Marc Gunn is a singer/songwriter who fuses Irish and Scottish folk songs with pop culture. His musical weapon of choice is the autoharp. He breathes Rock and Roll into his folk instrument and adds a bellowing taste of rhythm & blues.
Gunn found musical inspiration performing Irish drinking songs. He learned the art of performing at Renaissance faires and from his childhood idol, Elvis Presley, who said, “You've got to put on a show to draw a crowd.” His concerts are fun filled with sing along songs that get the audience's feet tapping.
Gunn finds lyrical inspiration for this songwriting through his Celtic heritage as well as his love of pop culture. He was raised on Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Dungeons & Dragons, Doctor Who, and Firefly. He writes songs inspired, not by the characters, but by the themes that he discovers in the fandoms he consumes. This makes very real, down-to-earth songs about love, fear, and hope. All the while the songs are great for singing along in the Celtic tradition.
For Gunn, it started small, wearing a kilt on campus at the University of Texas. As one half of the acclaimed Brobdingnagian Bards, Gunn and partner Andrew McKee developed a loyal following with weekly performances on campus. This quickly led to gigs at Celtic festivals, Renaissance faires and eventually science fiction conventions, where their popularity exploded.
When the Bards split up in 2008, Gunn left Austin and began producing albums in overdrive.He now has over 20 solo albums on his homespun Mage Records label. His most-popular albums include Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers, Don’t Go Drinking With Hobbits, Firefly Drinking Songs, Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion, and Sci Fi Drinking Songs. He has released over fifty albums in his catalog.
Selcouth is Gunn's newest album. “Selcouth” means, “when everything is strange and different, yet you find it marvelous anyway.” That nails Gunn's strange but marvelous mix of Sci F'Irish music.
In 2014, Marc Gunn launched the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon where he continues to release new songs to fans. He believes the music industry is changing and that musicians will rely more heavily on fan support in the future
Gunn’s activities are not restricted to musical performance alone. In 2005, he transformed his popular Celtic Music Magazine into one of the first music podcasts. Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was one of the earliest podcasts to go online and definitely one of the longest lasting. It is still published after 12 years and has since won four times for Best Music Podcast in the Podcast Awards, the latest award in 2022.
Whether it was from playing D&D as a kid or having his mother move to Italy in 1985, Gunn has an adventurer's soul. He combines his love of travel with his love a music. Every year, he takes other Adventuring Souls on Celtic Invasion Vacations. These are small groups of people who want to not just see famous sites, but to experience their culture, history and legends.
Marc Gunn continues to change the way we look at the music industry. He has raised the bar and held it high. Using the musical past and a vivid imagination bolstered with ambition and drive, he blazes trails from Verse to cyberspace, encouraging others to follow.
Listen…
Requirements
- For the performance: microphone, mic stand, DI
- Hotel for each night of the event
- Travel expenses
- Table to sell CDs
Promotion
- Click the link to download large photos.
- Stage Plot / Technical Rider (19 KB)
- Past venues.
Watch
How Much Does It Cost?
There are always a bunch of variables when booking Marc Gunn.
- Base Cost = Daily rate + travel + hotel (if needed)
Per day could be as little as 1 show or multiple. If you want me to join you, that's where we start. This number can go up or down depending on these variables:
- How far is the event from Atlanta, Georgia
- How many people will attend the event?
- How many days do you want booked?
- How many shows will I perform?
- Will the venue will be good for selling CDs or not?
- What gear will I need to bring?
I can also perform as a duo with either drum or fiddle or as a trio with drum and fiddle.
