There are demons beneath your bed that are gonna eat you up this year. I am unofficially performing at GaFilk this weekend in Atlanta. And I count down the Best Celtic Bands of 2022.
This is Atlanta Pub Songs & Stories #262.
0:16 – “The Prettiest Hobbit” by Kilted Kings from Flower of Scotland
2:08 – WELCOME TO ATLANTA PUB SONGS & STORIES
I am Marc Gunn. I’m a Celtic and folk musician living in Atlanta, Georgia.
This is the audio liner notes for the songs I record and play and for the stories I gather and the people I meet in the city of Atlanta and beyond.
This is the first episode as an Atlanta-centric podcast. Hopefully, I can do it justice.
4:26 – WHAT IS GAFILK?
Filk is the music of fandom. The name started as a misspelling of folk music that was happening at science fiction conventions back in the 60s.
GaFilk, or Georgia Filk, is a convention that happens every year here in Atlanta, Georgia. I was first introduced to it when Brobdingnagian Bards was invited as a Super Secret Guest. We were still performing together in Austin.
It’s a different kind of convention. There aren’t a whole bunch of panels on your favorite fandoms. It’s all about the music… and the people.
Folks from all over the nation gather together to sing songs inspired by science fiction, fantasy, parodies, and just geek out together. And it’s a RelaxaCon. It’s super laid back.
I’ve been a guest about three times, including with the Bards. This year, I’m just going for fun. But I’ll have CDs and album pins and will do my best to entertain you when it’s my turn in the filk circle.
6:50 – UPCOMING SHOWS
Here are some more shows happening this month:
- JAN 6-8: GaFilk, Atlanta, GA
- JAN 12: Internet Concert with Special Guest @ 6:30 PM EST
- JAN 21: Maggie McGuinness Pub, Huntsville, AL @ 7 PM
- JAN 28: The Lost Druid, Avondale Estates @ 6:30-9:30 PM
- JUN 3-10: Celtic Invasion Vacations, County Mayo, Ireland
10:06 – Altan “Dúlamán” from Island Angel
13:45 – JOIN THE CLUB
The show is brought to you by my Gunn Runners on Patreon. If you enjoy this podcast and my music, please join the Club. You get 4-10 new things every month. That includes bonus podcasts, downloadable songs, printed sheet music, blogs, stories from the road, and access to Coffee with The Celtfather video concerts.
Sign up for as little as $5 per month. And you can save 15% with an annual membership.
Thanks to my newest Gunn Runners on Patreon: Rich C, Janice G, Emil V, Bob H, Marguerite K
14:42 – COUNTDOWN OF TOP 10 CELTIC BANDS OF 2022?
I was listening to a podcast called Hit Parade. They talk about the hits. The host is a Charts Nerd. Like me, he listened to Casey Kasem’s Top 40 Hits back in the 80s. I wasn’t quite as obsessed as he was. But I did love the show.
My interest in charts really took off in the early 2000s when the Brobdingnagian Bards were topping the charts. I was able to figure out the system and how to maximize our success there.
So now I have Two Charts that I keep track of each year. One is the Celtic Top 20. This is the last episode of the year of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. I highlight fan votes for the top 20 songs and tunes of all of the episodes of the year.
The second is my organic pick of the Top 10 Celtic Bands. Meaning, these are the bands I played the most. I didn’t plan to play any band more than any other. But I did.
You can read the blog, Top 10 Celtic Bands of 2022, on my website.
You can also check out my 5 Celtic Bands to Watch in 2023.
24:37 – DOWNLOAD MY FREE EP
You can download all of my songs in this show. Just send me an email. pubsong@celtfather
You can let me know what you’re doing while listening to this episode. I’d love to hear from you.
You will get an auto responder with a link to download this month’s album. Please subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already subscribed. It’s quick and easy. And just like this Free EP, it is FREE!
25:38 – “Biddy Mulligan” by Banshee in the Kitchen from Last Pint – NOT
31:38 – STORY OF CLOSE YOUR EYES & REAVERS LULLABY
One of my most-popular songs since 2009 is a song called “Close Your Eyes“. It's commonly known as “The Demon Lulllaby”.
The song was written in 2003 by filker, Daniel Glasser. It won Best Comedy Song in the 2008 Pegasus Awards. That's also the year I first heard the song.
It was a I-Con Science Fiction Convention in Stony Brook, New York. I remember those filk circles fairly well.
Now if you're not familiar with the word filk, that is the music of fandom. It's the music you hear at science fiction conventions. The word was first used as a misprint of folk music that was happening at conventions back in the '50s. I guess con goers liked the term, because next thing you know, filk circles exploded.
