. So today was spaced out day. The last show was hard evidence of that. I haven't screwed up that many lyrics in years! The sun isn't doing me any favors either.
That said, Four Winds Faire was fun. Our shows were well-attended. The stage is really pretty awesome. The people are always cool. Though I ended up in drag more than the usual kilt. Had a couple stage shows I went to see and they dragged me on stage (no pun intended), one for a "Wench School" and the other I played Granny in "Little Red Riding Hood". I think, in my delirium, I did a pretty good job hamming it up. Though after one email, I have this bad feeling I was ignoring people. I know I'm spacey, but oy!
The rest of the shows went really well. Though, hehe, the second one I had just bought a latte, and was casually wandering to look at wooden spoons when I heard the Crier shout, "Brobdingnagian Bards show in 7 minutes!" Needless to say, I was like, "Oops!" The following Crier shout was, "That means YOU Marc!" Yeah... But at least that spark of adrenaline helped me put on a good show, I think.
Tonight, sleep. Hopefully, I'll be more awake tomorrow.
Oh! And I had an idea on the trip up--the Renaissance Festival Podcast Music Festival. Whatcha think?
This coming Saturday will be the Austin AARG. Marc Gunn will be appearing as well as William Toohey with his pipes. Half Seven at the Dog & Duck corner of 17th and Guadalupe! Come Early! Be Loud! Stay Late and Wear Garb!
The Central Texas Rennies meet once a month when faire isn't in session at the Dog & Duck Pub in Central Austin. It's organized by Moon Dawg, and if you enjoy Renaissance festivals like I do, then don your garb and come enjoy the social gathering.
Saturday, January 26, 2008 Marc Gunn @ 7:30pm The Dog & Duck Pub 406 W 17th St Austin, TX 78701 www.marcgunn.com
Valentine's Day Lunchtime Concert at Thing Celtic in Austin (CD Release Party)
Are you in love? Or are a romantic, like I am? Then Happy Valentine's Day!
Well you don't have to be in love to enjoy Marc Gunn's latest CD, "A Tribute to Love", when he releases the album on Valentine's Day, Thursday, February 14, 2008, at noon at Things Celtic, 1806 W. 35th Street.
A Tribute to Love is a different sort of love CD. Gunn draws from his personal experience in love to share the ups and downs, the joy and sadness, the romance and broken hearts. Love is not always bliss. Sometimes you have to work at it. But it is the joy of the experience that makes us continue to pursue it. That is what this CD is all about.
Marc Gunn will share songs from his new CD as well as many traditional Celtic love songs when he releases his new CD at Things Celtic on Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day Lunchtime Concert and CD Release Party February 14, 2008 Things Celtic @ noon 1806 W. 35th Street Austin, TX 78703
Marc Gunn is folk singer and songwriter from Austin, Texas with a strange affinity for Celtic ballads, Irish drinking songs, American folk songs, acoustic Alternative Folk, and cats. Find out more about the album and listen to CD online now.
An American singing Irish songs in a Scottish pub in Germany
The show last night at Pub Dudelsack went remarkably well, all things considered. My mom and I drove Rudesheim to play in this small "Scotish" pub. The bartenders were in kilts. None spoke English. So it made for some interesting communication as I tried to make my gig happen.
Thirty minutes before the show, a guy came in carrying sound gear. W00t! Sound equipment. Which means my autoharp wouldn't get drowned out. Unfortunately, there was no mic for the voice, so 30 minutes into the show and I sounded like a dirty old Irishman with gravely vocals.
It's weird playing in Germany. Again, there seemed little interest in the music, except by a few people. And more appeared right before I started packing up. My mom says folks down the bar enjoyed it and were tapping toes and dancing now and again. The bartender even seemed interested in having me back, even though I felt like it was a flop. That's why I rarely trust my own intuition regarding how well a show went. Course, I won't be able to go back until June at the earliest IF that. But it's flattering that he was interested.
