I was struck speechless thirty minutes ago. My proof copy of my poetry book, Bella Filiocht, arrived from Cafepress. Dio buono! It looks fantastic. I am so pleased and dizzily happy. The cover printing is just brilliant. Much better quality than I anticipated. The paper seems pretty solid. Not the white that I thought it would be. It's more off white, but the paper texture feels nice.

Best of all, the printing is just fantastic! April did a fantastic job putting this together. There was one error I guess in the main copy that needs fixing, and I need to change the cover to read Bella Filiocht instead of Bello Filiocht since "filiocht" is feminine.

Other than that, it's just fantastic. My first poetry book!!!! :)

Hopefully, I'll have all the problems ironed out by the end of the week. Then I'll give ye a link if ye want it.

YAY!

ADDED 5/16/2005: I just posted my poetry book on Lulu.com this weekend when I found out the profit margin is at least as good as Cafepress though I like the page weight much better!

It's tough being a Christian in a pagan world. I know this might sound weird to most Pagans living in a America where the Religious Right runs the government. But that's really not the world I live in.

I live in Austin, Texas. The liberal capitol of Texas. The one place county in Texas that voted for John Kerry. And I work at Renaissance Festivals.

I was raised Presbyterian. When I was growing up, I didn't really know what a Pagan was. To me, it was someone who was not a Christian. I admit, I was a little bit scared of them.

Once I started working at Renaissance Festivals in Texas, that all changed. The majority of the people I met were Pagans. Then I found that many of the Celtic music groups we performed alongside were Pagans.

Eventually, I got used to this "new" religion. Sorta like when I was educated about Judaism as kid in Maryland. I learned a lot.

Soon I met one of my best friends, Stacy. She's a chinchilla breeder her in Texas. She is Pagan, and she radically changed my world.

Pagans were no longer "devil worshippers", they were Pagans. They had their own faith, whatever that may be. In Stacy, I found one of the sweetest, kindest, most-loving, and dare I say, Godly women I've known. She knows how to love. And she's not a Christian. Course, that's where the problem arises.

Many of the Christians I know are self-righteous. They judge Pagans for their beliefs. But the Pagans aren't alone. My own Christian faith is judged nearly every day by another Pagan who is just as self-righteous, and just as unlikely to admit it.

Actualy, it's kinda funny being able to look at faith from both sides of the coin.

I guess I'm writing this, because I'm sick of both sides. I'm tired of "Christians" who judge non-Christians, and I'm tired of "Pagans" who judge Christians.

To me, faith is a very private matter. I feel God has watched over me throughout my entire life. He's protected me and loved me. I feel the love of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and I am proud to be a Christian.

But it's not just that. It's that Jesus has taught me to love in the most unlikely of places. He taught me to love in part from a Pagan. And I like to think that people who know me experience the love of Jesus through my love. Yes, it's rather cyclical.

To conclude, I encourage you, whatever your faith, to open your mind. Right now, you're probably reading this and thinking, "yeah, I wish others would open their mind too." But I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about YOU.

If we are ever to be able to truly love people as people, we must start with ourselves. I have my own closed-minded thinking that I struggle to overcome. So I'll work on me. You work on you. Together, God willing (whatever God you choose to worship), the world will become a much more loving place.

Got a moment?
Read some of my Christian poetry, or listen to my free music downloads.

Review by Brenda Stokes
April 14, 2005

After 40 years of playing fantastic traditional Irish music, The Dubliners released "The Best of The Dubliners" in 2003. This 3-CD set showcases the band's best hits and most memorable songs over the years.

The first CD in the set primarily contains drinking songs. If you want to invoke the pub ambiance, play some "Whiskey in the Jar," which is probably one of my favorite drinking songs ever. Other great selections from this disc include "Black Velvet Band," and "The Night Visiting Song." The Dubliners have a way of playing these classics like they were intended to be, full of excellent musicianship and rough around the edges vocals. Their voices and instrumentation make it sound as though these traditional songs are there's and there's alone.

The second CD in this great collection includes classics like "Molly Malone," "Wild Rover," and "Finnegan's Wake." These are the kind of songs that you just can't help but sing along with. I particularly enjoyed, "Lord of the Dance," a nice ditty that has been adapted into theme song of the dance show by the same name. One of my all time favorites is included on this disc as well called, "Dublin in the Rare Oul' Times."

Finally, the third disc is a nice compilation of The Dubliners' best rebel songs including "Salamanca Reel," a lively banjo-infused tune, and the melancholy and touching, "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda." Although not as fun as the other two Cds in the set, this disc completes the picture of Irish culture, providing songs reflecting both the good and the bad times.

If you really want a collection that covers all of your bases with pub classics and sad love songs, pick up a copy of "The Best of The Dubliners." Fans of Irish music that like to get to the roots will definitely appreciate it.

   Buy the Album: "The Best of the Dubliners"

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Celtic MP3s Music Magazine writer, Brenda Stokes is a freelance writer, former Irish Step-dancer and college student located in Southern California. She dreams in jigs and reels and is pursuing a degree in English with an emphasis in Irish studies. Her work has appeared in Woman This Month and N2arts and she can be reached at brenda@ph-x.com

I uploaded a new cat music poll to my LiveJournal account. I'm trying to determine what the final cat songs will be on my Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers CD.

Meanwhile, I see that the Austin Cat Fanciers are having their annual show. I wish I could make it, but I will be in College Station for AggieCon.

BTW. With a production company called Black Cat Music, you can't go wrong. That looks like something I might have to try and do some day.

