Celtfather Unkilted

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Every year, I take a small group of people on an exciting adventure overseas. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know it through it's culture, history, and legends.

In June 2023, we are going to Westport, Ireland in County Mayo. The itinerary is now online. We will spend seven nights, visiting Matt Malloy's famous pub, hike Croagh Patrick, and ferry to Clare Island. We'll learn more about the Grace O'Malley, the famed Pirate Queen, by visiting her castles. We'll see standing stones and lots more.

Check out the itinerary for the Celtic Invasion of Westport, Ireland right now to see if you want to join me in Ireland this summer.

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Celebrate Celtic culture and music through travel. I'm gonna tell you what you can expect on my Celtic Invasion Vacations?

If you go to the website you won’t find much information. I usually list the itinerary when it becomes available but that can be January or March before the trip. You will find podcasts and links to pictures and videos. I don't know that any of it really paints a good picture.

So I thought I would try to break down how these trips work to help you decide if you want to join me in the future.

Celtic Invasion Vacations are not your typical travel tour experience. Most tourists travel on big buses. They go place to place. You stay up late. You get up early. There’s 30, 60 or even 90 people packed on one to three tour buses.

If you’re like me, that sounds pretty miserable. My first two trips were on tour buses. Everyone was a fan of my music. So that was pretty awesome. The bus drivers were awesome too. But that's a lot of people for an introvert like me.

I don’t know how much of the fatigue was from so many people or the staying up late/getting-up-early business. But it’s not my preferred way of traveling. I like small groups.

My mom moved to Italy in 1985. So I’ve gone back-and-forth to Europe for a long time.

My mom is an awesome adventurer. I went to school on an American military base in Vicenza, Italy for my senior year of high school. While all the other high school seniors went to Remini to get drunk, my mom and I went on in artistic pilgrimage following the works of Piero Della Francesca. She instilled in me the value of planning as well as spontaneity.

You see that in my Celtic Invasion Vacations itinerary. When I finally make one that is. Typically, I don't have a full itinerary when I announce the latest trip. I have… ideas.

In fact, I usually have one big idea. Then I find a way to make it work.

One person told me he was disappointed when my trip to the Highlands of Scotland a few years back did not also include the Isle of Skye, like it was initially listed on the early itinerary.

That was because I had a big idea. But when I finally settled on details, I realized it was impractical. I learned from that error. If I make any big changes to what was planned, you are welcome to back out.

I don’t usually settle on solid itineraries until December or January. I just don’t have enough details to make a solid decision.

That might make some people uncomfortable, especially when you’re putting down nearly $3000, plus air travel, to join me.

The adventure is worth it!

The great thing about traveling on the Celtic Invasion Vacation in my opinion is that it is a small group. That means maximum flexibility for adventure.

So let’s answer some questions.

3:11 - WHEN ARE THE CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS? This can always vary. But typically I run my trips in late May or early June. This seems to be the best time to travel to Ireland and Scotland. People talk about rain in Ireland. June seems to invariably have one of the lightest rain falls ever. It's just... perfect!

3:32 - HOW LONG IS EACH TRIP? Celtic Invasion Vacations are about seven days long. The trips are officially scheduled from Saturday to Saturday. That’s because that’s how long most vacation rentals book. But I’m not going to be taking you to seven hotels in seven days. We stay in one place most of the week.

If the vacation rental is more than a couple hours from the airport or there's something cool to see closer, we may stay in a hotel near the airport on the last night of the Invasion. It just depends on how soon everyone on the trip has booked their departure.

4:04 - WHEN SHOULD I ARRIVE? I usually ask Invaders to arrive the day before the trip. That way you can recover from jet lag and adjust to the time change. But that also allows us to leave first thing in the morning on Saturday to drive to our vacation rental.

While it is recommended, it is not required. As long as you arrive by 11 am on Saturday, we will adjust. You are also responsible for the hotel on Friday night. But you might find a roommate with other Invaders.

4:43 - WHEN SHOULD I DEPART? Again, it’s up to you. I prefer you to set your departure after noon on Saturday. You can stay as long as you want.

I usually leave on Sunday after the trip is over.

4:54 - HOW DO YOU SELECT THE DESTINATIONS? Destinations are chosen by invaders and of course me. I usually have an idea of a place I want to see. I look for a suitable vacation spot.

But sometimes I ask for suggestions from Invaders. Our trip to Brittany and Cornwall were both chosen because some regular Invaders wanted to visit all seven Celtic nations.

Of course, I get the final say. And if I can't get enough people to attend one of these more remote spots, I may make adjustments.

Once we settle on a big destination, the next step is figuring out the generalized itinerary.

5:27 - IS THERE DOWNTIME? Yes. This is not an intense, constantly moving tour. Celtic Invasion Vacations are about relaxation, adventure, and fun. But how much can be up to you.

There’s usually at least one day where we are near to the cottage and take it easy. We explore the local town. Wednesday’s have the option of a little extra downtime for those who need it.

5:52 - HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE ITINERARY? You can't make an itinerary until you know where you are going, right? Well, the challenge for me is that I need to know the exact place we are staying to figure out where our itinerary will go.

My next step then is to start researching vacation rentals. I look for rentals in our destination area that hold between 8-12 people (sometimes more). I want it to look nice, comfortable and easily accessible. In fact, I want the majority of the cool stuff that we will explore to be within 30 minutes of where we are staying.

Once I know the exact location, I can plan the itinerary.

6:26 - WHAT DOES A TYPICAL ITINERARY LOOK LIKE? The first day of the trip involves driving to our destination. We need at least one interesting place to stop along the way. Maybe two if you include lunch.

When we arrive, we need groceries. I confess, there's something extra fun about going to a grocery store in Europe. Some of our Invaders join me for a shopping experience as we load up on breakfast and a couple dinners.

I make dinner the first night, typically my secret pasta recipe. That evening is usually concluded with a little music by me.

The second day is usually a good day to stay local. So we explore one or two of the cool things nearby. We try to spend time out of the car, walking around. It's good to stretch our legs after traveling.

On either the second or the third day, I like to bring in a tour guide, if possible. My trips are not geared around "tours", but local guides are great for adding a little bit of history, culture, and legends to the experience.

Guides are also good at giving us a local perspective of things we should check out that are not necessarily on our itinerary.

In Brittany, we found some cool cairns that were not on our original itinerary. In Cornwall, we got an overview of Tintagel and found some standing stones I would've never found. In Wales, Gwilym Morus shared the incredible legends of Merlin and introduced us to an eco-resort, hidden in the mountains. In Donegal, we found some great restaurants and a former passage tomb.

Around day three, we're ready for a different travel experience. That's when I try to get us out on the water or on a train. Something to shake up the feel of the trip.

Day four is the midweek break. Again we stay local. Some choose to relax in our cottage. Others explore something new that’s local.

Day five usually takes us on a long adventure. We'll get in the van and drive further to see something outside of our main region. This gives us a nice look at other regions nearby. It also adds to the fun adventure.

Day six is intentionally left open. We usually find something cool by this time that we might not have realized before the trip began. Or perhaps a guide or a local we met had a recommendation. That's when we take the advice of others to explore something different

The final day is usually spent fairly local. It’s time for last minute exploration of our area. Sometimes we pack up and make our way back \towards the airport. One or two bonus destinations end up on the final day.

9:20 - WHAT MAKES A CELTIC INVASION VACATION DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TOURS? I like to stress that Celtic Invasion Vacations are not tours. They are vacations. I want my Invaders to feel relaxed and happy by the end of the trip. Not exhausted, like I was on my first two trips to Ireland. You should be energized and excited for the next Celtic Invasion experience.

9:40 - HOW MANY PEOPLE JOIN THE INVASION? The number can vary. But I usually aim for between 8-12 invaders. Too many people and I start having trouble finding restaurants to eat at.

9:58 - WHAT PERSONAL PAPERS ARE NEEDED FOR TRAVELING ON A CELTIC INVASION VACATION? You DO need a passport. It's usually good to get your passport at least 90 days out. I would suggest applying for one a minimum of six months before you depart. But there are some expedited services that can get them sooner. Just plan ahead.

You do NOT need a visa. You don't need an international drivers license either. In fact, your regular driver's license is fine if you plan to drive in Europe with any car company. Make sure you bring that at the very least. But of course, driving on the Invasion is usually done by me.

Since the pandemic, you will need a vaccination card. Invasions are like family vacations. We want to take care of our fellow invaders. So your COVID vaccination card is essential for my trip and a lot of European travel.

10:48 - HOW MUCH DO CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS COST? That varies year to year. It starts at about $2800 for the land part of the trip, for each person on the trip.

It does not cover the cost of air travel. You handle your own airline tickets.

Your fee covers your housing for a full week. That's for a shared room, either a double if you’re a couple or two singles. Depending on our housing, it may cost extra to get a single room to yourself.

Your fee covers a breakfast every day and dinner at least five times. Often I cover more than that. Sometimes it works well to make lunches if we're not planning to be near restaurants. So I happily pay for lunch supplies if we need them. But in general, you are responsible for your own lunch.

You can have what you like for breakfast each morning. Some days we have a full breakfast with eggs, bacon, yogurt, fruit, cheese, or whatever you want.

Grocery shopping usually happens on the first day. So whatever you need, we can probably find it.

Other days, if we want to get going early, then we will have a Continental Breakfast with just breads, cheese, yogurt or fruit.

And yes, there's coffee. Every morning. And tea too. I need my coffee!

I cook dinner at least 2 days during the week. We have my world famous secret pasta meal. And then there's the Celtic Invasion specialty... Prince Charlie... Secret. It's a recipe we picked up years ago and is now a tradition on the Invasions. There may be more than two meals. But of course, we like to eat out too.

The toughest thing about dining on the Celtic Invasions is finding a place to eat. If the group is under nine people. That's usually not too difficult. But if we have more than that, it can be a challenge. I plan ahead for that. Because who doesn't like to eat out in Europe!?!?! I consider that a big part of the experience.

12:41 - IS THERE MUSIC? At least twice a week, we spend the evening relaxing at our cottage with dinner... and music.

I am, of course, host of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. But I'm also a musician. I play Celtic music with a sci fi drinking song twist. I call it Sci F'Irish music. You can hear my music through my website at celtfather.net.

I plan to play for at least an hour. But a lot of it depends on you and how excited you are to hear some music. If we're really lucky, you might bring an instrument too. Then we can have an Irish session with songs and tunes afterward.

And if we're really fortunate, I will find a musician or bring in a musician to come play for us. That's frequently difficult to pull off. But when it happens. It's absolutely amazing!

13:30 - WHEN DOES OUR DAY BEGIN AND END? Breakfast is usually around 7:30 or 8 AM with a departure time of 8:30-9 AM.

We don't usually do too much in the evening. Since Irish sessions usually don't begin until 9 PM, it's not something we usually attend outside of our cottage. But if it's something you want to do, we might be able to make it happen.

14:32 - HOW OLD IS TOO OLD? HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG? I have had people ages 18 on into their 70s on my Celtic Invasion Vacations. I'd say the vast majority are in their 40s, 50s and 60s. But I don't really think much about it because I adjust each trip to who's on it.

In 2019, the younger group hiked up Skellig Michael while the less physically able landed on the Greater Blaskett Island by boat.

The physically active walk, hike and run ahead if they so desire. Those who aren't, take it at their own speed.

The Isle of Skye was one of the few places we went where it was better to be physically active. There's a lot of hiking on that island. But ye know, I don't think anyone's vacation fun was hindered by their physical activity.

As for younger folks, I typically don't prefer to have young kids on the trip. I know the challenges associated with that. But I'm willing to consider it as long as the you feel the kids are up to getting up and going.

One lady asked about a teenager. I think I might be open to a teenager who is a bit more independent but still willing to follow the rules.

15:52 - HOW DO WE TRAVEL? Typically we travel in a van. These are usually large nine-seaters with lots of luggage space. Sometimes we will add a second van or a car to carry extra Invaders.

Speaking of luggage, we do have limited space. I find one suitcase per person is plenty, plus a carry on. You typically don't need more. There's usually laundry facilities too. So you can always wash something extra. There's a whole bunch of videos on YouTube where you can learn how to travel light.

If you truly need an extra suitcase, that's fine. But your experience is so much better when you travel light.

16:36 - HOW DO YOU SIGN UP? The first step is for me to open up the Invasion to the public. You see, former Invaders get first dibs. Once it's public, here's what you do.

First, email an application form to me.

Second, send me a check for your deposit. That reserves your spot on the Invasion within 2 weeks of emailing your application form.

Finally, just send me your final payment before the deadline and you're golden.

Speaking of your final payment, you are welcome to break it up into multiple payments if you don't want to or can't pay all at once. I'm happy to work with you to make the trip happen.

17:09 - HOW DO I CANCEL IF I NEED TO? First off, there is a $400 non-refundable deposit. Though there is a caveat for the "non-refundable" part. If I change the dates, you can get a refund. If you can find someone to take your spot, or someone willing takes your spot, then you can get a refund.

However, if you are sick and turned away by an airline or country, I can't offer a refund. Typically, 30-60 days before the trip, once I start paying for things, like our housing, vans, tour guides, whatever, I can no longer offer a refund. That usually starts about the time of the Celtic Invasion deadline.

I'm not a corporation though. So there may be flexibility. My goal here is to have people "sign up" and then not drop a month later as happened on my very first Celtic Invasion. If you wanna go, make a commitment with a non-refundable deposit.

17:57 - CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS – CLOSING REMARKS All in all, Celtic Invasion Vacations are about happily experiencing the fun culture, history, and legends of one small but magical location. I hope you'll consider joining me on the next Celtic Invasion Vacation.

And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

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Busking is like a fine art. When I went solo at the end of 2008, I was determined to better understand it. I asked several Renaissance festival performers for help and suggestions. I interviewed Vince Conaway. I’m gonna share that interview today on Celtfather Unkilted #289.

I was trying to figure out how to share his interview I did with Vince Conaway years ago. I finally decided I should just post it on a podcast. It might not be super relevant to most of my fans. But it is a sneak peak behind what it's like to be a musician.

I hope you enjoyed that interview. I sure did. I learned a lot from it, even if I don’t feel like I’ve mastered the art. It’s a great starting point for any musician who wants to master the art of busking.

I always thought it was, and still is, a great insight into making a living with music.

I don’t know how long Vince Conaway has made a living with music. But he does a great job, and it’s not easy to do. That’s why he still sells CDs and also why he has a Patreon page. He talks about how amazing Patreon has helped him over the years, especially since the pandemic closed down his livelihood.

Now he is once again in Europe, sharing his music in the streets, and making special videos from around the world for all of his patrons, all so he can keep making music.

If you’d like to find out more about Vince Conaway, visit his website at VinceConaway.com

If you enjoyed this show, you can also support my music and podcasting by joining the Gunn Runners Club on my Patreon page. You can follow a link at Celtfather.net for more details.

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Greetings Gunn Runner

I love looking at my successes each year. Honestly, I was pretty excited about my musical successes last year. I felt like I had a few break through moments. So let's make a list.

It's all on my monthly update, Celtfather Unkilted, show #288.

The podcast is brought to you by my amazing Patrons in the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon.

MUSINGS: Successes for 2021
Finished Selcouth!
Finally figured out the basic art of booking gigs.
Booked a lot of breweries and new venues.
Rebooted In the 'Verse podcast
Wrote several new songs. That are Really good.
I can write songs on Command!
Developed new plan for Pub Songs & Stories with seasons...actual SEASONS!
Collecting and sharing great stories from Celtic musicians
Started developing a new plan for MG Patreon to release more music to Patrons.
Came up with new plan for an easier to compile Celtic Top 20.
Started creating a new format and plan for Celtic Christmas Podcast.
Happy with the promotion of new playlisting ideas.
Started recording a new CD with Brobdingnagian Bards
Found a new time that works for Coffee with The Celtfather.
Reformatted Coffee for seasons too.
Getting closer to finishing Dancing With Hobbits
Nearly finished Adventure with Me CD
Released my first vinyl album
Got back to performing at sci fi conventions.
Re-released Name on My Soul as Flower of Scotland.
Improved at busking
Developed Album Release strategy.
Have new merch plan with lapel pins.
Developed regular Celtic Heartstrings
Booked a castle in Scotland for 2022
Pulled back to focus on podcasting
Been running regularly three days a week.
Making more time for family.
Have new Celtic podcast email series.
Created plan to promote the Celtic podcast at festivals

CELTFATHER MONTHLY UPDATES - REGULAR SHOWS

Pub Songs & Stories.

10 episodes per season
Spring focus on Selcouth
Off January, June, July, December

Irish & Celtic Music Podcast

Focus on promoting show to fans
Promote Celtic Top 20
Every month, compile Top 5 for Spotify

In The 'Verse podcast

Next: The War Doctor

Celtic Christmas Podcast

Thoughts about the new format
More like pub stories
Playlist focused, easier with all the cover songs

Brobdingnagian Bards podcast

No plans yet

Stories on Patreon

Thank you Gunn Runners!

Coffee with The Celtfather.

Wednesdays at 11 AM Eastern.
Season 10 begins on Weds, Jan 19
Most episodes will be practice shows
MUSIC PRODCUTION
Selcouth release date: Feb 21
Another Faire to Remember
Dancing with Hobbits
Come Adventure With Me. Kickstarter in April
Climate Renaissance
Singles on Patreon.
MERCH
Christmas ornaments
Greeting cards. $4 or 20
Temporary Re-release of CDs
Vinyl records
Celtic Heartstrings. Different price points
Lapel pins
Booklet.

Remember, subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%. Patrons save 25%!

WEBSITES

I made a special page for people who take my business card and use the QR code. It'll be interesting to see if this works. But the basic idea is the card will give you a quick link to listen to music, subscribe to my podcast and mailing list. It's similar to what you'll find at Celtfather.net but even more focused.

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

STATS Mailing list subscribers = 1166 is up from 1152
Celtic Music Magazine = 4107 is up from 4100

YouTube Subscribers = 5614 is up from 5578
Facebook Likes = 3831 is up from 3820
Instagram = 1917 is up from 1915
Spotify followers: 1924 is up 36 from 1888
# Number of listens on Spotify: 11,612 is up from 4901

LATEST SPOTIFY ALBUM STATS

Most-popular songs on Spotify:

Frosty the Irish Snowman (4470),
Christmas in the Shire (4112),
Slainte Mhaith Christmas (3410),
The Hero of Christmas (2916),
Yuletide (2609),
The Widow and the Devil (2280),
Celtic Christmas Elf (2015),
Let’s Have A Celtic Christmas (1628),
Jingle Bells (1557)
The Scottish King of Christmas (1316)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music:

Doctor of Gallifrey (595),
Hero of Canton (340),
Christmas in Scotland (155),
The Widow abd the Devil (146),
The Night Paddy Murphy Died (79)

Top albums on Amazon:

Sci Fi Drinking Songs (843),
As Long As I'm Flyin (452),
Kilted For Her Pleasure (332),
Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (324),
Going for Brogue (159)

Last year's playlists from this time last year:

Top Irish & Celtic Music: 616 up from 604
Sci F'Irish Music: 14
Nagians Only: 21
Celtfather Experience: 31
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 5
Firefly Drinking Songs: 140 up from 138
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 82 up from 81
Jedi Drinking Songs: 36 up from 34
Marc Gunn Songwriting: 3
Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 130 up from 113
Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families: 2200 is up from 1967
Christmas Drinking Songs: 61 up from 41
Celtic Christmas Women: 44 up from 11
Irish Christmas Songs for Kids: 8 up from 5
Celtic Christmas Songs: 14 up from 13
Christmas Drive: 42
Celtic Christmas Music 2021: 26

19:01 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 169 up from 168
Patreon Monthly Income: $1312 up from$1285

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts, pin and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Greetings Gunn Runner

Is Black Friday an ethical holiday? Overcoming fear is the theme of a new song inspired by the hobbit. Top 10 songs on Spotify.

It's all on my monthly update, Celtfather Unkilted, show #287.

The podcast is brought to you by my amazing Patrons in the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. I have some new subscribers, and I hope to make this an even more important part of my general promotion in the weeks ahead.

0:42 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR THE COMING MONTH

DEC 1: Coffee with The Celtfather @ 11 AM EST
DEC 5: Grant Park Farmer's Market @ 9 AM - Noon
DEC 8: Coffee with The Celtfather @ 11 AM EST
DEC 15: Season 9 Finale Coffee with The Celtfather @ 11 AM EST
DEC 16: Celtfather Live @ 7 PM EST

1:14 - MUSINGS: The Ethics of Black Friday

I'm pretty confident that you know all about Black Friday. Now, we also have Cyber Monday. These are two days when people open up their wallets and many businesses offer HUGE discounts.

I confess I am very torn by those holidays. On the one hand, I have my own business. CD sales are still one of the big ways I make money. My Patreon needs to be twice what it is for me to remove my dependence on CD and merch sales.

On the other hand is consumerism. We create so much waste. I'm not even gonna go into what that waste does to our environment and its effect on climate change.

One of the things I love about the new digital revolution is I can potentially create music and make a living without adding to the waste. One day I hope to sell out all my CDs. Then I will just release them on a limited basis, for those who truly love the media. My storage shelves will be mostly empty.

The Christmas holiday doesn't help. It's all about spending. It bothered me a lot more back in the 90s when I first heard about Buy Nothing Day.

That day was created in response to the consumerism. It's on the very same day as Black Friday. "Don't buy" is the message.

Back around 2001, it became possible to accept credit cards at gigs. But at the time, I was $15K in debt. All because of MY irresponsible use of credit cards.

It got me questioning. Should I accept credit card payments...and potentially have you, my customer, go into debt because of my products?

Eventually, I decided you should be responsible for yourself. But at the same time is that cop out?

This is one of those ethical dilemmas.

I was talking recently with people about ethics in healthcare. The question was raised: should a parent have full control of their child's healthcare? Do they know what's best for their child?

The quick answer is yes. I know what's best for my daughters.

But that comes from my privileged, fairly healthy family background. A parent who is strung out on drugs, sick, or poor or in abusive relationship. They might not be healthy enough to do what is best for their child.

There are so many nuances. There isn't one right answer. It's each different for each person.

My biggest complaint with corporations is that in order to be successful, they need to do what will make the most-profit for their business. That sounds reasonable. They should be allowed to make money freely, without government interference.

That is until you realize that they can dump sewage into our water, poison our air, and destroy our environment. They can murder people and not be culpable.

Because they are a business. The actions of the business will not financially impact the owners of that business.

Reminds of McDonalds: "Would you like to Supersize that?"

That phrase made them boatloads of money. The cost was the increased obesity of their customers.

It took regulations to stop them from using that simple sales phrase. Sure it made them more money. But was it ethical?

We are all manipulated by businesses trying to make a buck. That's why Black Friday changed from businesses saying, "Huh. We get a lot more sales on the day after Thanksgiving" to "Let's capitalize on that and start a holiday!"

I decided not to do a Black Friday sale this year. I thought about it. And I plan to put together a sale on my website soon. I'm not abandoning sales altogether.

But I'm torn.

If nothing else, I think it's important to think about what's right. The ethics of sales. Just because you think it's fine. Doesn't mean it's ethically right. It could be. But think about it.

CELTFATHER MONTHLY UPDATES

6:34 - PODCASTS

Pub Songs & Stories.

New logo. Songs & Stories
Wild Mountain Thyme, Coast.
Mingulay Boat Song, Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer, Jiggle Your Old Bones

Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

In The 'Verse podcast

Rankin & Bass' 1977 animated movie The Hobbit. Song about overcoming fear.
Come Adventure With Me

Celtic Christmas Podcast.

New format
Playlist focused, easier with all the cover songs

Brobdingnagian Bards podcast:

Stories on Patreon: Still need to release my Conjuration Stories. I had a theme epiphany

11:27 - VIDEOS

Coffee with The Celtfather.

Wednesdays at 11 AM Eastern.
Last episode of Season 9 is Weds, Dec 15
Season 10 gonna do songs from CDs

Watch "Blink" Video inspired by Doctor Who.

12:12 - IN THE STUDIO

Selcouth progress

Trying to record "Blink" and "Come Adventure With Me"

"Yuletide" released on Nov 29. On playlists.

14:47 - MERCH

Plan to release Christmas ornaments soon.

Re-release of CDs

Remember, subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%. Patrons save 25%!

WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

16:17 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1152 is up from 1151
Celtic Music Magazine = 4100 is up from 4087

YouTube Subscribers = 5578 is up 26 from 5552
Facebook Likes = 3820 is up from 3817
Instagram = 1915 is up from 1900
Spotify followers: 1888 is up 19 from 1869
# Number of listens on Spotify: 4901 is up from 3153

LATEST SPOTIFY ALBUM STATS

Most-popular songs on Spotify:

"The Widow and the Devil" (2336),
"Frosty the Irish Snowman" (1275),
"The Hero of Christmas" (763),
"Christmas in the Shire" (592),
"Doctor of Gallifrey" (592),
"Slainte Mhaith Christmas" (571),
"Hobbit Hornpipe" (507),
“O’er the Way” (357),
"A Working in the Garden" (344),
"Jingle Bells" (297)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: "Doctor of Gallifrey" (442), "Hero of Canton" (319), "The Widow and the Devil" (159), "Close Your Eyes" (54), "Christmas in Scotland" (40)

Top albums on Amazon: Sci Fi Drinking Songs (703), As Long As I'm Flyin (423), Kilted For Her Pleasure (397), Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (342), Going for Brogue (132)

Last year's playlists from this time last year:
Top Irish & Celtic Music: 604 is up from 602
Sci F'Irish Music: 14 is up from 13
Nagians Only: 21 (same)
Celtfather Experience: 31 (same)
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 5 (same)
Firefly Drinking Songs: 138 (same)
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 81 is up from 80
Jedi Drinking Songs: 34 is up from 33
Marc Gunn Songwriting: 3
Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 113 is up from 110
Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families: 1967 is up from 1941
Christmas Drinking Songs: 41
Celtic Christmas Women: 11
Irish Christmas Songs for Kids: 5
Celtic Christmas Songs: 13
Christmas Drive:

19:01 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 168 is up from 165
Patreon Monthly Income: $1285 is down from $1286

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Today, I review the success of the Pub Songs & Stories changes. I offer tips on promoting your podcast. And I tell you about two new songs coming soon.

It's all on my monthly update, Celtfather Music & Travel, show #286.

0:33 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR THE COMING MONTH

NOV 3: Playing Favorites on Coffee with The Celtfather @ 11 AM EST
NOV 5-7: CONjuration, Atlanta, GA
NOV 10: Coffee with The Celtfather @ 11 AM EST
NOV 12: Interstellar Ginger Beer & Exploration Co., Alabaster, AL @ 8-10 PM
NOV 13: Haeuser House Concert, Robert, LA
NOV 17: Coffee with The Celtfather @ 11 AM EST

WEDS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 9) @ 11:00 AM EST

CELTFATHER MONTHLY UPDATES 1:30 - PODCASTS

Pub Songs & Stories is coming along. I'm getting more interest in the show from musicians. I feel like I should be good for stories for a while. Though I will continue to need to hunt down more stories.

In fact, if you'd like to help me to do that, I'd love to have Pub Stories producer.

I'm changing the logo a tiny bit more for the podcast too. I'm redoing my business cards. I found some cool marketing ideas. But I feel like the current logo is a bit of a distraction... well, the title is.