Outside of that, the pub was nice. The people seemed friendly. And I had fun playing for myself. But then, that's kinda the typical pub experience. So for that it was kinda cool.
Oh! I was just reminded of a couple of corrections I need to point out if you plan to come see us at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival.
If you've checked the faire's schedule, you'll note it differs a bit from the schedule on our website. The times are the same, but the acts are not. Our first two showtimes at 11:45a and 1:00p are listed as "Brobdingnogain". The best Andrew and I could figure out is that this is the Brobdingnagian version of Rogain. Andrew is before (short hair), and I am after (long hair).
However, our last show at 2:45 features "Barbie/etc". I have No Idea where the hell they got that from. I mean I don't wear high heels. And I don't think Andrew cross-dresses (aside from the obvious kilt jokes). But then... he did, after all, talk to the entertainment director. So? Hmm...? No. Even with that he's a bit tall to bother with high heels. Just doesn't make sense. But I digress.
Those times 11:45, 1:00, and 2:45 are indeed OUR showtimes, withOUT high heels or skirts. Just KILTS!
And even then, that schedule is only for the First Half of the Faire. At present, I don't know Where we will be for the second half!?!
So the best I can suggest is patience. We might just be playing in the lanes. If that's the case, my guess is that we'll be by Jamie's cottage most of the day. But wherever we are I will let you know as soon as I know something. Slainte!
I just got back from a day trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival. I miss that faire. It's my last "home" faire since Excalibur Fantasy Faire went kaput a couple years ago. The faire was packed too. The decrease in attendance from last year was no where to be seen this year--thirty thousand people. I brought out my autoharp and played a wee bit in the lanes. But aside from being a crappy busker, it was tough to be heard. But I had a few gem moments playing for individuals and of course seeing many friends. Though there are a ton that I missed too, including all the Browncoats who met there today.
And next weekend, we begin our six week run at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. I can't to get back there. That's another wonderful faire with absolutely brilliant people! Yay!
I want to thank everyone who came out to the Space Madness event at Elysium. It turned out surprisingly well considering the idea came together a little over a week ago. There were a lot of folks dressed in costume from a Star Trek ensign to Poison Ivy. Mmm...
It was way cool fun. And for playing solo, it was ideal circumstances, meaning the fog machine was pretty heavy for most of my set so I couldn't see the audience. hehe. Normally, I like seeing the audience, but when I'm playing solo and even playing a new song, I think I like not seeing anyone. LOL. So yeah, it went well. Hopefully, the recording of it came out okay as well.
Nevertheless, the audience was really enthusiastic, and I had a great time, both playing music and listening to DJ Boba Fett spin geeky tunes.
Oh! And I did debut my new song, "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits". Despite problems remembering lyrics, it was fairly well received. WOOT!
So when will we be back at Elysium? I don't know yet. John was looking for some sort of Celtic holiday to host an event with Celtic groups. I threw out the Bedlam Bards as a group that I thought would go over well there with us. But a date? Boh? Maybe Twelfth Night? I wonder how that'd go?
I seemed to have not placed a time for tonight's Space Madness: Sci-fi/Fantasy Friday at Elysium! The doors at Elysium don't open until 9:30pm. I don't know what time I go on. But I expect it is around 11pm or so... Maybe midnight....
Oh and if I can pull it off, I'm thinking about performing a new song, "Don't Go Drinking with Hobbits". I'll see how brave I feel when I get on stage.
Yes, folks, it Elysium's first ever Sci-fi/Fantasy event! A night of music from/inspired by all your favorite Sci-fi/Fantasy movies & TV shows. Featuring a live music set from the Brobdingnagian Bards(well, one of them at least), dance music from DJ Boba Fett, and a costume contest at midnight. Think Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Battlestar Galactica, FarScape, Stargate, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Dungeons & Dragons, Flash Gordon, Space 1999, Buck Rogers, Andromeda, and so on. All aliens, demons, faeries, princesses, Starfleet personnel and nerfherders welcome! But, ABSOLUTELY NO F@*%ING CLOWNS ALLOWED! SERIOUSLY!
