MARC GUNN
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.
MARC'S MUSINGS -- May 1, 2008 - Marc's Music News - Going for Brogue and more New CDs - Last Chance for an Ireland Tour - My Blog Could Save Your Life Published 1-4 times per month. To manage your subscription, go to the end of this newsletter. Visit My Store Now!
Marc's Musings  Greetings amici,
Texas, having beautiful spring days, who would've thought? Every time I stepped outside after the big thunderstorm last weekend, I was amazed. The weather was delicious, cool, and lovely. The only problem is I haven't been out to enjoy it. I had a lot planned and not enough time to do it. But the results are getting me excited
MARC'S MUSIC NEWS
Thanks to my acupuncturist, I am at last feeling great. My sinus problems are all gone, and my motivation kicked in over the weekend. You see, I've had several CDs that I planned to finish this spring. The first and most important was Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers. It is at the printers as we speak and should arrive by the end of May. The second was a CD called, What Color Is Your Dragon? Folk Music with Delusions of Grandeur. It's a CD that I've been recording over the past year and releasing as singles on the MarcSongs Podcast. There were a couple songs that still needed recording. So I kept putting it off... until this weekend. The music is now recorded! I hope to mix it this week.  The third was a last minute decision. It's a an album of Irish songs and sea shanties that I recorded over the past few years with an Irish accent for my Irish-Song-Lyrics.com website. It's called Going for Brogue: Irish Pub Songs Songs and Sea Shanties with an Accent (go fig!). That album was my big accomplishment for the weekend. I remixed it, and sent it off to the printers. You can now pre-order a copy, and you should have it by the time I make it to Ireland in June.
MARC GUNN LIVE!
Speaking of Ireland, we came to a big decision. This year's Brobdingnagian Bards Tour of Ireland is the last tour we're gonna do. Quite sadly, this is the second year we're losing money on it. While we have a great time, we're still indie musicians and can't afford to take big losses. So that's it. That said, we do have four more spots available on this year's tour. This trip will be a one bang up party that you don't want to miss. So if you're interested in going AND you can afford it, email me ASAP. Right now, the trip lists for $2600. But if you let me know immediately, I'll knock off $100 from the price until Monday. Meantime, we're heading back to the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival this weekend and the next three. This will be our last engagement before we fly off to Ireland.
READ MY NEWS AT MARCGUNN.COM. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE! Okay, maybe it really won't save your life, but I hope you'll enjoy it! hehe! :)
I made a big change a couple weeks ago. I decided to start using my homepage blog more. In the past, I blogged on Livejournal or Myspace quite regularly. Both are great websites, and I haven't abandoned them. But I feel I can offer more when it's coming straight from my homepage. I have a new RSS feed which will allow you to add my blog to your newsreader-- http://www.marcgunn.com/blog.xml .
That said, there's a LOT of news I posted in the past week as I made updates to my website. I reorganized my CDs and merchandise page to make it easier and more accessible. There are some questions that need answering (here and here) and much more. You can even get email updates of blogs. Lots to do. I hope you'll be a part of my community.
---
Thank you for interacting with me. Please drop me a line and say hi. Slainte!
- Marc Gunn
Quick Links to Marc Gunn
About Marc Gunn Please add "marc@thebards.net" to your whitelist or email address
book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues! Do Marc's Musings ever inspire you?
If so, there's something you can do.
Help me out. Pass the inspiration on.
Share with others, and I'll keep sharing songs. Marc Gunn is Celtic Geek songwriter from Austin, Texas with a strange affinity for ballads, Irish drinking songs, acoustic Alternative Folk, podcasting, Sci Fi, and cats. The world is dominated by massive organizations that strangle the life out of the independent arts. You can stop it at the source. Your good will and support of the arts through kind donations, purchases, and friendly word of mouse will make your feel great! Labels: marcs_musings
---
New to Marc Gunn's blog? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed.
Or sign up to get email updates. If you would like to chat with other Marc Gunn fans, visit my forum. It's easy; it's free.
posted by Marc Gunn @ Thursday, May 01, 2008
MARC'S MUSINGS -- April 15, 2008 - Marc's Music News
- Austin Music Award Winners
- Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers
- New MP3 - "Molly Malone... The Cat's Perspective "
- Join My Street Team Published 1-4 times per month. To manage your subscription, go to the end of this newsletter. Visit My Store Now!
Marc's Musings  Greetings,
A lot has happened since my last email. March was a busy month. I had gigs and was podcasting like crazy while promoting for St. Patrick's Day. I finished my new CD, "Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers". I also got the flu. The biggest news is we scored our THIRD win in the Austin Music Awards. And it was the big one!
MARC'S MUSIC NEWS
Austin is known as the Live Music Capitol of the World. So I was thrilled in 2004 when Brobdingnagian Bards won 'Best Novelty Band' in the Austin Music Awards. It was a huge honor. We were the first Celtic band in Austin to EVER win in the AMAs. My first solo CD, "Soul of a Harper" also won Best Album Cover thanks to the photography of Nancy e. Pearsall. Then in 2006, we followed up our win with 'Best None of the Above' in the Austin Music Awards. I was blown away with delight. We were getting recognized as more than a 'novelty band'. Our music is folk music though. So that's really what I was hoping to win. And this year, we finally did it. We won "Best Folk Act! So I want to thank EVERYONE who voted for us in the Austin Music Awards. We placed really well throughout the awards and even helped some of our friends to place well in the awards. See more results. Maybe next year, we can win Best Band! ;) A week after receiving our win in the Austin Music Awards, Rich Brotherton finished mastering my new CD, "Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers". I got the graphics back from Ingrid Houwers a couple days ago. The new cover looks fantastic. But then, I expect nothing less from Ingrid! I'm sending it off to the printers this week. You can now adopt "Whiskers in the Jar" and you'll own your copy before it hits the streets. You can now listen to the entire album online and hear just how cool Rich is as a producer. You can also download "Molly Malone... The Cat's Perspective". Email it to your friends. Burn it to a CD. Make a video and post it on YouTube. And help me get the word out about "Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers" and don't forget to add a link to www.catdrinkingsongs.com.