The filk circles at I-Con were my first. My old band, Brobdingnagian Bards, were invited to be guests at I-Con back in 2002, I believe. I saw Emerald Rose was performing there and thought, “why on earth is a Celtic band like us playing at science fiction convention”. So I booked us and realize con goers love Celtic music, and that we were also playing filk, with songs like “Do Virgins Taste Better” and “If I Had A Million Ducats”.
Any case, we were invited to the I-Con Filk Circle. We sang our songs and began building an audience. 2008 was our last year at the convention before we broke up. I don't remember who sang “Close Your Eyes”. But I loved it.
After we parted ways, I did an internet search to find the song. Lo and behold, I found it on the Pegasus Awards website. I contacted Daniel Glasser and asked if I could record the song. He was extremely generous to say yes.
I had never played the song live when I recorded it in January 2009 for my CD Kilted For Her Pleasure on the North Shore in Louisiana at my friend Jamie Haeuser's house. Jamie recorded percussion on a couple of tracks for that album.
As a lullaby, I kept the song pretty barebones, just me and the autoharp. And it worked.
As I played it at shows, it was an immediate favorite. “The demons in your bed are gonna eat you up”.
One of my most-memorable moments was performing it a giant ballroom at Dragon Con in 2009. The stage was simple with me dressed in my black kilt, long hair flowing, the enormous sideburns, and an autoharp as I sang the song, pausing for comedic effect. (YouTube video)The audience was in tears by the end. It was a brilliant start to my solo career. The song was an obvious hit.
I'm gonna play the song for you right now. And then I'll share the filk of the song in a moment.
37:10 – “Close Your Eyes” by Marc Gunn from Kilted For Her Pleasure
40:51 – STORY OF REAVER'S LULLABY
In 2010, my first daughter was born–Kenzie. Having a daughter made this song even better. Not only do I like singing it to her. But there's no better way of finishing the song and stating, “If you enjoy this song, then your CD purchases help to pay for my daughter's therapy when she grows up.”
And it's true. Your purchases do help to pay for her therapy. So please….
Well, if she wasn't disturbed, then she has been when I filked the filk.
I think it was 2014 when I first filked “Close Your Eyes”. The song was already popular at my many shows. I started performing it at my Firefly Drinking Songs show at Gen Con the year before. It was well-loved.
Now when I'm up on stage, I'm always looking to use things from the moment to include in the show. Some people complain about hecklers. I don't think I've ever met a heckler I didn't like. They just give me ammo to improve my show.
The year before “Close Your Eyes” was a hit. But could I make it funnier?
“Close your eyes and sleep
There are… reavers in your dreams.”
Reavers! Hey that works! I remember thinking.
The reavers in your bed…
I can't tell you why I decided to change the next line. But the response was mind-blowing.
“The reavers in your bed…
Are gonna eat your face!”
The room erupted. Those who knew the original song already thought it was funny. But the visual of the horrifying reavers eating someone's face… well, it worked!
Over the next few years, I tried changing the lyrics more to suit Firefly, but they never really came.
Meanwhile, several Browncoats kept asking, “when are going to record that song?!”
I set a Milestone on Patreon in 2017. If I raised enough money, I would record the song for a short EP. The goal was met. I sat down to record the song and ended up recording a whole bunch of Firefly songs. Lo and behold I had a new album.
The album is called As Long As I'm Flyin'. It will be officially released on March 6, 2018. March is the only month that you will be able to buy a physical copy of the album online for the foreseeable future. So mark your calendar.
If you want a download of the album, along with a bunch of notes about it, become a Patron of music.
JOIN THE GUNN RUNNERS CLUB ON PATREON!
You'll be able to buy it everywhere online. And you can stream it through Spotify.
I would deeply appreciate it if you would help me spread the word. You can share this podcast.
Of course, my previous Firefly album with Bedlam Bards, Firefly Drinking Songs, is on sale. If you ever wanted to experience what it's like going to a pub in Canton on Higgin's Moon, you want to own this album.
48:26 – CREDITS
Thanks for listening to Atlanta Pub Songs & Stories. The show was produced by Marc Gunn, edited by Mitchell Petersen with graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs.
You can subscribe and listen to the show wherever you find podcasts. O can also subscribe to my mailing list. You will get regular updates of new music, podcasts, special offers, and you’ll more stories behind several of my most-popular songs.
And of course, please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor.
Have fun and sing along at www.pubsong.com!
#pubstories #celticmusic #top20
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