Time: Doors open 9:30pm Location: 705 Red River City: Austin, TX 78705 Phone #: 512.478.2979 Age: Must be 21 or older to attend. Website:www.elysiumonline.net
Elysium is Austin's premiere Goth club and industrial haven. It was voted Best Dance Club for 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 in the Austin Chronicle Readers' Poll. And it is well-deserved. It's a great venue for dancing, drinking, and listening to great music. Now and then, you'll even find the music of Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Geek Comedy at it's best. Add a bit of drinking songs and some mystical Lord of the Rings inspired-music and you have an idea of what we're about.
Location: 705 Red River City: Austin, TX 78705 Phone #: 512.478.2979 Age: Must be 21 or older to attend. Website:www.elysiumonline.net
Another faire comes to a close. I had good time hanging out with folks at Middlefaire. The Drunken Damsels, Bedlam Bards, Stonhenj Players, and the rising young talent, Melanie Gruben. Melanie had an amazing new song called "Irish Fire" which she wrote on Friday and touched the heart of everyone at the faire. And at the age of 15, we all expect great things from her. Hopefully, the recording I made will come out okay. Same with the "The Virgin's Conniption". I'll find out when I get back from the dentist.
In other news, A Tribute to Love arrived from the printers today! Woohoo! So for everyone who helped review the CD, I'm gonna try to get you a copy in the next couple o'weeks. Thanks!
Middlefaire and Order Brobdingnagian Bards LIVE NOW!
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.......
The Show That Should Never Be Heard... Will Be Heard!
Some of you may remember my post about The Show That Should Never Be Heard. That was the live recording I made at the Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna, Ireland. Most of our Ireland tour group was there that fateful night. It involved me leading everyone in song as we drank... and drank... and drank Guinness and Bulmers cider. Did I mention we drank a lot?
Well, as we drank, my performance got worse and worse, until I pretty much broke down into a frothing fool. But enough about me... I wasn't alone. ;)
Anyways, I was lamenting the idea of releasing that show. But I broke down. I finally did. I sent the show to the mailing list for everyone who was on the tour with us. It's done...
Then I did the unthinkable. I posted it on my Live MP3 Recordings page. But there's a catch... I don't want you to download it. So it is grossly overpriced. But if you, grrr, want to purchase the two hours of drunken debauchery, it's on you. You were warned!
On a happier note, I almost have an itinerary and info for the next Brobdingnagian Bards Vacation Tour of Ireland. Details will be coming soon...
We had a couple of great house concerts here in North Carolina. Spruce Pine was in the great outdoors, a beautiful backyard setting at Cara's. I was a bit under the weather from the Con Crud, so Andrew got to shine vocally. Then last night in Apex, we had another huge audience. The house was at capacity. Singing was a lot easier as the Crud is going away. A couple more days and I should be doing good. Oh! And "Ducats" was our finale that included, Yoga, husband, Nazgul, and pumpkins. "I'd buy you an exotic pet. Like a dragon or a Good Husband." It was a riot!
If you were at the shows, I'd love to read your concert reviews on your LJs. (This means you tribalkitty *waves*) How did ya'll like attending a house concert?
Well, I had hoped to post this yesterday. But alas, no internet access when I tried doing it. So this morning I'm up and posting. Last night, we had another grand show. We played a lot more Irish songs for this show. The audience seemed more into it Irish music, so we changed a wee bit of the geeky music we played in the first couple o'house concerts. We also got to meet some Nagians from PA who came down to West Virginia for the house concert. One more and then we head for home.
And maybe then I can finish fighting off whatever it is that is lingering around. Getting better, but still not there.