Artist: The Dubliners' Tabby Cats
Album: "When Kitty Eyes are Smiling (and other Celtic Cat Songs)"
Year produced: 2005

I recently received a preview copy of Marc Gunn's "When Kitty Eyes are Smiling (and other Celtic Cat Songs)," a single that contains three songs (Furragone's Wake, When Kitty Eyes are Smiling, and Wild Kitty) that are a preview of his upcoming release of "Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers." This is an absolutely brilliant single and a great advertisement for the CD. The three songs are standard Irish drinking songs (who doesn't know Finnegan's Wake, When Irish Eyes are Smiling, and Wild Rover?) rewritten to be about cats...complete with meows, hissing, and a set of brilliantly funny lyrics.

Of course, it also contains Marc's fantastic voice, touched with a bit of laughter that's readily heard, as well as some wonderful guest meow-ers...erm...performers. Simply put, these songs are FUN and no one is more aware of that than Marc himself. If you don't find yourself giggling like mad through Wild Kitty, I'd be completely shocked. It's guaranteed to put you in a good mood and cause you to laugh out loud.

For a limited time, "When Kitty Eyes are Smiling" is available for $3.95. The final CD is up for adoption in October 2005!

You can find more information on this single and the upcoming release of Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers on the web at: cat drinking songs .com

   Buy the single and pre-order your copy of Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers today!: "When Kitty Eyes are Smiling (and Other Celtic Cat Songs)"

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Celtic MP3s Music Magazine writer, Michelle Osborne, is a native to the central New York region. She plays both high and low whistles regularly with the Syracuse Irish session. Besides being heavily involved in Irish traditional music, she is also a classical clarinetist and composer.

by Phil Hall

Artist: Patrick Cassidy
Album: "The Children of Lir"
Year produced: 1997

Celtic operas are not commonplace, and the closest one can come would be this off-beat foray into classical music. Patrick Cassidy tapped into one of Ireland's most unusual legends for this Irish-language oratorio. It is a story of love, jealousy, witchcraft, suffering and redemption through the grace of no less a figure than Saint Patrick himself. One would imagine there would be plenty of dramatic musical moments in such an offering.

But "The Children of Lir" is rather somnolent in its presentation and it rarely connects with its cultural roots. Cassidy seems to have distanced himself as much as possible from the Irish musical heritage here, as "The Children of Lir" sounds closer to Continental classical music than anything even vaguely Irish. If one came to the piece without knowing its origins or recognizing its language, it would be easy to confuse it with a minor work of German or Italian classical music rather than a modern Irish composition. The occasional wail of pipes in several of the arias gives a clue of the composition's ethnic origins, but they sound strangely out of place.

Less forgivable is the inability of "The Children of Lir"to come to life as a musical reflection of its amazing story. It's not every day that one encounters a tale of a widower king who marries his sister-in-law, only to see her turn his four children into swans and doom them to live 900 years on hostile waters. Yet Cassidy's composition is so leisurely and emotion-free that the non-Irish speaker will have no clue what is going on, and those who know the story will wonder why it feels so bland. There is no passion anywhere in the piece -- it often feels as if the oratorio is being sung phonetically.

"The Children of Lir" is a curio that never truly piques one's curiosity. Perhaps Cassidy or another composer can attempt to bring the Celtic experience into classical musical -- Lord knows Ireland is not lacking in stories worthy of grand opera!


   Buy the Album: "The Children of Lir"

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Celtic MP3s Music Magazine writer, Phil Hall is contributing editor for Film Threat, book editor for the New York Resident, author of "The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies" (MWP Books) and a proud child of Wales.

Last night, I uploaded it for printing. When Kitty Eyes Are Smiling (and other Celtic Cat Songs) is done!

I should have CDs in my hand in about a week. The first run of CDs is a no-frills version with black text printed on the CD itself and in a simple jewel case. You can go get adopt the cat CD and download free cat songs on the website now. For just a wee bit more, you can order 10 copies to give to your cat lover friends.

Also, when you order, you will be directed on how to save $5 off any order of $20 or at Cafepress.com. The deal only lasts until April 10th. So please order your copy asap.

Oh! And don't forget to listen to the MP3s now.

"The Dubliners' Tabby Cats combine Cats, Celtic Music, and Drinking Songs into one of the most-creative music groups of the 21st century"

The Dubliners' Tabby Cats forage their way out of the gutters of Ireland to create a musical menagerie that combines Irish drinking songs and the folk music stylings of groups like The Dubliners, The Clancy Brothers, the Irish Rovers, and "Weird" Al Yankovic to create a sound unlike any Celtic music group you've heard today. The songs will make you laugh and cry with delight or distension as this feline group reinvents traditional Irish folk music.

Torre, leader meower of The Dubliners Tabby Cats

Read the Cat Music Blog for the latest news about the CD, and Sign up for Cat Drinking Tails, a monthly newsletter which keeps you up to date with all the happenings here at Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers. When I launch the CD, I will email you a great special offer with a few free gifts.

This special offer will be time-limited, so enter your details to below to make sure you don’t miss it:

Subscribe to the The Dubliners' Tabby Cat's
newsletter Cat Drinking Tails

I mentioned this in my Cat Music Blog a few weeks back.

One of the reasons I decided to work so hard to finish my CD single by the beginning of April was because of a TV show in Connecticut that requested some music called PET TALK. This Sunday, they broadcasting a special show dedicated to cats. But it wasn't until last night that it occurred to me that I'm gonna be across the bay from the show. So with any luck, I'm try and get them to come over to Stony Brook and do a live interview. Probably a little too late to pull this off, but I'm gonna try.

A week or two ago, I mentioned the beautiful the dresses of my friend Chameleon are.

This weekend, I decided to stop talking about it. I setup a basic web flyer that has a few pictures of some of her dresses that remind me of Amy Brown Art. I didn't have a lot of photos to work with. Should've taken more, but you can check out Chameleon Dreams - Goddess Dresses right here.