MARC GUNN LIVE!
April started out at I-Con. That was the first Sci Fi Con I ever went to, and I love going there. But something odd happened during the Cabaret. I got a nosebleed. I think it was in response to the meds I was still taking to get over the flu, but it made for an interesting closing to Cabaret and to our last show of the weekend as I played on with toilet paper shoved up my nose. Go to YouTube if you want a mild laugh. It was... um... interesting. Now we have a couple weeks off before the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. During that time, I hope to work on some new songs and start looking for some more venues to book here in Austin. I really want to perform in Austin more. So keep an eye open for some of that on my tour schedule. It gets busy once we're off to Ireland. OH! HEY! That reminds me. We are looking for gigs in Europe in mid-June after the Brobdingnagian Bards Tour of Ireland. Right now, we don't have any gigs planned, but we need some. So if you know of any paid venues in Europe or can help us get booked in places where we can't speak the language, that'd be brilliant!!!! Email me. Meantime, keep an eye open to my calendar and don't forget to sign up at eventful to find the latest shows.
JOIN MY STREET TEAM
 Thanks to everyone who helped me promote away for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast over St. Patrick's Day. The numbers were down a little bit this year, but the show still climbed to the #1 Music Podcast and a top 20 of all iTunes podcasts. Brilliant! I'm excited to see everyone so passionate about the show. The number of fan emails I get from the podcast grows every day. I even started a Street Team to help promote the podcast as well as my many Mage projects. If you want to lend a helping hand, sign up. I hope to offer some unique freebies to members of my Street Team in the near future. ---
Thanks for all your love and support of my music. It means the world to me! Please stay in touch. Slainte!
- Marc Gunn
Quick Links to Marc Gunn
About Marc Gunn Please add "marc@thebards.net" to your whitelist or email address
book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues! Do Marc's Musings ever inspire you?
If so, there's something you can do.
Help me out. Pass the inspiration on.
Share with others, and I'll keep sharing songs. Marc Gunn is Celtic Geek songwriter from Austin, Texas with a strange affinity for ballads, Irish drinking songs, acoustic Alternative Folk, podcasting, Sci Fi, and cats. The world is dominated by massive organizations that strangle the life out of the independent arts. You can stop it at the source. Your good will and support of the arts through kind donations, purchases, and friendly word of mouse will make your feel great! Labels: marcs_musings
---
New to Marc Gunn's blog? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed.
Or sign up to get email updates. If you would like to chat with other Marc Gunn fans, visit my forum. It's easy; it's free.
posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, April 15, 2008
MARC'S MUSINGS -- March 1, 2008 - Marc's Music News
- Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers
- New MP3 - "What Shall We Do With a Catnipped Kitty"
- Promote Celtic Music for St. Patrick's Day Published 1-4 times per month. To manage your subscription, go to the end of this newsletter. Visit My Store Now!
Marc's Musings  Greetings,
What a tiring month! After spending a weekend in Yuma, Arizona doing a Renaissance festival, I returned to Austin to start recording my second cat CD--"Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers". I started off by recording three songs with Rich Brotherton. Rich produced CDs for Ed Miller and The Tea Merchants. The three songs we recorded sounded so amazing, I decided he was who I wanted to produce this second album. So we immediately set some dates and have spent the month recording. All I can say is, "Wow!"
MARC'S MUSIC NEWS
It was seven years ago when Andrew and I were last in a professional studio. I love producing albums at home, but there's nothing like having a professional producer on his turf. Ari Koinuma did fantastic job on my first cat album, but he was forced to record it in my living room. There's nothing like having your own studio and knowing your own gear. Rich has shown that. The music is rich and full, and that is thanks to Rich Brotherton. Rich performs with Robert Earl Keen when he's not producing albums. He was a music major in college, and his skill with stringed instruments is stunning. You can hear it right now on "Molly Malone/Planxty Hewlett", but that was by far just the start of it. Today, we recorded a tune called "To Catch a Cat". It was written by Vicki Swan of Serious Kitchen fame. She and Jonny Dyer allowed me to use the tune on this album. I added a groovy autoharp part, but Rich... Rich played mandolin and knocked out this fast-paced, intricate tune, a tune he didn't even know, in just a couple o'hours. The final tune is still stuck in my head. The CD stands out different in other ways too. Over half the album was written by cat loving fans of the first album. So it's taken me to exciting new places. The themes and moods are different. Some of the melodies are new to me. But it's all come together in such a way that I can honestly say this will be my best sounding CD yet! Right now, I'm not sure when "Whiskers in the Jar" will be released. I have a three-song single coming out on CD Baby any day now, where you can start sampling the album. Or heck! You can download a song right now, if you are subscribed to the MarcSongs Podcast. If you like what you hear, adopt "Whiskers in the Jar". The album is pretty expensive to make for an indie musician, and since it'll be a few months before the official release, I hope to recoup the cash for the album as quick as possible. Your CD adoption will help me to do that. And best of all, you can hear how the album is evolving. Right now, I have 10 songs you can listen to if you adopt it now! So go ahead, download "What Shall We Do With a Catnipped Kitty". Email it to your friends. Burn it to a CD. Make a video and post it on YouTube. And help me get the word out about "Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers" and don't forget to add a link to www.catdrinkingsongs.com.
MARC GUNN LIVE!
I want to send a special thanks to everyone who showed up for my Valentine's Day CD release of "A Tribute to Love". For a Thursday noon show, I didn't expect people to be there and was blown away with the number of fans who ditched work to hear me sing. Thank you! March is the beginning of a busy gigging schedule for the Brobdingnagian Bards. This weekend, we're back the Four Winds Renaissance Festival, followed by gigs in New York, Oklahoma and of course, Ireland. Speaking of Ireland, we have few more slots available. So it's not too late to join the Brobdingnagian Bards Tour of Ireland. This will be adventure you don't want to miss! Aside from celebrating my bithday on March 17th, I'm not yet sure what kind of St. Patrick's Day gigs we'll have. So keep an eye open to my calendar and don't forget to sign up at eventful to find the latest shows.
