Happy Valentine’s Day! I have a love song story to share with you from my newest CD, Selcouth. Find how my next album, Come Adventure With Me, is progressing. I added another February gig to my calendar. I share things no one ever told me about running. And is Arbor Day in February?

This is Sci Fi Pub Songs & Stories #265

0:24 – “Galway Shawl (live)” by Marc Gunn from Camping Trip 2022

6:13 – WELCOME TO SCI FI PUB SONGS & STORIES

I am Marc Gunn. This is the audio edition of my newsletter as well as the liner notes for the songs I record. You can follow this show at PubSong.net or send an email to pubsong@celtfather to sign up and get the MP3s for my songs featured in this episode.

7:19 – UPCOMING SHOWS

• FEB 17: Ironshield Brewing, Lawrenceville, GA @ 7-10 PM
• MAR 10: Tucker Brewing Company, Tucker, Ga @ 6:30-9:30 PM
• MAR 15: St Patrick’s Day Concert on Bandcamp @ 7 PM EST
• MAR 18: Pontoon Brewing, Sandy Springs, GA @ 1-4 PM
• MAR 18: Ironshield Brewing, Lawrenceville, GA @ 7-10 PM
• JUN 3-10: Celtic Invasion Vacations, County Mayo, Ireland

WHAT’S NEW?

Thanks to everyone on Patreon who voted for the next Internet Concert theme. Next month’s theme is Irish music for St Patrick’s Day. In April, we’ll sing Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers.

Read the Daily Journal from my Celtic Invasion of Loch Lomond.

Oh! Make sure you subscribe to Sci Fi Pub Songs & Stories. I’m sharing songs I recorded on a camping trip last fall. They’re kinda romantic too!

8:47 – COME ADVENTURE WITH ME…

Is the title of my next album. I did a Kickstarter for it about this time last year. It was a huge success, fully funded a few days into the campaign. I gave myself until July to actually release the album to supporters. But that’s not good enough. I’m gonna try to release the digital music to supporters by my birthday, March 17.

Will that happen? We shall see.

Right now, I have 8 songs fully completed. I have four more that are being edited. So I’m well on the way to completing it by that date. There are several other tracks. I still haven’t come up with a good album pin idea. But I’m hopeful I can figure that out in the next few weeks.

But I am super excited that the project is almost done. Because I have three other albums to work on: Dancing With Hobbits, Another Faire to Remember by Brobdingnagian Bards, and whatever the next album will be… I have an idea or two…

12:07 – “Wherever I May Roam (live)” by Marc Gunn from Selcouth

14:55 – DOWNLOAD MY FREE EP

You can download all of my songs in this show. Just send me an email.  pubsong@ celtfather You will get an auto responder with a link to download this month’s album. You can also subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already subscribed. It’s quick and easy.

While you’re emailing me to get your free EP, let me know what you’re doing while listening to this episode.

15:06 – WHEN SHE HELD ME IN HER ARMS

In 2001, the Brobdingnagian Bards were performing at a lot of faires. Kansas City Renaissance Festival was one of the biggest and the coolest gig we had booked to that date. They paid us to fly to KC from Austin, Texas for several weekends. They put us up in a hotel. We hung out with 3 Pints Gone. We made a lot of new fans. We were even hired to perform at a wedding.

I don’t remember all of the details surrounding the writing of “When She Held Me In Her Arms”. But that festival stands out in my mind. I remember writing the song in the hotel after a long day at faire. It flowed out of me, filled with so much hope, love, and romance about finding true love and never turning back.

Andrew and I recorded it shortly after that. We went into the studio. The Bards recording was decent enough, but the performance was way too fast. So it did not end up on A Faire to Remember or Songs of Ireland. But when I was trying to put together a compilation of music so we could book some wedding gigs, I added that song to A Celtic Renaissance Wedding. But I was never really happy with it as a recording.

Nevertheless, I continued to sing the song over the years. When I met Gwen in 2009, I sang it to her at MileHiCon in Denver. She was living in Virginia at the time. But she flew to Colorado to be with me for that con.

It took another five years before I recorded it again, and some years after that before I dug up the recording and the guitar additions by Daniel I Briggs before I finally sent it to Sam Gillogly to add fiddle. That was when I knew the song was finally done. I love the result.

Best part about it for me is when I come to that line about “twenty years later I’ve not regretted a day.” Then I realize that Gwen and I are now on 13 years of marriage. Wow! Mind blown! And yup, no regrets!

Here’s the lyrics

When She Held Me In Her Arms

Lyrics and music Marc Gunn

Through a market, I wandered and prayed
That I'd find me a woman I might marry some day.
Well, I never dreamed when I prayed that prayer
That the woman I longed for was standing there.

When she held me in her arms that night,
I held her close, and I held her tight.
And I swore that day forth, I'd love her all of me life.
When she held me in her arms that night.

