Pub Songs & Stories #315: Washer Well Wenches, Thorin’s Eulogy & Celtic Folk

Pub Songs & Stories #315: Washer Well Wenches, Thorin’s Eulogy & Celtic Folk

The old songs were written for a world that was supposed to last forever. One woman found a way to make music matter right now. And Thorin Oakenshield gets a proper farewell. Music from Marc Gunn, Fialla, Liam Vincent & The Odd Foxes, Brobdingnagian Bards. This is Pub Songs & Stories #315 0:19 – Marc […]

Pub Songs & Stories #314: Firefly Drinking Songs

Pub Songs & Stories #314: Firefly Drinking Songs

A month without a voice. A question about Firefly Drinking Songs. And a highwayman riding the moor. Pub Songs & Stories returns with stories to tell, from the Celtic folk tradition to the far reaches of the ‘verse. Music from Marc Gunn, Faoileán, CaliCeltic, Whiskey Bay Rovers, May Will Bloom. This is Pub Songs & […]

Pub Songs & Stories #313: St. Patrick’s Day in the Pub

Pub Songs & Stories #313: St. Patrick’s Day in the Pub

Irish Millie is wasted. The Brobdingnagian Bards are in love… with alcohol. And the Gothard Sisters will send you down the road with a smile. Every song has a story worth telling. We’ve got the full spectrum from rowdy to reverent. Pull up a stool. Music from May Will Bloom, Brobdingnagian Bards, Rogue Diplomats, Irish […]

Pub Songs & Stories #312: Four Lights and Rebel Songs

Pub Songs & Stories #312: Four Lights and Rebel Songs

What do Irish rebel songs and Star Trek have in common? This week on Pub Songs & Stories, we raise a glass to courage, truth, and the songs that refuse to obey. From the Easter Rising of 1916 to a Cardassian interrogation chamber, today’s songs ask one dangerous question: Do you trust your own eyes? […]

Pub Songs & Stories #311: Manufacturing Inspiration, The Songwriting Habits of Mikey Mason

Pub Songs & Stories #311: Manufacturing Inspiration, The Songwriting Habits of Mikey Mason

Geek-rock musician Mikey Mason joins me to talk about writing songs on schedule, his New Music Monday ritual, and how to stay creative every single week. Music by Caliceltic, May Will Bloom, The Gothard Sisters, and Mikey Mason. This is Pub Songs & Stories #311 0:18 – Caliceltic “The Beer from St James Gate” from […]

Folk Songs & Stories #309: Quest & Chorus #5: Skellig Michael: Come Back to the Ocean

Folk Songs & Stories #309: Quest & Chorus #5: Skellig Michael: Come Back to the Ocean

The sea around Skellig Michael never rests. Waves slam the cliffs like a heartbeat, and mist rises from the rocks like breath from some sleeping giant. Eight miles off the Kerry coast, this jagged island looks less like a piece of earth and more like a fragment of another world. More than a thousand years […]

Quest & Chorus Ep. 4: Come Adventure to The Quiraing on Skye (special feat: Folk Songs & Stories #308)

Quest & Chorus Ep. 4: Come Adventure to The Quiraing on Skye (special feat: Folk Songs & Stories #308)

The Quiraing is not a gentle place. Stone spires jut skyward, cliffs crumble toward the sea, and paths twist like they’re still being carved by giants. It’s a landscape that doesn’t promise safety—it dares you to take another step. On Skye, they say even dragons once hid in these folds, rising to defend the island […]

Folk Songs & Stories #307: Quest & Chorus Ep. 3: Tintagel – History, Shipwrecks & Myth

Folk Songs & Stories #307: Quest & Chorus Ep. 3: Tintagel – History, Shipwrecks & Myth

Welcome to Quest & Chorus, where songs remember what history forgets. I’m your bard, and today, we climb a legendary cliff—where myth and memory blur. To Tintagel. Some say King Arthur was born here. Others say he died here. And whether that’s true or not doesn’t really matter… Because this place feels like the kind […]

Quest & Chorus #2: A Lonely Shore on the Calf of Man (special feature Folk Songs & Stories)

Quest & Chorus #2: A Lonely Shore on the Calf of Man (special feature Folk Songs & Stories)

The Calf of Man, just off the southern tip of the Isle of Man. There’s a decayed building there. And on its wall hangs a strange thing. A life preserver—round, red and white, worn by time. It made me wonder: What do we leave behind to save the ones who come after us?” This is […]

Quest & Chorus #1: Don’t Blink at Kilmartin (special feature of Folk Songs & Stories)

Quest & Chorus #1: Don’t Blink at Kilmartin (special feature of Folk Songs & Stories)

Quest & Chorus is a six-part series where I share songs, stories, and places along with a game to make the adventure even more fun. This is the first episode in your quest. A reminder to be present with those who you love, while we travel through time to Kilmartin Glen in Scotland. This is […]