PROMOTE CELTIC MUSIC FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY
 I love March. And I love that I was born on St. Patrick's Day. And I love that I play music that people love to hear on my birthday. That just makes me giggle. Every year, I put together a big St. Patrick's Day music show for my Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to highlight some of the brilliant Celtic musicians I find throughout the year. This year is no exception. I have at least a couple amazing shows planned for listeners. And once again, I need your assistance. The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is the most-popular podcast online for Celtic music. More than that, it's also regularly one of the Top 15 Music podcasts on iTunes. I get about 40,000 downloads of each show. Last year, I pulled in 60,000 in March. And I'd like to push that higher. Now some of you may think, "Wait! I don't even know what a podcast is?" The exciting thing is that, at it's basic, it's just an MP3. You can go to the website and download over 40 MP3s, that are kinda like radio shows. You can listen to them at your leisure, on your computer, or on an MP3 player. Or you can burn them to CDs and listen to them in your car or on your stereo. Yes, there is more to it than that which makes it a "podcast", but that's basically it. So how can you help me get the word out? Post a blog about it. Email a friend. Print a flyer. Or burn shows to CDs, give them away or play them at your St. Patrick's Day party or pub. At the basic, tell a friend. And if you want some banners or flyers, grab, print and post: ttp://www.celticmusicpodcast.com/banners.shtml Anyway, I have some more cool news coming in a week or so. So keep reading! ---
Thank you so much for caring about my music. And please drop me a line to let me know how you're doing. Slainte!
- Marc Gunn
Quick Links to Marc Gunn
About Marc Gunn Please add "marc@thebards.net" to your whitelist or email address
book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues! Do Marc's Musings ever inspire you?
If so, there's something you can do.
Help me out. Pass the inspiration on.
Share with others, and I'll keep sharing songs. Marc Gunn is Celtic Geek songwriter from Austin, Texas with a strange affinity for ballads, Irish drinking songs, acoustic Alternative Folk, podcasting, Sci Fi, and cats. The world is dominated by massive organizations that strangle the life out of the independent arts. You can stop it at the source. Your good will and support of the arts through kind donations, purchases, and friendly word of mouse will make your feel great! Labels: marcs_musings
---
New to Marc Gunn's blog? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed.
Or sign up to get email updates. If you would like to chat with other Marc Gunn fans, visit my forum. It's easy; it's free.
posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, February 29, 2008
MARC'S MUSINGS -- January 8, 2008 - Marc's Music News
- New Renaissance Festival Podcast Compilation
- New MP3 - "Auld Lang Syne"
- New Shows in 2008 Listed
- Vote for me in the Austin Music Awards Published 1-4 times per month. To manage your subscription, go to the end of this newsletter. Visit My Store Now!
Marc's Musings  Greetings amici,
Happy New Year! Did you have a good time? Mine was pretty exciting. So exciting in fact that I spent the entire evening at home watching "When Harry Met Sally". Ah what a dork I am. hehe! Well, it was fun though. The afternoon was spent recording "Auld Lang Syne" which I released in the first MarcSongs Podcast of the year. Then as the clock ticked down, my sister and her beau showed up, and we had some prosecco. And I also chatted with friends online. So that's a nice way to start the year for a geek. Right?
MARC'S MUSIC NEWS
Another year. I sat down and wrote out a bunch of my goals for the year. And I have several new CDs I hope to release this year. It all starts with my new "Renaissance Festival Podcast Compilation" CD. There's 23 tracks of, I gotta say, some brilliant faire musicians. Ye know, when I started playing music at faires, I remember listening to a lot of faire music and thinking, "Oy. Not so good." But since I started the Renaissance Festival Podcast, that has NOT been the case. There's just a lot outstanding musicians on the faire circuit. I found them. And it seems a shame that more people don't know about them. I'm fortunate that I get to share all this great music with people. Independent music is awesome! In February, "A Tribute to Love" comes out officially. I'm trying to get reviews and features for the album. But again, it's tough as an indie artist. But I have faith, it will work well. If you haven't heard the album, you can listen to the whole thing for free online. And you can download the entire album through the MarcSongs Podcast... for free, no less. So download. Listen. If you like, please buy a copy or two to share with others. And there's a lot more great music coming. I hope to start recording "More Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers" as well as the "Companion" CD. I have a filk album, a bluesy folk album, an instrumental CD, a compilation CD, and a lot more stuff that I hope to record and release this year. Meantime, download "Auld Lang Syne", the latest song from my the MarcSongs Podcast. I hope to add it to a CD in the very near future. You can see all of my CDs in my CD Store. Thank you for supporting my music.
MARC GUNN LIVE!
In December, I flew to Germany to visit my mom. I had a great time visiting her and my nephew Danny. Thanks to Ceili Moss, I was able to secure a couple gigs in Germany. The first was a Christmas party in a German winery. I just walked around and played. The music was well-received, and I got a personal tour from the owners after the party ended. Then a couple days later, I played at Pub Dudelsack (German for "bagpipe") in Rudesheim, Germany. It was total trip! My autoharp was amplified, but I sang unamplified in a Scottish pub with barstaff dressed in kilts and me, well, unable to speak German. And few there speaking English. But two hours flew by with a mix of great old Irish and Scottish songs. It was a total trip! Definitely something I need to do again. My live music schedule is filling up. Andrew is booking a lot of gigs for the Brobdingnagian Bards this Spring and all around the nation. In fact, this weekend, we're doing shows in Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana. We have a few faires, some Sci Fi conventions, a hobbit gathering, and then there's our tour of Ireland (we still have room, but not for long, which I am hoping will also take us into England as well). As much as Andrew is booking, I'm hopeful we will play coast-to-coast this year. So keep an eye on the schedule and sign up at eventful to find the latest shows.
