There's a lot on my mind right now. So I thought I'd blog. That, and I'm procrastinating recording this week's Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. That's okay. I'll get it done today. The shownotes are almost done. I just need a good title for the show.

Hmmm…. Where to begin?

Upcoming Sci Fi Conventions

Let's see. I did some updates to the GenCon and DragonCon pages on my websites. Mostly, I just ditched the con specific email lists. I like the idea, but I can't adequately manage those extra lists. So I'm gonna delete them.

I checked up on shows at GenCon. My cat show is at capacity. My Firefly Drinking Songs show is sold out. My Sci Fi Drinking Songs show still has space for 60 or so people. Friday Night Live has a space as well. I need to determine band order and solidify who's performing. I haven't done either things yet.

At DragonCon, I have a tentative schedule. I just need to put it on the website. But I called Andrew McKee today to talk about the convention. He's hoping to finish an album in time for the con. I did my best to encourage him to get it done. I'm certain he will. He works best with deadlines.

We also have a WHOLE bunch of shows and panels at the con. And we're awaiting a few more. Thus, it'd be REALLY smart to get that site up-to-date. So I put it on my calendar for tomorrow.

Last of the Kickstarters to Be Mailed

The last of the DVDs arrived today for the Sci Fi Drinking Songs Kickstarter. That means tomorrow I will also be packing up the final CDs and mailing them. I have a busy day ahead.

My review for the Roland CUBE Street Ex is doing well. I'm getting a lot of views for it on YouTube.

I guess that means I should move next week's Celtic podcast to Thursday… We're going to the beach this Saturday so I really want to have a show setup for while I'm gone.

Where Did I Go Wrong with The Celtic Geek

Ye know, there's one big problem with moving The Celtic Geek to Tuesday. I always want to do it first thing on Monday. I'm usually thinking more about it then. I got a lot done mind you. I published the newest edition of the Celtic Music Magazine–6 New Celtic MP3s for You to Download. But darn it, I like using that Monday morning, ready-to-work feeling. I may need to update it. Hmm… I guess I could do the shownotes instead on Tuesday? There's an idea…

Past and Future Shows

The shows this weekend in Marietta went well. The attendance was small, but I think everyone had fun. The cat show I found myself forgetting lyrics. It reminded me that I really need to work on the show too. Especially since I'm doing a cat show at GenCon. Much of the problem there was due to the heat. The show was outside and I don't handle heat well.

My next show will be at GenCon in Indianapolis. I hope to see you there.

Celtic Music vs. Irish Drinking Songs

One final thought. Earlier this week, I posted the following question to my Facebook page: When did you first hear the term “Celtic music“? Did you hear of Irish and Scottish music first or were the names always synonymous? 

I LOVED reading the responses so much I asked the question again on my Celtic podcast page (see the original post here)

I have so ingrained myself with the idea of “Celtic music” that I feel like I've blinded myself somewhat. I think “Celtic music” is more appropriate to the music I do. But quite honestly, there are many people who only know of the phrase because of me. That means there's a whole world out there who has no clue what “Celtic” is. Thus, I find myself fighting an uphill battle.

Perhaps this is why I feel I've had so much trouble getting into Celtic festivals and what not. I'm just not defining my music enough…? Perhaps…

It's definitely an interesting observation. So many bands choose their “allegiance”. Do they do Irish music? Irish songs? Scottish music? Traditional Irish music? Irish drinking songs?

Of course, the last of those, I've done a LOT of marketing for–Irish drinking songs… and not Sci Fi Drinking Songs or Firefly Drinking Songs or Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers.

Yes, there's a bunch of them.

Well, I only have a couple hours of work. So I better get back to it.

But before I go.

What did you think of this blog? For me, it serves multiple purposes: organizing my schedule, informing my Gunn Runners, and optimizing my content. But does this appeal to you at all?

I probably should ask that at the BEGINNING of the post since if you made it to the end, you are probably more interested in the content. But nevertheless, the question remains.

Do you find this post useful? Entertaining? Education? If so, how?

Thanks so much for your time and supporting my music. Slainte!
Marc Gunn

PS. As I was writing, I was SUPER excited to see that I unlocked my first Milestone for Patreon. I'm gonna share seasons 2 and 3 tomorrow. Thanks for your support!