Austin Texas is known for its music scene, and it also happens to be the home of the Brobdingnagian Bards–a Celtic Renaissance musical duo. The Bards combine the folk songs of Ireland and Scotland with a little Lord of the Rings styling as well, making for a truly unique and interesting sound. The instrumentation is […]
Category Archives: Articles
PLOW MONDAY
In 1995, my band Skander broke up. I started looking for another band and found a band called Societal Jive that featured friends of mine from the an acting troupe I helped start called The Moore Hill Players. David English was one of the members. I really loved their heavy metal sound. So when David […]
Dreams of Regular Gigs in Austin
I was dreaming rather heavily when I woke up this morning. I don’t remember exactly what I was dreaming about, but I woke thinking about playing music on a weekly basis in Austin. Austin is a peculiar place. It bills itself as the Live Music Capitol of the World. So the city is flooded with […]
October Sessions
In the Spring of 1998, I quit my job to play music full-time. It was a lofty goal… especially since I had no real plan on how I would make money. I released Ichabod’s Geography and tried booking gigs. It was an epic failure. But I learned a lot. By October, I was almost out […]
Is There Shame in Failure?
I was listening to NPR this morning with their program, “This I Believe“. They had an essay on the power of failure as a building block to success. That made me think of knowing my limits. When is it when I need to ask for help to do what I need doing. Like office helpers. […]
Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind
1 Corinthians 13 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, […]
On the Dignity of Kilts
by Julian Jensen Since we are on the topic of removing pants: My first encounter with the kilt phenomenon this Pennsic. Anyone who has ever worn a real kilt knows instantly that there is no dignity to be salvaged from kilts. I am not talking about those wimpy little kilts that you simply buy and […]
BUSKING
I’m having that annual craving to hit the road and go busking. Busking in Italy to be exact. I’ve never really done much busking outside of Renaissance Festivals. And honestly, I haven’t ever really *tried* to effectively busk. I mean, we have shows and all. But to find a location, lay out a hat or […]
IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST
The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast began as an extension of the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. I was listening to the Celtic Music News Podcast and thought that it might be cool to play some of the free MP3s that I feature each week in the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. But within a few weeks, […]
The Bards Crier Music Marketing & Promotion Ezine
The Bards Crier Music Marketing & Promotion Ezine was first called The Bards Crier. The magazine features “free guerrilla music marketing and promotion tips for working musicians.” The name changed to The Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine when I learned a wee bit more about search engine optimization (SEO). I thought it would […]