VOTE IN THE AUSTIN MUSIC AWARDS
 The Austin Music Awards are back! Last year, we won "Best None of the Above Band". It's an awesome award to win, but I must confess, my eye has long been on the "Best Folk Band". The Brobdingnagian Bards might sound different from every other band in the world, but we ultimately play folk music. And that's one of the categories I hope you will vote for us in the Austin Music Awards. And the best part about it, you don't need to live in Austin to vote for us. Anyone can vote. So please vote for us! And some BIG NEWS! We extended the deadline for the Brobdingnagian Bards Tour of Ireland because a few people told us they wanted their tax returns to come in first. So we're accepting your deposits until January 23rd. We hope you will join us on this magical tour of Ireland this June. ---
Thanks again for all your support, Slainte!
- Marc Gunn
Quick Links to Marc Gunn
About Marc Gunn Please add "marc@thebards.net" to your whitelist or email address
book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues! Do Marc's Musings ever inspire you?
If so, there's something you can do.
Help me out. Pass the inspiration on.
Share with others, and I'll keep sharing songs. Marc Gunn is a musician, photographer, poet, author, American Scotsman, songwriter, music download connoisseurs, web designer, Rennie, online entrepreneur, and a bunch of other labels that don't mean a whole lot but are all entirely independent. The world is dominated by massive organizations that strangle the life out of the independent arts. You can stop it at the source. Your good will and support of the arts through kind donations, purchases, and friendly word of mouse will make your feel great! Labels: marcs_musings
---
New to Marc Gunn's blog? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed.
Or sign up to get email updates. If you would like to chat with other Marc Gunn fans, visit my forum. It's easy; it's free.
posted by Marc Gunn @ Tuesday, January 08, 2008
MARC'S MUSINGS -- November 30, 2007 - Marc's Music News
- Enchanted
- New CD: A Tribute to Love
- MarcSongs Podcast
- Live in Louisiana and Germany?
- New MP3 - "Tiziano Gunn"
- Blessed with Care
- Vote in the Renaissance Festival Awards
- Brobdingnagian Bards Tour of Ireland Deadline Approaching! Published 1-4 times per month. To manage your subscription, go to the end of this newsletter. Visit My Store Now!
Marc's Musings Greetings, I've been totally enchanted ever since I saw Enchanted at the theaters last week. It's a delightful movie. And I find myself listening to "That's How You Know" over and over again on YouTube. It's the romantic in me. So I guess it is only fitting that I make an announcement about my new CD, "A Tribute to Love"...
MARC'S MUSIC NEWS
Officially, the CD won't be released until February. That's when I want to do some heavy promotion for the album, just in time for Valentine's Day. But with all the talk among fans about the album, I decided I wouldn't wait any longer to make it available. So I sent it off to CD Baby a few weeks back, and now you can buy "A Tribute to Love" or pick up multiple copies sand save. "A Tribute to Love" is what I call my love CD. But it's not just the mushy kind of love that you find in most Disney movies. Come to think of it, I think this album is much more in tuned with the movie Enchanted, which takes a somewhat more realistic look at the sweet, lovey dovey, romantic movie genre that they established over the years. I won't spoil the fun of the movie for you, but it's not a typical Disney flick. This isn't Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. But it's just as beautiful. Well, my CD runs the gammut of love. Because... I believe in love. All kinds. It may be imperfect, but I will take falling in love over never having loved at all any day! But this album may not be for you, and that's okay. My hope is that one day you will find the same passion that I embued in recording this album. If that doesn't send you soaring on love's wings, then please give a listen to MarcSongs Podcast. Not only can you download free MP3s every Tuesday, but you can hear a great sampling of the different styles of music I'm writing and recording these days. And I have some amazing things in store. Oh yes! It's gonna be awesome! Meantime, download "Tiziano Gunn", the latest song from my love CD and the latest in the MarcSongs Podcast. And please check out my CD Store and maybe buy some albums for Christmas for you, your friends, and your family.
MARC GUNN LIVE!
I spent the last four weekends at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival with such amazing entertainers as The Limeybirds, Vince Conaway, Craig of Farrington, Paolo Garbanzo, and many more. And we have two more weekends to go. Sadly, my lovely Limeybirds won't be there, but we will. We are performing on the peninsula at the festival. No, you won't find us in the schedule, but keep an eye and ear open. We spend a bunch of time at the Midwyffe's Cottage and the wine tasting (Madame Ghislaine puts on an amazing wine tasting that is Well Worth it). Once the faire ends, I'm off to Germany to visit family! That will be an exciting trip, and I am currently working on booking a show at an Irish pub in NW Germany. Nothing solid yet, but as soon as I get a confirmation, I'll post it at eventful and on my calendar.
 BLESSED WITH CARE
On the downside, it's been a trying couple o'months. You may've heard that Andrew and I got hit by an internet fraud scheme. Then, I ran into a dental nightmare. And (knock on wood), the last of my problems struck when I was in a car accident that totaled my car. Andrew and I are fine, thank goodness. The car? Not so much.
Despite these problems I find just how blessed I am. Thankful in fact. Fans came to the rescue with the internet fraud. Friends came to my rescue after my car accident with their sympathies. Add to it, that my music continues to grow in popularity. I have countless people emailing about my podcasts. I've had several interviews this week. And I have all the great companions at the Haeuser Hotel in Louisiana. I am greatly thankful for all your support. So thank you! A couple quick, final notes. There's just one more month for you to vote in the Renaissance Festival Awards. I and the Brobdingnagian Bards can't win, but there's a LOT of great music and entertainment out there. So if you go to Renaissance Festivals, please vote for your favorites. And last, if you were hoping to be a part of the Brobdingnagian Bards Tour of Ireland, get your depost in soon. The deadline is December 3rd! So don't waste any time. Join us for an amazing trip this summer, seeing the hidden gems of Ireland. ---
Thanks again for all your support, Slainte!
- Marc Gunn
Quick Links to Marc Gunn
About Marc Gunn Please add "marc@thebards.net" to your whitelist or email address
book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues! Do Marc's Musings ever inspire you?
If so, there's something you can do.