PUB Songs & Stories. Pub in the title is ultimately irrelevant. It's about the Songs & Stories. But I'm not gonna rename it. If nothing else, PUB differentiated it from other shows.

So I'm making some minor changes before I add that logo to my new business cards. I've decided my next business card design will return to being a billboard for my music and the podcast.

Finally, I'm moving the release date to Tuesdays. That's so I can hopefully release it early to Patrons (ideally on Thursday, but worst case Monday) before it goes out to the public.

5:31 - PUB SONGS & STORIES CHANGES SUCCESS OR FAILURE?

7:26 - 3 PODCAST PROMOTION TIPS

Create intros for each episode. Find something intriguing tidbits from the show to use as a teaser to make people really want to listen.
Share those teasers along with unique graphics (or Video) BEFORE the show comes out. That gets people to actually subscribe to the podcast.
Use a unique URL to get mailing list subscribers AS WELL AS podcast subscribers to the show.

11:59 - PODCAST UPDATE CONT.

I got ahead with the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. As always happens, I lose that lead with each month as I make room for other things I need to work on. So it's time to produce more podcasts before the next big holiday.

The In The 'Verse podcast launches the first episode of season 2 this Saturday. Mikey and I wrote songs inspired by the Doctor Who episode "Blink". I LOVE my new song. It's another that makes me feel like I'm becoming a better songwriter. I still need to write more songs. But this is a great start.

The Celtic Christmas Podcast will release a new episode soon. Well, sort of new. I'm actually fundraising for a fully new episode. At this rate, I won't get it. But if nothing else, I'm gonna add the Celtic Christmas episode of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to the feed as a promo for the podcast. Admittedly, I've had ZERO new patrons for that podcast. I'll post again next month. But it's looking like that podcast may not get a new episode this year. We shall see...

Brobdingnagian Bards put out a new Bards podcast this month too. I actually had to re-release it. I was informed that the first version I released was actually an earlier Bards podcast. Not sure what Andrew did when he mixed it. But he sent it to me. I uploaded it without checking. So about two weeks later, the actual episode came out.

I feel like this was a REALLY good month for the Gunn Runners on Patreon. I started releasing all of the MP3s that I record for Pub Songs & Stories exclusively to Patrons. So that means there are three new recordings PLUS the ones I've been releasing from the Virtual Public House CD.

I debating how. But my current plan is to compile ALL of the Pub Songs recordings onto a USB that will be released next year, along with maybe my new CD, Selcouth.

18:46 - VIDEOS

I made a big decision at the beginning of October. I decided to move the date of Coffee with The Celtfather mid-season. I hate doing that. But I kept having problems attending the Thursday show. Either work-related, family-related, whatever. Thursdays just seemed to be problematic.

So starting in November, Coffee with The Celtfather will be on Wednesdays at 11 AM Eastern. Mark your calendar.

There are no new public videos available. But I did record a first version of my song "Blink" for Patrons.

I am hoping to do a bit of promotion for my Genetic Counseling Song for Genetic Counseling Awareness Day in November. I WANTED to release a single, but oh well. At least...

20:34 - IN THE STUDIO

Selcouth is finally done!

It took far too long. But Mitchell and I finally finished it up. I sent it to the printers. It should arrive by the start of November.

I did finally sit down to start tracking two new songs this week: "Blink" and "Yuletide".

"Blink" is my new Doctor Who song. I'm gonna try to track all of my songs in the future. That means, I'll record individual tracks for better editing.

"Yuletide" is some lyrics I got from Nancy Flynn about the same time as I got "Christmas in the Shire" from her. I hope to have it ready for the holiday. The autoharp is done for both so far.

21:23 - MERCH

I worked out a new merch strategy at MultiVerse this month. It needs some testing. But it involves selling more than just CDs at my merch table.

There will be CDs, lapel pins, download stickers and songbooks. All have digital downloads attached to them. I'm not sure if this is a good strategy or not. But I'm gonna give it a shot.

Remember, subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%. Patrons save 25%!

24:23 - WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

https://pubsong.com/how-dragon-con-saved-irish-music-238

25:08 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1151 is up from 1142
Celtic Music Magazine = 4087 is up from 4072

YouTube Subscribers = 5552 is up 29 from 5533
Facebook Likes = 3817 is down from 3824
Instagram = 1900 is up from 1896
Spotify followers: 1869 is up from 1854
# Number of listens on Spotify: 3153 is up from 3120

Latest Spotify Single Stats:

Latest Spotify Album Stats:

Most-popular songs on Spotify: "The Widow and the Devil" (2.5K), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (610), "Hobbit Hornpipe" (577), "A Working in the Garden" (353), "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" (234), "Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster" (194), "Hero of Canton" (184), "Reavers Malcolm Reavers" (148), , “O’er the Way” (140), “The Hobbit Journey Home” (101)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: "Doctor of Gallifrey" (468), "Hero of Canton" (332), "The Widow and the Devil" (125), "I’m a Rover, Seldom Sober" (61), “St Patrick Never Drank” (46)

Top albums on Amazon: Sci Fi Drinking Songs (752), As Long As I'm Flyin (549), Kilted For Her Pleasure (357), Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (326), Don’t Go Drinking with Hobbits (223)

Last year's playlists from this time last year:
Top Irish & Celtic Music: 602 is up from 600
Sci F'Irish Music: 13 is down 14
Nagians Only: 21 is down 1
Celtfather Experience: 31 (same)
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 5 (same)
Firefly Drinking Songs: 138 up 1
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 80 (same)
Jedi Drinking Songs: 33 (same)
Marc Gunn Songwriting: 3 down 2
Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 110 up 1
Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families: 1941 is down 6

30:08 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 165 down 2
Patreon Monthly Income: $1286 down from $1305

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

31:31 - NEW PODCAST TITLE. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Greetings Gunn Runner

Did we just solve the death of CD problem? Songwriting podcast returns for second season. Convention successes. Selcouth nears completion.

It's all on my monthly update, Celtfather Music & Travel, show #285.

Subscribe to Marc's Musings and Get 21 Songs free!

0:26 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR THE COMING MONTH

OCT 2: Fire Maker Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
OCT 3: Grant Park Farmer's Market, Atlanta, GA
OCT 7: Browncoat Drinking Songs on Coffee with The Celtfather
OCT 14: Playing Favorites on Coffee with The Celtfather
OCT 15-17: Multiverse, Atlanta, GA
OCT 21: Coffee Classics: Geek & Celtic Requests on Coffee with The Celtfather
OCT 21: Firefly Drinking Songs on Celtfather Live on Bandcamp
OCT 28: Boo! Scary Halloween Songs on Coffee with The Celtfather
OCT 30: Lost Druid Brewery, Avondale Estates, GA

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 9) @ 12:00 PM EST

1:44 - RANT: ONE POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE CD PROBLEM

CELTFATHER MONTHLY UPDATES 14:04 - PODCASTS

The new release schedule for Pub Songs & Stories is pretty good. I'm starting to plan shows a month ahead. Course, that said, I'm also struggling to collect the stories. But maybe that'll become easier as the show grows and I spread the signal further. I also realized it would be beneficial for bands if they did more than one story. So what the heck. Until I get a couple months ahead, I'm gonna ask for more than one IF they have a good story to tell.

Band O'Brothers had a good story for their song "Whiskey Spider". I also shared another story from Empty Hats that I recorded back in the spring. I rounded out September with a live podcast recording from Dragon Con.

I meant to record a bunch of stories at Dragon Con and Gen Con. But I was just too busy and/or too wiped . That sucks. But that's the way of it. I did lay some groundwork to collect some stories though. So we shall see.

One of the best things about this format is that if someone really loves a song, eventually I can just say, go check out the episode about that song in Pub Songs & Stories. So far, so good.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast had a full four episodes. I'm still not caught up. But as of this recording, I'm almost done with next week's show. So it's a start.

The In The 'Verse podcast launches the season 2 announcement episode on October 2. You'll want to listen if you want to find out what are plans are for the next season.

On Patreon, I released my thoughts on Gen Con 2021 as well as Dragon Con. I also released a new song called "You Are My Thor". It's a rough cut. But there might be more such things in the future. I also released two more MP3s.

17:44 - VIDEOS

Coffee with The Celtfather had a few hiccup moments this month. I played a replay of one of my hobbit shows because I didn't have much of a voice after Dragon Con. Then the following week, I skipped it, because I was at Gen Con.

I planned all of my Coffee shows for October. I'm gonna keep planning the themes a month in advance.

I was a bit concerned about the attendance of Hobbit Drinking Songs show this month. But all went well. I'm excited about the Firefly Drinking Songs show for October.

18:35 - IN THE STUDIO

In every episode of Pub Songs & Stories, I record, talk about and play at least one song. All of the songs from the first three months of the year were released on a CD called Virtual Public House. The MP3s are still up on my Bandcamp if you want to just buy that album. But that's the last of those digital albums I'm gonna release.

In the future, you'll need to subscribe to Patreon. All of those MP3s will be drip released to my Gunn Runners Club. So if you want some more unique recordings, join the Gunn Runners Club today.

Selcouth is still in the works. I thought we were all done, but right as we were getting ready to master the tracks, Mitchell and I noticed a few problems. So we did some MORE edits. Now we're down to one final song, "Kilty Pleasure". This is the one track that I recorded with autoharp and vocals at the same time. But the compression on the vocals made the autoharp sound weird. So I finally decided to re-record my vocals. That should make it easier to finish the mix.

In the meantime, everything else is done. I have some songbooks, shirts, pins, USBs, stickers. They're all here. I just need the music finished so I can order CDs.

Brobdingnagian Bards released a new EP at Dragon Con. It's called Another Faire to Remember. It was well-received at the conventions. We decided to postpone the Kickstarter. We're gonna aim for 2023 release for that album. That gives us PLENTY of time to record all of the songs for the CD and maybe even write a couple songs.

21:12 - MERCH

I pulled Virtual Public House from my Bandcamp store. It's still available for private streaming so if you bought the album and have any problem playing it, please let me know.

Remember, subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%. Patrons save 25%!

21:50 - CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS

No news about the Celtic Invasion of Scotland. It's still filled up.

22:45 - WEBSITES

I updated YearOfTheKilt.com. That's a URL that goes with my Kilted For Her Pleasure bumper stickers. It's now designed just to get people to buy a sticker.

My FireflyDrinkingSongs.com website now points straight to the In the 'Verse podcast. I wanted a simpler way to just share a URL for the podcast. So I used an existing URL I bought. I wasn't doing much with it anyway.

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

"Scots Wha Hae"
"There's a Bug in Cabin Six"
“My Father Was A Werewolf”
https://pubsong.com/how-dragon-con-saved-irish-music-238

24:41 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1142 is up from 1126
Celtic Music Magazine = 4072 is up from 4048

YouTube Subscribers = 5533 is up 31 from 5502
Facebook Likes = 3824 is up from 3823
Instagram = 1896 is up from 1890
Spotify followers: 1854 is up from 1826
# Number of listens on Spotify: 3120 is up from 2992

Latest Spotify Single Stats:
"By Amazing Grace" released on July 29: no clue (last one)

Latest Spotify Album Stats:
Flower of Scotland released on June 25 (next month): 96 is down from 119 (last one)

Most-popular songs on Spotify: "The Widow and the Devil" (2.4K), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (711), "Hobbit Hornpipe" (621), "A Working in the Garden" (356), "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" (263), "Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster" (227), "Reavers Malcolm Reavers" (206), "Hero of Canton" (205), "Drunken Sailor" (142), "Beer, Beer, Beer" (132)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: "Doctor of Gallifrey" (475), "Hero of Canton" (371), "A Drop of Nelson's Blood" ( 159), "The Widow and the Devil" (97), "Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster" (40)

Top albums on Amazon: Sci Fi Drinking Songs (797), As Long As I'm Flyin (557), Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (316), Kilted For Her Pleasure (279), Going for Brogue (224)

Last year's playlists from this time last year:
Top Irish & Celtic Music: 600 is up from 599
Sci F'Irish Music: 14 is down from 15
Nagians Only: 22 (same)
Celtfather Experience: 31 is up from 30
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 5 (same)
Firefly Drinking Songs: 137 is up from 135
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 80 is up from 78
Jedi Drinking Songs: 33 is up from 32
Marc Gunn Songwriting: 5 is up from 4
Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 109
Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families: 1947

28:41 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 167 is up from 163
Patreon Monthly Income: $1305 is up from $1255

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Could a Firefly Drinking Songs TV show be on its way? What's different with Coffee with The Celtfather. How close am I to completing my next CD?

It's all on my monthly update, Celtfather Music & Travel, show #284.

0:13 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR JULY

SEP 2-6: Dragon Con, Atlanta, GA
SEP 9: Virginia Highlands Farmer's Market, Atlanta, GA @ 5:00 PM
SEP 16-19: Gen Con, Indianapolis, IN.
SEP 23: Hobbit Drinking Songs on Celtfather Live on Bandcamp. Buy tickets.

OCT 2: Fire Maker Brewing Co., Atlanta, GA
OCT 3: Grant Park Farmer's Market, Atlanta, GA
OCT 15-17: Multiverse, Atlanta, KY

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 9) @ 12:00 PM EST

2:22 - RANT: FIREFLY DRINKING SONGS, THE TV SHOW?

CELTFATHER MONTHLY UPDATES

8:02 - PODCASTS

I released two episodes of Pub Songs & Stories this month. The first highlighted songs about selkies with stories from Elizabeth Sutherland and me. But also there was a story by Matt & Shannon Heaton about a tune they wrote.

It was a good show. But afterward, I was lamenting to my engineer, Mitchell, that I can't seem to put out more episodes. He suggested shorter ones. So instead of compiling the next big one in September, we put out a short one featuring Tuatha Dea and their story about "Black Douglas", the original Braveheart. I'm gonna try out the new format for the next month or so. So far, I'm liking it.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast had a full four episodes. I keep hoping to get ahead on that show. Maybe this week, since I'm only doing four episodes a month, it might give me a week to get ahead... or it might not because of Dragon Con.

On Patreon, I released a bonus episode about releasing music on vinyl.

9:52 - VIDEOS

My Coffee with The Celtfather shows are going well. Season 9 started on Thursday, August 5. I'm still not overflowing with viewers. But there's a solid number watching.

I ran a Kickstarter for two weeks. I raised enough money to pay for Restream.io. So now I can skip asking for tips and just focus on performing all season.

One of the last shows was pre-recorded in some local woods. It was nice to get out.

The next Celtfather Live is on Thursday, September 23 at 8 pm ET. This will be a Hobbit Drinking Songs show. Tickets will go on sale in September.

I shared of a waterfall in North Georgia that my family saw back in May. And I made a new video for my music's Patreon page.

13:26 - IN THE STUDIO

August was my big studio month. I spent the first couple days of August in the studio putting some final touches on Selcouth and recording tracks for a Brobdingnagian Bards EP that we will release at Dragon Con.

Selcouth has 13 tracks and at the time of recording this, Mitchell and I are still cleaning up one more final song that we realized had sonic problems. I'm hoping we'll finish it up this weekend. I'm trying to complete the album by the end of the month.

In the meantime, I finished the Selcouth booklet with lyrics and stories behind the songs. I ordered shirts for the Kickstarter. Then I just need to mail everything to all of my supporters.

I sat down and recorded more music for the Brobdingnagian Bards EP. The album is called Another Faire to Remember. This sort of a preview/concept that will be released as a full-length album next year. We are over halfway done with the album. So we're gonna launch a Kickstarter for it probably in October.

17:13 - MERCH

I'm getting ready to pull Virtual Public House from my store along with the As Long As I'm Flyin' vinyl album. If you want to own either, order it now.

Coffee with The Celtfather coffee mugs are back in the store as are the pint glasses.

Remember, subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%.

18:30 - CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS

The Celtic Invasion of Scotland officially opened this month. It also closed this month. That's because I already have more than full contingent of people joining me this year. Now it's time to start planning the invasion.

19:37 - WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

“Big Strong Man”
“Rare Old Mountain Dew” (new song)
“Selkie’s Life” (new song)
“The Cat Came Back… The Cat’s Perspective”

19:58 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1126 is down from 1131
Celtic Music Magazine = 4048 is up from 4059

YouTube Subscribers = 5502 is up from 5472
Facebook Likes = 3823 is up 12 from 3811
Instagram = 1890 is up from 1884
Spotify followers: 1826 is up from 1813
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2992 is up from 2906

Latest Spotify Single Stats:
"Peggy Gordon" released on July 2: 44 is down from 67 (last one)
"By Amazing Grace" released on July 29: 26

Latest Spotify Album Stats:
Flower of Scotland released on June 25 (next month): 119 is down from 230

Most-popular songs on Spotify: "The Widow and the Devil" (2K), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (634), "Hobbit Hornpipe" (530), "A Working in the Garden" (394), "Hero of Canton" (226), "Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster" (221), "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" (208), "Reavers Malcolm Reavers" (205), "Drunken Sailor" (139), "Beer, Beer, Beer" (136)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: "Doctor of Gallifrey" (600), "Hero of Canton" (319), "A Drop of Nelson's Blood" ( 213), "The Widow and the Devil" (130), "Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster" (53)

Top albums on Amazon: Sci Fi Drinking Songs (951), As Long As I'm Flyin (590), Going for Brogue (424), Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (329), Kilted For Her Pleasure (361)

Last year's playlists from this time last year:
Top Irish & Celtic Music: 599 is up from 596
Sci F'Irish Music: 15 is up from 13
Nagians Only: 22 (same)
Celtfather Experience: 30 up from 29
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 5 (same)
Firefly Drinking Songs: 135 is up from 132
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 78 is up from 76
Jedi Drinking Songs: 32 is up from 31
Marc Gunn Songwriting: 4 (same)

23:50 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 163 (same)
Patreon Monthly Income: $1255 is down from $1264

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts ,and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Greetings Gunn Runner

A new single with the Brobdingnagian Bards and a Bards EP. Last chance to get my Firefly CD on vinyl. A short, new Kickstarter coming? Coffee with The Celtfather returns for its 9th season. Do you really have to put on a show to draw a crowd?

It's all on my monthly update, Celtfather Music & Travel, show #283.

1:04 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR JULY

AUG 13: Tucker Brewing Company, Tucker, GA @ 6:30 - 9:30 PM
AUG 19: Celtfather Live @ 8 PM ET. Tickets $6.
AUG 26: The Lost Druid, Avondale Estates, AL @ 6 PM - 8:30 PM ET
THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 9 returns on Aug 5, 2021) @ 12:00 PM EST

1:58 - RANT: BUSKING SHOWMANSHIP

I heard this quote from Elvis Presley years ago where he said, "You gotta put on a show to draw a crowd."

CELTFATHER MONTHLY UPDATES

12:31 - PODCASTS

Only one episode of Pub Songs & Stories this month. It highlighted "By Amazing Grace", my latest single.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast had a full four episodes, including a Women of Summer episode. Though I was pretty pleased with the Life Is Too Short episode as well. Amelia Hogan is one of my new favorite Celtic musicians on the podcast.

The Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast came out later than usual. Andrew and I talked about "Songs That Get Stuck in Your Head". We talk getting comfortable on stage and chipmunk style Bog Off.

Celtfather Music & Travel had a bonus episode where I talked about sound reinforcement at busking gigs.

And Patreon was extra busy this month. In addition the free MP3s, I talked about a big happy success in July. I chatted about MP3s, CDs and streaming music, and I shared an unreleased podcast from Sherwood Forest Faire.

14:41 - VIDEOS

At the beginning of the month I had one of those epic parenting successes. I was practicing music more with my kids. So my wife recorded a video of Kenzie singing "I'll Tell My Ma" while Inara danced and I played autoharp. It was amazing. One of those things I dreamed of, but never imagined would happen.

The big news is the return of Coffee with The Celtfather. Season 9 starts on Thursday, August 5. I'm debating running a Kickstarter campaign to pay for Restream.io so that I can broadcast over multiple platforms. I feel like raising $120 is easy enough. AND since I don't earn much by way of tips, it would better fund the show, and show its profitability outside of Patreon.

I haven't made a commitment yet, but it I'm seriously considering it.

The next Celtfather Live is on Thursday, August 19 at 8 pm ET.

16:38 - IN THE STUDIO

"By Amazing Grace", was released as a single on July 29. "Peggy Gordon" was released as a single on July 2. "Bright Side of Everything" is the next single. It's scheduled to come out on August 26. That one features the background music and vocals of Celtic rock band Screeched Inn, out of Canada.

I have plenty of songs completed to finish up Selcouth. But there's one more I want to add. It's the "Reavers Drinking Song". I haven't recorded it at all, as of present. That's at the top of my recording schedule when the girls start back for school in August.

I did record three songs for Another Faire to Remember. This is an EP that the Brobdingnagian Bards hope to release for Dragon Con. I still need to record at least one more song to make it happen.

18:58 - MERCH

Virtual Public House is still on sale. I'm gonna pull it at the end of August. The As Long As I'm Flyin' vinyl album will no longer be available past September. So if you want either of those, you should order soon.

Incidentally, sales for Virtual Public House have not been great. So I'm happy to say there will not be further editions released like this. I say happy because years ago, the Brobdingnagian Bards released Christmas in Brobdingnag, Vol. 1, with the intent that there would be future volumes. And there never were. I thought about naming Virtual Public House in a similar fashion. Now I don't have to.

Instead of releasing Virtual Public House like I have, I'm just gonna continue to release the MP3s via Patreon. And then I might use the CD as a bonus item for Kickstarters.

Meantime, you can download a free MP3 every month from this CD when you sign up to my mailing list.

Merch sales at gigs this month were interesting. At Jordan Con, I didn't sell nearly as well as I hoped. But I did upgrade my merch table with a greater emphasis on my Celtic Heartstring necklaces. I love the look.

Then I did a couple farmer's market gigs. That got me thinking about busking for Gen Con. So I updated my busking setup. It also sent me on a YouTube busking research binge. I watched a LOT of videos on busking. But few focus on merch. That is something I still need to work on. But I feel like my efforts will pay off... just not yet.

Meantime, subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%.

21:44 - CELTIC TRAVEL

Nothing new to update about the Celtic Invasion of Scotland. However, sometime in August or possibly September, I hope to open up the sign ups for newbies. Details are coming. Sign up to the mailing list at CelticInvasion.com if you want to be one of the first on the list.

22:03 - WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

“Peggy Gordon”
“Mairi’s Wedding”
“By Amazing Grace”
“Wherever I May Roam”

22:21 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1131 is up from 1128
Celtic Music Magazine = 4059 is down from 4068

YouTube Subscribers = 5472 is up from 5438
Facebook Likes = 3811 is up from 3802
Instagram = 1884 is up from 1882
Spotify followers: 1813 is up 16 from 1797
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2906 is up from 2652

Latest Spotify Single Stats:

"Hobbit Hornpipe" released Aug 26: 536 is up from 499 (last one)
"Cloghden More" released on April 30: 18 is up from 12 (last one)
"Name On My Soul" released on June 4: 43 is down from 141 (last one)
"Peggy Gordon" released on July 2: 67

Latest Spotify Album Stats:

Flower of Scotland released on June 25 (next month): 230 is down from 239

Most-popular songs on Spotify: "The Widow and the Devil" (1.9K), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (552), "Hobbit Hornpipe" (536), "A Working in the Garden" (297), "Hero of Canton" (257), "Reavers Malcolm Reavers" (202), "Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster" (191), "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" (183), "Beer, Beer, Beer" (149), "Drunken Sailor" (116)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: "Doctor of Gallifrey" (538), "Hero of Canton" (379), "The Widow and the Devil" (94), "The Wreck of the Bold Irish Stout" (52), "I'm A Rover, Seldom Sober" (29)

Top albums on Spotify: Sci Fi Drinking Songs (819), As Long As I'm Flyin (614), Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (253), Kilted For Her Pleasure (250), Going for Brogue (167)

Last year's playlists from this time last year:

Top Irish & Celtic Music: 596 is up from 592
Sci F'Irish Music: 13 (same)
Nagians Only: 22 (same)
Celtfather Experience: 29 (same)
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 5 (same)
Firefly Drinking Songs: 132 is up from 130
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 76 is up from 74
Jedi Drinking Songs: 31 (same)
Marc Gunn Songwriting: 4

PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 163 is down from 164
Patreon Monthly Income: $1264 is up from $1249

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts ,and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Is louder, better? This is Celtfather Music & Travel show #282.

I booked a farmer's market gig. The booker told me I would need to play completely unplugged. Past musicians played too loudly. They disrupted the sales of the vendors. Those musicians won't be coming back. And now I might not get to play amplified.

Some people think that louder is better. Louder does stand out more. The more noise you make, the more people take notice. But it does not necessarily mean it's better.

For many years, the Elven Hill stage at Sherwood Forest Faire had a band that blasted their music. The sound traveled all the way down the hill. It disrupted the atmosphere of the Renaissance festival. But the musicians got noticed. They were a favorite for their Led Zeppelin and Last of the Mohican cover songs. It was a great for them. They grew their fan base.

Down the hill, the folk musicians suffered. They were drowned out by the music. We're talking 20 year veterans with amazing vocals and song arrangements. Their shows were interrupted. They grew slower. They had to adjust. Now most of the musicians at the faire amplify their music to get noticed.

Eventually, the over amplification was replaced with sound reinforcement at most stages. The loud band no longer exists. All of those acoustic musicians are still performing.

Seth Godin released a podcast back in June 2021 called "How Many Edges?" or "Fueling the Engines of pision". The podcast talks about social media companies and how they are pushing people to the edges. He suggests that maybe it is time for them to change their algorithms to stop pushing the extremes.

Social media companies used their algorithm to turn us into raving fans. They took us deeper and deeper into our fandoms and things we that evoked an emotional response. If it was just the things we loved, that'd be great. But many of the things we that moved us also infuriated us. That's why social media now makes us sad and angry. It brings very little joy.

But just imagine if those companies changed their algorithms. What if they stopped pushing us to the extremes. What if they stopped feeding the spread of disinformation or negative information. They have the power to make our feeds something we love again.

Yes. People would stay on social media less. But would that really matter? They already have monopolies. They make billions of dollars a year. They don't NEED more people on their platform all the time. And they would still make billions. That's how big they are.

The extremes are loud. For a short time, people will take notice. But it's the small folk musicians at the faire who are still making a living with their music. They aren't loud and obnoxious. They aren't drowning out other musicians. They are just as good or better than the bands blowing out their ears. But they are getting rehired for gigs because they aren't disrupting the culture.

That's what life is all about. It's about our culture. It's about things we love. Not things we loathe. We all want to be happy. The best way to do that is to be a bit more respectful of those around us, to not push people to extremes, even if those extremes might be good for us as individuals. Is it good for those around us?

We are all in this together. We can be happy without making others miserable. We can be respectful and get noticed. We can lift our neighbors up, even if it doesn't serve our own self interests. Because it's good for the community. It's good for the culture. And ultimately, it will be good for us too.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast episode. If you did you can show your support by joining the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. You can do that for as little as $5 per month. In addition to podcasts like this, you'll also get a couple exclusive free MP3s every month. You'll get video concerts and updates about what's new. You can find out more when you visit the website and subscribe at Celtfather.com.

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How was the first science fiction convention back? Podcasting during a summer with kids. New songs finished. Plus, an alternate look at live performances.

It's all on my monthly update, Celtfather Music & Travel, show #281.