I was reading about a musician who leads "Great Big Dream Retreats". She and 20 women go off to a solitary place in the mountains to meditate and educate people on how to achieve their dreams. After the whole Ireland Tour, I've been anxious to do MORE stuff like that. I've thrown around ideas of even doing tours around the U.S..
Something about that sounds REALLY nice. Instead of running non-stop around a country, finding a place of solitude to commune with nature and oneself. That sounds beautiful. If I decided to organize something like that, a weekend Bardic Retreat, complete with live music as well, would anyone be interested in sharing that experience?
Want to Hear Bards or Cat Lovers Live! Boston, East Coast, Mid-West?
Last night, I was brainstorming the idea of visiting a friend up in Boston. As we were talking the idea came up to do a house concert while I was there. Then they asked if Andrew might join me up there.
The tough thing about bring Andrew is the cost. Since I'm going for vacation purposes, I'm willing to swallow the financial loss. But if we both go up there, we'd need to book 4-6 gigs in and around Boston just to make that feasible.
But there options. We could head into Vermont, New Hamshire, Maine, Connecticut, upstate New York and even Canada if we want to get really crazy.
But to do any shows up there, we need to know where you are at or where you're willing to see us.
We recently signed up at Eventful to find out where more of our fans were. All you have to do is drop by and sign up, and the website will notify you when we're near you. There's one for the Brobdingnagian Bards and one also for me solo. I'd appreciate it if you would sign up for both.
PS, the Brobdingnagian Bards DO NOT play cat songs. That's just solo stuff. So if you like those songs. You definitely need to complete my solo Demand. Thanks!
I posted a new gig calendar on Eventful with the hope to use it as a better way to bring more fans to our shows. If would like to see the Brobdingnagian Bards or me perform live, then check it out and make a demand for us to come to your town.
Do you ever do something that you kinda wish you hadn't done?
Worse. Have you ever had a recording of that thing you wish you hadn't done?
Worse still. Have you ever shared that recording of that thing you wish you hadn't done?
Personally, I somehow think that's the most foolish to do. I mean, why would anyone want to publicly humiliate themselves? Yet, for me... Okay, let me back track a moment and explain.
Last month, the Brobdingnagian Bards led a vacation tour of Ireland. It was awesome. Great sites. Great people on the tour. Our coach driver, Liam, said it best, "You're a like most tour groups. You're fun!"
Now me, I'm a podcaster and archivist. I like recording stuff shows I do and sharing them with others. It's what I do. But I also like to drink. And on occasion, I get kinda wild while drinking. So halfway through the tour while we were holed up in Lisdoonvarna, I and 20 friends went to a pub. I sang, drank, sang some more while everyone else sang, drank, and sang-a-long. It was great craic!
Past couple days, I went back and listened to those recordings. Youch! Sure there was some FUN stuff early on in the evening while I was still sober. But that NC-17 version of "Scarborough Faire"...? I don't think that should be heard. Nor should my foul mouth throughout the end of that show. And the "I Need to Pee" song was just, well, bad.
So it raises that interesting dilemna that I'm trying to figure out. Should I accidentally lose *ahem* delete, those files? Or hold on to them with the fear I'll be blackmailed in later years. Or should I go ahead and find the good material and just release that. I'm leaning more towards that. Why soil my mediocre name with material that was questionable at best... not to mention the performance of that last hour just, well, stunk.
I know, I know. Those on the tour are like "I WANT IT!" And those who weren't and read this are saying, "GIVE IT TO ME!" But I just don't know...
I mean, if someone else recorded it and wanted to listen to it at their leisure, that's one thing that doesn't really bother me. But when I have the power to protect my image, a sensible person would say, "Yes! Protect it!" But then when have I ever been sensible?
Anyway, when I finally decide, I'll post those live shows here with my others.
Cat Companion CD Release at Things Celtic in Austin, Texas
Wow! I was looking at my calendar, and it was this time last year that I did my last show at Things Celtic. Last time, I had a theme--summery visions. I don't remember what I played though.