Help me out. Pass the inspiration on.
Share with others, and I'll keep sharing songs. Marc Gunn is a musician, photographer, poet, author, American Scotsman, songwriter, music download connoisseurs, web designer, Rennie, online entrepreneur, and a bunch of other labels that don't mean a whole lot but are all entirely independent. The world is dominated by massive organizations that strangle the life out of the independent arts. You can stop it at the source. Your good will and support of the arts through kind donations, purchases, and friendly word of mouse will make your feel great! Labels: marcs_musings
---
New to Marc Gunn's blog? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed.
Or sign up to get email updates. If you would like to chat with other Marc Gunn fans, visit my forum. It's easy; it's free.
posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, November 30, 2007
MARC'S MUSINGS -- October 8, 2007 - Marc's Music News
- Help Brobdingnagian Bards Hit #1
- New CD: LIVE - Nex Monoceroti, Per Risibus
- New CD: Three Movie and TV Songs for Geeks Like Me
- New MP3 - "A Rabbit for Halloween"
- Brobdingnagian Bards at Middlefaire This Weekend
- Musical Growth Published 1-4 times per month. To manage your subscription, go to the end of this newsletter. Visit My Store Now!
Marc's Musings  Greetings Amici,
New CD! New CD! And you can help make it #1 by ordering the CD today! Here goes...
MARC'S MUSIC NEWS
Yes, the Brobdingnagian Bards new album, "LIVE: Nex Monoceroti, Per Risibus" is now on sale at CD Baby. WOOHOO!! I've been waiting for this for a long while now because I wanted to do a special promotion for the album. The last time we did promo for an album, "Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales", it shot up to #1 on CD Baby's charts beating out tons of amazing bands. We want to do that again. So all this week, this fun, new, live CD is on sale. And we would love Your help to make the album number one. Just purchase the CD or MP3s on CD Baby. If we can pull in a good 100-120 sales in the next couple of days, we will meet our goal. We started this promo today, and we're nearly halfway there. So please help us hit #1 and purchase a copy of this fun new CD by the Brobdingnagian Bards. And hey! While you're there, you can pick up a copy of my new single Three Movie and TV Songs for Geeks Like Me. It was just released on CD Baby today! Listen and download the lead track, "A Rabbit for Halloween" in the MarcSongs Podcast. I'm excited that this Bugs Bunny filk is ready to go for Halloween. Enjoy! And feel free to share it with others.
MARC GUNN LIVE!
All went well this weekend at Middlefaire. I was easily able to pull off four solo shows a day at a Renaissance festival. My first time ever. I didn't know I had it in me. While it was nice being able to play my cat songs, which the Bards never play, I must admit Andrew was greatly missed. He adds so much to the faire musical experience. So I'm looking forward to this weekend when he will join me in Hillsboro for the final weekend of the faire. Also stay tuned this week to the Pub Songs Podcast. I plan to record another live show very soon. Meantime, remember to Demand Me and the Brobdingnagian Bards, and mayhaps we will see you at a venue near you.
 MUSICAL GROWTH
A woman approached me this weekend and told me how cool it was to finally see me live. She first heard about the Brobdingnagian Bards back in 1999, our first year playing music. Then she sailed around the world with the Navy came back last year and exclaimed, "Now everyone knows who you are!" It's exciting to see musical growth. I love turning dreams into reality and to look back and see how far I've come since those days when I played guitar, plugged into my tiny Peavey amp. Whoa! You wouldn't recognize me. Now I have CDs, books, wooden mugs, podcasts, and even plan tours of Ireland in my life. And the development continues as I start adding a little bodhran (a type of Celtic drum) into the mix. Who knows what the future has in store? But I'm hoping for big things. Then again, maybe that CD title I was planning works better, "Folk Music with Delusions of Grandeur". Hmm? Well, we'll see. ---
Thanks for supporting my music. Slainte!
- Marc Gunn
Quick Links to Marc Gunn
About Marc Gunn Please add "marc@thebards.net" to your whitelist or email address
book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues! Do Marc's Musings ever inspire you?
If so, there's something you can do.
Help me out. Pass the inspiration on.
Share with others, and I'll keep sharing songs. Marc Gunn is a musician, photographer, poet, author, American Scotsman, songwriter, music download connoisseurs, web designer, Rennie, online entrepreneur, and a bunch of other labels that don't mean a whole lot but are all entirely independent. The world is dominated by massive organizations that strangle the life out of the independent arts. You can stop it at the source. Your good will and support of the arts through kind donations, purchases, and friendly word of mouse will make your feel great! Labels: marcs_musings
---
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posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, October 08, 2007
MARC'S MUSINGS -- September 29, 2007 - Marc's Music News
- New CD Single!
- New MP3 - Summer's End
- Solo at MiddleFaire
- 2nd Ireland Tour
- MarcSongs Podcast Published 1-4 times per month. To manage your subscription, go to the end of this newsletter. Visit My Store Now!
Marc's Musings  Greetings Amici,
What a month! After DragonCon, I spent the last few weeks coughing, sick and wallowing in my own misery. Now the cough is almost gone. I even feel up to getting work done... Yeah, I guess that's a different kind of sickness, huh?
MARC'S MUSIC NEWS
First of all, I'm excited announce the release of my new single Three Movie and TV Songs for Geeks Like Me. This three-song CD features, well, exactly as it name says, music from movies and TV. Namely: Bugs Bunny, Stardust, and Firefly! The CDs just arrived in the mail yesterday and are already on their way to CD Baby. But you can pre-order an autographed copy right now. Last week, while wallowing in my misery, I took a moment to sit on my porch and I wrote an instrumental song. Then I asked fans on Livejournal and Myspace to name it. I tallied the votes and decided to call it "Summer's End", based on those votes. You can download it free from SoundClick. And if I keep writing as many instrumentals as I have, you may hear an instrumental CD from me in the near future. It's cool that I am recording as much as I am. One of my New Years Resolutions was to complete a number of albums this year. And I'm proud to say, I've made a BIG dent in that goal. My latest full-length CD, A Tribute to Love, will arrive in about a week. However, I made a strange decision. I decided to postpone the official release until late January. Ye know, the whole Valentine's Day thing... Even if it's not quite mushy romance CD, I still think it'll make a good addition to that holiday. My latest project is Renaissance Festival compilation. My plan was to have a bunch of traditional songs that I've recorded with a handful of Ren Fest artists submissions. It's not quite working out that way so far. I have SO MANY bands wanting to be a part of it. I'm not sure what to do. In any case, I am happy that I am this productive. I love making new music and sharing live music as well, so thanks for taking the time to listen to it.