0:26 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR JULY

JUL 9: Interstellar Ginger Beer & Exploration Co., Alabaster, AL @ 7-10 PM CT
JUL 10: Pepper Place Farmer's Market, Birmingham, AL @ 8:00 AM - 12 PM CT
JUL 15: Browncoats on Celtfather Live @ 8 PM ET. Get your tickets.
JUL 16-18: JordanCon, Atlanta, GA
JUL 30: Ironshield Brewing, Lawrenceville, GA @ 7:00 – 10:00 PM.

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 9 returns on Aug 5, 2021) @ 12:00 PM EST

1:21 - PAST MONTH

2:36 - RANT: AN ALTERNATE LOOK AT LIVE PERFORMANCES

MONTHLY UPDATES

7:02 - PODCASTS

Mikey Mason has a podcast called MikeyTalks. I listened to it while I was driving to Magic City Con last week. Curse him! It was really good. He's such a good storyteller. I find it frustrating that I'm not better because I would really like to do a show like that. I just don't feel it would be as good. Ah well...

Summer break for the kids is making it difficult to plan ahead with podcasts. Pub Songs & Stories is coming out slower than I'd like. In June, I released...

The Harpers #232: Was the harp banned by Queen Elizabeth? Hear the origins of the song Soul of a Harper by Rie Sheridan Rose. Songwriting as a parent offers its own special joys, songs about the children we love. Plus, was it horrible, the night that Paddy Murphy died?

Next time, there are a couple stories by Carl Asch of Empty Hats and Adrian of Tartanic.

So far the Virtual Public House CD is not selling well. I'm not sure if that's an issue of promotion (or lack thereof) or the type of CD. So if you want to own a limited-edition CD, get it now. The album will be available for just a few more months. But it won't last the year.

I had some good episodes of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast in June. I'm particularly excited about the release of The Gothard Sisters' new CD, Dragonfly. I feature several tracks and will continue to.

The Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast and Celtfather Music & Travel were on hiatus. I did release a couple Stories from the Road podcasts on Patreon though.

I'm also starting to think about the next In the 'Verse podcast. I need to get back to songwriting. That podcast will help.

9:34 - VIDEOS

Coffee with The Celtfather ended well. Those season finales seem to do pretty well. I started planning the themes for season 9 which will start on Thursday, August 5. I'm seriously considering signing back up to ReStream, which will once again allow me to broadcast on multiple platforms. Though, I will still stick primarily with YouTube. Maybe I'll just do one month.

The re-launch of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast YouTube channel is posing problematic. YouTube stopped allowing me to edit shows on their website. So I used a secondary website. And that's just too much work for someone who has not enough time. So I might discontinue that.

My Celtfather Live concert this month had a fairly light attendance. But it was a great group of Gunn Runners. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know there are so many people who support my music.

The next Celtfather Live is a FREE SHOW. It's scheduled for Thursday, July 15 at 8 pm ET.

11:17 - IN THE STUDIO

I finally finished up "By Amazing Grace", "Bright Side of Everything", "Favor of a Dance", "Kilty Pleasure", and "Breathing". So we much closer to finishing up Selcouth. I'm thinking of having a private listening party for Gunn Runners to help me decide which are the best tracks on the album. I'm also gonna do that with my family.

ALEP is postponed once again. So looks like Sam Gillogly and I have more time to finish our Dancing With Hobbits album. We still have quite a few tracks to release.

"Name On My Soul" by Kilted Kings was released as a single this month. Listens have not been great. But oh well... The full album is out on June 25 under the title Flower of Scotland.

13:14 - MERCH

Virtual Public House is still on sale. I haven't picked a date for it to be pulled. But I will give you at least a month's heads up.

You can download a free MP3 every month from this CD when you sign up to my mailing list.

I'm brainstorming more merch to sell at conventions in the next couple months. I'll let you know how that goes.

I re-released several Firefly related merch items in preparation for the next Celtfather Live show.

Meantime, subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%.

14:19 - CELTIC TRAVEL

The Celtic Invasion of Scotland is officially open to past Invaders. I have a castle booked in near the just across the mountain from the banks of Loch Lomond for the first week of June 2022. I will open it up to non-invaders in August. Sign up to the mailing list at CelticInvasion.com if you want to be one of the first on the list.

15:13 - WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

“Lily the Pink”
“Jedi Drinking Song”
“The Last Jedi Drinking Song”
“Black Velvet Band”
“Donald, Where’s Your Troosers/"
"Drunken Sailor”
“Rattlin’ Bog”
“The Night Paddy Murphy Died”
“Soul of a Harper”
“Everybody Needs A Drinking Song”

15:40 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1128 is down from 1138
Celtic Music Magazine = 4068 is up from 4062

YouTube Subscribers = 5438 is up from 5411
Facebook Likes = 3802 is same
Instagram = 1882 is up from 1872
Spotify followers: 1797 is up 26 from 1771
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2652 is down from 2857

Latest Spotify Single Stats:
"Slainte Mhaith" released on April 18: 25 is up from 23
"Proudfoot Shuffle" released on Mar 18: 20 is down from 127 (last one)
"Hobbit Hornpipe" released Aug 26: 499 is down from 521
"The Hero of Christmas" released on Nov 17: 19 is down from 107 (last one)
"Cloghden More" released on April 30: 12
"Name On My Soul" released on June 4: 141

Latest Spotify Album Stats:
St Patrick's Day: 415 is down from 601 (last one)
Flower of Scotland released on June 25 (next month): 239

Most-popular songs on Spotify: "The Widow and the Devil" (1.7K), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (536), "Hobbit Hornpipe" (499), "A Working in the Garden" (246), "Hero of Canton" (220), "Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster" (193), "Reavers Malcolm Reavers" (193), "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" (156), "Name On My Soul" (133), "The Parting Glass" (109)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: "Doctor of Gallifrey" (132), "Hero of Canton" (126), "The Widow and the Devil" (38), "Jedi Drinking Song Prequel" (17), "The Night That Paddy Murphy Died (12)

Top albums: Sci Fi Drinking Songs (258), As Long As I'm Flyin (220), Going for Brogue (139), Kilted For Her Pleasure (87), Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (51)

Last year's playlists from this time last year:
Top Irish & Celtic Music: 592 is up from 582
Sci F'Irish Music: 13 is up from 12
Nagians Only: 22 is up from 21
Celtfather Experience: 29 is down 30
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 5 is down from 6
Firefly Drinking Songs: 130 is up from 127
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 74 is up from 71
Jedi Drinking Songs: 31 (same)

18:59 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 164 is up from 157
Patreon Monthly Income: $1249 is up from $1206

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts ,and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Greetings Gunn Runner

New, more effective way to promote Pub Songs & Stories. Livestreaming concerts on Bandcamp. Romulan Ale video. Irish & Celtic music back on YouTube. Selcouth CD moves a step closer. As Long As I'm Flyin' released on 12" vinyl. Virtual Public House CD released.

It's all on my monthly update.

PODCASTS

I feel confident about officially changing the name of the Pub Songs Podcast to Pub Songs & Stories. The show themes felt good. The stories from Barleyjuice, Heather Dale and Jesse Ferguson were fantastic. And the marketing was the bomb!

I haven't checked this stat at all, but I had net 15 people sign to my mailing list over the last 30 days. That's pretty darn good IMHO.

Miranda and I changed how we promote the show. I want more people discovering the artists in the show. That requires better engagement on social.

I learned a few social media promotion tips recently on my drive to Texas. As much as I despise Facebook, I figure if I can improve the organic reach of my posts, perhaps I don't have to waste as much money attracting new people to my page

I'd love your feedback about the new show. Drop me a line if you have any thoughts about what's working and isn't working.

In other news, I officially released the Virtual Public House CD. We shall see if this idea is worth continuing.

There were three special episodes of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast this month. There was a Celtic Woman special, an instrumental show, and an Easter special.

Andrew and I talked about Sherwood Forest Faire in the Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast.

I continued the audio blog series on Celtfather Music & Travel. Catherine Tully is writing articles for me on various topics. I'm turning those into podcasts. The latest was in honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day

VIDEOS

Bandcamp announced livestreaming on their platform at the beginning of April. I got REALLY excited. I ran a test video concert. It was a tremendous success as was my Celtfather Live show was on April 15. It too was a smashing success. I published my review of Bandcamp for livestreaming in my blog. I highly recommend it for every musician.

Coffee with The Celtfather is still going strong. I think May will be the end of Season 8. But I might run the show into June. We shall see.

I figured out a new way to re-launch the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast YouTube channel. I stopped publishing episodes of the podcast on YouTube because there was too much published music in each show. They couldn't monetize it.

So instead of publishing full episodes, I trim them down to the first 20 minutes of the show. I've had no further problems. People are listening once again to them. Even if it's a condensed show. At least some artists will earn a few pennies from episodes. With any luck, some of those shows might even gain popularity.

I published a recording of "Romulan Ale" from AnachroCon 2019. Should have another single coming soon.

I'm keeping Spotify Canvases on my brain. I uploaded several new ones this month.

The next Celtfather Live is a FREE SHOW. It's scheduled for Thursday, May 13 at 7 pm ET as part of the Dragon Con Filk Music Track.

IN THE STUDIO

I took a step back this month with worrying about releasing Selcouth in a timely fashion. I'm still working with Mitchell to get some great mixes of songs that I'm proud of.

I have all the tracks for "Bright Side of Everything" with Screeched Inn. Just need to finish mixing

"Favor of a Dance" with Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer is close to being done.

I hope to finish up "By Amazing Grace" with Andrew McKee later this week.

The Muckers were fantastic on "Kilty Pleasure". I just need a final mix.

"Breathing" with Nathan Deese sounds fantastic. But need a better mix.

Sam Gillogly and I recorded a new tune called "Hobbit Polka". It is super fun. I seriously can't wait for Dancing With Hobbits to be released. We have some mighty fine tunes to share.

I pulled Name On My Soul by Kilted Kings from online in April and started re-releasing singles. "Slainte Mhaith" is not doing nearly as well as I had hoped. "Cloghden More" comes out on April 30. Name On My Soul will be officially re-released 28 days later. I'm still hopeful that this re-release will do a better job of linking me with the band. Because the music is so fantastic! It's a shame not to have it associated with me.

MERCH

Virtual Public House was released at the end of April. It's available as a digital download or as a physical CD. We shall see how well this test CD project works.

I brought copies out to Sherwood Forest Faire. But CD sales are poor so far. I can't tell if that's because people don't want CDs or because I'm doing a crap job of promoting the new album.

But this weekend, I'm gonna try something new. I'm gonna focus on promoting stickers. "You have steekers?" Does that work? Hmmm. One way to find out.

Yes. I sold a few CDs and a USB drive. But it all still needs work.

What I am NOT bringing out, and what will only be available for sale online, is the new 12" vinyl of As Long As I'm Flyin'. I honestly don't expect to sell many. That's because I have to price them at $60. But I want one. So you can now get one.

Subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%. And yes, it works for that Firefly CD.

I also removed a LOT of merch from my store. You gotta stay on top of things if you want something in particular.

CELTIC TRAVEL

Want to join me on Celtic Invasion of Scotland? Sign up to the mailing list at CelticInvasion.com if you want to be one of the first on the list.

WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

“Haul Away Joe”
“Mingulay Boat Song”
“Bonnie Ship the Diamond”
“Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster”
“Jock Stuart (A Man Who Wears A Kilt Every Day)”
“I’m A Rover, Seldom Sober"
SHOWS PLANNED FOR MAY

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 8) @ 12:00 PM EST

MAY 1-2: Sherwood Forest Faire, Paige, TX
MAY 8: Pepper Place Farmer's Market, Birmingham, AL @ 8:00 AM - 12 PM CT. Details.
MAY 8: Interstellar Ginger Beer & Exploration Co., Alabaster, AL @ 7-10 PM
MAY 13: Dragon Con Filk Music Concert @ 7 PM
MAY 15: Freedom Farmer's Market, Atlanta, GA @ 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1129 is edited down from 1228
Celtic Music Magazine = 4064 is up from 4062

YouTube Subscribers = 5380 is up from 5337
Facebook Likes = 3771 is up from 3763
Instagram = 1872 is up from 1869
Spotify followers: 1771 is up from 1751
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2857 is down from 4962

Latest Spotify Single Stats:
"Slainte Mhaith" released on April 18: 23
"Proudfoot Shuffle" released on Mar 18: 127 is down from 147
"Hobbit Hornpipe" released Aug 26: 521 is down from 569
"The Hero of Christmas" released on Nov 17: 107 is down from 111

Latest Spotify Album Stats:
St Patrick's Day: 601 is down from 2.2K

Most-popular songs on Spotify: "The Widow and the Devil" (1.8K), "Hobbit Hornpipe" (521), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (503), "A Working in the Garden" (360), "Reavers Malcolm Reavers" (191)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: "Hero of Canton" (796), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (496), "Finnegan's Wake" (107), "The Widow and the Devil" (104), "Sail the Sky" (60)

Top albums: As Long As I'm Flyin (1106), Sci Fi Drinking Songs (828), Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (401), Kilted For Her Pleasure (281), Going for Brogue (168)

Last year's playlists from this time last year:
Top Irish & Celtic Music: 582 is up from 575
Sci F'Irish Music: 12 (same)
Nagians Only: 21 (same)
Celtfather Experience: 29 is down 30
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 5 is down from 6
Firefly Drinking Songs: 127 is up from 126
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 71 is up from 62
Jedi Drinking Songs: 31 is down from 32

PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 157 is down from 159
Patreon Monthly Income: $1206 is down from $1215

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts ,and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Honoring the Celtic Green Thumb for Earth Day and Arbor Day

Today many of us have at least a few house plants for decoration indoors, or invest in a few pretty flower pots to set out on the porch. We sit on a bench under the shade of a big tree in the heat of the mid-day sun to take a break from mowing the lawn or playing with the kids. We may even tend to a little herb garden—or sew a few tomato plants and veggies in a small garden out back. Even so, it can be so easy to forget that in the not-too-distant past, trees and plants were both tied so much more strongly to all facets of day-to-day life—and in many different ways.

The Celtic culture is rich with references to trees and plants; especially as one looks back to more primitive times. Between holding certain trees sacred, using plants for medicine, and believing that spirits could be found in some of these forms, the natural world certainly loomed large for the Celtic people. It’s something they lived with closely, and honored in many different ways. Add to that the true, heartfelt love of the land that Celtic people embrace, and it makes sense that we’d want to highlight both Arbor Day and Earth Day this month for our listeners.

Earth Day takes place on April 22nd, and it’s really a good time to take a moment to think about our connection with the planet that we live on. With so many concerns having to do with the environment today, this is a topic that definitely could use some attention. Perhaps our Celtic ancestors, as primitive as things may have been back in the day, had the jump on us where this is concerned. After all, although all of our modern conveniences are quite lovely, they do tend to have the effect of separating us from the natural world in a way that lessens our connection with it. During the coronavirus crisis, many people found a little bit of that connection again in one way or another—be it through taking more walks outside, planning a garden from seed, or even just thinking more about the natural landscape and how it factors into this life we live.

Although connecting with nature is certainly not a concept the Celtic people have dibs on, it is definitely a quality that defines this group of people. There’s so much we can do—even small things—to better feel that bond with the environment and all the living things that share the world around us. Arbor Day, this year celebrated on April 30th, is the perfect time to take action in this regard. Planting a tree is one of the most immediate ways to give back to the earth, and it’s easy to do as well! I encourage you to take a few minutes toward the end of April if you can, and plant a tree!

Back in 2018 I did a podcast episode of Celtic music dedicated to Arbor Day, which you can find linked below. In 2020 I also put out a podcast centered around planting a tree. It would be great if even a few people took the time to don some head phones and get into the spirit of connecting with the land—just like the Celts did. Whether you jump back to these podcasts, or wait for some of the tracks that I’m including in the upcoming episode, head outside and spend some time listening to music and communing with the natural world. If you have a spot that would suit a tree, plant one—and if not, check into what native plants might work well in your landscape and zip a few into the ground. Not only will it feel good to do it, but you’ll be making the world a better place—and there’s no better way to do something like that then while playing Celtic music as you go. Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already, and thanks so much for joining us here today. Be sure to check out our Earth Day podcast coming up on fill in the date here for some other great Celtic music to plant by!

Support Celtic culture and our amazing planet Earth through music. Subscribe at Celtfather.com.

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New stories in the virtual public house. Limited-edition CDs. I'm a Rover, Seldom Sober video. Who recorded on what Selcouth song. And a new hobbit single.

It's all on my monthly update, Celtfather Music & Travel, show #279.

0:17 - PODCASTS

I've made so many changes to the Pub Songs Podcast over the years. I'm always wondering what do I want it to be? I think I finally have a format I'm excited about.

The new intro goes like this: "Welcome to the Pub Songs & Stories, the Virtual Public House where you hear the stories and inspiration behind the music."

The new format solves several issues I've had. First, it gives me a way to share my music in a fun capacity, performing "live" for my listeners, in much the same way Bing Crosby would've done on the Kraft Music Hall back in the day. I can sing new recordings of songs.

I can share my stories about songs too. These can be either what the song is about or just a story related to the song I'm singing in the show. This is by far the toughest thing about producing the show, coming up with engaging stories.

The new format also allows me to share stories and help other musicians.

I plan to feature two stories from two different artists in each episode, plus one of their songs from each. If I can get an acoustic original performance, all the better. But right now, I'm just sharing studio recordings.

My goal is to help promote them in a more personal setting, again, through stories. But even better, I realized that most musicians don't have my skill with podcasting. I see this new feature as a way for musicians to sort of have their own podcast.

Of course that also means I can promote to their fans as well. So it's a win-win as far as I can see... IF I can keep up with the stories.

You may also note that I'm not limiting this to Celtic musicians. Instead it's gonna be around my niche Celtic AND Geek music. The new description zooms in on musicians in general. If there's a story to be told, I might consider it.

Oh! There's one more thing I am launching--limited-edition CDs.

I asked Mitchell to start mixing down all of my songs in Pub Songs & Stories. Every three months or so, we will release a CD featuring the best of all of those songs.

I'm also considering a possible USB which might include outtakes or song duplicates PLUS all of the podcast episodes.

Again, it's limited edition. So the CD won't be available for long. 3-6 months. I though this might be another nice to fund the podcast.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast had some killer St Patrick's Day shows this year. Episode #500 was over four hours long. I LOVED hearing all of the congrats that were sent in by artists. It was a big pick me up.

The March episode of Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast featured music. No big news there. Hopefully, Andrew and I can stay on top of upcoming shows.

4:53 - VIDEOS

I think YouTube algorithms are finally understanding my channel. I'm not seeing greater subscribers yet. But the channel is mostly live shows (Coffee with The Celtfather) and I'm getting a decent number of folks watching those.

I posted a couple new video singles recently. One was recorded in 2018 for the Celtic Invasion of the Isle of Skye. It's my journey from Glasgow to Inverness by train. The music is for "I'm A Rover, Seldom Sober". I have more video singles that are coming.

I also created several new Canvases for Spotify. I'm still thinking about what videos to use for which song. Slowly getting those uploaded.

The next Celtfather Live concert is scheduled for Thursday, April 15. This one is "For Mother Earth". I'm not sure what songs to include on that outside of "Heart of Fangorn". But whatever. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

Tickets are different this time. All you have to do is spend $8 in my Mage Records store and you will get access to the show. And of course it's free to all Heroic Gunn Runners.

7:16 - IN THE STUDIO

I'm still getting tracks back from musicians for Selcouth are done. No big update just yet. But I have most of the tracks from Screeched Inn done for "Bright Side of Everything". I'm waiting on some background vocals.

Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer sent their tracks for "Favor of a Dance". They sound amazing.

I have an update I'm waiting on from Andrew McKee, The Irish Bard, for "By Amazing Grace".

The Muckers recorded their parts for "Kilty Pleasure" but I'm still waiting for the tracks.

Nathan Deese sent his recordings for "Breathing". And it's perfect!

Sam Gillogly and I released a new single on March 18 called "Proudfoot Shuffle". It's already getting a lot of streams on Spotify.

I also started rewriting "Happy Birthday From Ireland". I never play that song because it's rather vain based. It was a birthday song for me.

So now I'm editing the lyrics to make more about all of the children of Irish immigrants who are discovering their heritage.

9:08 - MERCH

Of course, I already mentioned the Pub Songs & Stories CD that'll come out probably next month.

I'm planning some package deals very soon. I don't remember which package deal is first. I think it's a comedy package... Keep any eye on the store and my mailing list for details.

Subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%.

9:33 - CELTIC TRAVEL

Want to join me on Celtic Invasion of Scotland

9:56 - WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

“Men of New Basin Canal”
"Beer, Beer, Beer"
"The Leprechaun"
“Kilty Pleasure”
"Kilkelly, Ireland"
“When the Dairy Farm Caught Fire”
"Molly Malone"
“St Patrick Never Drank”
“Breathing”
“Kilted For Her Pleasure”

10:23 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR MARCH

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 8) @ 12:00 PM EST

APR 15: "For Mother Earth" Celtfather Live on YouTube @ 8:00 - 9:30 PM ET. Tickets $8.
APR 17: Pepper Place Farmer's Market in Birmingham, AL @ 8:00 AM - 12 PM CT
APR 17: The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, GA @ TBA
APR 23-25: Sherwood Forest Faire, Paige, TX
APR 29: Brobdingnagian Bards Live on YouTube @ TBA

11:53 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1228 is up from 1219
Celtic Music Magazine = 4062 is up from 4026

YouTube Subscribers = 5337 is up from 5009
Facebook Likes = 3763 is up from 3746
Instagram = 1869 is up from 1867
Spotify followers: 1751 is up from 1737
# Number of listens on Spotify: 4962 is up from 3395

Latest Spotify Single Stats:
"Proudfoot Shuffle" released on Mar 18: 147
"Hobbit Hornpipe" released Aug 26: 569 is up from 458
"The Hero of Christmas" released on Nov 17: 111 is down from 119

Latest Spotify Album Stats:
St Patrick's Day: 2.2K is up from 1K

Most-popular songs on Spotify: "The Widow and the Devil" (2.5K), "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" (1.6K), "The Leprechaun" (637), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (592), "Beer, Beer, Beer" (590), "Hobbit Hornpipe" (569), "Drunken Sailor" (543), "Lord of the Pounce" (438), "I'll Drink From Dusk Til Dawn" (407), "Nancy Whiskey" (386)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: "Hero of Canton" (1787), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (599), "The Widow and the Devil" (150), "Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster" (99), "Sail the Sky" (98)

Top albums: As Long As I'm Flyin (2167), Sci Fi Drinking Songs (1117), St Patrick's Day Songs for Kids (608), Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (515), Going for Brogue (505)

Last year's playlists from this time last year:
Top Irish & Celtic Music: 575 up from 564
Sci F'Irish Music: 12 (same)
Nagians Only: 21 (same)
Celtfather Experience: 29 is down 30
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 6 is up from 5
Firefly Drinking Songs: 126 is up from 122
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 62 is up from 61
Jedi Drinking Songs: 32 is up from 31

15:18 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 159 is up from 156
Patreon Monthly Income: $1215 is up from $1194

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts ,and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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When it comes to Celtic music there’s so much to choose from that it can be overwhelming to know where to start if you’re looking for something suitable for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Naturally much of this will depend on your individual taste. Some people prefer a raucous band of musicians on pipes, others love a great vocalist, while still others like nothing more than peaceful harp music. There’s so much variety!

Female-led bands or artists are one option that might be appealing for some. Whether you just want to support a female artist, or you love the sound of a Celtic song sung by a lady, there are numerous bands out there that showcase the ample talents of women in the Celtic music arena. Let’s take a closer look at just a few that you might want to check out this holiday…

Lissa Schneckenburger grew up with music and has been playing the fiddle since the age of six. She attended the New England Conservatory of Music and graduated with a degree in Contemporary Improvisation, so there is a lot of knowledge behind this lady’s arrangements and playing ability. Listeners looking for something heavy on the fiddle would enjoy exploring her musical offerings, including albums titled simply, “Dance” and “Song”.

Heather Dale is a contemporary Celtic music artist that is a singer, as well as an accomplished musician. She plays piano, hammered dulcimer, Irish flutes and whistles, and bodhran drum alongside her band members. Dale highlights original Celtic folk music, but adds an updated twist with the instrumentation. The theme of fantasy runs deep in much of her music, but she also offers an album (My Celtic Heart) that features traditional folk songs.

The Gothard Sisters are another interesting Celtic band, and they blend Celtic, folk, classical, world and northwest musical influences. These three sisters play together seamlessly, and offer a lovely selection of contemporary Celtic music that has wide appeal. Having over 10 years of experience playing with one another provides a great foundation for the band, and their songs feature everything from acoustic guitar, to mandolin, to djembe, to octave violin, and more.

It seems starting young on the fiddle may well be a recipe for success. Eileen Ivers began her studies at age eight, and went on to win nine All-Ireland fiddle championships. If the strings call to your heart, they are front and center in much of her work, and played just beautifully. Her latest album, “Scatter the Light” features some very good original music, but there’s plenty to explore on her other offerings as well.

The Selkie Girls
Screaming Orphans
Lissa Schneckenburger
Eileen Ivers
Heather Dale
Tami Curtis
The Gothard Sisters

While this is just a small sampling of all the talent that is out there, these Celtic bands should give you a starting point if you’re looking to add to your St. Patrick’s Day selection of excellent music to accompany you this holiday. We hope you’ll continue to join us here where we’re on a mission to bring you the very best and brightest Celtic music artists – male and female – all throughout this coming year!

Please subscribe to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast so you don’t miss a thing.

Celebrate Celtic culture through music at CelticMusicPodcast.com.

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Some people grab a bottle of $3.99 wine and are perfectly happy pouring themselves a glass or three--and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. However, others would rather pass on that glass in favor of sipping on something that tickles their more well-developed palate. Fine wines are often a bit of an acquired taste, and I’ll admit that I can’t tell the difference between a decent wine and an exceptional one. The detail in the “notes” of vanilla and oak, etc. have always been a bit lost on me. That said, I do know that I tend to like wines from certain regions, such as New Zealand and Chile. Everyone is a little different, right? It’s what makes the world go ‘round.

Although the comparison may not be direct, there is a similarity when it comes to Celtic music. Some people love any music that is in the spirit of the Celtic sound and are content to raise a glass on St. Patrick’s Day with any type of Irish-related music playing merrily away in the room.

Again—there’s nothing wrong with that. However, others may be a bit more particular about the musical style and instrumentation, focusing on the skill of the players or vocals, and the overall quality of the band or group. And some might have a preference for authentic Celtic bands that deliver music that blends stories and a sense of heritage into the mix.

Since the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is generally aimed more at those who are interested specifically in Celtic bands, what follows is a curated list of favorites that will all lend something special to your St. Patrick’s Day celebration. This won’t be the list you find on a typical roundup of tunes for the holiday—and that’s a good thing! Some of the groups or artists were chosen because they feature accomplished Celtic musicians or vocalists. Others earned a spot for their musical originality and authentic Celtic background. Many on this list have all those qualifications, and more.

The fact is, this isn’t a list that is geared toward those who are satisfied with the "$3.99 version", instead it’s for those who feel a connection to Celtic music at a level that runs a little deeper than just plain fun. People who truly love Irish music and are into the Celtic culture every day, not just on St. Patrick’s Day.

