Marc Gunn is an Irish and Scottish folk singer with a strange affinity for Celtic ballads, drinking songs and cats, and he is the lead singer for the Brobdingnagian Bards.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Now Accepting Pre-Orders for "A Tribute to Love"
I believe in love. It's an essential part of human existence. There are so many great aspects to it, and not all of them are romantic: love, love lost, marriage, infatuation, longing, lust, frustration, love for animals, places, and things. It is not all cut and dry. There is no perfection, except perhaps in accepting the imperfection of our own understanding.
We put a lot into that little word. Yet, it's only through opening our hearts and acceptance do we really embrace and receive love back.
That is how I approached my new CD, A Tribute to Love. It's not just another love CD, all romantic and mushy. It's an internal journey through the ups and downs of love. And it is only a fragment of the experience that you may have shared in your life.
The album is nearly complete. I plan to release it in mid-October. But for those of you who joined me on this path by listening and sharing, you can now pre-order A Tribute to Love.
This album is not for everyone. I accept that this may not appeal to you in your current path in life. Yet, I hope when you are ready and you listen to the album, you will experience the emotions I experienced in making and releasing the album. I hope you will see it as more than just music, but a way to share your love with others.
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?
- 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 NEWS Last 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 MUGS The 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
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!
While I was in Ireland, one of our tour attendees, Jan C., asked if she could make a cross stitch of my Celtic cat logo that was designed by Ingrid Houwers. I told her, "Go ahead!" And now she's finished the cross stitching.
Now I think she might throw it together into a wee banner for those rare times that I actually I perform solo. It should make a nice addition in any case.
Although I'm just now doing the CD Release for Irish Drinking Songs: The Cat Lover's Companion, I am already working on my next CD, A Tribute to Love. The album is nearly complete. There are a few tweaks I want to make, but right now, you can listen and enjoy the album for free, right here.
I forget when we first released this t-shirt. I guess it was in 2003 maybe? Or was it 2004?
Whenever it was the T-shirt design was created by Nikki O'Shea of Dragonpress Graphics. We met Nikki several years ago at I-Con, a Sci Fi Convention on Long Island. We loved her work and asked if she would be interested in making a Brobdingnagian Bards Comic. She agreed.
Nikki began the comic using lyrics from Randy Farran's song "Do Virgins Taste Better". And if you're wondering why there's a unicorn in this story, you'll have to read the comic.
Nevertheless, it went over so well that she decided to design a T-shirt. The t-shirt sold out shortly after printing it. We made a second printing. THAT one sold out. Then she designed a 2006 shirt for us. And while "Dreams Are Made of Music" went over great, everyone kept asking for This Shirt.
At long last, *whew*, we reprinted the shirt. This time, we added in baby doll shirts for the ladies. The shirts were printed by Lunatic Fridge and they look fantastic!
Oh! And we also printed some Tote Bags too, which is Awesome, because my old Tote Bags are really worn out.
I've been having a theological discussion recently with a friend recently. She sounds disenchanted with church and consequently no longer believes in God. What I find frustrating is not that she doesn't believe, because everyone must make their own decision about their faith. What is frustrating is the "Christians" who kill our faith.
Yes, I call myself a Christian. But I am not proud of the direction the Christian faith has gone. It's gone the direction of the Pharisees in Jesus' time. They lost the point of what God was telling them. Jesus came back and said,
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." -Matthew 22:37-39
That's it. Love God, love your neighbor, and love yourself. That's the entire Bible in a nutshell. All else is stories to convey that point.
Now my friend was at some sort of youth gathering at her church where these twenty year-olds preached abstinence before marriage. That's all based on some quotes by Paul: "everyone striving for the mastery must abstain from all things" (1 Corinthians 9:25); and "let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of Christ in labours, watchings, and fastings."
Wow! That's grand Paul. He had some good points. Yes. If you're to be a servant of God, that'd be grand if you can focus only on God. But Jesus would be the first to spark up and say, "Love first and foremost. THAT is most important.".
I remember going to a gathering, like my friend's, back in high school. They told me what they told her. Pre-marital sex is evil. Lust is the work of the devil. Resist that temptation. But Paul conceded that not everyone is cut from the same rock and can abstain from sex and marriage. So is there something wrong with wanting it? It depends on your reasons.
I spent most of my childhood feeling sexually repressed. What does "sexually repressed" mean? It means I did not experience sex in any form. I had an internal, natural need for love but no way to physically express myself. I suffered because of it. I hurt my spirit because I was sexually repressed. I did not love allow myself to be free from sexual repression.
Now I'm not saying, I should go out and screw anything or anyone. No. I'm saying I denied myself the love God commanded me to give. What I am saying is by teaching people to sexually repress themselves, they are teaching them hate for their own bodies!
That is inexcusable. Love God, your neighbor and yourself.
Now don't get me wrong. I think it's good to teach people sexual responsibility. And that may include abstinence for some people. But to teach it as the only way to avoid "the devil", is evil and against God's commandments.