MARC GUNN LIVE!
The first two weeks of October will see the Brobdingnagian Bards at MiddleFaire in Hillsboro, Texas. But what will be really different is the first weekend. Andrew has a prior commitment, so I'll be playing MiddleFaire solo. This is the first time I've ever done a solo show at a faire, so I'm a bit nervous. I'd love to have your support. Oh! And don't forget to Demand Me and the Brobdingnagian Bardstoo. We hope to use that Eventful to find out where we're gonna tour in the future. So make a demand.
 JOIN ME IN IRELAND
Probably the most exciting news of the week is I finally have all the details posted for the Brobdingnagian Bards second Vacation Tour of Ireland. Once again, we're taking our fans with us to see Ireland. And we would love you to join us. All the details are now posted on our website. And it's gonna be an Amazing tour. John Wilmott of Celtic Ways is hosting the tour. And the sites and sounds that he has planned are, like, wow! I just can't wait! There's only a limited number of slots available. So hurry up and reserve your place today. And if you want to hear a glimpse of what we experienced last time, check out my Pub Songs Podcast and A Brobdingnagian Minute. There's a couple MP3s you can download and hear us go on about it. Speaking of podcasts, I've had a new one out for the past few months that is different. It's also gone through quite a few name changes. The latest name is MarcSongs Podcast (formerly Marc Gunn's Irish Songs & More and Irish Songs & Lyrics Podcast). It features a new song every week recorded by me. Hope ye like. Oh! Our performance on the The Signal Firefly Podcast was awesome! ---
Drop me a line and tell me how you are doing. Slainte!
- Marc Gunn
Quick Links to Marc Gunn
About Marc Gunn Please add "marc@thebards.net" to your whitelist or email address
book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues! Do Marc's Musings ever inspire you?
If so, there's something you can do.
Help me out. Pass the inspiration on.
Share with others, and I'll keep sharing songs. Marc Gunn is a musician, photographer, poet, author, American Scotsman, songwriter, music download connoisseurs, web designer, Rennie, online entrepreneur, and a bunch of other labels that don't mean a whole lot but are all entirely independent. The world is dominated by massive organizations that strangle the life out of the independent arts. You can stop it at the source. Your good will and support of the arts through kind donations, purchases, and friendly word of mouse will make your feel great! Labels: marcs_musings
---
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Or sign up to get email updates. If you would like to chat with other Marc Gunn fans, visit my forum. It's easy; it's free.
posted by Marc Gunn @ Friday, September 28, 2007
MARC'S MUSINGS -- August 22, 2007 - Marc's Music News - Marc Gunn Live! - Demand Me - Saffron Wins Best Filk Song - New Celtic Cat Wooden Mugs Published 1-4 times per month. To manage your subscription, go to the end of this newsletter.
Marc's Musings  Greetings, I mae a lot of updates to my websites recently. I wanted to clean up my websites and make them more accessible. As you can see, I made some changes to Marc's Musings too. It's tough deciding to cut content that you like. I love posting poems, but since I haven't written many recently, it's kinda hard to continue that feature when I don't have new ones to post. But don't worry, I'll still post links to new poems as I write them. On to the musings... MARC'S MUSIC NEWSLast month's CD release went great. My solo audience is growing. So well, I got a couple o'satirical reviews that we joked about at the show. They were too funny not to share. As for my new CDs? Well, "A Tribute to Love" (Listen) is nearly complete. I need to do a wee bit o'editing on one song before it is done. Otherwise, I'm really pleased with the album. It beautifully highlights so many different aspects of love. It just fills my heart with joy listening to it. You can hear to it on my redesigned homepage where I post all my latest news. I am currently recording a lot of new instrumental pieces. At this rate, I might have ANOTHER CD by Christmas. This one will be dedicated to the fae. You can listen to my latest tune "Stardust Serenade" in my blog. For those of you who just love Irish music, I just received a new pressing of my latest compilation CD, "Victims of Irish Music". This album features 17 instrumental Irish tunes by a wide variety of Celtic artists featured in my Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. The music is top-notched and continues to receive rave reviews. If you enjoy independent Celtic music, you will love this CD MARC GUNN LIVE!Our Fall schedule is just now fleshing out. It's gonna be a busy one since we were just confirmed at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. I was also throwing around the idea of flying up to Boston to visit friends and maybe play a gig or two. As the idea developed, I decided I needed a better way to share my upcoming gigs. So I signed up with Eventful. Eventful is a fantastic site where you will be notified every time I decide to perform in your area. Just go make a Demand at Eventful. It's quick and easy to do. Meantime, you will find us performing next week at DragonCon. Our complete schedule is now on our website. Hope to see some of you there.  SAFFRON WINS BEST FILK SONG AND CELTIC CAT WOODEN MUGSThe last big news is that my song "She Said Her Name Was Saffron" did, in fact, Win in the recent Sing-A-Song for Saffron Contest. It won Best Filk Song, and we were invited to sing the song on The Signal Firefly Podcast at DragonCon next week. OH! And I told a few people about my new wooden mugs. They are designed with my Celtic Cat Logo and look brilliant. I place an order for them and they are now on sale. Not sure how many of these I'll actually sell. So if you want one, order soon. --- Peace and love in your life. Slainte! - Marc Gunn
Quick Links to Marc Gunn
About Marc Gunn Please add "marc @ thebards.net" to your whitelist or email address book, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues! Do Marc's Musings ever inspire you?