We Banjo 3
Jiggy
The Selkie Girls
Screaming Orphans
Ockham's Razor
Barleyjuice
Lissa Schneckenburger
An Lar
Skeleton McKee
Runa
Stringer's Ridge
Eileen Ivers
Alexander James Adams
Heather Dale
Tami Curtis
Jesse Ferguson
W Ed Harris
Kilmaine Saints
Syr
The Gothard Sisters

No matter what kind of Celtic music palate you have developed over time, there’s something for you in this list. Have a listen, swirl it around, see what resonates, and get yourself ready for the holiday we all love so much. St. Patrick’s Day awaits—and it needs a playlist!

Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast so you can dig deeper and learn more about what’s out there in Celtic music. It would be great to have you with us!

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Podcasts and streaming music give you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

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I will share EIGHT great ways for you to have a spectacular St Patrick's Day today Celtfather Music & Travel.

The best thing about St Patrick’s Day for me is that is a great time to celebrate Celtic culture. My passion lies in the music. I immersed myself in nothing but Irish and Scottish music for over a decade. I took that knowledge to create newsletters, blogs, videos, and eventually podcasts that celebrate Celtic culture through music.

St Patrick's Day is also my favorite time of year. It makes sense. I play Celtic music, and have done so since the 90s. I host the largest podcast of Celtic music in the world. Oh! And if that's not enough, it's also my birthday. I guess you could say I know a little something about St Patrick's Day.

So let's get started.

The cream of the Celtic music crop is the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Since 2005, this show has shared the music of the Celts from around the world. It's a like your favorite Celtic radio program, except you can download it to you computer or phone. You can listen to it ANYWHERE at ANY TIME. And just like those most of those weekly Celtic radio shows, it's 100% free.

It also focuses on the smaller Celtic bands. The ones that you might not hear on your favorite Celtic radio program. That's because most of these bands don't have record labels. They're doing it themselves. And they might be performing in YOUR community. You might not even know about them yet.

But they are fantastic. The music ranges from traditional reels and jigs to pub songs to Celtic rock and fusion. It's a HUGE amalgamation of incredible music. And it's available for free on nearly all of your favorite podcatchers. And you can even download a free app to listen to the show on your phone.

You can subscribe and find out more at CelticMusicPodcast.com

This is a good time to mention the St Patrick's Day Podcast. That was a short-run show that was released by the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast many years ago. The goal was to provide you with a St Patrick's Day playlist of amazing Celtic music by some of the best indie Celtic bands online. There's not a lot of talking. It's mostly about the music.

You can find that at stpatricksdayparty.net

And some St Patrick's Day gifts here.

Next on the list is the Pub Songs & Stories podcast. I started this show in 2005. It's gone through many renditions over the years, but right now, it is the virtual public house for Celtic and geek culture. I sing songs live in each show. I also chat about Celtic and Geek things that inspire me. I also share stories about my songs, both traditional and original.

That's the thing that I love about the show. I love story telling. Pub Stories are stories from primarily Celtic musicians about their songs. It's stories from the road. The things that inspired them to write songs or share music. It's the stories that make you fall in love with Celtic music in the first place.

Since I also host the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, I have direct access to hundreds of Celtic musicians. I'm adding new stories from these amazing bands in every show. It's fantastic!

Again, you will find this podcast available EVERYWHERE online. Subscribe to the podcast for free at pubsong.com

If you want to find other Celtic podcasts and stay on top of what's new, the Celtic Music Magazine is a great resource. I started publishing the weekly newsletter in 2000. It's still going today.

You can still get 34 free Celtic MP3s when you subscribe. And every St Patrick's Day I share 17 more free Celtic MP3s from some of the bands featured on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

But the best part is every podcast that features Celtic music or culture is featured in the newsletter. It's a great way to find new podcasts of Celtic culture.

If you just love Celtic music and want some of the best of the best, the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast hosts the Celtic Top 20 every year. This is where you vote for your favorite songs of each episode of the podcast. At the end of the year, I compile your votes and create a Best Of episode. You can listen to it on the website.

However, my goal is to promote indie Celtic musicians. So I also made a playlist of all of these amazing Celtic bands on the Spotify. It's called Top Irish & Celtic Music playlist on Spotify.

You'll hear MOST of the bands who won in the Celtic Top 20. Admittedly, some are no longer available. But the vast majority are. And it's a powerhouse playlist with hundreds of listeners. Follow it and enjoy!

That alone will probably give you countless hours of Celtic musical entertainment. But before I let you go, I want to share one more really cool thing.

Every year, I take a small group of people on the adventure of a lifetime. It's called Celtic Invasion Vacations. We go to the Celtic nations and locations. We stay in one area and get to know the region through it's culture, history and legends.

I have numerous videos that highlight these amazing places. We've been to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany so far. You can watch these incredible Celtic Travel videos for free on YouTube. Plus, you get to hear some of my music in each of those travel videos.

Finally, I am a performing musician. I've been live streaming video concerts since 2014. Every Thursday at noon eastern, I host Coffee with The Celtfather. These are short, themed concerts where I play for your tips and CD sales. With St Patrick's Day just around the corner, these shows are St Patrick's Day themed.

And if you want a longer, even more fun shows, then you want to join my Celtfather Live concert series. These are usually Thursday night concerts. I play for over an hour on a theme. And again, during St Patrick's Day, that theme is Irish and Celtic songs. These concerts, however, are paid events. You can get tickets on my websites.

There ye go. Eight amazing ways to celebrate Celtic culture through music this, and every St Patrick's Day.

Oh! Before I finish, you often hear St Patrick's Day as mentioned as St Paddy's Day. Well, Paddy is the shortened version Padraig in the Irish language. Patty of course is the shortened version of Patricia. So if you want to say Happy St Paddy's Day, that's fine but mind the spelling.

You can learn 11 St Patrick's Day facts in the Pub Songs & Stories podcast.

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

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Greetings Gunn Runner

How can you celebrate St Patrick's Day in 2021 with podcasts, videos, blogs and perhaps even live concerts. Enjoy St Patrick's Day stories. A new Dancing with Hobbits single. Learn about the Brobdingnagian Bards' next single. Save on a St Patrick's Day CD special. And get ready for my birthday.

It's all on my monthly update, Celtfather Music & Travel, show #275.

0:26 - PODCASTS

I am on fire with podcasting. I finally have systems that allow me to complete episodes and plan future ones in a timely fashion. So I'm ahead on all of my podcasts.

I have nearly completed all the March episodes of the Pub Songs Podcast. I also have a new primary feature for that shows. I'm sharing stories from musicians. I love it because it's something solid. It gets other musicians involved. And again it's evergreen.

The first March episode features two stories. One is from na Skylark. The second is from Stout Pounders. The St Patrick's Day show is most like a St Patrick's Day concert. I'm singing a bunch of songs that you requested in that episode.

If you'd like to help out with future shows, there's One thing that would be amazing. Make a song request. You can suggest either a song I know or one I don't. Maybe I'll learn it. I'd like to learn some new songs for the podcast. To keep it interesting.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast has several St Patrick's Day episodes. My 17 for St Patrick's Day show comes out on March 4. All of the songs in that episode will be available for free download three days before St Patrick's Day.

Then my BIG St Pat's show is also the 500th episode of the podcast. It was supposed to JUST be a 3-hour special. But when I remembered that my graphic artist, Miranda Nelson, had asked musicians to submit audio feedback. It became quite a bit longer. In fact, it's still being edited as I record this. Because there were over 60 songs in that show. That should be nearly 5 hours long... in one podcast.

Yeah. I think this will officially be my longest podcast episode yet.

Thankfully, I have Mitchell editing it. [Sorry Mitchell.] And I have a plan for recording and releasing it.

Pro tip for anyone creating podcasts... or anything. Create a system to complete your projects. It helps!

Finally, I created a system for releasing Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast episodes on a more regular basis. Andrew's been swamped. But I got him to record a February show. And I'm recording a simple music show for March. After that, I hope to stay on top of monthly episodes.

The show will come out in the middle of each month.

4:04 - VIDEOS

I started creating Canvases for Spotify. Basically, artists can share a 3-8 second video that plays on loop when you listen to a song on Spotify. I'd love to add that to as many of my songs as I can. I just need to figure out what kind of videos to add to each song. I haven't figured out WHAT to add yet. But there are a few that now have them.

I just realized last week that Coffee with The Celtfather is doing exceptionally well. There are about 20 people watching the show every week. That's much higher than the 5-10 that used to. Facebook was really hit and miss and unreliable. So this is fantastic. My viewership is growing.

I planned out themes for the rest of the season. Theming shows seems to help attendance. But boy it is tough coming up with themes. If you have any cool show titles, let me know.

The next Celtfather Live concert is scheduled for Thursday, March 11. It is a St Patrick's Day show.

I am theming my Celtfather Live shows once again. So for this show, I will play fun Celtic songs for St Patrick's Day. Then I will take your song requests. And I'll play for another 30-60 minutes depending on how many requests I get.

So if you have any song requests, let me know.

This show is a ticketed event. Tickets are $8. You can get them in my MageRecords.com store. Spend $15 or more in the store, you'll also get access.

And of course, if you are a Heroic member of the Gunn Runners Club, pledging $10+ per month, you will get free access.

I haven't released any new video singles as I mentioned last month. But I am planning the next Travel Music Video. Stay tuned.

6:40 - IN THE STUDIO

All of my tracks for Selcouth are done. Songs are sent to guest musicians. Now I am waiting on the final tracks so we can finish mixing the album. It's looking very good that I'll have the album done by April or May for Patrons. So I should have an official release by Gen Con or possibly Dragon Con. I also hope to release a bunch of singles in the lead up the official release.

A new single from Dancing With Hobbits with Sam Gillogly will come out the day after St Patrick's Day. That's March 18. The track is called "Proudfoot Shuffle". I need to figure out what my next single will be.

I'm also hoping to have a Brobdingnagian Bards single... or two, released in the coming months. We have a couple instrumental track we recorded for the release of I Will Not Sing Along. Andrew also recorded on my song "By Amazing Grace". So I plan to release that as a single at some point too.

8:03 - MERCH

St Patrick's Day CDs are not selling phenomenally well. It's not selling bad. I mean, it IS SELLING. But I see it was a good idea not to do a serious reprint of that album. I'm hopeful that I'll sell out the copies I have before March 17.

You can now buy the album in my MageRecords.com store on Bandcamp. They are $20. And you can still get the 4 CD Celtic Collection for just $40. These offers good from now until March 17, St Patrick's Day.

Subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%.

I am putting together some new special offers for the coming months. Details.

The Firefly Celtic Heartstring was really well received. I made a couple more. But again, I can't say they're selling spectacularly. About as well as I expected though. You can find them and my other Celtic Heartstrings in my store.

9:26 - CELTIC TRAVEL

I finally canceled my castle booking in Scotland. The Celtic Invasion of Scotland is officially delayed until next year.

9:42 - WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

10:15 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR MARCH

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 8) @ 12:00 PM EST

MAR 11: "St Patrick's Day Party" Celtfather Live on YouTube @ 8:00 - 9 PM EDT. Tickets $8.
MAR 13: Ironshield Brewing in Lawrenceville, GA @ 7:00 – 10:00 PM.
MAR 17: The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, GA @ 4:30-7:00 PM

11:23 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1219 is up from 1201
Celtic Music Magazine = 4026 is down from 4030

YouTube Subscribers = 5009 is up from 4961
Facebook Likes = 3746 is down from 3752 for the second month in a row
Instagram = 1867 is down from 1869
Spotify followers: 1737 is up from 1712
# Number of listens on Spotify: 3395 is down from 3929 BIG ST PATS SPIKE

Latest Spotify Single Stats:
"Hobbit Hornpipe" released Aug 26: 458 is up from 441
"Tough Times" released Oct 21: 35 is up from 14
"The Hero of Christmas" released on Nov 17: 119 is down from 178

Latest Spotify Album Stats:
Browncoat Christmas: 136 is down from 200 (last month)
St Patrick's Day: 1K is down from 1.7K

Most-popular songs on Spotify: "The Widow and the Devil" (1.7K), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (523), "Hobbit Hornpipe" (458), "Danny Boy" (400), "A-Working in the Garden" (368)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: "Hero of Canton" (1269), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (446), "The Widow and the Devil" (107), "A Drop of Nelson's Blood" (93), "Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster" (63)

Top albums: As Long As I'm Flyin (1526), Sci Fi Drinking Songs (839), Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (420), Kilted For Her Pleasure (296), Going for Brogue (284)

Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families = 1983 is down from 1991 (Last until next season)

Last year's playlists from this time last year:
Top Irish & Celtic Music: 564 is up from 556
Sci F'Irish Music: 12 (same)
Nagians Only: 21 (same)
Celtfather Experience: 29 is down 30
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 6 is up from 5
Firefly Drinking Songs: 122 (same)
Christmas Drinking Songs: 39 (same, last of Season)
Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 108 is down from 109 (last of the season)
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 61 is up from 59
Jedi Drinking Songs: 31 (same)

16:27 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 156 is down from 158
Patreon Monthly Income: $1194 is up from $1184

I ran Special Offer last month. I got a couple new subscribers. But I can't say it was a rousing success.

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Greetings Gunn Runner

St Patrick's Day is re-released and it's back on CD for a limited time. Selcouth moves closer to completion. A little bit of kindness goes a long way. And Get a sticker and access this month's Celtfather Live by joining the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon.

It's all on Celtfather Monthly for February 2021, show #274

0:22 - PODCASTS

The Pub Songs Podcast started with some strong evergreen episodes. The first highlighted the re-release of my St Patrick's Day CD. More about that in a bit. Then there was an interview with Bruno Maia of Tuatha De Danann. I shared my recording of "Johnny Jump" and then shared Tuatha De Danann's Celtic rock version. I love that recording.

I also did a Robert Burns Day episode. That one features Scottish kilt-loving songs. I have an interview with Devo Spice. He's a huge Doctor Who fan who wrote the song "Doctor of Gallifrey". He shares a little Whovian facts.

I love these interviews. And I want to do more. But I realize that it might be easier if I only plan to do one episode per month. And then the second one is mostly music.

I'm not saying that's how it will be. But the first episode of February is a Top 5 Irish Drinking Songs episode. So stay tuned for that.

Over the past few years, I themed new episodes of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. A couple years ago it was Celtic women. Last years was the love of planet earth and nature.

I feel my themes go on the wayside though. I released a two hour episode at the start of this year where I announced a repeat of the Planet Earth theme. It was sort of a do over year for the podcast since last year's theme was replaced by the pandemic. Then we had an insurrection.

It was then I realized I already established the theme for 2021 a few months ago when I said I was voting for Joe Biden. I voted for kindness back in the White House. And kindness for America.

Well, if there's one thing I can hope and pray for our nation, it's that we can bring kindness back to our country. Less name calling. Less anger. More forgiveness.

Kindness is what you can expect to see more from me through everything I do this year.

I'm keeping that as my mantra as I peruse Facebook. If it's not kind, I try not to share it or like it or whatever. I want to see a return to Kindness.

2:40 - VIDEOS

The new Coffee with The Celtfather is back. As usual, it's a free to watch show. I'm trying to have at least one show with my "hit songs" so newbies might be interested in watching too. So far shows are getting decent attendance. But I'll keep it up.

Of course, if you enjoy the show, tips are always gratefully appreciated.

The next Celtfather Live concert is scheduled for Thursday, February 18. I'm trying to decide how to theme this show. If you have any theme requests, let me know ASAP.

That show is still a ticketed evening event. Tickets are $8. You can get them in my MageRecords.com store. Spend $15 or more in the store, you'll also get access. And of course, if you are a member of the Gunn Runners Club, you will get free access.

I was struck at the end of last month with the question. Is it worth my time and effort to release video singles every week?

I looked at the numbers and realized the answer is no.

It's not the best strategy. Yes. If I record a stellar performance of a song during a Coffee show, then sure, it's probably a great idea to release a single like "Hallelujah" back in November. But I think that's the exception to the rule.

So I'm starting to think about how to edit a solid music video highlighting my music instead. It's a little tougher to do. But oh well...

4:38 - IN THE STUDIO

I finally had a good sit down to look at my recording schedule. What do I have left to do to finish Selcouth?

One of the big things is deciding what instruments I want on a recording.

I finally heard back from Nathan Deese. He's gonna start working on "Breathing". I think he will be perfect for this song.

"Favor of a Dance" was sent to Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer. I'm still waiting to hear back from them. But it sounds promising. Though I might've suggested an extra difficult way of recording. The song reminds me of West Side Story with The Jets and The Sharks doing a dance off battle. That's sort of what I want for this song. Again, I might be asking too much.

"Kilty Pleasure" feels like it needs to be a rocked up. Since the beginning, it had a sort of Pogues feel to me. So when Jeff Shaw of The Muckers showed up at my Tucker Brewing Company gig this month, I decided to ask them. I'm patiently waiting to see what they come with.

After chatting with The Muckers, I decided to work next on "Bright Side of Everything". That has a pop sort of to it. The first band that came to mind was Screeched Inn out of Canada. They are a Celtic rock band. But they have a super friendly sound. I sent the tracks to them. They started working on it immediately. And it's going right in the direction I hoped it would.

Meanwhile, I finished recording and mixing "Battle of Aughrim/Star of Munster".

I also recorded the autoharp tracks for "Just A Hero". This is the last song that I NEED on the album. And there are only two more songs that I HOPE to have on the album. If I can nail those vocals, I'll be on the final steps of finishing this. And if I can make it happen, I might get another guest musician for that song.

Finally, St Patrick's Day was officially re-released at the beginning of the month. So far things are looking good. But there are some downsides.

First, I screwed up and accidentally listed one song as Explicit. CD Baby said they can fix that. But it's gonna take a while. Will it be fixed by St Patrick's Day? I don't know.

I also wish I waited to release the album in February.

That's because the album is doing great on Spotify. Spotify is releasing new tracks to the release radar every week, I think. You'll see in the stats. Several songs already have a couple hundred new plays. Including "Purple Flower". I love that song, but didn't expect it to go anywhere because of the title. So color me impressed.

I'm hoping it'll get some more visibility especially since I don't have any new tracks scheduled for release yet. So here's hoping it kicks butt by March 17.

8:18 - MERCH

Gunn Runners asked that I release a physical copy of St Patrick's Day on CD. You can now buy that in my MageRecords.com store on Bandcamp. That's selling for $20.

Or you can get a 4 CD Celtic Collection for just $40. These offers good from now until March 17, St Patrick's.

I should also point out that St Patrick's Day is a seasonal release. That means, it won't be available again until next year.

If you're subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%.

I don't remember what inspired it. But I just sat Inara down to do some art. I didn't feel like painting or drawing. I thought I should do the art I enjoy. So I went and grabbed the items I need to make Celtic Heartstrings.

I sat down and thought, "What should I make a butterfly? A dragonfly? Hm. A firefly?"

So I did a quick search to see what a firefly would like like. Of course, I immediately thought of the TV show too and lo and behold, I saw a beautiful picture of the ship and decided to try and make one using my techniques. I finished. And I gotta say, the final pendant is pretty cool looking.

Seems others liked it as well. I'm gonna make a few and then we shall see if this will be come a regular part of my Celtic Heartstring products.

10:00 - CELTIC TRAVEL

The Celtic Invasion of Scotland is officially delayed until next year.

11:15 - WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

"Kilkelly, Ireland"
"Johnny Jump Up"
"Rocky Road to Dublin"
"A Man’s A Man For A' That"
"Skye Boat Song"
"A Man Who Wears A Kilt Every Day"
"Wild Mountain Thyme"

11:50 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR FEBRUARY

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 8) @ 12:00 PM EST

FEB 12-14: Boskone 58, Boston, MA (online event)
FEB 18: Celtfather Live on YouTube @ 8:00 - 9 PM EDT. Tickets $8.

MAR 11: Celtfather Live on YouTube @ 8:00 - 9 PM EDT. Tickets $8.
MAR 13: Ironshield Brewing in Lawrenceville, GA @ 7:00 – 10:00 PM.
MAR 14: Tucker Brewing Company in Tucker, GA @ 3:30-6:30 PM Pending
MAR 17: The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, GA @ 4:30-7:00 PM. Birthday Party!

APR 23-25: Sherwood Forest Faire, Paige, TX
MAY 1-2: Sherwood Forest Faire, Paige, TX

13:41 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1201 is up from 1191
Celtic Music Magazine = 4030 is up from 4027

YouTube Subscribers = 4961 is up from 4907
Facebook Likes = 3752 is down from 3755
Instagram = 1869 is up from 1858
Spotify followers: 1712 is up from 1684
# Number of listens on Spotify: 3929 is down from 7838

Latest Spotify Single Stats:
"Hobbit Hornpipe" released Aug 26: 441 is up from 373
"Tough Times" released Oct 21: 14 is down from 69
"The Hero of Christmas" released on Nov 17: 178 is down from 1454

"Firefly Jingle Bells" on Dec 1: 9 is down from 81
"Grandma Got Devoured by Reavers" on Dec 1: 8 is down from 69
"12 Days of Firefly Christmas" on Dec 1: 5 is down from 93

Latest Spotify Album Stats:
Browncoat Christmas: 200
St Patrick's Day: 1.7K

Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.5K), Hobbit Hornpipe (441), Doctor of Gallifrey (429), Christmas in the Shire (330), A-Working in the Garden (305), Danny Boy (252), "Slainte Mhaith Christmas" (249), Nancy Whiskey (240), Drunken Sailor (192), A Drop of Nelson's Blood (191), Purple Flower (189), Hero of Canton (188), Rising of the Moon (185)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: "Hero of Canton" (690), "Doctor of Gallifrey" (442), "The Widow and the Devil" (89), "As Long As I'm Flyin'" (70), A Drop of Nelson's Blood (61)

Top albums: As Long As I'm Flyin, Sci Fi Drinking Songs, Going for Brogue, Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion, Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits

Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families = 1991 is up from 1927

Last year's playlists from this time last year:
Top Irish & Celtic Music: 556 is up from 547
Sci F'Irish Music: 12 (same)
Nagians Only: 21 (same)
Celtfather Experience: 29 is down 30
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 5 is up from 4
Firefly Drinking Songs: 122 (same)
Christmas Drinking Songs: 39 is up from 36
Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 109 is up from 89
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 59 (same)
Jedi Drinking Songs: 31 is down from 32

18:16 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 158 is up from 155
Patreon Monthly Income: $1184 is down from $1202

I just posted a Special Offer on Patreon. Everyone who signs up to my Patreon and is a member on February 15 will get access to my next Celtfather Live concert on the 18th. Plus a Marc Gunn sticker.

Oh! And you can now get an annual membership through Patreon. You'll also save 15% off your membership when you sign up that way.

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

20:25 - RANT

There's a meme from the presidential debates. Obama and Biden are sitting together. Obama asks Biden, "Did you take the high ground like I told you?" Biden replies, "I told him to shut up."

I would like to say that I took the high ground these past four years. I did not either.

Trump will go down in history as the most divisive president ever. No one has polarized America so much as Trump. That's one of his worst legacies. He intentionally pit Americans against Americans. That division has weakened us as a nation. So of course, I am happy that he is no longer the leader of our great country. He dragged us down.

But now that he's gone. I see the high ground again. And I confess, I am ashamed.

I allowed his petulant behavior to drag me down to his level. As it has with so many Americans.

Yes. There will always be division. Especially with competing media sources telling us different extreme ideas.

But I am ashamed that I allowed myself to become angry and nasty. I have no excuse for that.

One of the many reasons I voted for Biden was to bring kindness back into the White House. Back into our nation. Sure, Biden is far from perfect. But he's kind. Or at least he's kinder than Trump could ever be.

We need a kind president. Because that sets the tone of the nation. Kindness, generosity. Those are the way you build up a community of people.

I still get Facebook posts of people lambasting the president or his supporters. But I know from talking to some that most are not bad people. Most just support a conservative ideal.

I remember when I talked to conservatives in the run up to 2016. EVERY SINGLE ONE said their #1 issue was to reduce the national debt. It was not about the racist agenda Trump later pushed and used to divide us. Most called themselves fiscally conservative but socially liberal.

These are people who just have a different opinions of the federal government. They believe in the same inalienable rights of our Constitution. The only difference is they don't want the government spending so much money on social services.

That is not my enemy.

I disagree with the role of the federal government. But that's a difference of opinion.

What's more important is that we are kind to one another.

I keep seeing a call for unity. I agree with it. I believe we need to take a step back and be kind to one another. Because it is very likely we are not seeing eye-to-eye because we are all just blinded by anger.

The best way to beat anger and hate is by kindness and forgiveness.

And if there's one thing I learned about forgiveness is that it does have to be unconditional. It also heals. It's magical.

It doesn't mean we forget. It means we recognize our own negative contribution to the situation. We correct it. Then we ask forgiveness for our part, and we heal.

Because never in the history of ever were there two different competing perspectives where one is right and the other is wrong. They both always screwed up.

And that's the only way we can move forward.

Not spouting conspiracy theories. Or blaming someone else for our own failures.

But by recognizing our own fault in the situation. Because that's when we realize things aren't all as bad as they seem.

We are able to see the high ground. Through the lies, through the anger and through the hatred.

On the side is a world of kindness and healing.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Greetings Gunn Runner

It's time to take a look back at the past year, to decide what worked and what didn't. What is useful and what isn't?

Before we get to all that, we're gonna do a review of December.

It's all on Celtfather Monthly, show #273

0:14 - PODCASTS

December is always the toughest month for podcasting for me. That's because in addition to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, I have the Celtic Christmas Podcast and I have to create the Best Celtic Music of the Year episode. I can't do that until all of the votes in the Celtic Top 20 are in. So December is a little bit different.

There was only one regular episode of the podcast this year. That came out on the first Thursday of the month. The second episode was a Patron Request show. that was a good and long show.

This year's Christmas episode highlighted Celtic women playing Christmas music. It was a two hour special, thanks to a Patreon milestone we hit. Fantastic show whether you enjoy Christmas music or not.

Meanwhile, I finished up the final two episodes of the Celtic Christmas Podcast. It was a pretty good year, though a bit labor intensive. Again, that's in large part to all of the other podcasts and work I need to do. I'm probably gonna cut back on shows. But we shall see. I'm gonna set some new milestones next year to see if I do more or less episodes. If you love the podcast, look for those in October.

I did enjoy releasing the Hang the Holly episodes of the Celtic Christmas Podcast. Stay tuned. I will publicly release them to the feed in the months to come.

Planning for the Pub Songs Podcast is getting better. It's amazing how much easier things become when you create a solid plan and plan ahead. There's still a little uncertainty. But I find myself already planning the January episodes. I even recorded one of those already. So I know what's coming. If I can keep that up and fine tune it, this may become favorite podcast.

What I don't know yet is what listeners think. The show gets a really good number of downloads. But is it something that gets people excited? Something that makes you want to share it?

I'm reading another book on Bing Crosby. He ran the Kraft Music Hall for over a decade. That was one of the most-popular radio programs of the 30s and 40s. I often liken podcasting to the early days of radio. So I'm looking for ideas.

While I can offer music that I feel like you will enjoy, I don't have the comedic skills of Bing. Certainly not as a solo podcaster and I don't have the easy ability to add co-host. Hm. I don't know. Maybe I could work out something with Andrew. Honestly, I'd love the Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast to become something more. I just haven't figured out how. And sadly, Andrew and I had trouble the past couple o'months recording a podcast at all.