This time, I am releasing my... um... third solo CD, Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lover's Companion. Okay, I'm a little slow since I officially released the album in June. But better late than never, eh?
Sat, August 11, 2007 Things Celtic @ 2PM 1806 W. 35th Street Austin, TX 78703
L'Associazione culturale "Accordature Salernitane", nella persona di Elvira Cicalese presenterà MARC GUNN in concerto nell'ambito della II RASSEGNA "CONCERTI NEL CHIOSTRO"
Chiostro del Conservatorio "Ave Gratia Plena Minor" - via dei Canali - Salerno Dal 2 al 10 Maggio dal 7 al 21 giugno 2007 - ore 18.45/21.00
VENERDI' 22 GIUGNO ORE 21 ingresso gratuito
Iniziativa a cura di Francesco Paolone e dell'Associazione "Accordature Salernitane", in collaborazione con il Comune di Salerno e la Città dei creativi
L'Associazione culturale "Accordature Salernitane", nella persona di Elvira Cicalese presenterà MARC GUNN in concerto nell'ambito della II RASSEGNA "CONCERTI NEL CHIOSTRO"
Chiostro del Conservatorio "Ave Gratia Plena Minor" - via dei Canali - Salerno Dal 2 al 10 Maggio dal 7 al 21 giugno 2007 - ore 18.45/21.00
VENERDI' 22 GIUGNO ORE 21 ingresso gratuito
Iniziativa a cura di Francesco Paolone e dell'Associazione "Accordature Salernitane", in collaborazione con il Comune di Salerno e la Città dei creativi
Sunday, May 6, 2007 Whisperz at 9-11 PM 3670 Foothill Blvd La Crescenta, CA 91214
After a weekend at CaliFur, I'm gonna do something I've never done before, perform solo at pub in California. So tell your friends, tell your family, tell the people that you hate, that I'll be there and show up with bells on... Okay, not bells that'd get annoying during the show. But at least come out and have a pint or twelve with me.
Join us for a fun afternoon Sunday, April 29, 2007, from 3pm to 5pm. Thundering Paws will have a benefit event at the El Arroyo restaurant in Bee Cave, near the intersection of Bee Cave Road and Highway 71. Marc Gunn is providing music from 3pm to 4pm, and we know you'll enjoy his combination of traditional Celtic tunes and silly cat lyrics. Anne, the directory of Thundering Paws, will tell happy stories about Thundering Paws animals. There will also be a silent auction, and you can order food and drinks from the full El Arroyo menu. Suggested donation is $10 for the event (does not include your food and drinks).
Marc Gunn at Central Texas Rennie Gathering on Feb 24, 2007
If you love Renaissance festivals like I do, you'll be happy to know you're not alone. In central Texas, you can find Rennies gathered outside of faire too. They're called "Rennie Gatherings". There, Rennies socialize over pints while dressed in their finest garb.
Austin has it's own wee group. Organized by Moon Dawg, the monthly gathering takes place on the last Saturday of the month when faire is not in session. We meet at the Dog & Duck Pub in Austin.
This month, Rennie and Celtic folk singer, Marc Gunn is performing to share songs new and old.
Marc Gunn @ 7:30pm The Dog & Duck Pub 406 W 17th St Austin, TX 78701
You can stay up to date with all the latest Central Texas Rennies info, through our yahoo group.
I drove to Houston last night for the wedding of one of my best friends, Stacy. She asked me to play a song in the wedding too--"Frog Kissin'". The problem... I forgot my autoharp!
I don't know how I forgot it. So don't ask. I was really spacey. For some reason, I grabbed my laptop instead of my autoharp. Bizarre.
It worked out well enough despite the prob. A couple more musician friends of Stacy's were there--Chelle Murrey and Paul Martinez. Paul was kind enough to not only let me play his guitar, but horde it for about an hour and a half before the wedding so I could learn to play "Frog Kissin'" on the guitar.