God taught me that love is most important in life. I believe in Love. I believe that it is our ability to express love and share it that makes us children of God. And we should spend more time teaching love and less time corrupting the minds of its people by teaching hate. Because that is what we teach every time we tell someone to deny themselves something. That is not the responsibility of the Church. That is our responsibility.
Teach love. Teach what is right and good. Lead by example. And remind them that they must come to their own decision. God gave us that choice, because he loved us. Show God the same courtesy by making a choice to love.
While I may not be getting many podcasts and such done, I sure am recording a lot of music. Sunday, I was inspired to write a song and after watching Stardust I came up with the name "Stardust Serenade".
It is a song based on the idea of seeking love across a wall and finding it in an unexpected fallen star.
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!
Recently, I've been spending time at SoundClick.com. This is the website where we sell digital downloads of our music in a nice DRM-free manner. It was the replacement to MP3.com, and it seems to be growing as such. When I first found them, you could just host music there. But now, now you can buy albums and create your own custom internet radio station.
I put one such station for a new CD I'm working on. I admit it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to create. But it wasn't too difficult either. Though the thing I like best about it is since these stations are managed via SoundClick and the music is all licensed via SoundClick, you don't have to worry about the internet radio atrocities that were created by the music industry and SoundExchange. Just last month, Ren Radio closed due to those problems. And Highlander Radio is fighting to survive as well.
So if you are at work and want to your hear favorite songs by the Brobdingnagian Bards or Marc Gunn, start your own internet radio station and share it with your friends. There's a lot of great music on SoundClick as well. Enough to keep you entertained for weeks.
I love my kitties with a passion. Working at home, I spend a lot of time with them, and they spend a lot of time with me.
In fact, in February 2006, I caught them napping together, paws tossed over one another taking a simple cat nap. They were adorable. So I grabbed my camera and *snap*. I captured a beautiful image and saved it to my computer.
Later that day, I was inspired. I sat down on my long antique couch. Not the best place to paint, but it's comfortable. I printed a copy of the image and started painting. I was amazed by the finished item. It kinda touched me. I love this painting.
As much as I love it, I feel I must part with it for a bigger cause. You see, it is time for me to start planning the follow-up CD to Irish Drinkings Songs for Cat Lovers. That album was not inexpensive to make. I expect this album to cost $6,000-10,000 to make. Yeah. Not pretty. I don't have that kind of money. So I need to start raising money to pay for the new CD. Yes, I have new Celtic Cat Wooden Mugs to help me in my goal. But it's not enough.
Because of this financial difficulty, I decided it is time to put my favorite painting, "To Love Is Human, To Purr Divine" up for sale.
But I am not just making this available for any old purpose. All the money earned from this painting will go towards the release of my next Celtic Cat Lovers CD. This is for the die hard cat lover, and the sooner I get this sold, the quicker I can start production on the album. In September, I start looking for a producer. So stay tuned.
"To Love Is Human, To Purr Divine" is a one-of-a-kind acrylic painting on canvas. It is 12" x 91/4" and currently still on its frame.
I was checking links today and realized I had a LOT of dead links on my Celtic Songs & Folk Music Downloads. It's a popular page on the search engines for "Celtic songs", and well, "folk music downloads". So I just finished cleaning that page up. I think it'll be easier to access in the future. Though really what I should be doing is driving traffic to the webpage period. Kinda hard to sell music when very few people visit my website.
Todays show at Things Celtic went well. There was a nice-sized turnout. There seem to be more and more people showing up at these shows. One day, I'd like to do a nice evening show somewhere, maybe even longer than the typical hour-long show that I do at Things Celtic, too. Maybe for my next CD release?
Hmm. Which raises an interesting thought. I really don't enjoy trying to book gigs at typical venues. It's fun playing those places, but not so much trying to convince people to book me. That's one of many things I love about Things Celtic. I already have a good friendship with them, and they are willing to allow me to use their store as a place to promote my music. (Thank you Lanora!)
But the next solo CD, A Tribute to Love, is a bit different. As I mentioned, this is not a Celtic album. In fact, there's only one traditional Irish song, though another uses an Irish melody.
So I wonder, what would be a fitting place for a non-Celtic CD release about love?
Guess I'll have to brainstorm that one a wee bit. Meantime, thanks to everyone who came out.
It was 2005 when I was listening to the DragonPage WingingIt and The Signal - Firefly Podcast and fell in love with podcasts. That's when the addiction began. I recorded a podcast in March, but scraped it. A couple months later, the bug hit me again, and I recorded the Cat Lover's Podcast. It was fun and easy to produce. So I started the Renaissance Festival Podcast. The next thing I knew I had a half a dozen podcasts and new ones pop up all the time.
Here's the latest list of my podcasts, in order of popularity, as of August 2007:
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast This is by far my most-popular podcast with over 10,000 subscribers and 40,000 downloads each month. It features Irish and Celtic music from some of the hottest independent Celtic groups around the globe.