6:27 - VIDEOS

Coffee with The Celtfather came to a wonderful conclusion. We had a bunch of viewers watching the final episode of the season. Season 8 returns on Thursday, January 7 at noon eastern.

I'll have to let you know about Celtfather Live. I'm cataloging this BEFORE that show. So I'm not sure about the success. I'll let you know next month. But you can also catch the next Celtfather Live on January 21. All Heroic Gunn Runners will get access to that show.

The video single release plan is working great. I have enough videos to release them weekly. I put out "Slainte Mhaith Christmas", "Let's Have a Celtic Christmas", "Kilty Pleasure", and "Hero of Christmas".

8:06 - IN THE STUDIO

Oh, the studio. I did not spend much time recording, at least at the beginning of the month. I did write a new tune that I'm gonna try and record, maybe add a guest musician to as well. In fact, it might turn into a hobbit tune with Sam Gillogly. We shall see...

I did decide to finish "Wherever I May Roam" though. That song just needed completion. It sounds great. Is it everything I dream it should be? I don't know. But I'm not sure where to go with it. Or how to revamp.

The Browncoat Christmas EP I released with Mikey Mason is getting more play than some singles. But it doesn't look to be added to a bunch of Firefly or Christmas playlists. It's just getting light play as of recording this.

9:32 - MERCH

I have some new merch packages that I will probably launch in January. If you're into some discounted CDs, keep an eye open.

And if you're subscribe to my mailing list, you get a discount code to save 15%.

CELTIC TRAVEL

Hooray for a vaccine! I know it's still rolling out. And I will happily get the vaccine as soon as it is available to me. May be I can finally back to planning the Celtic Invasion of Scotland.

9:53 - WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

“Rosin the Bow”
“The Smial or the Tree”
“Hero of Christmas”
"Kilkelly, Ireland"
"Johnny Jump Up"
"Rocky Road to Dublin"

10:06 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR JANUARY

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 7) @ 12:00 PM EST
Season 8 will start on January 7.

JAN 15: Tucker Brewing Company in Tucker, GA @ 4:30 - 7:30 PM ET
JAN 21: Celtfather Live on YouTube @ 8:00 - 9 PM EDT. Tickets $8.
JAN 23: Ironshield Brewing in Lawrenceville, GA @ 7:00 – 10:00 PM.

10:52 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1191 is down from 1194
Celtic Music Magazine = 4027 is up from 4021

YouTube Subscribers = 4907 is up 16 from 4891
Facebook Likes = 3755 is up from 3752
Instagram = 1858 is up from 1856
Spotify followers: 1684 is up from 1670
# Number of listens on Spotify: 7838 is up from 3265

Latest Spotify Single Stats:
"Hobbit Hornpipe" released Aug 26: 373 is down from 447

"October Waltz" released Oct 14: 13 is down from 103
"Tough Times" released Oct 21: 69 is down from 163
"The Hero of Christmas" released on Nov 17: 1454 is up from 148

"Firefly Jingle Bells" on Dec 1: 81
"Grandma Got Devoured by Reavers" on Dec 1: 69
"12 Days of Firefly Christmas" on Dec 1: 93

Most-popular songs on Spotify: "Christmas in the Shire" (3K), "Slainte Mhaith Christmas" (2.9K), "Frosty the Irish Snowman" (2.6K), The Widow and the Devil (1.5K), Hero of Christmas (1.5K)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: "Doctor of Gallifrey" (377), "Hero of Canton" (303), "The Widow and the Devil" (117), "Christmas in Scotland" (97) "Jedi Drinking Song Prequel" (77)

Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families = 1927 is up from 1762

Last year's playlists from this time last year:
Top Irish & Celtic Music: 547 is up from 426
Sci F'Irish Music: 12
Nagians Only: 21
Celtfather Experience: 30
Hobbit Drinking Songs: 4
Firefly Drinking Songs: 122 is up from 101
Christmas Drinking Songs: 36 is up from 29
Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 89 is up from 83
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 59
Jedi Drinking Songs: 32

14:30 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 155 is down from 158
Patreon Monthly Income: $1202 is down from $1221

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

15:18 - GOALS FOR 2021

I'm gonna break down last year's successes and then share plans for 2021.

Promote one "Hit" song every month. (in videos, podcasts, blogs, on social, mp3 giveaway, in emails). Pick 12 songs.
Give away original recording of hit song. Once a month. Mingulay Boat Song. Wild Mountain Thyme.
Promote one Coffee event per month FOR NEWBIES. The show AFTER Celtfather Live
Encourage and seek a cover of an original song once a month.
Take photos for promo purposes. Build up Instagram.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Welcome Behind the Music on The Celtfather podcast. I’m gonna chat about my album of hobbit drinking songs called Don’t Go Drinking With Hobbits.

The show is generously brought to you by my Patrons in the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. You can help me write new hobbit music. Join the Club for just $5 per month.

Then subscribe to my Pub Songs Podcast at Pubsong.net.

I love hobbits. It was the 1977 animated movie of The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien that started it all for me. Shortly after watching it, I started playing Dungeons & Dragons. My favorite characters were hobbits.

I finally gave my love of hobbits the attention they deserved in 2011 when I released Don’t Go Drinking with Hobbits.

The concept?

What kind of songs might you have heard while walking thru the shire?

To help me create the songs for the album, I turned to my friend and lyricist, Rie Sheridan Rose. She wrote a song for me a decade earlier called “Soul of a Harper”. I loved it so much I asked her to write a Firefly song ("Browncoats Keep Flyin'") for a soundtrack project I hoped to be a part of. I loved that song too. So in 2010, I asked her to help me round out an album of hobbit songs.

What kind of songs should be on a hobbit album?

Well, hobbits are down to earth, practical people. So folk songs made sense.

I spent the prior 11 years singing Irish, Scottish and Renaissance festival folk songs. So I started with the idea of adapting certain styles to this hobbit project.

I wanted drinking songs. I wanted a gardening song. I wanted a song like “The Parting Glass” and a list song. I also wanted a song about food and pipe weed but neither of those made the final cut. I mixed those with new recordings of songs I had already written, including a couple from the 2004 Brobdingnagian Bards album, Memories of Middle Earth.

The next step was finding musicians for the album. This felt like a community project. So I posted on Facebook and reached out to my community. I asked for volunteers. I was swamped with singers and musicians of all types. Some like Sam Gillogly and Daniel Briggs became a regular part of my recording team to this day.

The result was 20 tracks of hobbit fun. It’s gone on to be one of my most-popular albums, and one that I’m super proud of. I even lead a 300 person sing along at Dragon Con every year.

And it all came to be because of the success of the title track. But that’s the subject of another podcast about the true story behind "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits".

You can find out more me Marc Gunn and my hobbit albums by visiting HobbitSongs.com.

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Greetings Gunn Runner

A new season of Celtic Christmas music and a new format to Pub Songs Podcast. Hallelujah and The Hero of Christmas and a Black Friday Sale.

It's all on Celtfather Monthly, show #271

0:11 - PODCASTS

It was a good month for podcasts. I planned ahead and recorded several Irish & Celtic Music Podcast episodes. I'm also getting ready to finishing up episodes so I can put out the Celtic Top 20 during the last week of December.

I am liking the direction of the Pub Songs Podcast. It requires a lot more planning. I also feel like there are more open loops. That's because I have multiple sections. It includes a short interview, a CD feature, and some facts about any trad Celtic songs. I have to figure out how to better streamline that. But I still feel more flexible.

For instance, I had the idea of releasing an episode at the end of December with Auld Lang Syne and what not. But it would lack many of those sections. And happily I was okay with that. I'm keeping my mind open and flexible with the format. That's tough for me.

Ultimately, I tossed that show idea, but only because of lack of time. Not because of the show idea.

The Celtic Christmas Podcast is in full swing. Two episodes in 2020. A third will be out before the end of the month. I also started a bonus podcast featured called "Hang the Holly".

That is sort of a new podcast where I share details about artists in the latest episode of the Celtic Christmas Podcast. The idea started because I was expecting the show to be booted from Spotify. And I wanted to keep it on there.

You see, last year, Spotify was the #1 player of the podcast. But Spotify is rejecting any podcast that is primarily music. The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was kicked off last spring. Now I have Hang the Holly promoting the latest shows. Or at least that's the hope. Admittedly, the listens are so few so far, that I'm not sure I will continue this feature.

But we shall see. I'm not really sure how to measure the success. But it will continue through Christmas at least.

2:46 - VIDEOS

Season 7 of Coffee with The Celtfather is coming to an end. The first two episodes in December are Christmas music shows. And on Thursday, December 17, the season ends with who knows what kind of music. Maybe I should do a poll. What were your favorite new songs in 2020? I definitely played a lot of new music.

December 17 is also the next Celtfather Live concert. I am feeling good about those shows. If you're following, I changed the way those shows worked. Basically, tickets are $8 or you can spend $15 or more in my store and get a ticket. In November, I made the show available to all my Heroic Patrons who pledge $10 or more on Patreon.

Overall, sales were down from October. But only by $23. So that's pretty fantastic. Plus, I saw a bunch of new Heroes in the Gunn Runners Club. I say bunch but like 2 or 3 is just a lot in general and as you'll see in the stats, it greatly affects my income. So again, I call that a HUGE win.

Now as a sort of Christmas gift, the December show will be available to every member of the Gunn Runner Club plus the ticketed people. But that's one month only. Well, unless I see some major rise in Gunn Runner memberships at the $5 level. We shall see how it works out.

I had a LOT of video singles made this month. ONE of the reasons I moved Coffee with The Celtfather back to YouTube was to streamline the video single creation process. I was having a lot of trouble recording video singles of me singing songs. But if I just record a show on YouTube. I can pick the best performances and turn 'em into videos to promote my music. This month was great for those videos.

I'm releasing one new video per week. This month was "Bright Side of Everything", "Bring Me Home, Boys", "Hallelujah", and "Close Your Eyes (aka The Demon Lullaby)".

"Hallelujah", in particular, is doing exceptionally well. It's getting a higher than normal number of views. It felt like a really fantastic performance when I sang it on Coffee at the beginning of November.

6:41 - IN THE STUDIO

I got a little bit more time back in the studio this month.

I finally recorded "Genetic Counseling Song". I also sent it to some musicians, including Matt Hughes, who's on the next Pub Songs Podcast. And my friend Rimbo laid some bass for the song as well.

I did some practicing for some traditional Irish tunes I want on the CD. Sam Gillogly recorded the fiddle part. But I just did not know how to play along. I'm working on that.

I also started a secret recording with a daughter. I will say no more about that.

Also in November, my engineer, Mitchell sent me a recording of "Wherever I May Roam". It was the final... version...

Well, that's what I thought. Shortly after telling him we were done, I told him, we were not actually done.

I'll be talking about that on #221 of the Pub Songs Podcast.

In a last minute move, Mikey Mason and I are officially releasing Browncoat Christmas on December 1st. This is a 4-song EP of Christmas songs inspired by Firefly, including our newest single release, "The Hero of Christmas".

I also have lyrics by Nancy Flynn that I want to record this season. We shall see if I have anything for Gunn Runners in the next month.

8:16 - MERCH

I feel like merch should be a greater priority in a musician's career. It's one of the best ways for biggest methods for us to make money.

Alas, I just don't do it. It's lowest on my priority list behind creating music and podcasts and a dozen other things.

Oh well. I did at long last put A Celtic Christmas in my Mage Records store. This is a compilation CD I released in 2013. It's a great album with a lot of fun Christmas songs by Celtic musicians.

Nevertheless, I did create a Black Friday sale, of sorts. And it's good until the end of November.

You can buy Any CD in my store. You'll get a second copy of that CD to share with a friend for free. Then you can pick one more CD from my store and get that one doubled as well.

Basically 4 CDs for just $20.

Oh! If you're subscribed to my mailing list, you still get a discount code to save 15%.

9:27 - CELTIC TRAVEL

I have my first invaders for the Celtic Invasion of Scotland. And I'm happy to see there are vaccines coming out. That's a good sign for the 2021 invasion. I suppose it's time to do some serious planning.

9:41 - WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

“Barnyards of Delgaty”
“Genetic Counseling Song”
“Hero of Christmas”
“Galway Shawl”
“Maid Went to the Mill”
“Wild Colonial Boy”
“Wreck of the Bold Lady Jean”
SHOWS PLANNED FOR DECEMBER

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 7) @ 12:00 PM EST
End of Season on December 17. Season 8 will start on January 7.

DEC 4: The Lost Druid in Avondale Estates, GA @ 7:00 - 9:00 PM ET. Free.
DEC 17: Celtfather Live on YouTube @ 8:00 - 9 PM EDT. Tickets $8.

11:15 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1194 is down from 1196
Celtic Music Magazine = 4021 is up from 4001

YouTube Subscribers = 4891 is up from 4853
Facebook Likes = 3752 is down from 3755
Instagram = 1856 is up from 1851
Spotify followers: 1670 is 16 up from 1654
# Number of listens on Spotify: 3265 is up from 2532

Latest Spotify Single Stats:
"Hobbit Hornpipe" released Aug 26: 447 is up from 399
"Whiskey in the Jar" released Sept 8: 17 is down from 73
"Brandywine River Reel" released Sept 22: 19 is down from 75

"O'er the Way" released Oct 1: 20 is down from 85
"Together (KrabbeConnect) released Oct 7: 52 is down from 257
"October Waltz" released Oct 14: 103 is up from 54
"Tough Times" released Oct 21: 163 is up from 28
"Wild Colonial Boy" released on Nov 3: 63
"The Hero of Christmas" released on Nov 17: 148

Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.5K), "Christmas in the Shire" (493), Doctor of Gallifrey (483), Hobbit Hornpipe (447), Slainte Mhaith Christmas (403), A-Working in the Garden (330), Frosty the Irish Snowman (268), Hero of Canton (187), Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (172), Tough Times (163)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: Doctor of Gallifrey (379), Hero of Canton (342), The Widow and the Devil (117), As Long As I'm Flyin' (84), Jedi Drinking Song Prequel (82)

Christmas playlist starting nov 14 = 1762 is up from 1743

18:34 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 158 is up from 157
Patreon Monthly Income: $1221 is up from $1208

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

RANT

Before I conclude, I want to send a HUGE congrats to President-Elect Joe Biden. America definitely spoke with a landslide victory. At least by Trump's past definition of a landslide. Except Biden won definitely won the popular vote AND the electoral college vote. America wanted kindness back in the White House. We got it!

I thought about not mentioning this at all because I know a lot of people in our country voted for the incumbent president. Our nation has a lot of healing to do.

But I spent the last couple o' months promoting Biden. I firmly believe he is the best person to not only actually make America great again, but to heal our country.

No. I don't expect a smooth transition. Trump has already corrupted our democracy by declaring voter fraud, without ANY actual evidence that stands up in a court of law. yet, millions of Americans believe that lie.

But the fact is Trump lost the majority of American votes, again. He lost the popular vote. He lost the electoral college.

Joe Biden definitely won the presidency. And I'm proud that America stood up for what is right.

There's obviously more to talk about. I was shocked by how many people did vote for Trump. After all the verifiable lies, after all the attacks on decency, and the intentional inflammation of division, I'm curious why.

I believe in balance. Trump tipped the country into extremism and corruption.

Why would good people continue to support him?

I just don't know. Hopefully, I can ask that question in the future and try to understand how we can better unite our country.

Until then, I'm thankful that we have a new president coming in January bring a more principled character as the leader of our country. Congratulations President Elect Joe Biden and definitely a big congrats to America's first female Vice President, first Black and Asian woman VP, Kamala Harris.

This is a BIG step for a better America.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Greetings Gunn Runner

The power went out. Fortunately, I have a portable digital recorder. I was able to capture this episode with news about batch recording shows, campaigning for a president, live concert successes, album delays, and Celtfather Box Set.

It's all on Celtfather Monthly, show #270.

2:26 - PODCASTS

I love the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. I feel like I’m finally getting a handle on batch recording episodes. That means, I create and record 2-3 episodes at one time. Then I release one each week... ahead of time.

I love this method because it gives me room to focus on my music business. Writing songs. Recording songs. Listening to edits. Making changes as I need them. I can’t tell you how important that is to my mental health. It's extremely helpful.

I pre-recorded three episodes in October. But released four regular ones and a bonus show. There was the Celtic Fusion, Lost Passport, Fairy Tale, and the Celtic Halloween show along with a bonus Celtic Rock episode since I wanted to promote one of my new singles, "Together".

I did a bit more scripting for the Pub Songs Podcast episodes this month. That's because I wanted to clearly talk about stuff without coming off like arse. That was especially true with the Tough Times episode. I was campaigning for Joe Biden. But I don't like hard sells and didn't to piss off people who already had their mind made up for the other guy.

Ah well... Again, I'm happy the election will be over!

Next month, I have some cool new stuff. There's a Celtic Geek spotlight, a feature on the song "Wild Colonial Boy" and I have an interview with Mikey Mason about one of our new Firefly Christmas songs that will be released. I'm excited about these episodes.

I recorded the first episode of the Celtic Christmas Podcast. The show officially launches in mid-November. The first episode is a shorter, teaser episode. My goal is to get the show charting again starting November 1. But it's also there to raise money for those who want to support the podcast. It's a lot of extra time and mental energy. So I'm trying to keep it simple as can be.

Finally, I was interviewed for the Running Anthropologist. The host found my running episode of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. And I had to get on it. I graduated college in cultural geography, which is basically anthropology. And I'm a runner now. I'll talk about that some point in the future. But you can get a sneak peak on that podcast.

7:23 - VIDEOS

Coffee with The Celtfather is going strong with season 7. I feel like I had some shows this month. Though I only nabbed a few video singles that I felt were good enough to publish as singles.

Those include Tough Times and O’er the way. Though I have a couple already scheduled for November.

My Celtfather Live for October was a GREAT success. My goal was to basically increase sales in my store either through tickets or through merch sales. So you could buy an $8 ticket in the store to watch the show. OR you could spend $15 and get access to the show.

Sales were nearly as high as they were in September for Dragon Con. So again, SUCCESS!

I also worked out the technical details. Things like how to email people the show link and what not. I feel like one or two people bought twice. That was a bummer. But overall, it seemed to work.

I'm doing it again in November. This time all of my Heroes in the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon will get free access. On the one hand, I suspect this will cannibalize some sales. But considering these folks are pledging $10 per month... I'm okay with that. It just becomes a little bit more difficult to track.

9:57 - IN THE STUDIO

Oh the studio. Well, I think I will officially announce that I will not have Selcouth completed and mailed out in November like I planned. I am sorry.

I am still making great progress. But I have at least five tracks that I want to complete. Others are with musicians. In fact, let's break it down.

I have two songs that are in the mixing stage with my engineer. Those are "Serenity Valley Waltz" and "Wherever I May Roam". Those were challenges to get the right mix. But they are coming along.

"Breathing" is currently with Nathan Deese to record, along with "Favor of a Dance" and "Bright Side of Everything". I also have Randy Wothke I hope to add percussion to "Bright Side of Everything".

"Genetic Counseling Song" was tracked. I'm getting instrumentation added by Matt Hughes and Jimmy "Rimbo" Rimmer. It's getting closer.

As for the songs still in the work, I have "Kilty Pleasure", "Just a Hero", and "By Amazing Grace". I laid tracks for "Kilty Pleasure", but I'm not sure if I want to re-record those or not. The other two, I haven't started on.

Finally, I have two tune sets, some jigs and some reels. Admittedly, I'm having trouble figuring out what to play on those.

As you can see, there are just FIVE tracks that need recording. You'd think it would be no big deal. If I could get a weekend, I could probably nail 'em.

Course, the instrumentation will take longer as will the mixing.

Heck, I haven't even figured out an album cover yet for Selcouth.

So I think it's safe to say, this will be pushed back until January or February with an official release maybe next summer. Again, my apologies.

I did release a bunch of singles last month. I'll tell you how they did in a little bit. But there were four:

O’er the way
Tough times
October waltz
Together

All in all, I'm seeing some great results. When my current release schedule is over, I'm gonna try to release new tracks every 2-4 weeks. But I definitely want to keep new singles coming. I feel it's helping me a lot.

13:33 - MERCH

Nothing new was released in October outside of the ticket sales. Though I did adjust the Celtfather CD Box Set that I have in the store. You save 50% off all of my current physical CDs when you buy it.

There's also a white Irish & Celtic Music Podcast t-shirt. It's just $7. And you also get a digital copy of my St Patrick's Day album. That was updated as well.

I found a some album reviews of Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers. It was interesting to read. Because this is an album that is VERY focused. If you like Irish music AND you love cats, you will probably love this album. But of the 11 reviews on Amazon, 3 are mediocre to loathing. I like reading people's reviews, because they help show how much something resonates with a community.

But of course, it's also nice to have an abundance of glowing reviews. So if you haven't posted anything on Amazon. I'd love for you to do so.

If you're interested in any of my music, I'd suggest you shop my store at magerecords.com. If you're subscribed to my mailing list, you'll get a discount code to save 15% in my store.

16:00 - CELTIC TRAVEL

No new plans for my Celtic Invasion of Scotland. However, there was one happy thing I missed.

A month or so ago, I contacted past invaders. I told them about the invasion. I was met with crickets.

Well, it turns out there were reasons for crickets. I apparently did NOT email anyone but myself...

Luke noticed the error. And now I have four new invaders signed up.

17:00 - WEBSITES

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including:

The Wreck of the Bold Lady Jean
The Bridge
Close your Eyes
Tough times
Black is the color

18:04 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR NOVEMBER

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 7) @ 12:00 PM EST

NOV 19: Celtfather Live on YouTube @ 8:00 - 9 PM EDT. Tickets $8 or shop the store. Spend $15+ get access.

18:40 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1196 is down from 1203
Celtic Music Magazine = 4001 is down from 4008

YouTube Subscribers = 4853 is up 63 from 4790
Facebook Likes = 3755 is down from 3759
Instagram = 1851 is the same
Spotify followers: 1654 is up 22 from 1632
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2532 is down from 2588

Latest Spotify Single Stats:
"Hobbit Hornpipe" released Aug 26: 399 is down from 801
"Whiskey in the Jar" released Sept 8: 73 is down from 160
"Brandywine River Reel" released Sept 22: 75 is up from 22

"O'er the Way" released Oct 1: 85
"Together (KrabbeConnect) released Oct 7: 257
"October Waltz" released Oct 14: 54
"Tough Times" released Oct 21: 28

Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.3K), Doctor of Gallifrey (474), Hobbit Hornpipe (399), A-Working in the Garden (373), Together (KrabbeConnect) (255), Reavers, Malcolm, Reavers (230), Hero of Canton (214)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: Hero of Canton (472), Doctor of Gallifrey (383), As Long As I'm Flyin' (354), Sail the Sky (174), The Long Arm (147)

23:47 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 157 is down from 162
Patreon Monthly Income: $1208 is up from $1196

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

25:07 - RANT

NOTE: I decided to cut the audio of this rant. I just ran out of time for editing.

I am SO sick of our president who lies so blatantly and often, you would think that no one would support him.

Alas, that's not the case. If you believe him, you probably already plan to vote for him. So my rant isn't gonna help you make a decision.

This rant was all about children. Mine in particular. But all children.

Do we really want them to grow in an environment of maliciousness which is the tone set by the leader of the free world?

I voted no. I voted for Biden.

That's it. It's now in the hand of Americans who respect people and want a better America.

My wife pointed out one of the biggest reasons why I want Trump out of office. My daughters Inara and Kenzie.

We have not involved them in the political process. We didn’t let them watch the debates. Not do we let them hear the president talk.

That’s because we are scared at what vile, hateful thing will come out of his mouth. What female reporter will he gaslight. What black man will he belittle. What middle easterner will he call a terrorist. What Hispanic will he call a rapist. What person with a disability will he make fun of. What hateful insult will he lob carelessly at over half of our country because they are Democrats.

He doesn’t serve America. He serves himself.

This is the leader of the free world. And he is a sad, shameful human being. Let alone American.

Is this what Kenzie should aspire to? Is this how Inara should behave? Should they act despicable? I mean after all, our president is.

I don’t believe so. I voted for decency and kindness back in the White House. That is joe Biden.

I am so happy the election is almost over. It’s consuming me and all of America. I’m sick of it. Yet I feel it’s essential to the healing of our nation that we get rid of Trump. There’s never been a more divisive president.

I am so ready for a new president. I did my duty for a better America. I voted for Biden. Now it’s time to move on.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Greetings Gunn Runner

Pub Songs Podcast on the charts. New singles gaining traction. Coffee with the Celtfather is back. And finishing up the Selcouth CD. And a rant on voting.

It's all on Celtfather Monthly, show #269

Before we start, I want to remind you to register to vote. It looks in most states, you have until about October 5th to register, but it does vary. And just because you think you're registered, does not mean you are. Georgia has a lawsuit against it because there were over 200,000 people illegally purged from the voting record. Go to vote.org to check your registration and to register.

0:36 - PODCASTS

Four episodes of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast were released in September, including a Celtic Women's special for Halfway to St Patrick's Day. I had a lot of great comments about that episode. Coming up is a Celtic Fusion episode and a Samhain or Celtic Halloween episode. I'm still debating how to theme the show.

The first episode of the Pub Songs Podcast in September was a performance I recorded for Virtual Dragon Con. It was a fun show. Though as always, it's weird doing shows without audiences who respond. But I feel like I'm getting good at it.

At the end of the month, the Pub Songs Podcast topped the Music Commentary Charts on Apple Podcasts. That's because I did the first big push I've done for the show in a LONG time.

It was all a part of the Hobbit Day show I released on Sept 22. It features hobbit songs as well as the second single from the Dancing With Hobbits album I'm recording with Sam Gillogly. It's called "Brandywine River Reel". I feel like that was a good episode where I share my love of hobbit origin story.

I created a couple themes for the October shows. One is about coming together. And the other is Firefly-related in time for the single release of "Tough Times" which I hope to get done before the election.

It's also time to start thinking about the Celtic Christmas Podcast again. I know that sounds early for you. But in the music biz, bands should start submitting Christmas music tracks to radio and such in October. So that's one thing I hope to start on next month.

2:39 - VIDEOS

I released several new video singles this month. There's one for "Whiskey in the Jar". This one is just me and the autoharp. It seemed like a good idea for a video to record since I released a single at the beginning of the month too.

Another features two toy sheep I got for my daughters last summer. It's called "Sinead & Saoirse at Killarney National Park" and features the music of "Hobbit Hornpipe". The videos are all from my Celtic Invasion of Dingle last summer. We had a side trip to Killarney which was a lot of fun. And got silly too!

My favorite video was "Lords of the Run". I go running with a couple friends 2-3 times per week. We decided to run in costume on the Saturday of Dragon Con to celebrate the Dragon Con parade that didn't happen this year. It was SO MUCH FUN to record. The video also features the music of "Brandywine River Reel".

Coffee with The Celtfather is BACK for Season 7. This time it's on YouTube every Thursday at noon eastern.

So far, I am feeling really good about the move from Facebook. Most of my regular viewers made the transition. The time seems better. Attendance feels up. And those who watch actually stick around (unlike on Facebook).

Oh! As a cool bonus, I have themes for many shows. I've no problem coming with theme ideas too because of all the singles I'm releasing. So woohoo!!!

I also am now notifying Coffee fans every Thursday via email. If you haven't signed up, please do so!

5:06 - IN THE STUDIO

Last month, I scheduled 12 different singles I planned to release. I have new tracks coming out every 2-3 weeks through January. So far, the results are encouraging. I'll tell you more about the stats in a wee bit. But each of my singles is doing better and better. This test is looking very positive.