She smelled of the sweetest lilac skin.
And I admit it now it drew me in
Oh, her voice cast a spell I could not disobey.
Every word was a river that swept me away.

Oh, the market became a more beautiful place:
The flowers more fragrant, and the clothing all lace.
And her eyes, oh, her eyes! They begged me to stay
And twenty years later, I've not regretted a day.

20:15 – “When She Held Me In Her Arms” by Marc Gunn from Selcouth

23:01 – JOIN THE CLUB

The show is brought to you by my Gunn Runners on Patreon. If you enjoy this podcast or my music, please join the Club. Every week, you get bonus podcasts, downloadable songs, printed sheet music, blogs, or stories from the road. Plus, you get weekly access to my Coffee with The Celtfather video concerts. Sign up for as little as $5 per month and save 15% with an annual membership.
Thanks to my newest Gunn Runners on Patreon: Alice M, Karla A

23:55 – THINGS NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT RUNNING

I started running right before the pandemic closed everything down in 2000. It made a huge impact on my life. But I also realized that most everything I knew about running was wrong!

1. You don’t have to warm up before running. I know. This sounds like sacrilege. But I don’t like flexing and stretching before I run. Instead, I just start walking. That’s all the warm up I need.
2. You don’t have to run constantly. Just because you say you’re going for a run doesn’t mean you are running non-stop. It’s tiring. So I walk. Some days I walk a LOT. Other days a rarely stop. But almost always walk on my “run”.
3. Run up hills for an extra workout. One of my running mates set this idea in my head. You can’t walk up a hill. You have to run up it. Hills are now my favorite part of my run.
4. Shoes don’t need to be tight. I spent the first year trying to get my shoes to fit “right”. I tightened them, cut off the circulation. It was miserable. Now, they are fairly snug. But not tight.
5. Get good running shoes. That really helps a lot, especially if you’re running on pavement, which is the easiest, most-accessible way to run. You’ll also need to replace them at least once a year depending on how much you run.
6. Listen to podcasts to stay entertained while running. My biggest challenge with running before I got AirPods was staying entertained. Podcasts make a huge difference. Most days, I enjoy the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. But many days, I use it as a time to catch up on whatever my podcast of the moment is.
7. Some days it’s okay just to walk. Going back to not running constantly. If you’re tired or just uninspired. It’s okay to walk. Take it easy. Stroll. You’ll get back to it soon enough.
8. Running is the best way to lose weight. I’ve never been overweight. But when I finally started running, the aerobic activity is what finally got me in control of how much I weighed.
9. Wireless Headphones are the best. One of my excuses for not exercising years ago was those dang dangly headphone wires. When I finally got wireless headphones, my world was changed.
10. Humidity matters for temperature. This morning the temperature was 39 degrees. But with 78% humidity, it felt like 31 degrees. What a big difference whether you’re hot or cold.
11. How should you dress? Again humidity matters. But here’s a rough guide for cold weather. Wear short sleeves and shorts when the temperature is in the 60s. Long sleeve and shorts in the 50s. Long sleeve and long pants in the 40s. And of course, make sure your head is covered and maybe an extra shirt in the 30s.

You can read more of my thoughts on it in my blog.

35:35 – “Naked” by Marc Gunn from Camping Trip 2022

38:27 – ARBOR DAY IN FEBRUARY?

National Arbor Day is celebrated in April.  What you may not know is that each state celebrates Arbor Day from January to May depending on the regional season for planting trees.

The State of Georgia celebrates its Arbor Day on the third Friday in February.

It is a day to reflect on the importance of trees in our state and across our nation. Scientific research is increasingly adding to the evidence that trees are essential to global environmental health. So go plant a tree, play outside, enjoy the beauty of trees, create art inspired by trees, or honor trees in any way that pleases you!

That's all according to Trees Atlanta. When is your state's Arbor Day?

Oh! Mark your calendar for April 29. I’m going back to The Lost Druid. But I’m not doing it the regular way. I’m biking there. If you’re able to bike there or carpool or reduce your own environmental impact that day, as well, that’d be brilliant. Come join us!

If you love this episode, then share it with a friend. You can send one of the MP3s from your EP of the Month or just ask them to listen to the show. Maybe tell them one thing that really inspired you. Just spread the word.

42:00 – “When She Held Me In Her Arms” by Brobdingnagian Bards from A Celtic Renaissance Wedding

44:27 – CREDITS

Thanks for listening to Sci Fi Pub Songs & Stories. The show is brought to you by my Gunn Runners on Patreon. Every week, you get a new podcast or song or video or concert. You’ll also save 25% off all my merch in my store. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs.

You can subscribe and listen to the show wherever you find podcasts. Sign up to my mailing list to read the show notes for this episode and find out where I’m performing.

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 #runningtips #valentinesday

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