Renaissance Festival Podcast Ever been to a Renaissance Festival? This show highlight artists performing at Renaissance festivals each week. It also hosts the annual Renaissance Festival Awards.
Marc Gunn's Pub Songs Podcast I started this podcast with plans to feature pub songs, but it evolved into my personal podcast. It features live performances, thoughts, some favorite bands, and just all-around amusement.
A Brobdingnagian Minute The podcast of the Brobdingnagian Bards. Once a month, we ramble on about whatever's on our minds and then we play a few songs in each show. It's the next best thing to a live show that you'll find.
Cat Lovers Podcast Do you love cats? I started this podcast to promote my Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers, but it kinda grew beyond that featuring cat news, humour, stories, health tips and much more.
Marc Gunn's Irish Songs and More I started this podcast with the intent to feature just Irish songs. But I got carried away and decided to open it up to all my music. Once a week, you can download a free 128kbps MP3. Course if you enjoy it, I just ask that you consider buying an album or buy the upgraded 192kbps MP3 file.
Your Weekly Irish Stout I started this podcast for my friend Jack Murphy. It features Irish songs, pirate songs, and sea shanties from Captain Black Jack Murphy and Irish Stout. It has currently podfaded, but we still hope to bring it back one day.
Life is a gift, to waste it is the greatest sin. Do what you do, prepare as you can, and then move on. Worry never adds.
I used to tell the story of the two monks who are walking down a country road when they come upon a river. Suddenly a beautiful naked girl runs up to them. She says, "The river flooded everything I have away. My family is on the other side. Can you help me across to find them?" The younger monk is flustered, but the older one picks the girl up, throws her over his shoulder and walks across the river. When he reaches the shore he puts her down, and without a word, walks on. The younger monk follows, but his mind is not at rest.
After a couple of hours he stops his brother and says, "Brother, we are supposed to be above things of the flesh! And yet you picked that girl up and carried her across the river." The older monk says, "Yes, and when I got to the other side I put her down. You have been carrying her ever since." When it comes to using our time and energy every once in a while we have to put the girl down.
Last month I said I was going to continue my discussion of Celtic crosses, but with summer here and the Highland games / Renaissance fair / reenactment season here I thought it would be a good time write something lighter and to share a few tips for people who are trying to wear a kilt for the first time. Back to the crosses next month.
Andrew MacGregor?s Tips for New Kilt Wearers...
New to wearing a kilt? Start watching women in short skirts (-well more than you already do...) to study how they move while sitting down to avoid exposing themselves. You can learn some tips by following their example. That sweep of the hands underneath you as you sit can not only prevent embarassment, but protect you from surprises like cold/hot surfaces not to mention splinters.
Planning on buying/wearing a great kilt/belted plaid? Don't listen to the people who try to tell you that you need 9 yards of 60' wide material. All you need is 4-6 yards depending on your size and the pattern of the tartan. The idea of 9 yards comes from a misconception because the cloth for a belted plaid was only around 25' wide, depending on the size of the loom that was used to weave it. A 9 yard length of cloth was cut in half, and then the selvedge (long) edges were stitched together, resulting in a piece fabric only about four and a half yards long and 50 (or so) inches wide. See this article by Matthew A. C. Newsome (Member of the International Guild of Tartan Scholars, curator of the Scottish Tartans Museum) for more discussion of the matter. For the people that tell you that the phrase "The whole nine yards" refers to the belted plaid see this article for all the other supposed explanations of that phrase.
Chafing. Yes, there is a certain esprit de corps about being regimental, but on a hot, humid day even us skinny guys can suffer. So if you are out on a hot/humid day you are NOT any less manly a Scot if you save yourself some pain by wearing some bike shorts, or boxers. Briefs can help, but they don't prevent your inner thighs from rubbing. Another option is a little anti-perspirant where your thighs rub together to minimize irritation later in the day.
If your sporran is full/heavy and you need to run or move quickly, move it off-center so it doesn't bounce against delicate parts.
If you are going to wear a sword, especially with a great kilt/belted plaid, use a baldrick that goes over your shoulder rather than belting the scabbard at your waist. If you are spending the day at a Renaissance fair or historical reenactment, the combined weight of your plaid, sporran, sword and any other accoutrement all hanging from a belt at your waist can become very uncomfortable on your hips after a couple hours.
Moms, please don't put your young boys into a full-sized great kilt/belted plaid. It can take a while to get used to wearing a great kilt, even for an adult. So if you want your son to enjoy participating in your hobby, or celebrating your heritage, make sure he is as comfortable as possible -let him wear a cut-down plaid made from a generic tartan as a great kilt that fits his size. Once he grows out of it you can use your "son's first kilt" as an arasaid, or shawl. Or he can use it as a "fly plaid" pinned to his shoulder.
----------------------- If you enjoy our newsletter, please support it by visiting out our online stores, or seek us out at the events listed on our web sites.
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.