Meanwhile, I'm still working on my next CD Selcouth. I have three new songs finished. But I still have some big tracks I need to finish recording. My goal was to release the album to fans by November. I'm starting to doubt whether I will achieve that goal.

Songs that need work include:

Breathing
Bright Side of Everything
Genetic Counseling Song
By Amazing Grace?
Serenity Valley Waltz
Kilty Pleasure

I'm so proud of all of those tracks. Which is why I find myself coming to a mental block to completing them. But I hope to make more progress tomorrow.

7:11 - MERCH

The Sainted Song Hengers Collection is back in my store. This features this year's Irish & Celtic Music Podcast shirt, some pint glasses and more. It's only available for a limited time. I also added some two new USBs: Cats 'n' Celts and Rise of The Celtfather.

Oh! And if you're subscribed to my mailing list, you'll get a discount code to save 15% in my store. Shop at magerecords.com.

If you're a Brobdingnagian Bards fan, then you might want to pick up one of the last copies of "Songs of Ireland". We have finally almost sold out of that physical CD. I think there's only five copies left. You can get it in the Bards store.

9:12 - CELTIC TRAVEL

Join my in 2021 for the Celtic Invasion of Scotland. We're staying in a castle in Helensburgh, Scotland. This is about 20 minutes from the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

9:32 - WEBSITES

I made several updates in preparation for Halfway to St Patrick's Day to that website. I made sure all the links were updated as well as any new information.

I updated lyrics for the Irish Song Lyrics website, including: "We'll Have A Pint", "Everybody Needs A Drinking Song", "Prettiest Hobbit" and "Whiskey in the Jar" since I added a new video.

10:05 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR OCTOBER

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 7) @ 12:00 PM EST

OCT 3: Interstellar Ginger Beer & Exploration Co in Alabaster, AL @ 6:00 - 8:00 PM EDT
OCT 17: The Lost Druid in Decatur, GA @ 7:00 - 9:00 PM EDT
OCT 22: Celtfather Live on YouTube @ 8:00 - 9 PM EDT

12:00 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1203 is up from 1171
Celtic Music Magazine = 4008 is up from 4003

YouTube Subscribers = 4790 is up 52 from 4738
Facebook Likes = 3759 is up from 3755
Instagram = 1851 is up from 1838
Spotify followers: 1632 is up 24 from 1608 is up 29 from 1579
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2588 is up from 2280

Latest Spotify Single Stats:
"Hobbit Hornpipe" released Aug 26: 801 is up from 18
"Whiskey in the Jar" released Sept 8: 160
"Brandywine River Reel" released Sept 22: 22

Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.4K), Hobbit Hornpipe (789), Doctor of Gallifrey (469), A-Working in the Garden (251), Hero of Canton (200)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: Hero of Canton (454), Doctor of Gallifrey (280), The Widow and the Devil (78), Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (39), Bring Me Home, Boys (39)

16:33 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 162 is up from 159
Patreon Monthly Income: $1196 is up from $1178

We'll see what happens to those numbers when I finish this podcast on a rant. But first...

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

17:32 - RANT ON VOTING

At the start of the podcast, I asked you to register to vote. It is absurd to say. But I feel like it's now necessary to encourage you to vote in November. Some people are talking about voting fraud. Some are talking about foreign interference in our elections. Some don't think voting makes a difference. I want to share a few hopefully bipartisan thoughts on the topic.

The statistics say that voting fraud is immaterial. Anyone who tells you otherwise is committing voter fraud by making you think your vote doesn't count. It does. So don't believe those liars.

We already know that Russia and China are trying to manipulate the outcome of this election. We know that Russia succeeded in the last election. They're using social media to manipulate us. How? They share memes and fake news that appeal to you. And you end up sharing them.

My suggestion. Stop. Put a moratorium on sharing news or memes until December.

Instead, share who you plan to vote for and why.

That said, I will vote for Joe Biden in November. And I will tell you why.

I want to bring kindness back to the White House. I want stability. I want a return to Law and Order. Trump promises that but makes things worse Every time. Vice President Biden will do that. He's not the candidate I want. But he's the candidate our country needs. He's a moderate who will actively try to serve ALL Americans. Not just his people.

Trump is threatening our Constitution. He said he will refuse to leave office if he loses. That is the definition of a coup. That is treason.

And right now, the polls have him with a 22% chance to win. A landslide victory is the only way America will have peace and prosperity back in our nation. It's the only way Trump will willing leave and our country will remain intact.

So Yes, I do want you to vote for Joe Biden in November. Our country depends on it.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

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Greetings Gunn Runner

Dragon Con approaches. New coffee dates. Brobdingnagian Bards concerts. And lots of news from the studio. It's all today on Celtfather Monthly.

Let’s talk about it... on show #268.

0:12 - PODCASTS

This was a good month for podcasts. I'm still ahead on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Four solid episodes for August. I even have next two recorded and ready for editing. And I'm getting a few new band submissions to the show.

I released two episodes Pub Songs Podcast in August. They were fairly easy to produce too. One is on Irish Rebel Songs and the other touches on Dragon Con and my newest Hobbit single. If you have any show ideas, I would love to hear them.

I recorded another Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast with Andrew McKee. We've been a bit lax about recording those. We wanted to get out an episode before Dragon Con. Though we were also recording video concert for Dragon Con. We had a very productive day.

2:04 - VIDEOS

The video situation is still kind of on hold right now. I have a lot of things on my plate. So it's just on the back burner. And I must say, it feels good to focus on music creation. More about that in a moment.

I did look a couple past video concerts to see if I could find any singles I wanted to release. But I had no luck there.

My Coffee show is coming back. I am planning to relaunch the show on Thursdays, starting September 10 at noon. It looks like everything I do ends up on Thursday. For better or worse, that seems like the best day for me. So I'll see what I can do to stick to that new date and time.

I am debating rebranding the show title. Maybe something like Coffee with Celts or Coffee n Celts... or maybe even using Sci F'Irish music... I don't know. All I know is I never drink coffee during the show. It was always a bad time. So we shall see...

I am actually recording video concerts though. That's because Dragon Con is Labor Day weekend. I plan to have some pre-recorded shows for that. I might do a live stream too. But we shall see. There will be some Brobdingnagian Bards live streams. But I'm working out details right now.

I'm still brainstorming a Musical TV Show idea. It's sort of like the Firefly Drinking Songs show from Gen Con and will also be at Dragon Con. But I can't come up with a concept I love. And that makes sense. Hopefully, I'll figure something out.

Oh! And Andrew McKee was finally able to setup our computers to stream live. And it's sounding pretty amazing so far. Hopefully, he and I can have some live concerts together in the future. But we have several planned for Dragon Con.

4:45 - IN THE STUDIO

I feel like I am creating a lot of new music. It feels good to closes some loops on new and old music.

I have six songs currently in the works for my next CD Selcouth. I'm waiting on instrumentation for three others. And I have one that still needs a final mix. All in all, I'm proud how the CD is progressing. I still hope to release it to my Kickstarter supporters by October or November.

I'm also excited about my release schedule. I have a bunch of new releases coming soon.

Last week, I released "Hobbit Hornpipe". That's the first single from the album Dancing With Hobbits with Sam Gillogly. We hope to release a hobbit dance CD next year. We're gonna try and release a new single every month.

I am proudly re-releasing St Patrick's Day. Formerly known as Not Every Day Is St Patrick's Day, I pulled the album from the net in August because the album has not done nearly as well as I hoped. There are many reasons for this. But the album will be back in time for Halfway to St Patrick's Day. I added three new songs to the album. And there's one new recording of a previous song. And a couple remixes.

You can get the album now on Bandcamp. But it will be streaming everywhere come September 7th. The physical CD is pending... I have to make a decision how to release that.

On September 22nd, my next single with Sam Gillogly comes out. It's called "Brandywine River Reel". And it's a fun one! Another good hobbit dance tune.

October 7th is the official release of "Together". This is the Celtic rock song I recorded a couple months back. There's a big KrabbeConnect convention happening on the weekend of October 10th. So the song will be available just in time for the big event!

7:30 - MERCH

Every Friday since the pandemic started, Bandcamp has waived all of their profits for items purchased in the store. If you're looking for a time to support my music... well, anytime is good.

But if you want to maximize my income, buy any time on Friday, September 4 at magerecords.com.

7:59 - CELTIC TRAVEL

I opened the 2021 Celtic Invasion of Scotland to past invaders. As expected, I am flooded with no responses. I guess some could be mailing application forms. But again, this is what I expect.

I realize many of the challenges of hosting a trip in Scotland while we're still in the middle of a pandemic. Should we wear masks? Will the country let us in? Will there be a vaccine? Will the U.K. require a quarantine period?

It's bizarre. But yes. Masks will probably be necessary. It's totally dependent on entry into the country. And if a vaccine is available, I will might require invaders to be vaccinated. As for the quarantine period, who knows...

Nevertheless, we are booked for June 5-12, 2021. And if my family and I can go stay at the castle in Helensburgh, Scotland, we will. I do hope I have others joining us though.

WEBSITES

Not much is new for the Irish Song Lyrics website. Slipped out of my priorities. I still need to do the lyrics for the latest Pub Songs Podcast episodes.

9:16 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR SEPTEMBER

THURS: Coffee with The Celtfather, YouTube (Season 6) @ 12:00 PM EST

SEP 2: Brobdingnagian Bards Concert with Dragon Con Filk Music Track @ 8:00-9:00 PM ET

SEP 4: Brobdingnagian Bards Concert with Dragon Con Filk Music Track @ 4:00-5:00 PM ET
SEP 4: Dragon Con TV presents Firefly Drinking Songs w/Marc Gunn @ 10:00-11:00 PM ET

SEP 5: Marc Gunn Concert with Dragon Con Filk Music Track @ 2:30-3:30 PM ET
SEP 5: Andrew McKee Concert with Dragon Con Filk Music Track @ 4:00-5:00 PM ET

SEP 6: Songs Lyrics I Wish I Rewrote But Didn't [Panel] w/Marc Gunn @ 1:00-2:00 PM ET
SEP 6: Writing Music w/Andrew McKee [Panel] @ 2:30-3:30 PM ET
SEP 6: Hobbit Drinking Songs with Brobdingnagian Bards for Dragon Con High Fantasy Track @ 8:30-9:30 PM ET

SEP 7: Promoting Your Music With Podcasting [Panel] w/Marc Gunn @ 1:00-2:00 PM ET
SEP 7: Pub Songs Podcast Live with Dragon Con Digital Media Track @ 2:00-3:00 PM ET

SEP 17: Halfway to St Patrick's Day at Tucker Brewing Company in Tucker GA @ 6:30 - 9:30 PM EDT

14:74 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1171 is up from 1158
Celtic Music Magazine = 4003 is the same as last month

YouTube Subscribers = 4738 is up 63 from 4675
Facebook Likes = 3755 is up from 3754
Instagram = 1838 is up from 1832
Spotify followers: 1608 is up 29 from 1579
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2280 is up from 2090

Spotify Latest Single Stats: "Hobbit Hornpipe": 18

Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.4K), Doctor of Gallifrey (501), Hero of Canton (366), A-Working in the Garden (292), Reavers, Malcolm, Reavers (241)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: Doctor of Gallifrey (233), Hero of Canton (186), The Widow and the Devil (167), Scots Wha Hae (56), I'm A Rover, Seldom Sober (42)

18:38 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 159 is up from 158
Patreon Monthly Income: $1178 is down from $1191

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts.

Thank you for supporting Sci F'Irish music at Celtfather.com!

#CFMonthly

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Greetings Gunn Runner

Two new singles are coming out. Selcouth progress report. Something new and different for my live streaming concerts. New songs written. And would you like to stay with me in a castle in Scotland?

Another month down. Another to begin.

Let’s talk about it... on show #267.

0:21 - PODCASTS

The toughest thing about making podcasts is coming up with a concept. What is the show about?

For the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, it's easy. I don't usually do themes. Because they are hard to create. Even the Celtic Running Music show I ran this week. It had to pick out a good running rhythms and tap out the tempos to make sure the show picked up speed as you ran. It's much easier to just create a show and then name it after a song or an organic theme.

I can't create that podcast and stress about a theme if I want to put it out every week.

That's the problem I'm having with the Pub Songs Podcast. Some days I come up with a theme. Others, I have no idea. Then the show keeps getting pushed back.

That's what happened with the Gen Con show. It was a couple days late before I was struck with the thought, DUH! I can just call it the Gen Con show and promote those shows. That makes the second show of August a little easier. I can make that the Dragon Con show. I still don't know what to do for the first episode. So if you have a theme idea, let me know.

The other episode I did in July was a replay of Coffee with The Celtfather where I highlighted the songs of Rie Sheridan Rose. It's amazing that we've been writing songs together for probably 18 years. It's just mind-blowing. I'm so fortunate to have her helping me create music. My only sadness is that I hadn't done that episode sooner.

That theme issue put Stories from the Road on the back burner this month too. I just didn't think to publish it. And here we are at the end of the month.

Mikey and I published the final Firefly episode of the In the ‘Verse podcast. This was for Objects in Space. I'll be honest. I was surprised in this months Celtfather Live that I got a song request for that song. I kinda felt it was a throw away. But guess we shall see.

2:51 - VIDEOS

I published two video singles this month: "The Mermaid" and "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits". They were both from Andrew McKee's Life's a Faire webcast in June.

"The Mermaid" has done pretty well with 186 views as I type. I was surprised that "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" didn't do better. But I guess that's the random nature of the beast. Some songs get caught up in the algorithm and do well. Others don't.

The best thing about that Life's A Faire broadcast is I learned how to create video singles FROM video concerts that are posted on YouTube. This means if I get a good recording of a song or two during Coffee or Celtfather Live, I can always repost it as a video single. Boo-yah!

One of the big projects in July was recording a Firefly Drinking Songs concert for Gen Con and Dragon Con. This was super cool because it was scripted show. I learned how hard it would be to create a TV series. Oy! That's because I recorded each section live. I scripted what I would say. And I tried to tell a story.

The story is basically that I hijack the Cortex in order to broadcast a Bob Hope style concert for the Browncoat troops fighting during the Unification War in Firefly. It ends in disaster. It was fun to create. But it also took much of the day. And I'm still uncertain if the video quality is not as good as it should've been.

You can get tickets to watch the Firefly Drinking Songs show at Gen Con. I'll tell you more about it later.

As for the Dragon Con version, there are a couple parts that are different. And I'm hoping it'll broadcast on Dragon Con TV.

Oh! And Mikey Mason is a guest as usual during both shows.

My live streaming video concerts ran into some problems this month. Some are still not resolved as I type. Our internet router is on the complete opposite side of where my office is. So when my internet extender died right before the Celtfather Live concert this month, I've been living with crappy infrequent internet access. It's very frustrating. Coffee with the Celtfather is a challenge because of that.

That said, I have a 150' chord to plug directly into the router for a special project with Andrew and a new extender is on its way. Here's hoping I can do something in time for my live streaming shows at Gen Con next week.

6:10 - IN THE STUDIO

Moments before typing this I finished recording "Together", the Krabbe Connect song I mentioned last month. I got the final tracks from Daniel Briggs. He recorded bass, mandolin and octave mandolin for the song to give it a more Celtic feel.

It's hilarious. As I was finishing the mix, I realized I COULD share it on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast because I added this mando reel to the intro to turn this sort of pop song into a Folk Pop song. LOL.

I love it. It has a great sound. And again, as I was listening, I realized the song could actually go beyond the Krabbe Connect world. So that's an extra WIN in my book.

That is not the only song I'm getting ready to release. Sam Gillogly and I confirmed that we are going to release an album called Dancing With Hobbits. This is an idea that came from the last ALEP. That's the hobbit gathering in Kentucky that I talk about a lot. We talked about recording an instrumental album of original dance music for hobbits.

We recorded a track several years ago after the last ALEP, I think. That's when we started talking about this idea. But a week ago, Sam and I finally confirmed that we would make an album together. But we're gonna do it by releasing singles. The goal is to put out one a month until we release the album late next year in time for the next ALEP which is currently delayed until 2021.

I am excited about this for several reasons. One of the big ones is that I LOVE traditional style Celtic music. The tunes. But because I play the autoharp, I don't really record many. Yeah. I CAN. But I don't. It just doesn't sound right. But get me a fiddle player...

So hopefully, I'll have lots of new tunes to share via the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast in the months to come. Now i just have to figure out what tune comes first. And to stay on that schedule.

The first one is called "Hobbit Hornpipe". I'm trying to get permission to share it with Patrons. But I'll let you know if that's possible.

I made progress on Selcouth too. My parts for "Breathing" are laid. I think I need to re-record one more vocal for "Bright Side of Everything". But it's close to being done. I also laid down a track for "Kilty Pleasure", "Favor of Dance", and "Tough Times". That's pretty good progress. Though I'm already worrying about hitting my October/November deadline for Kickstarter supporters.

Finally, I wrote and recorded another new song called "Back in the Ocean". It's a story about a male selkie who goes to land, has some fun, and decides life on land ain't all it's cracked up to be. He's much happier back in the ocean.

13:15 - MERCH

I have not touched my Bandcamp store in quite a while. Not since I posted those new Celtic Heartstring necklaces a couple months ago. No doubt this is one reason I'm not selling great over there. But I'm happy just be creating right now.

So if you haven't been, check it out. Buy something.

13:36 - TRAVEL

I'm jonesing to travel. I love traveling. So I've been back on YouTube watching videos of Scotland and other places in Europe. I can't wait.

I am researching the 2021 Celtic Invasion of Scotland. In fact, I booked a castle in Helensburgh, Scotland. The dates for the invasion are June 5-12.

Obviously, that's assuming we are able to get out of the country to go there. But I can't hang on that. So I'm gonna plan right now.

14:51 - WEBSITES

Not much is new for the Irish Song Lyrics website. Slipped out of my priorities. I still need to do the lyrics for the latest Pub Songs Podcast episodes.

15:07 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR AUGUST

I don't know if I have said this before. But booking for the forseeable future will be tentative. I had two physical shows in July in Birmingham. Both were canceled. I'm booked at Pepper Place Farmer's Market in Birmingham in mid-August. I'm assuming that will be canceled too.

So if there's a date on my schedule. Check in with me or the venue a few days before to see if it's happening.

JUL 30: Comedy Music Cabaret at Gen Con ONLINE at 6:00 - 7:00 PM EDT
JUL 30: Sci F'Irish Drinking Songs at Gen Con ONLINE at 8:00 - 9:00 PM EDT
JUL 31: Firefly Drinking Songs at Gen Con ONLINE at 8:00 - 9:00 PM EDT

AUG 1: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers at Gen Con ONLINE at 6:00 - 7:00 PM EDT
AUG 1: Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion at Gen Con ONLINE at 8:00 - 9:00 PM EDT
AUG 15: Pepper Place Farmer's Market in Birmingham, AL @ 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM CDT

SEP 2-6: Dragon Con in Atlanta, GA (pending)

Weds Morning: Coffee with The Celtfather, Facebook (Season 5!) @ 11:00 AM EST

STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1158 is up from 1130
Celtic Music Magazine = 4003 is down from 4007

YouTube Subscribers = 4675 is up 26 from 4649
Facebook Likes = 3754 is up 19 from 3735
Instagram = 1832 is up from 1825 followers
Spotify followers: 1579 is up 35 from 1548
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2090 is up from 2003

Spotify Latest Single Stats: "Molly Malone": 12 is down from 21
Spotify Latest Single Stats: "The Last Jedi Drinking Song": 43 is down from 64
Spotify Latest Album Stats: I Will Not Sing Along: 217 is down from 293

Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.4K), Doctor of Gallifrey (419), A-Working in the Garden (229), Reavers, Malcolm, Reavers (195), Hero of Canton (180), Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (164)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music: Doctor of Gallifrey (218), Hero of Canton (151), The Widow and the Devil (89), I'm A Rover, Seldom Sober (40), Come Ye By Atholl (37)

PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 158 is down from 160
Patreon Monthly Income: $1191 is up from $1175

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts. Thank you for supporting Sci F'Iirsh music.

Slainte!

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Gerry O'Beirne is an Irish guitarist and songwriter behind the scenes of many great Celtic musicians. I met him when he toured the U.S. with Andy M. Stewart. But his history playing music is long and fascinating.

I was surprised on last summer's Celtic Invasion Vacations that he's living in Dingle, Ireland now. He's performing both solo and with many of the top Irish musicians there.

Show #266.

We talk about his new CD Swimming the Horses, the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, and how he got started as a songwriter in the desert of America.

Find out more about Gerry O'Beirne here.

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And the secret is... There is no secret with a mind like mine.

It's show #265 of The Celtfather.

I was kicking myself recently that I was having so much trouble creating my shownotes for the Pub Songs Podcast. There are too many working parts for my brain. There's the pub chat, the live streaming, the story in the middle, all the news.

Then it struck me. Never in the history of that podcast have I stuck to a consistent format. That's not what that show is all about. Every episode can be different. And that's okay.

That's the same for my life. Every day is different. Yes. Some are more alike than others. But mostly, my days vary.

This podcast has a more solid format. So let's start talking about how things went and where things are goin.

1:03 - PODCASTS

In June, I featured an interview I did with Mazz O'Flaherty. That interview is in THIS podcast. I will cross-post some of the interviews I do to this podcast. If they seem relevant. It's more promotion for the people I interview. So mo the bettah.

I was on target with two episodes of the Pub Songs Podcast. The first had an interview with Gerry O'Beirne. He's an Irish singer/songwriter who performed on last year's Celtic Invasion of Dingle. I played Famous Irish Songs in between those previously mentioned moving parts. In the second episode, I talk about the castle I booked for the Celtic Invasion of Scotland in 2021.

Do you listen to Stories from the Road? Just curious. I stayed on top of it. And I even felt like they were pretty interesting thoughts, including "Performing in the time of Covid-19" and the "Litmus Test for a Coffee Pre-Show".

I'm about a week ahead with the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. The Pride Show did very well. As has the podcast this month. The show is back up to over 11k downloads in about a week's time. It had sunk to about 8000 earlier this year.

I don't have any special episodes currently planned. That's allowing me to get ahead. But I do have ideas. I also feel like I need to reach out to more bands. There's not a lot of new music coming. I'm not sure that is normal for this time of year. Admittedly, I never care because I'm usually overseas.

Mikey and I recorded a new In the ‘Verse podcast. It still needs editing. But the song for the final episode of Firefly, "My Beating Heart", was released to the Gunn Runners Club too.

4:22 - VIDEOS

June was NOT the month of videos. In fact, this was another situation where I thought, it's okay if I'm inconsistent with video production.

I did a benefit concert for Andrew McKee's Life's a Faire podcast and video series. We raised a few hundred dollars. I released a video of "Tough Times". Its done remarkably well as my video singles are concerned. There's a short Fairy Walk video I made for Inara's birthday. It took a month to get it out. But it was fun.

And finally, I uploaded a Coffee with the Celtfather episode where I celebrated the songs of Rie Sheridan Rose. That turned out pretty dang good as a performance. That won't be a regular thing. But I thought it'd be nice to promote the songs that I wrote with Rie. So I'm going all out. In fact, the next Pub Songs Podcast is largely that show.

6:47 - IN THE STUDIO

I didn't have much time in the studio this month. Though I did re-record the vocals for "Bright Side of Everything". The first version was weak.

I also recorded a new song for a friend. It's called "Together (Krabbe Connect)". Krabbe is a lysosomal storage disease, I think. I'm not super certain. The lyrics were written by my friend who works in the field and requested a song. It was fun to produce. It even includes hard-hitting drums that I recorded with my drum machine.

I also started talking with Samantha Gillogly again about a hobbit dance CD I want to release with her. We started it a few years back. But nothing has come of it yet. But stay tuned. We might start releasing singles.

8:03 - MERCH

I had my first physical show since the pandemic struck. I got to test some of my ideas for selling CDs in the new environment. My plan was to use a QR code and Bandcamp site to make it easy for you to figure out what CD you want to buy at the show.

So far... not so successful. But I have other ideas coming. I'll let you know how that goes.

8:31 - TRAVEL

The 2021 Celtic Invasion of Scotland will have us staying in a castle 20 minutes from Loch Lomond.

That's the only detail I know about next year's invasion. But it's a first step for the trip. The size of the castle means we might have a larger than normal group. I also know my family will stay at the castle as well. But they won't be a part of the regular touring.

8:59 - IRISH & CELTIC SONG LYRICS

Here are some of the new Irish & Celtic Song Lyrics that were updated this month: Tough Times, A Well-Dressed Hobbit, My Father Was a Werewolf, Green Grow the Rashes

I also updated some videos and information on these songs: Reavers’ Lullaby, Why Do You Torture Me, Mingulay Boat Song, She’s Shiny, Zombie Love Song, Gollum Blues, Harry Potter and the Rising of the Moon, Purple Flower, Soul of a Harper, Thorin’s Eulogy, Elves

9:40 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR JULY

JUL 16: Celtfather Live on YouTube @ 7:30 PM EDT
JUL 18: The Lost Druid in Decatur, GA @ 7:00 - 9:00 PM
JUL 24: Interstellar Ginger Beer & Exploration Co in Alabaster, AL @ 7 - 9:30 PM CDT
JUL 25: Pepper Place Farmer's Market in Birmingham, AL @ 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM CDT
JUL 29 - AUG 2: Gen Con in Indianapolis, IN

WEDS: Coffee with The Celtfather on Facebook (Season 6) @ 11:00 AM EST

10:38 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1130 is up from 1088
Celtic Music Magazine = 4007 is up from 3999

YouTube Subscribers = 4649 is up 42 from 4607
Facebook Likes = 3735 is up 20 from 3715
Instagram = 1825 followers
Spotify followers: 1548 is up from 1530
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2003 is down from 2109

Spotify Latest Single Stats: "Molly Malone": 21 is down from 23
Spotify Latest Single Stats: "The Last Jedi Drinking Song": 64 is down from 94
Spotify Latest Album Stats: I Will Not Sing Along: 293 is down from 302 streams

Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.3K), Doctor of Gallifrey (422), Reavers, Malcolm, Reavers (215), A-Working in the Garden (173), Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (168), Hero of Canton (160)

12:21 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 160 is up from 159
Patreon Monthly Income: $1175 is down from $1208

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Streaming music gives you a quick and easy way to sample all of my music. Digital sales keep my business running. Tips and CD sales allow me to tour. Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts and other merch. And Patreon funds my songwriting!

Join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon to support my songwriting. You will step behind-the-scenes with new music, bonus podcasts, videos, and live concerts. Thank you for supporting Sci F'Iirsh music.

#CFMonthly

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Mazz O'Flaherty owns the smallest record shop in Ireland. It's in Dingle, Ireland. It is a place you don't want to miss. It's walls are lined with music from Irish musicians, especially those in the County Kerry.

In 2019, I took my Celtic Invasion Vacations to Dingle, Ireland. Ten years after my last trip. Mazz was as delightful a person to talk to as ever.

Show #264

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There were a lot of new podcasts and videos I released in May. I had saw some YouTube success. I recorded a Pride Month podcast. I learned new techniques for live streaming shows. I lost a Bog Off... twice. I worked on my next CD. And I started planning how to sell physical CDs at shows... while social distancing.

It's all on show #263.