Normally changing songs from autoharp to guitar isn't that big a deal. It's just chords. But "Frog Kissin'" has one of the weirder chord progressions that I play. So I practiced in the cold outdoor hair for quite while.
The wedding started and somehow I stumbled through the song with only a couple minor screw ups that I don't think anyone really noticed thanks to the humor of the song and the dancing of the bride, groom, and audience. But I think I'll stick to the autoharp for now.
That must've been the most-relaxing house concert I've done, especially solo.
Yesterday morning, I drove from Portland to Eugene listening to Marketplace and Music Business Radio podcasts. It was another beautiful drive. Oregon really is a gorgeous state. Lovely trees, rolling hills, mountains in the distance. I started thinking about it and realized if it weren't so much further away from Europe, I wouldn't mind living in this state. But I still would like to be closer to Europe so I can make frequent trips.
Anyway, I arrived in Eugene earlier afternoon and met up with Kari Haley from The Signal Podcast. We grabbed some coffee after a quick drive through Eugene. Then after geeking out about some of her Firefly goodies she got food and such ready for the house concert in the evening. Time flew by and before I knew it there was a knock at the door and it was 6:30pm.
It was a small turnout as I expected. I was told that six people confirmed for this. That probably helped me to relax a bit in itself. I think eight people showed up in all. We gabbed as a few more people came in and then I started playing some time after 7:30pm.
There was no set list. No real plans of what I would do. I just started picking songs that people had mentioned earlier and then flew through a nice mix of solo songs, cat songs and bard songs. Forty five minutes later or so, the first set ended and we watched an episode of Ask A Ninja Podcast.
The second half went just as easily as I even played a few songs that Andrew and I do together. That was weird... having folks chirp in the lines because I don't remember them. Weird but amusing. Oh! And all my cats songs... I remembered the lyrics. Much easier to do with as much as I played them this weekend.
Usually by the end of a tour set, I am wiped. I'm not sure why it was so relaxing. But it was nice. The show was a lot of fun. Everyone seemed to go away happy and jovial. And it was just a pleasant fun evening all in all. I haven't listened to the recording I made, but if it came out halfway decent, I'm gonna try and post it in the Pub Songs Podcast. So I want to thank to everyone who showed up.
For many years now, I've wanted to go to Oregon. I hear such wonderful things about it. I finally have the opportunity thanks to an International Cat Show taking place at the end of January. Since we have a number of fans up in that area, I decided to try and put together a small house concert while I'm there. Kari Haley has kindly volunteered to host it.
Monday, January 29, 2007 Kari Haley House Concert @ 7-9pm. Eugene, OR 97402 Call or email Erin to RSVP. $10 donation Show starts at 7:30pm so arrive early.
Paws on the Sunny Side II - International Cat Show in Portland
When I first started thinking about promoting my CD Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers, I never imagined I'd actually perform AT a cat show. So when they contacted me with this fascinating proposition, I had to say yes.
So now I get to attend my very first cat show, meow for hundreds of people, and see a part of the country I've never attended. This is brilliant opportunity that I can't wait to be a part of.
Last night, I started putting together a set list for my next Pub Songs Podcast. My plan is to do a live show. Since I am a huge proponent of keeping Irish music alive and kicking (see my Irish MP3s, my Celtic MP3s Music Magazine, or my Irish & Celtic Music Podcast), I am trying to balance my love of Irish music with my desire to be a songwriter and to play songs that I enjoy. I feel scattered. So balancing those many interests seems a difficult thing to do.