If so, there's something you can do.
Help me out. Pass the inspiration on.
Share with others, and I'll keep sharing songs. Marc Gunn is a musician, photographer, poet, author, American Scotsman, songwriter, music download connoisseurs, web designer, Rennie, online entrepreneur, and a bunch of other labels that don't mean a whole lot but are all entirely independent. The world is dominated by massive organizations that strangle the life out of the independent arts. You can stop it at the source. Your good will and support of the arts through kind donations, purchases, and friendly word of mouse will make your feel great! Labels: marcs_musings
---
New to Marc Gunn's blog? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed.
Or sign up to get email updates. If you would like to chat with other Marc Gunn fans, visit my forum. It's easy; it's free.
posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, August 22, 2007
MARC'S MUSINGS -- August 6, 2007 - Feature Poem: Here's to the Dreamers
- Musings: CDs, Firefly, and Other Notes Published 1-4 times per month. To manage your subscription, go to the end of this newsletter.
Marc's Musings  Greetings Amici,
The sun is setting as I sit out on my porch. Torre is lying on the planks, basking in the final rays of sun. Op! Here comes Tiziano too. It's warm outside, but this has been a mild summer. I almost miss the Texas heat, but I think I've made the best of it as I did last week, falling into the waters of Pedernales Falls. But for now, I've a lot to do. In fact, I have two CDs in the works.
TWO CDS? YOU JUST FINISHED ONE!
Yes, I know, I know. I did just finish my third solo CD "Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lover's Companion". And this Saturday, I have a CD release party for that album at Things Celtic, here in Austin. - Cat Companion CD on iTunes Sat, August 11, 2007
Things Celtic @ 2PM
1806 W. 35th Street
Austin, TX 7870 But didn't I also mention earlier this year that I have a LOT of CDs planned this year? And this one... wow! I'm REALLY excited it, because the album is something different. It's called "A Tribute to Love", and it's not your typical love CD. Instead of just love songs, the album is an expression of an idea. It sounds nothing like anything I've ever done before. It feautres songs and ideas about the many types of love, some sweet and loving, some comical, some touching, some heartwrenching, some sad. Love is all of that, and I hope I might touch on a small piece of that beauty and magic in this album. - Help Bring More Love into the World While I finish mixing and mastering this CD, Andrew is finishing a new Live CD of the Brobdingnagian Bards. To celebrate that new album which will be officially available in about a month, I setup a new website to highlight other live bootleg recordings that we make at BardBootlegs.com. You can download copies of a few past shows, all broken into nice convienent MP3s to listen and share.
FIREFLY, CD REVIEWS, AND OTHER NOTES
"Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lover's Companion" has received quite a few glowing reviews since it was released. Associated Content calls it "unique, fun, and purr-fectly wonderful". You can read more at the Celtic Music CD Store. - Cat Companion CD Reviews I want to thank everyone who voted for me in the last issue of the Musings. My song "She Said Her Name Was Saffron" was up in a stiff competition for the popular vote. And I pulled in a close second. After the competition closed, they asked if they could add my song to a compilation CD benefitting Equality Now. Of course, I'm all over that. What a great honor! I'll tell let you know when this Firefly CD is done. Oh! And I almost forgot! Today's poem features one of the songs from "A Tribute to Love!". I finished mixing most of the songs. I have some nearly finished recordings that I posted on SoundClick. So you can now listen to many of the songs on the album before I even release the final CD. - Listen to "A Tribute to Love!" ---
I hope you enjoy and please stay in touch. Slainte!
- Marc Gunn
Marc's Lyrics & Poetry Here's to the Dreamers
by Marc Gunn, Feb 8, 2004
The movie, Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery and staring Megan Follows has long been an inspiration to me. I first saw it in high school. It's sort of a comfort movie for me. While watching in before bedtime late one evening, a song came to me. The inspiration of Anne came back to me.
Here's to the dreamers
And the children all alone
Imaginations
Evoke a world of a happy home
A wild cherry tree
To bed down late late night
Horse-drawn pavillion
Will carry you to the growing light Arm in arm
They'll ride by seaside
While our dreams... drift in
With the rising tide. Here's to the orphans
Who's dreams are ever aloof
Imaginations
Are only shadowed by the truth
They sail cross the ocean
And drift up through the trees
Through the White Way of Delight
Flowers bloom with the coming Spring Arm in arm
They'll ride by seaside
While our dreams... drift in
With the rising tide. ---
Like this poem? Share your thoughts.
You may also enjoy my book Bella Filiocht.
 MARC GUNN'S PUB SONGS PODCAST
"Pub Songs Podcast #26 - Traveling through Italy
Download: Featured CD (Call 1-800-BUY-MY-CD): Buy Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers
Marc's Musings Archive SONG HENGE - the Celtic Music Archive Recent Articles and Webpages: Quick Links to Marc's Projects:
About Marc Gunn Do Marc's Musings ever inspire you?
If so, there's something you can do.
Help me out. Pass the inspiration on.
Share with others, and I'll keep sharing songs. Marc Gunn is a musician, photographer, poet, author, American Scotsman, songwriter, music download connoisseurs, web designer, Rennie, online entrepreneur, and a bunch of other labels that don't mean a whole lot but are all entirely independent. The world is dominated by massive organizations that strangle the life out of the independent arts. You can stop it at the source. Your good will and support of the arts through kind donations, purchases, and friendly word of mouse will make your feel great! Labels: marcs_musings
---
New to Marc Gunn's blog? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed.
Or sign up to get email updates. If you would like to chat with other Marc Gunn fans, visit my forum. It's easy; it's free.
posted by Marc Gunn @ Monday, August 06, 2007
MARC'S MUSINGS -- July 11, 2007 - Feature Poem: She Said Her Name Was Saffron
- Musings: Ireland and Italy Stories, Vote for Me in Firefly Contest Published 1-4 times per month. To manage your subscription, go to the end of this newsletter.