0:46 - PODCASTS

Whew. I just barely finished my two episodes of the Pub Songs Podcast this month. At the beginning of the month, I recorded a Star Wars Drinking Songs shows where I several of my Star Wars songs. The second I released last week. It was a summer music special. There was an interview I did with Mazz O'Flaherty last summer. It was a good show.

I had a good month with Stories from the Road. Every month, I ask myself if I completed an episode each Friday. I did good this month. I talked about our trip to Texas, a time I forgot the lyrics to "Wild Rover", and one of the wild things that happens with studio recordings. I also included an interview I did on a local Celtic radio program. All in all, it was a good month.

I did NOT stay ahead with the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. One of the reasons I don't record many specialty shows is they are intimidating... mentally. I had two I needed to complete. One was the Celtic Women Singers show. That wasn't too bad. I had a guest host, but she had to back out.

But the tough episode was the Pride Month show. I spent the last 8 months trying to find LGBTQ artists to put on this special show celebrating Celtic musicians who are also gay, lesbians, transgender, etc. I came up short on artists. But fortunately Kris Clements of the Seattle-based Celtic rock band, Ockham's Razor offered to help out. So he guest hosts with me on that show. It'll be out the first week of June.

I'm very happy with how the show turned out. But it was a lot of mental effort to compile. I was hoping to complete it in January. And I just finished it last week. So that's just added stress.

On the In the ‘Verse podcast, I wrote a new song called "By Amazing Grace". I was hoping to have another episode of the show out. But alas, I just ran short on time. So Mikey and I will record the next one next week.

Of course, he already finished his song. But that's okay. I'll have mine out. We're covering the episode "Objects in Space" next.

3:53 - VIDEOS

May was the month of videos.

It was the month where I found out why people post cover songs on YouTube. Sure, I already knew WHY. But I reaped the rewards because in April I recorded four videos back to back. So I released a new video, I think every week.

I started the month with "Wild Rover". That was followed by a travel video of "Skellig Michael" in Ireland. Then came "Wild Kitty", my parody of "Wild Rover". After that was "Loch Lomond". I finished the video singles with "Reavers, Malcolm, Reavers".

And what were the results?

I saw the viewership rise with each release. I'll talk about stats in a bit. But if you look back to my "Lookout Mountain" video from March which has just 74 views and compare it to "Wild Rover" with 234 in just one month... or "Loch Lomond" with 757 in just one week. Well... you can bet I'm happy. They're not all doing THAT great. But "Wild Kitty" almost has 200 views. And "Reavers" has some of the the longest watch time of my video singles.

All in all, I am psyched.

Now if I can just make time to record four more.

Something about the video singles... I have block for recording those.

Though it's not as bad as the educational videos. I wanted to do a "How to Play Wild Rover" video. That is still not recorded.

Coffee with the Celtfather is still going. Though I planned to stop it in mid-May, that plan is out the window for now. I'm still learning a lot even if viewership is hit and miss.

My fellow Brobdingnagian Bard, Andrew McKee, started live streaming his new Life's A Faire podcast. Because of that he's learning a LOT about new ways to live stream. And we are trying them all out together and sharing our knowledge. I learned a LOT this month.

Meanwhile, Andrew and I live streamed a couple of Bog Offs. We each performed "Rattlin' Bog" to see who could sing it faster. It was a fun event. It also stretched some ideas for other events.

You can watch the 2nd Bog Off on the Brobdingnagian Bards Facebook page.

Oh! And Andrew has a new Facebook page too. Follow him if you're not doing so yet.

7:57 - IN THE STUDIO

I spent a little bit of time working on Selcouth this month. I recorded two new songs and tracked them. Meaning, I recorded them to a click track. So my vocals, which need re-recording, can easily be done without re-recording.

I don't usually prefer tracking albums. I want to with this one.

8:32 - MERCH

I didn't add any new merch this month to the store.

But I have started brainstorming HOW to sell music while social distancing.

I have my first shows booked at the end of June. I'll talk about that in a moment. But what struck me was the buyer's experience at a show where you're still trying to social distance yourself.

Imagine. You're at an outdoor event listening to music. You love the music. You want to support the artist. The artist takes a break. You go up to the merch table wearing your mask. Now what?

Do you want to pick up CDs that have been handled by a dozen other people? Probably not. What do you do?

That's what I'm trying to figure out. If you have thoughts, let me know.

10:47 - TRAVEL

Gwen and I are starting to plan the 2021 Celtic Invasion of Scotland. I have no details. But I hope to email my Celtic Invaders. If you want to join me in Scotland, let me know.

11:11 - IRISH & CELTIC SONG LYRICS

Here are some of the new Irish & Celtic Song Lyrics that were updated this month:

Maid Went to the Mill
Reavers Malcolm Reavers
Come By the Hills
Jedi Mickey
Happy Birthday from Ireland
Wild Rover
Loch Lomond
The Last Jedi Drinking Song
Purple Flower

11:35 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR JUNE

JUN 7: Gathering of the Faire on Facebook @ 8 PM EST
JUN 11: Celtfather Live on YouTube @ 8:30 PM EST
JUN 20: The Lost Druid, Decatur, GA @ 7:30 - 9:30 PM
JUN 25: Tucker Brewing Company, Tucker, GA @ 6:30 - 9:30 PM

WEDS: Coffee with The Celtfather, Facebook (Season 6) @ 11:00 AM EST

13:30 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1088 is up from 1037
Celtic Music Magazine = 3999 is up from 3992

YouTube Subscribers = 5607 is up 57 from 4550 (about 11 more than usual)
YouTube Watch Time = 29.5K is up from 25.8K (about the same as usual)
YouTube Views = 11.8K is up from 9.4K (48 more than usual)

Facebook Likes = 3715 is up from 3711
FB Page Views = 470 is down from 568
FB Reach = 29.5K is up from 15.3K
FB Video Views = 2592 is down from 10383

Spotify Latest Single Stats: "Molly Malone": 23 is down from 48
Spotify Latest Single Stats: "The Last Jedi Drinking Song": 94 is up from 79
Spotify Latest Album Stats: I Will Not Sing Along: 302 is down from 306 streams

Spotify followers: 1530 is down from 1533
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2109 is up from 2027
Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.4K), Doctor of Gallifrey (418), A-Working in the Garden (222), Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (175), Hero of Canton (174), Reavers, Malcolm, Reavers (158)

17:53 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 159 is up from 153
Patreon Monthly Income: $1208 is up from $1059

Thanks as always for supporting my music. Remember. You can help me create and release more music. Join the Gunn Runners Club to step behind-the-scenes with bonus podcasts, new music, videos, and live concerts.
Slainte!

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Greetings Gunn Runner

April was a pretty good month for me overall. Looking back, I feel like I was fairly productive. But I'm not sure about May yet...

Let’s try and unpack it... on show #262.

0:26 - PODCASTS

The Pub Songs Podcast is going strong with two episodes in April, as planned. One based around my Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers CD and the other Celtic Music for Arbor Day. Both were streamed live. And I feel like both will be good evergreen podcasts for the future.

I'm trying to share old content that is just as relevant today. That's what evergreen podcasts means. I've been doing it with podcasts and videos. And I feel like it helps. I have created SO MUCH stuff over the years. It's crazy that I'm not resharing it. And so I am...

Stories from the Road is also back strong. I wrote down some notes to remind me what I can share there. And I have a lot of options. So I'm being pretty consistent with new stuff. Plus, I wrote a couple new songs in April. The quarantine has been good for that at least.

I got ahead on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Let's see if I can stay ahead of it.

I released five episodes in April, including two two-hour long episodes. I decided to put out a bonus episode because of all the people staying at home. It stressed me out a bit. But I got through it. Check out the two-hour instrumental show especially.

The song I wrote for the In the ‘Verse podcast is a new favorite. It's called "Bright Side of Everything". And even with the dark twist ending, I feel like it's a very positive upbeat song for this stay-at-home time of the pandemic.

3:24 - VIDEOS

I released a couple of travel videos at the end of March and one in April. The first two were from some weekend travel in Northern Georgia. We visited some parks before they were shut down. I was able to capture some video of the trip. I'm learning a lot about video making from these excursions.

In April, I released another video from our visit to Ballincollig Castle outside of Cork from the 2019 Celtic Invasion of Ireland. I'm pushing myself to edit more of these videos. I like how that one came out. I also started recording Stories from the Road to promote those videos.

Coffee with the Celtfather is still going. Live streaming is definitely the thing right now. So I'm not giving up on them.

I'm also running a test. I created a Facebook event page and added a ticket link a few weeks back. And that event showed up on a live stream before my show started. That was amazing and potentially life changing... except, I've been unable to duplicate it. I'm not sure why.

So more tests will come. But again, at some point, I might step back from the regularly scheduled coffee show.

5:55 - MERCH

I finally created a whole bunch of new Celtic Heartstring necklaces... and no one has bought them. LOL. That's okay. I have plans to do a big promo for them soon.

I am looking at other merch ideas. Someone suggested Celtfather masks. There are companies creating those. But I'm not sure I want to commit to buying a whole bunch.

I realized Selcouth won't be released until 2021. And I have a couple other projects. But I have no CDs planned. So I'm debating making short run, just me and the autoharp, CD release performing songs. I'm not sure.

I think about the last album I did like this--St Patrick's Day Songs for Kids. On the one hand, the physical CD doesn't sell well. Except during St Patrick's Day, of course. But I thought it was a fun album... I feel like this could be a good way to supplement my income when I finally have shows or even before then. I'm not sure though.

I'd love your thoughts.

8:37 - TRAVEL

The Celtic Invasion of Italy was officially canceled. On the bright side, I only had four people signed up. But I was REALLY looking forward to that trip. Oh well...

At some point, I'll start working on the itinerary for the 2021 Celtic Invasion of Scotland.

I did update that website a little. I removed all of the Google Ad links.

9:43 - WEBSITES

I'm staying on top of my lyrics for both the Irish Song Lyrics website as well as on my website. My goal is to make it easier for you to play along.

One of these days, I'll make videos to teach how to play... In the meantime, I'm making them as straightforward as possible.

10:38 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR MAY

BOG OFF????
MAY 7: Internet Concert on YouTube @ 8:30 PM
MAY 9: The Lost Druid, Decatur, GA @ 7:30 PM

Weds Morning: Coffee with The Celtfather, Facebook (Season 5!) @ 10:30 AM EST

11:33 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1037 is up from 1028
Celtic Music Magazine = 3992 is up from 3938

YouTube Subscribers = 4550 is up 68 from 4482
YouTube Watch Time = 25.8K is down from 26.7K
YouTube Views = 9.4K is down from 12.4K

Facebook Likes = 3711 is up 27 from 3684
FB Page Views = 568 is down 809
FB Reach = 15.3K is down from 21,234
FB Video Views = 10383 is down from 13298

Spotify Latest Single Stats: "Molly Malone": 48 is down from 389
Spotify Latest Single Stats: "The Last Jedi Drinking Song": 79 is down from from 150
Spotify Latest Album Stats: I Will Not Sing Along: 306 is down from 604 streams

Spotify followers: 1533 is up 32 from 1501
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2027 is down from 3485
Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.1K), Doctor of Gallifrey (452), Reavers, Malcolm, Reavers (199), Hero of Canton (181), Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (173)

15:42 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 153 is down from 154
Patreon Monthly Income: $1059 is down from $1061

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The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is no longer on Spotify. But it is still coming out each and every week. Spotify announced at the beginning of 2020 that they will no longer host music podcasts like ours. So in February, they pulled it from their app. This stinks, but it is understandable. And it doesn't affect the delivery of the podcast into the future. The podcast still comes out every week. You can subscribe at BestCelticMusic.net. Subscribe on your favorite podcatcher and to our Celtic Music Magazine so you're up-to-date on all of our podcast news. While you're there, you can download our free app and never, ever miss a single episode. Thanks for listening on Spotify while you did. Slainte! Marc Gunn, The Celtfather, show #261 Irish & Celtic Music Podcast

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Greetings Gunn Runner

What a crazy March!

Covid19 took over the world. St Patrick’s Day disappeared, along with most musician gigs.

But my Kickstarter for Selcouth was a huge success.

Let’s try and unpack it... on show #260.

0:28 - PODCASTS

The Pub Songs Podcast is my new favorite thing. It accomplishes many of the goals that got me started podcasting in the first place. I wanted a fun, engaging, and interactive way to promote my music and news. The challenge was that podcasting is typically not intuitively interactive. But over the past month, it's become so. I finally figured out how to get responses from the Pub Chat by using the Celtic Geek Facebook group. I also added a live streaming element. That means the show now broadcasts on YouTube too! And it's more than just an audio podcast on a video platform.

Now the only struggle is do I keep it bi-monthly or should I go weekly? And if the later, COULD I go weekly without adding as much additional work as I'm trying to avoid? I'll try 'n let you know what I decide.

The virus has made some of things more difficult at home. I’m running Daddy Daycare right now.

It’s pretty much sidelined most of what I do. I feel like Stories from the Road is one such sidelined podcast. Tho admittedly, I have a couple episodes I recorded. Just need to upload them. So I guess I’m not too bad at keeping the show coming. But I feel bad inattentive nonetheless. I have trouble focusing as is. This isn't helping.

I'm happy to say I am on top of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. And now that the holiday is over, I find myself getting back ahead of releasing episodes. I'm actually starting to plan them weeks ahead. I just need to pick songs. But the themes. Those are coming along brilliantly. It also helps that I can a bonus week in April. I'm taking the 9th off so that I can get ahead on OTHER shows... maybe even recording... We'll see...

Mikey Mason and I recorded an episode of In the ‘Verse right before the Coronavirus became a national issue. It was also right around the beginning of March. So I never wrote my song. I started one. But it just wasn't good... And right now, I feel disheartened like I don't have time to write music. That's frustrating.

3:39 - VIDEOS

My live streaming videos are about to go off the deep end.

Coffee with the Celtfather is in its final season. Well, it's the end, in so far as I'm gonna stick with an exact time on an exact day. I love doing these shows. But they aren't growing and they take up most of my Wednesday work time.

So does this mean I'm abandoning them?

Nope. I'm just gonna change it up. My plan is to turn Facebook into a full on busking experience. Meaning I'll pop in now and then. The show will be focused on tips, nothing else.

I might even try to fund raise a busking show... meaning--when I hit a certain financial goal, I will go live. Or something like that... It'll be on days when I feel like I can spare the time.

I do still plan on going live at least once a week... but it's gonna be a bit more random.

As I said earlier, I started to live stream the Pub Songs Podcast on YouTube. I love this. I will try to notify folks in the Celtic Geek community when I'm about to go live. That is also the place to get your thoughts added to the Pub Chat.

While I record the show live, I don't do much interaction with viewers. But that too will change with the next show. The main part of the show will be the recorded podcast. But there will be bonus songs, again fund raised by viewers after the regular show ends. So that's another reason to watch if you're able.

As for pre-recorded videos, I'm slowly dolling some of those out as well. Not nearly as many as I planned.

I just checked. I'm still doing pretty well with my 2020 goals. W00t!

6:48 - MERCH

My free CD offer is still going strong. I don't have nearly as many people taking advantage of it. But I'm happy to say it's still financially worthwhile doing. So SCORE!

Oh! And if you didn't get the free album from the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, follow the link.

The Kickstarter for Selcouth was a rousing success. Over $8800 was raised. That's my second highest Kickstarter. The highest as a soloist.

Interestingly, you'd think... or maybe not you, but I would think I made a KILLER profit on sales. But I actually didn't. I still did well in terms of pre-sales. But I don't think the take home pay will be more than a thousand dollars. I find that fascinating to realize...

That said, I will get new merch, CDs, and I get to hire musicians in need. So that's a big bonus.

Check out The Doubleclicks' latest Kickstarter.

9:07 - TRAVEL

What's the status of the Celtic Invasion of Italy? I wish I knew. I plan to make a decision by mid-April if I'm gonna be able to keep it running or not. It's not looking good. So maybe we will reschedule... or maybe not...

9:50 - WEBSITES

The Irish Song Lyrics website has once again come into its own. I've updated a couple dozen song lyrics over the past month. You can now play many of my most-popular songs as well as a bunch of traditional Irish and Scottish songs. But if there's one that's missing, please let me know. I'll get it added asap.

It's a pretty sweet site. Next I need to start making videos teaching folks to sing and play along.

10:58 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR APRIL

My full schedule is empty, like most musicians. I have a couple of local gigs and some official internet concerts planned though.

APR 9: Internet Concert on YouTube @ 8:30 PM
APR 24: Tucker Brewing Company, Tucker, GA

MAY 7: Internet Concert on YouTube @ 8:30 PM
MAY 9: The Lost Druid, Decatur, GA @ 7:30 PM

Weds Morning: Coffee with The Celtfather, Facebook (Season 5!)

11:44 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1028 is down from 1038
Celtic Music Magazine = 3938 is down from 3963

YouTube Subscribers = 4482 is up 41 from 4441
YouTube Watch Time = 26.7K is down from 314.8K
YouTube Views = 12.4K is up from 8.5K

Facebook Likes = 3684 is up from 3667
FB Page Views = 809 is up from 501
FB Reach = 21,234 is up from 9214
FB Video Views = 13298 is up from 9485

Spotify Latest Single Stats: "Molly Malone": 292
Spotify Latest Single Stats: "The Last Jedi Drinking Song": 150
Spotify Latest Album Stats: I Will Not Sing Along: 604 down from 1.4k streams

Spotify followers: 1501 is up 25 from 1476
# Number of listens on Spotify: 3485 is up from 3266
Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.3K), When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (707), Doctor of Gallifrey (581), Wild Kitty (345), Rattlin' Bog (316), Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (294), Molly Malone (292), Hero of Canton (255)

Spotify seems to have stopped showing subscriber numbers to playlists.

15:46 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 154 is down from 155
Patreon Monthly Income: $1061 is up from $1050

16:05 - The Morbid Irony of the Music Business

#CFMonthly

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Greetings Gunn Runner

And farewell February. Things might've run a little behind. But I made big progress this month. Especially with the release of my Kickstarter for Selcouth. I conquered my $5000 goal just a few days after it launched. It still has two weeks to go. So I'm feeling pretty good about it so far. But before we talk more about that, let's talk about...

Show #259

0:40 - PODCASTS

The Pub Songs Podcast is back with a vengeance. I am a podcaster at heart. I figured it'd be fairly easy to knock out completely live episodes of the Pub Songs Podcast to my Kickstarter every week. And I was correct. I recorded four new episodes so far. Which is good because in addition to promoting the podcast, it also allows me to keep to my initial schedule of how many episodes I want to release this year.

Plus, I love the format. I'm fine tuning it still. But it starts with a song. I go into some news, add a stories from the road, and a couple more songs. It feels good. Like something I COULD keep up every week. Though I don't plan to at present.

Stories from the Road is not getting ahead. But I have a lot of new content. So I'm staying on top of it. That's good because this is my Patron-only podcast.

I got ahead for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. But I already feel like I'm losing that lead I got. I want to try and knock out a bunch of summer episodes. But I'm stalling for St Patrick's Day. Sooooo we shall see.

The In the ‘Verse podcast is coming. I apologize for the delay. But it's been crazy.

Course, that doesn't mean I didn't go ahead and setup the Cat Music Lovers podcast. The first podcast I ever published was the Cat Lovers Podcast. I created it to promote my Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers. But I ran out of time and had less interest in keeping it going. But I was still proud of that show. I was happy it was still available. Until I realized it was No Longer available. So I did a bunch of maintenance on the show. It should be back up on Apple Podcasts soon.

2:54 - VIDEOS

My voice is back. Which means Coffee with the Celtfather is back as well. I feel like I've had some good shows. Though the attendance still seems a little lower than I'd like. Maybe I need to promote the show more.

That said, I am posting new videos on YouTube. And I'm working on a new strategy for the site.

My views have dropped dramatically since I deleted all of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast videos. Now each video I post gets about 50 views. That's not too good. But it allows me to start over and decide what this channel will be.

So what will it be?

Family videos set to my music. I like doing videos of my family. It's extra cool when I can add in my own music to spice up the video. I haven't figured out how to name the videos yet. But these videos help me learn a lot about shooting and editing videos. I have a new one featuring Inara. We went for a hike the other day. It was't too bad a video. My editing still needs work though
Travel videos. I recorded a lot of video these past couple o'years going on my Celtic Invasion Vacations. These are a great way to promote my trips. So I'm gonna keep editing these videos.

The sucky thing is that as I edit them, I realize I should've done this or that... Like in the latest video from The Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye. I did a poor job filming. But there was enough footage that it's not too bad. 3. Song Performance videos. I thought I had recorded a lot of these videos. After reviewing my site, I realize I haven't. So I'm gonna keep recording me singing individual songs.

This is a great way to attract new followers of my site. So hopefully, you'll see more. 4. Celtic Geek Thoughts. I'm not yet sure how to do these videos or what content to put on them, aside from the Celtic Top 40 videos I wanna do. But I'll have to tell you when I figure that out.

10:26 - MERCH

My free CD offer went over GREAT last month. If you ever want to find out how many of your fans listen to physical CDs. Give one away. LOL. I had over a hundred that went out into the world. And of course, all you have to do is pay the shipping cost. You'll find a link in the shownotes if you want one.

Again the Kickstarter for Selcouth is going great. I'm $700 over my initial goal. Yes. My actual goal is to earn $7500. But at least my base expenses are covered. I CAN create a new CD. And I still have two weeks to go to hit my first stretch goal.

I ran into one interesting problem as the goal has started to stall out. That is, how do I keep up momentum. Seems like every time I post something fun or interesting, I get a spike. But I'm not the best storyteller I think. So that's making it tough.

I discussed this challenge with Andrew. He suggested that I bring people in on video to chat about it. I'm gonna try and do that the next couple o'weeks. Stay tuned...

12:06 - TRAVEL

The Celtic Invasion of Venice closed up. We have a very small group this year. And I can start planning for Scotland in 2021. But I'm excited to see what happens next...

12:56 - WEBSITES

With St Patrick's Day just around the corner, I started updating my Irish Song Lyrics website. I started this site years ago to promote my Celtic songs. Admittedly, I've done little with it the past few years, Except around St Patrick's Day.

But I decided to update it for two reasons. One, it's that time of year. And two because I want to get back to helping people learn these songs.

You see, the reason I started the site was to offer an incredible resource. How to play songs the way I learn them, by ear. There are just lyrics, chords, and music to listen to on the site. You can play along with me over and over again if you so desire. This makes it a lot easier.

I'm also trying to make it entirely about the user. I removed much of the advertising that was on the website. Now it's just the stuff you really want. It's an amazing, free resource. So go along with me.

14:15 - PROMOTION

I also had a new promotion idea I thought up recently using Facebook groups... Well, actually any online community.

I have two groups that I actively share to on Facebook: Celtic Geeks and Irish & Celtic Music Club. Most everything really goes to the Celtic Geeks group. If I find something I love, unless it's hardcore Celtic, I share it to the Celtic Geeks group.

That makes it easy. I don't use my personal profile. I share to an interactive community. It's awesome.

And that's the tip I came up with.

Instead of trying to share my music to your friends who may or may not share you interests, share to a group, where your interests definitely align.

I haven't seen many Gunn Runners doing that yet, well aside from Sarah, who sort of inspired this idea when she shared Selcouth to a Firefly fan group.

16:04 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR MARCH

I updated the gig calendar on my website. I'm using Google Calendars again. This is going GREAT for listing shows. You can see everywhere I'll be this year. And yes, it is fully up-to-date.

MAR 7: The Lost Druid, Decatur, GA @ 7:30 PM
MAR 12: St Patrick's Day Internet Concert on YouTube @ 8:30 PM
MAR 13: Interstellar Ginger Beer & Exploration Co, Alabaster, AL
MAR 14: St Patrick’s Day at 5 Points, Birmingham, AL
MAR 20-22: ConCoction, Cleveland, Ohio
MAR 26: Tucker Brewing Company, Tucker, GA @ 6:30 PM

APR 4-5: Sherwood Forest Faire, Paige, TX
APR 9: Internet Concert on YouTube @ 8:30 PM
APR 11-12: Sherwood Forest Faire, Paige, TX
APR 17-19: JordanCon, Atlanta, GA
Weds 10:30 AM EDT: Coffee with The Celtfather, Facebook (Season 5!)

17:24 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1038 is up from 1024
Celtic Music Magazine = 3963 is up from 3859 at the beginning of the year

YouTube Subscribers = 4441 is up 53 from 4388
YouTube Watch Time = 314.8K is up from 19.0K and 32.1K min from the month before
YouTube Views = 8.5K is down from 8.8K

Facebook Likes = 3667 is up from 3666
FB Page Views = 501 is up from 392
FB Reach = 9214 is up from 8839
FB Video Views = 9485 is up from 8466

Spotify Latest Single Stats: "Slainte Mhaith Christmas": 3347 is up from 3310 is up from 3238
Spotify Latest Single Stats: "The Last Jedi Drinking Song": 832 is up from 696
Spotify Latest Album Stats: I Will Not Sing Along: 1.4k streams, "One Note Concerto in G" has the most streams

Spotify followers: 1476 is up 31 from 1445
# Number of listens on Spotify: 3266 is up from 2224
Most-popular songs on Spotify: Wild Kitty (1.6K), The Widow and the Devil (1.2K), Doctor of Gallifrey (567), When Kitty Eyes Are Smiling (331), Furagone's Wake (320), Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (289), Reavers, Malcolm Reavers (264), Hero of Canton (224) Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits (162)

Top Irish & Celtic Music: 431 is up from 426
Firefly Drinking Songs: 103 is up from 101

PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 155 is up from 151
Patreon Monthly Income: $1050 is up from $977

#CFMonthly

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The Kickstarter for Selcouth is launched. I tell you more about the project, a wee bit about the songs and rewards. Plus, I share an essential social promotion tip. Click here to support the Secouth Kickstarter. Slainte! Show #258

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Greetings Gunn Runner

January was a rough month. I spent a lot of time with bronchitis. It was tough getting stuff done. I've even delayed my Kickstarter release because of this until February 10th. I'll tell you more about it below. But first...

Show #257

0:33 - PODCASTS

The Pub Songs Podcast will be back soon. I had big plans for it this month. I'm considering more live recordings in the show mixed with news... At least that's what I planned for the two episodes I thought I was gonna put out. Alas... it did not happen. My apologies

In the meantime, I have new Stories from the Road episodes already lined up. I had some good brainstorm ideas on the topic. So hopefully, I won't miss any more of those.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is out. I was barely staying on top of it until this week. Now I have the whole month of February planned including a Celtic Women of St Patrick's Day episode at the end of the month. I also launched the Sainted Celts Collection to show off the podcast shirt design.

There's a new episode of In the ‘Verse. And if all goes well Mikey and I will record the next episode this Thursday. Knock on wood. Hopefully, we can get another done in a couple weeks.

1:50 - VIDEOS

Coffee with the Celtfather is back tomorrow. I might get a little hoarse. But I'm gonna try and pull through as usual at 10:30 AM Eastern on Facebook.

I'm starting to think of new video ideas. But nothing lined up yet. So stay tuned.

2:20 - MERCH

With any luck, you got an email from me this week about a Free CD offer. This is something I've tried to make happen for a while. I finally set it up on my Square store. Basically, I will send you a free copy of my CD Happy Songs of Death or Songs of Ireland from the Brobdingnagian Bards. All you have to do is pay for the shipping.