So here's what I came up with. For the Irish (and traditional folk) songs, I chose "Star of the County Down" (Irish), "Lish Young Buy-A-Broom" (Lowlands Scotland/Northern England), "La Fiera Dell'Este" (Italian), "Eleanor Plunkett" (Irish), "The Mermaid" (sea song), "The Parting Glass" (Irish), and "Loch Tay" (Scottish). Hmm... I guess that's quite a few folk songs. Add to it my original songs, like "The Pleasant Peasant Pheasant Plucking Song", "Another Lonely Night" and "Lord of the Pounce". Then add "Heart and Soul" and I guess that's a nice mix. Mostly traditional with a few originals. Yeah, I guess that'll work.
Ultimately, it's my own insecurities. I know a lot of songs, but not enough. There are still a lot more that I hope to learn one day. I'd also like to add more instrumentals to my set list. I write a lot of instrumental tunes. In fact, I've been slowly working on a CD of elven music and fairy music. Maybe one day, I'll sit down and actually finish some of those tunes so I can release that CD. But I'm just going by inspiration. And most of those tunes arise from performing at Renaissance festivals, where we don't perform near as often as when I started.
Anyway, keep an eye open for the next Pub Songs Podcast, Show #19 and you can hear my live performance on the podcast.
Safe and sound back in Austin. My kitties are delighted to see me. Torre is purring in my lap as I write and catch up on stuff online.
We had a good trip to Louisiana. I love going there. So many good friends. Our host and her family are just a delight and pleasure. We are very blessed to have them in our lives.
The faire went fairly well all things considered. We were stuck on a stage way too large for us with the sun beating down, but we made the most of it. Even learned a wee bit more about performing on a big stage. We'll see if we have truly learned the next time someone tries sticking us acoustic on a stage like that though. So yes, many interesting observations.
Course, now that I'm home, I need to prepare to leave again tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Fun fun. And have to be back on Saturday. Ari Koinuma is coming over so we can hopefully finish recording the Irish Drinking Songs, the Cat Lover's Companion CD.
Oh! And I was pleased to see that The Holy Grail of Irish Drinking Songs arrived. So I will be putting that album in the mail at the beginning of next week for every one who ordered a copy through the Nagians Only page.
I just got back to casa mia. My kitties haven't destroyed the house. They're quite as sweet as ever. And just in time for their upcoming birthdays.
So a couple months ago, I was lamenting the lack of Fall gigs. And as usual, I blink, and our Fall is well-filled up. Some are known others, not so much. So I thought I'd share some of these upcoming gigs.
Starts this Sunday at Things Celtic here in Austin with Six Months Until St. Patrick's Day celebration and the debut of the Men in Kilts calendar. The following weekend, we drive to Dallas for FenCon.
I thought I had something on October 1st so was blowing off the idea of doing anything substantial. But seems that's not gonna happen. So instead, I think I'm gonna head for at least one day to Texas Ren Fest and get some promos for my Renaissance Festival Podcast. And of course, hang out with folks that I haven't seen in too long.
On October 6th in Austin we return to Elysium for another night of bardic GOTHIC fun. Not sure yet who else is playing with us there though.
The following weekend, a new faire is opening in Hillsboro, South of Dallas called MiddleFaire. We were booked for that show. Then the following weekend, we go all the way to Dallas for a performance at the Tipperary Inn. It's been six years since we played there. But thanks to numerous requests by Nagians, they asked us to come down for the show. Can't wait!
The last weekend of October, Andrew's supposed to call Texas Renaissance Festival to see about booking us for that weekend. It's not confirmed yet, but I'm hopeful, he'll find out for sure this week.
Then November kicks in and we head to Louisiana. We're booked for the first three weekends of the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. And that's about it for the next couple months.
Course, meantime, I'm gonna get with Andrew about finishing the Holy Grail of Irish Drinking Songs and maybe get a little further with the next couple albums. All in all, there's a LOT to do.
Meantime, I'm happy to have little Tiziano licking my arm and Torre begging to sit my lap. Yay for home!
Pub Songs Podcast #22 - A REAL Live House Concert Performance with Marc Gunn