Marc's Musings  Greetings Amici,
Yes, I'm back home. Woohoo! As much as I loved Europe, it's nice to be home. But ah, do I miss the craic in Ireland and Italy! Course, since I'm back, that means I need to catch up on a LOT of stuff, but we'll get back to that in a moment...
IRELAND AND ITALY PODCASTS
One of the first things I did upon returning is edited podcasts that I recorded in Europe. And there were a LOT of them! There's a couple from the Cliffs of Moher. One LONG one from Venice, Padova, and and Rome. And while you're listening you can now look at pictures from the trip as well. I finally got those posted on Flickr. Now I just need to edit some of the live show recordings that I made of the trips. There was some brilliant stuff. And I haven't even caught up on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast which'll have more stuff. Hopefully, I'll finish that show in a couple o'days. - Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast
- Pub Songs Podcast - Ireland and Italy
- Marc's Flickr Photos from Europe
- Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
NEW CD MAKES GOOD STRIDES
While I was in Europe, I released my new CD, "Irish Drinking Songs: A Cat Lovers Companion". I was hoping it might climb the charts on CD Baby, but no such luck this time. Maybe for the next album which I surprisingly hope to complete before the end of the summer. It's called "A Tribute to LOVE!" and has been in the works for a while now. That combined with the Brobdingnagian Bards next CD "Real Men Wear Kilts" (and maybe a live Bards CD too), and you can bet I have a busy summer ahead filled with recording. But in the meantime, check out the Cat Companion CD. And if you have it I'd love to see your reviews on CD Baby an iTunes. Oh! It's now available on iTunes. And if you want to sample the album, I started a podcast to feature much of my new music, including songs from this CD. It's called "Marc Gunn's Irish Songs and More". You can download some of the new songs there. - "Irish Drinking Songs: A Cat Lovers Companion"
- Cat Companion CD on iTunes
- "Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers"
- Marc Gunn's IRISH SONGS and MORE Podcast
- "A Tribute to LOVE!"
- "Real Men Wear Kilts"
VOTE FOR ME IN FIREFLY SONG CONTEST
Last month had a number of cool things happen, outside of just being in Europe. First, my song, "The Cat Came Back... The Cat Lover's Perspective" was picked up by Dr. Demento thanks to The FuMP (Funny Music Project). I was so excited to get an email from the Doctor telling me that. So feel free to request the song. Second, I got an email from the Sing-A-Song for Saffron Contest requesting a song for the contest. So I wrote one. I've been dying to write a Firefly song for a while, and nothing came together. Yet, while I was in Ireland, Vroom! It came to me and I wrote. I was also extremely lucky. I lost my notebook with those lyrics on the way home from Italy! But amazingly, I remembered most of the song. You can read the lyrics below. Now I need your help. They have a popular vote for the contest. And you can go to SerenityStuff.com and vote for my song. I'm not sure what I'll win if I do, and I'm not too worried about. But it would be cool. I mean Christina Hendricks, aka YoSaffBridg herself, will be judging too. And *patter* she's one of my all time favorite villainesses. Meantime, you can download the song below. Thanks a million and I hope you like the song. - Dr Demento
- The FuMP
- "The Cat Came Back... The Cat Lover's Perspective" Lyrics
- Vote for me in the Sing-A-Song for Saffron Contest
- Download: "She Said Her Name Was Saffron" PS. For you Texas folks, we're doing a show at Elysium on Thursday, July 19th at midnight. ---
Hope you're well. Slainte!
- Marc Gunn
Marc's Lyrics & Poetry She Said Her Name Was Saffron
by Marc Gunn, June 13, 2007
I received an email while I was in Ireland for a contest by SerenityStuff.com to write a song about Saffron (or YoSaffBridge), the beautiful and manipulative vixen from Firefly. She was one of my favorite bad guys in the show. And being in Ireland, a melody came easy. I wrote the song to "May Morning Dew", a beautiful Irish ballad.
I met her on the Outer Rim.
She was a beauty. There's no denial.
We danced around the fire that night.
In the morning, I awoke all smiles.
But when my boat hit atmo,
And she said that we were married.
T'was then I vowed I'd never again
Leave quick when I should tarry.
She said her name was Saffron,
A prize for work done well.
I know we'd done some good works,
But this time I guess excelled.
For her smile it made my legs weak,
And her breasts they made me wheeze.
Oh if I were a different man,
Then I'd show her the Real me.
That night I found her in my bunk
Lying naked in my bed.
She gave me the Goodnight Kiss
And I thought that I was dead.
We'd all be but for Inara...
Oh, I wonder how she knew?
But what I really wish is I could've seen
The kiss between those two.
But that's not the point of this song, right now,
From this lesson I learnt too well.
If you take strange women into your bed
You may go to the Special Hell.
Either pin her down or set her free
Just don't let your plan go South.
If that doesn't work, follow Jayne's advice,
"Never kiss them on the mouth." ---
Like this poem? Share your thoughts.
You may also enjoy my book Bella Filiocht.
MARC GUNN'S PUB SONGS PODCAST
"Pub Songs Podcast #23-26 - Ireland and Italy
Download: Featured CD (Call 1-800-BUY-MY-CD): Buy Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers Marc's Musings Archive SONG HENGE - the Celtic Music Archive Recent Articles and Webpages: Quick Links to Marc's Projects:
About Marc Gunn Do Marc's Musings ever inspire you?
If so, there's something you can do.
Help me out. Pass the inspiration on.
Share with others, and I'll keep sharing songs. Marc Gunn is a musician, photographer, poet, author, American Scotsman, songwriter, music download connoisseurs, web designer, Rennie, online entrepreneur, and a bunch of other labels that don't mean a whole lot but are all entirely independent. The world is dominated by massive organizations that strangle the life out of the independent arts. You can stop it at the source. Your good will and support of the arts through kind donations, purchases, and friendly word of mouse will make your feel great! Labels: marcs_musings
---
New to Marc Gunn's blog? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed: Subscribe to this blog's feed.
Or sign up to get email updates. If you would like to chat with other Marc Gunn fans, visit my forum. It's easy; it's free.
posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, July 11, 2007
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