Well, I sent out a couple emails to fans, and the offers were super well-received. This was my first step. Next, I have to see I can advertise with this offer. My hope is to make fans with these free CDs. But I thought I'd first see if I could convince fans to take advantage of the same offer. And it worked!

The timeline for Selcouth has changed. The Kickstarter will launch on Monday, February 10th. It'll close on Friday, March 6, 2020.

My apologies for the delay. But getting sick has really put a damper on my ability to talk and make a video, record podcasts, and even record songs for the album. It just sucks. So I have to try and catch up now... Sigh...

Meanwhile the Brobdingnagian Bards album I Will Not Sing Along, is still planned February 2, 2020--GROUNDHOG DAY!

In fact, we have some SUPER FUN VIDEOS planned for the release. Yes. Groundhog Day videos. You will want to follow the Brobdingnagian Bards on Facebook and maybe also on my YouTube channel so you don't miss 'em!

4:45 - TRAVEL

I still have space for my Celtic Invasion of Venice. You can listen to the Celtic Invasion Vacations itinerary. To find out how amazing this trip will be. Email me if you have questions. The deadline to sign up is February 15.

4:58 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR FEBRUARY

FEB 1: Tucker Brewing Company @ 6:30 - 9:30
FEB 13: Internet Concert on YouTube @ 8:30 PM
FEB 15: The Lost Druid, Decatur, GA @ 7:30 PM

MAR 7: The Lost Druid, Decatur, GA @ 7:30 PM
MAR 12: Internet Concert on YouTube @ 8:30 PM
MAR 20-22: ConCoction, Cleveland, Ohio

Weds 10:30 AM EDT: Coffee with The Celtfather, Facebook (Season 5!)

5:22 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1024 is down from 1030

YouTube Subscribers = 4388 is up from 4355
YouTube Watch Time = 19.0K is down from 32.1K min
YouTube Views = 8.8K is down from 12.2K

Facebook Likes = 3666 is up from 3653
FB Page Views = 392 is down from 447
FB Reach = 8839 is down from 10942
FB Video Views = 8466 is up from 6419

Spotify Latest Single Stats: "Slainte Mhaith Christmas": 3310 is up from 3238
Spotify Latest Single Stats: "The Last Jedi Drinking Song": 696 is up from 539
Spotify followers: 1445 is up from 1428
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2224 is down from 10184
Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.2K), Doctor of Gallifrey (463), Reavers, Malcolm Reavers (213), Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits (152)

Top Irish & Celtic Music: 431 is up from 426
Firefly Drinking Songs: 103 is up from 101

7:36 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 151 is down from 152
Patreon Monthly Income: $977 is up from $946

#CFMonthly

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It's a brand new year. Compiling stats to watch my growth each month is a little time consuming. But it is also pretty fantastic for plotting statistical growth. I know exactly where I was this time last year.

I’m gonna start the show with the usual updates. Then I’ll go into stats and finish up with goals for 2020.

1:53 - PODCASTS

I published a bonus episode of the Pub Songs Podcast to 2019. I shared my love of the new Frozen 2 movie. The next couple of episodes I’m gonna share thoughts about my next album, Selcouth, as well as talk about individual songs on the album. I think February will move towards promoting St Patrick's Day featuring some top 5 and 10s.

I don’t have any specific Stories from the Road episodes planned. But I hope to get ahead when I get a full work day next week.

The first episode of the 2020 season of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast kicks off next week. I took a much needed break. You can still expect more features of women in the upcoming year. I also want to draw attention to our environment, something close to the heart of the Celts.

The Celtic Christmas Podcast released three episodes last year. I'm already planning to launch an early fundraiser for the show in 2020.

Mikey Mason and I recorded an episode of In the ‘Verse back in December. We did not release it because with the holiday, I think we both had trouble making time to write a song. But I finally sat down with my song.

The episode we wrote songs for was "War Stories". It's one of my favorites. I had trouble writing a song for the episode though. But right before we left for Christmas vacation, I wrote "My Man". It's from the perspective of Zoe, and wow, I love it. It kinda helped me understand Wash better than ever. Hopefully, we'll release it soon.

I'll see Andrew McKee at Georgia Filk next weekend. I suspect we will record a Brobdingnagian Bards podcast while we're together. We also have some videos we need to record together to complete our Kickstarter rewards.

4:20 - VIDEOS

Season 5 of Coffee with the Celtfather begins on January 8. The show will continue at 10:30 AM Eastern on Wednesday. However, It will be exclusively available on Facebook.

I made quite a few updates to my YouTube channel. In particular, I deleted many of my most-successful videos. That's because they were episodes of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast... and they were blocked by Facebook. It seems Facebook will only keep podcasts up if it's not primarily a music show.

I'm still debating whether I want to keep episodes of the Pub Songs Podcast up there. I talk in a lot of those so many of those aren't getting blocked. But I think I might just rework the entire channel into a Marc Gunn music channel.

It's wild looking at the most-popular videos now that all the Celtic podcast videos are gone. Bizarre!

My top video is a review of my portable amp. Then comes a "Whiskey in the Jar" video featuring the Bedlam Bards. "Danny Boy for Cat Lovers" is after that. Then just a recording of my version of "Whiskey in the Jar" with just the album cover. And #5 is Funny Irish Pub Songs, a live video I made.

Wild! The channel will see a big change in the days to come.

7:07 - MERCH

I posted a Gunn Runners Card on Patreon. This card gives Heroic Gunn Runners on Patreon a 25% discount on all merch in my store and at shows.

Seems like a lot of Gunn Runners are happy to pay full price to support my music. I am very grateful to all of you. But if you need or want the discount. It's there for you.

Selcouth is the name of my next album. The Kickstarter officially launches on January 27 and goes through February 14. I still have a TON of videos and text to write for this Kickstarter. Heck! I still don't have an album cover. So stay tuned.

Oh! And make sure you subscribe to my mailing list if you're not already. I will let you know when it goes live.

In the middle of that, the Brobdingnagian Bards officially release I Will Not Sing Along, our 10th studio album on February 2, 2020--GROUNDHOG DAY!

9:00 - TRAVEL

9:51 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR JANUARY

JAN 10-12: GaFilk in Atlanta, GA
JAN 16: Internet Concert on YouTube @ 8:30 PM
JAN 18: The Lost Druid, Decatur, GA @ 7:30 PM
JAN 24: Interstellar Ginger Beer & Exploration Co, Alabaster, AL @ 7:30 PM
JAN 25: Maggie McGuinnes Pub, Huntsville, AL @ 7:00 PM

FEB 1: Tucker Brewing Company @ 6:30 - 9:30
FEB 13: Internet Concert on YouTube @ 8:30 PM
FEB 15: The Lost Druid, Decatur, GA @ 7:30 PM

MAR 7: The Lost Druid, Decatur, GA @ 7:30 PM
MAR 12: Internet Concert on YouTube @ 8:30 PM
MAR 20-22: ConCoction, Cleveland, Ohio

Jan 8 and on, Weds 10:30 AM EDT: Coffee with The Celtfather, Facebook (Season 5!)

I will continue to provide audio versions of most shows for Heroic Patrons.

12:45 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1030 is down from 1077

YouTube Subscribers = 4355 is up from 4324
YouTube Watch Time = 32.1K min (535.0 hours) is up from 27.1
YouTube Views = 12.2K is up from 11.6K

Facebook Likes = 3653 is up from 3646
FB Page Views = 447 is up from 434
FB Reach = 10942 is up from 5684
FB Video Views = 6419 is up from 1883

Spotify Latest Single Stats: "Slainte Mhaith Christmas": 3238 up from 0
Spotify Latest Single Stats: "The Last Jedi Drinking Song": 539 up from 0
Spotify followers: 1428 is up from 1400
# Number of listens on Spotify: 10184 is up from 4237
Most-popular songs on Spotify: Christmas in the Shire (4.9K), Frosty the Irish Snowman (14.6K), Slainte Mhaith Christmas (3.2K), Celtic Christmas Elf (2.3K), Jingle Bells (2.3K),

Top Irish & Celtic Music: 426 is up from 416
Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families: 1858 is up from 1573
Firefly Drinking Songs: 101 is up from 99
Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 83 is up from 58
Christmas Drinking Songs: 29 is up from 24

18:31 - PATREON

Patreon Subscribers: 152 is down from 158
Patreon Monthly Income: $946 is down from $968

Tier Changes in 2020:

GUNN RUNNERS: Behind-the-Scenes. $5 or more per month. Includes:

DOWNLOAD new MP3s that are recorded and mixed before they are released. Plus get rough mixes of new songs
EARLY ACCESS to some publicly available content
GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES with the Stories from the Road podcast. I share my adventures, thoughts and news exclusively with you.

HERO. $10 or more per month. You'll get everything above, plus

BOOTLEG audio recordings of coffee shows and some concerts.
LEARN how to play my songs with PDF sheet music. Make a request for a song you'd like to learn.
SAVE 25% off everything in my MageRecords.com store!
ACCESS to over 40 Bootleg Concerts, both audio and video and 7 Full-Length Albums.

SUPERHERO. $25 or more per month. Includes:

SPECIAL THANKS to you in each new single that is released.
One-time Physical Copy of "Heroes" CD, autographed at your request, after 3 months of membership at this level

24:17 - GOALS FOR 2020

My success is ultimately defined by how I inspire you. So if you are sharing, enjoying, And creating, then I am successful. And if all that happens, then I should see an increase in everything I do in online.

So many people focus on metrics. But that distracts from the point of what we are trying to do.

Hopefully, this will inspire you to create your own goals for 2020.

I spent a lot of time in December trying to plan my next year. I haven't even thought about that five, ten or twenty year plan. I just needed to get in control of THIS YEAR'S plan. But I feel I did.

BEST WAYS TO GROW MY FANBASE

Live Shows
Promote hit songs
Give away free music
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
Music videos. Covers, keywords or popular songs.
One evening video concert per month. Second Thursday of the month at 8:30 pm.
Coffee. At least one newbie concert a month. Create an event. Last

BEST WAY TO SUPPORT EXISTING FANS

Live Shows
Marc’s Musings. Should I go monthly? or bi-monthly?
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
Pub Songs Podcast
Stories from the Road
In the Verse
Teach fans to play/sing along. Monthly tutorial.
Video Singles
New music
Build Community
One evening video concert per month. Second Thursday of the month at 8:30 pm.
Coffee. At least one newbie concert a month. Create an event. Last

30:35 - BEST STRATEGIES

Perform live
Increase mailing list. With free Lead generator.
Promote top videos and songs

33:40 - MUSIC

Release Selcouth
Release 3 singles with other musicians
- Hero of Christmas
- Hobbit tune with Samantha Gillogly
- Molly Malone with Jesse Ferguson
Write 10 new songs
Hit #1 on reverbnation in March.
Teach online how to sing and play 10 songs. Also videos.
Release 10 sheet music pieces

38:35 - GIGGING

Play 6 new venues
Play 8 monthly internet concerts
Play 24 coffee shows. 12 episodes over two seasons.
Play 2 house concerts
Contact 20 conventions

40:18 - PODCASTS

Pub Songs Podcast. 2 podcasts per month. 20.
- Commit to one more year of the pub Songs Podcast. And I see if it has done me any good. Or should I do just monthly? What if I plan each episode in advance to do about songs? For new album? Or classic song?
- 12 about a song episodes. 2nd episode of the month.
- 10 episodes custom to promote stories
Stories from the Road. Weekly. 45
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Weekly. 48
Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast. Monthly. 11
In the 'Verse. Monthly. 10

43:03 - VIDEO

1 Official music video for a CD.
3 travel videos to promote Celtic invasion vacations
8 videos of me singing live some of my most-popular songs
1 videos of me singing along with myself on a song
1 official off-the-wall music video. Fun and silly. Unrelated to the music played.
update YouTube channel to reflect Celtic Geek

46:26 - SALES

Bandcamp sales. $300 per month. $3600 for the year.
Social = 10000 followers on YouTube, Spotify, Facebook, mailing list

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Greetings Gunn Runner

It’s hard to believe we’re entering the final month of the year. Where has the time gone? What will next year bring?

I suppose it is time to start planning for 2020. It’s time to settle on the next CDs. Time to review all that I have accomplished this year. And it’s time to decide what changes to make.

I don’t ever remember doing that when I was younger. I focused on creating. I never understood how important it was to truly review my successes and failures. I’ve been doing it for a decade or so. But I still felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants.

I am nearly done with the audiobook, Getting Things Done. I am trying to unlock all of the ideas and thoughts that are in my brain, get them down on paper, and figure out what I will do next.

What about you. What kind of future planning rituals do you do each year?

All right, let’s get on with the monthly news, starting with...

PODCASTS

The Pub Songs Podcast is doing pretty well staying on schedule. The new simplified format works for me. Hopefully, it works for you too.

I announced my new CD in November. I shared a cool way to vote, be it for the Celtic Top 20 or in general. And I encouraged listeners to remember success is best measured by how much you help others.

I have two episodes planned for December. Both have Christmas names. But I haven’t solidified the themes yet.

Stories from the Road is successfully coming out twice a week. I feel eventually I’m gonna get behind. That seems like a LOT of content. But so far, I’m ahead. And I have lots to talk about in the run up to the Selcouth Kickstarter.

Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is doing fantastic as usual. I have so much feedback. I did a two hour special to highlight all the feedback I missed over the past couple years.

I’m ending the Year of the Celtic Woman on that show. However, I decided I will not stop my quarterly Celtic women episodes. I feel that’s important. So it will be a regular part of the content that I release into the future.

The first episode of the Celtic Christmas Podcast is now online. And I put it into the hands of listeners as to whether there will be more than one.

That’s because I started a Patreon page for the podcast. You see, I’ve been losing money with the Celtic Christmas podcast for as long as it’s been running. And I was OK with that. It was sort of like my gift for the holiday.

The trouble is I spend a lot of time and mental effort to create and release episodes, especially in December. That takes me away from things that I should be doing. Ultimately, it was not a smart marketing move to run that podcast, even if it made me happy.

And so in comes patreon once again. I started a new fundraiser for the show to help pay for the production and my time producing the show. Patrons sponsored the first episode of the season. If we hit our next goal, then we will get either one or two more episodes this year. Depends on when or if the next milestone is hit.

There is a new episode of In the ‘Verse with Mikey Mason. We discuss themes from the episode, "Out of Gas". It has one of my new favorite songs to sing. That's a song called "Breathing".

The next one will tackle the episode "Ariel". We are also going to try to get back onto a monthly schedule. So this episode will come out on December 1.

8:04 - VIDEOS

Season 4 of Coffee with the Celtfather comes to close on December 11. The show did does not have a huge number of viewers. But it seems a favorite nevertheless. There's a steady stream of 15-20 people watching each week. So I’m going to run it for at least one more season, restarting in January.

The show will continue at 10:30 AM Eastern on Wednesday. However, It will be exclusively available on Facebook.

I tried a web service that allowed me to broadcast on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. I was hoping that would increase my reach, which would also mean more tips or more patrons signing up in the Gunn Runners Club. It didn't make an impact sadly, at least not enough to really justify paying $20 a month.

It was a good test nevertheless. I learned that Facebook is a good busking platform. And YouTube is probably better for video singles. So next season, I might try release one video every week or two and make them line up with the coffee show.

Oh! And Patreon Heroes get the full audio recordings of the coffee show. I also record a couple extra songs for that audio. I will continue to do that next season. But I’m not sure if anyone enjoys that. The feedback has been limited. So if you like it or if you don't bother listening, especially if you don't listen, let me know. That will help decide if I should keep it going.

10:05 - MERCH

Selcouth is the name of my next album. I’m planning a kickstarter for January. The CD features my uniquely strange yet marvelous mode of music. You will enjoy many of the songs that I have played but not released over the past year.

There will be several Firefly songs, some traditional Irish songs and tunes, some comedic songs, some sci-fi and fantasy and cats, and some uniquely Marc Gunn songs. This is the mixed bag that I promised myself for a long time.

I will have more details coming on future podcasts and definitely in January.

I skipped the Black Friday sales this year. Even though I have a bunch of new products in my store at magerecords.com. I also have some great special offers. Visit my home page for details.

I also have THREE NEW SINGLES that you can look for in the days to come.

The first is the Brobdingnagian Bards' "The Last Jedi Drinking Song". That comes out on December 13. Just in time for the release of the last Star Wars episode.

The second is "Slainte Mhaith Christmas". Basically, I re-recorded my song "Slainte Mhaith" and gave it a Christmas twist when I realized it could easily work for that. I don't have a release date yet. But it'll be ASAP.

The last one was an even more last minute Christmas release. That is "Hero of Christmas". This is one of the songs that Mikey Mason and I wrote last year for our Blue Sun Holiday Tour. It's a parody of "Hero of Canton" all about Santa Claus. Again, I don't have a release date for that. I'm gonna aim for December 15th. But I should've released these two songs sooner. Oh well...

TRAVEL

I still have space for my Celtic Invasion of Venice. You can listen to the Celtic Invasion Vacations itinerary. To find out how amazing this trip will be. Email me if you have questions.

13:00 - SHOWS PLANNED FOR NOVEMBER

Dec 12: Public YouTube Show
Dec 14: Tucker Brewing Company, Tucker GA

Jan 10-12: GaFilk, Atlanta, GA (not a guest)
Jan 24: Interstellar Ginger Beer & Exploration Co, Alabaster, AL
Jan 25: Maggie McGuinness Pub, Huntsville, AL
Mar 20-22: Cleveland ConCoction, Cleveland, OH
May 14-17: California Autoharp Gathering, Dunlap, CA
Sep 30-Oct 4: ALEP 5, Shakerstown, KY

Dec 4 & 11, Weds 10:30 AM EDT: Coffee with The Celtfather, Facebook, YouTube

14:20 - STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1077 is up from 1015

YouTube Subscribers = 4324 is up 39 from 4285
YouTube Watch Time = 27.1 is up from 26.3
YouTube Views = 11.6K is up from 9.4K

Facebook Likes = 3646 is up from 3642
FB Page Views = 434 is down from 481
FB Reach = 5684 is down from 5808
FB Video Views = 1883 is down from 3386

Spotify Latest Single Stats: "When She Held Me in Her Arms": 661 is up from 647
Spotify followers: 1400 is up from 1375
# Number of listens on Spotify: 4237 is up from 2053
Most-popular songs on Spotify: Christmas in the Shire (1.4K), The Widow and the Devil (1.3K), Frosty the Irish Snowman (1.2K), Jingle Bells (707), Celtic Christmas Elf (451), Scottish King of Christmas (400)

Top Irish & Celtic Music: 416 is up from 398
Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families: 1573 is up from 1433 (already more than 1539 in February)
Firefly Drinking Songs: 99
Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 58
Christmas Drinking Songs: 24

Patreon Subscribers: 158 is the same
Patreon Monthly Income: $968 is up from $962

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Greetings Gunn Runner

Life in Atlanta is finally settling down, at least a little bit. I'm starting to get ahead on podcasts, book local gigs, and I have news about my next album. I'll even tell you the name...

First, my blog is becoming packed. I always considered blogs to be very important for any entrepreneur, especially musicians. Once upon a time, when Google was trying not to be evil, it was a great source of traffic. That's no longer the case. But it is still important.

That's why I'm keeping the blog updated. I post most of my podcasts there. I'm starting to share my newsletter there. But I'm also getting back to just blogging to share new interesting things in my career.

So if you haven't check it out in a while, please head on over.

PODCASTS

Andrew and I are trying to release a monthly Brobdingnagian Bard Podcast. We've been mostly successful. But we've also been trying to come up with fun and unique and regular content for our Nagians Only Club. We finally have that. Members of the Bards Patreon page now get to hear us talk about individual songs from our CDs. And more. We recorded two last week. The first is online. So if you're a fan of the Bards, I think you'll enjoy these short bits.

The Pub Songs Podcast is now on its every other week schedule. I'm starting to plan ahead for that show. I'm also planning episodes of its sister podcast Stories from the Road.

This one is exclusive to $5+ members of the Gunn Runners Club. Twice a week, I am chatting about songs or travels or thoughts in my head. And I share them in podcast form on Monday and Friday. And yes, this is now a part of that schedule. But most of them are private. Just for my generous supporters like you!

The latest Pub Songs Podcast tackles the new Celtic Invasion Vacations itinerary. I finally published it online. But it's short. So I go into more detail to try and help you better understand what kind of fun we will have in Italy next year. Because that's where we're going...

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is gearing up for the holidays. I did a Celtic Halloween episode. I shared a couple years of feedback that I hadn't before published. And I answer the question "Why do I use the term Celtic music" for the podcast.

I also hope to have the first of two Celtic Christmas Podcast episodes coming out in a couple weeks. I kinda wonder why I do this podcast. But a couple new episodes a year is not too bad a thing for the good will it provides.

Hunting Dragons is a new podcast. Actually, it is the old Pirates vs Dragons podcast I released a few years back to promote the CD. The feed had issues and was killed by iTunes. I fixed all that and renamed it. You can now listen to the true story of how I was shanghaied by air pirates to hunt dragons.

SHOWS PLANNED FOR NOVEMBER

Nov 15: Brennan's Irish Pub, Birmingham, AL
Nov 16: Pepper Place Farmer's Market, Birmingham, AL
Nov 29-31: Starbase Indy, Indianapolis, IN

Weds 10:30 AM EDT: Coffee with The Celtfather, Facebook, YouTube
Restream. Venmo. Tips.

The Celtic Halloween concert was a big attendance success and fun show. But tips and sales were not so great.

STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1015 is up from 1006

YouTube Subscribers = 4285 is up 22 from 4263
YouTube Watch Time = 26.3 is down from 30.0K and I figured out why
YouTube Views = 9.4K is down from 11.6K

Facebook Likes = 3642 is up from 3630
FB Page Views = 481 is slightly down from 486
FB Reach = 5808 is up from 4357
FB Video Views = 3386 is up from 2325

Spotify Latest Single Stats: "When She Held Me in Her Arms": 647 is up from 578
Spotify followers: 1375 is up 22 from 1353
# Number of listens on Spotify: 2053 is down from 2061
Most-popular songs on Spotify: The Widow and the Devil (1.3K), Doctor of Gallifrey (469), Reavers, Malcolm Reavers (251)

Top Irish & Celtic Music: 398 is up from 394
Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families: 1433 is down from 1539 in February

Patreon Subscribers: 158 is up 2
Patreon Monthly Income: $962 is up from $961

CD News

I have a new CD in the works. It's called SELCOUTH which means "When everything feels strange and different yet you find it marvelous anyway."

My plan is to record my parts these next couple o'months. I'll launch a Kickstarter in January. If you want more details now, listen to the Stories from the Road podcast on Patreon.

If you'd like to be included in the feedback section of the Pub Songs Podcast, use the hashtag #pubsongs. I would love to make the show more interactive. Look for questions on Facebook. I'm using those too.

Slainte!

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There’s a lot of great Celtic music that you can enjoy for St. Patrick’s Day in 2019. I’m going to share with you for awesome resources to get you in the mood for your St. Paddy’s Day celebrations.

You can subscribe to

Pub Songs Podcast
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
Coffee with The Celtfather on YouTube
Celtic Music Magazine

This show is brought to you by Marc's Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. Sign up and support my music, podcasts, and videos. Follow the links at Celtfather.net

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Let me share with you the best new Irish and Celtic music of 2018 with this podcast guide to the Christmas season. Welcome my name is Marc Gunn. I am a Celtic musician and host of the multiple award-winning Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Today, I want to share with you some of the great Celtic Christmas music I found this holiday season. This by no means a fully comprehensive list. Rather, I am sharing with you the music that I received through the podcast, plus a few of my own videos, playlists and more. There's a lot to share. Let's get going. Christmas Tour: Before we get started, I wanted to let you know about a Christmas tour I am planning. I play a lot of Celtic music. However, I am also a geek. I love science fiction and fantasy. Thus comes... * Blue Sun Holiday Spectacular Tour * Firefly and Christmas music

New Singles * God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Kilted Kings * Jingle Bards by Brobdingnagian Bards

New Celtic Christmas Albums to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast * Winter Lore: Songs of Celtic Christmas by The Selkie Girls * A Christmas Minding by The Wee Heavies * Port Isaac Christmas Album by The Grenaways * On Christmas Day in the Morning by Spencer & Beane * Winter by Peat in the Creel * Kudzu for Christmas by A Shamrock in Kudzu * In the Moon of Wintertime by Sarah Marie Mullen * Wintertide Ep by David Pedrick

You can also get my album Celtic Christmas Greetings. It's an album of Celtic-themed Christmas music. There's a lot of beautiful original Celtic Christmas songs. And if you'd like a Christmas album you can enjoy year round, make sure you check out A Celtic Christmas. This is a compilation CD I released for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. You can buy it on iTunes for just $5. New Christmas Videos * Let's Have a Celtic Christmas * Frosty the Irish Snowman * Little Drummer Bard * The Gothard Sisters Videos * Celtic Christmas Radio on YouTube

Playlists * Celtic Christmas Playlists * Celtic Christmas Greetings Podcast * Celtic Christmas Podcast

Celtic Christmas Gift Guide * Celtic Heartstring "Christmas Cross" Ornament * Celtic Christmas Greetings CD * Monahan's Mudder's Milk Shirt * Irish & Celtic Music Podcast Shirt

Do you have a friend who might enjoy this Celtfather Guide to Irish & Celtic Christmas music of 2018, please share it with them. You can send them to Celtfather.com for details. Follow me on Spotify or your favorite streaming music services to hear more of my music. Finally, the best way to find out more about my music is by subscribing to Celtfather News. This is my personal newsletter. I will keep you informed of all of the new projects I'm working including: new music, new shows, new podcasts, videos, and more. It's totally free to subscribe, and I hope to bring a smile to your face with each email.

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My music, my life, I am a product of change. I buck traditions in favor of trying something new. I am both proud and ashamed of how I have reacted to change in my life.

Seth Godin is one of the foremost thinkers of our era. He is a trendsetter a ruckus maker. He inspires people to think outside the box. He's also the most-read blogger online. He's written dozens of books and I've read many of them.

He also a podcast called Akimbo. It's sort of a spoken blog where he talks about important things we need to think about. And how we can grow, either in business or in our personal lives. It's brilliant.

He released an episode called "Anthems, Pledges, and Change" which inspired this podcast. I confess, I've thought about podcasting my thoughts on his podcasts because he's THAT inspiring. But this is one of the first of me actually doing it.

That's because this podcast defines my career and my life. If you don't understand this, I'm not entirely sure why you follow me. Because this is it. So I highly recommend you listen.

In my episode, I spent 20 glorious minutes understanding how change has happened for good and ill in my own career. I learn from my past experiences. I find new ones to move forward to find new success.

I don't know that I did it all right. But I think it's a good conversation. It's a good starting place for you and me to come together move past the traditional to find peace and happiness in the new and undiscovered, to make change happen.

I hope you love the show!

Special note: Seth Godin has a new book out. It's called This Is Marketing. I highly recommend it!

If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe at Celtfather.com. While you're there, sign up to my mailing list to get 21 songs for free!

I also have relaunched the Pub Songs Podcast. You can hear my album Happy Songs of Death played from start to finish, plus find out a little bit about how the album came to be. More shows are coming. Subscribe now.

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"Slainte mhaith". That means "here's to your good health".

"Slainte" means "cheers" or "here's to your health".

"Mhaith" is good.

Greetings my name is Marc Gunn. I play Celtic Geek music. I'm originally from Texas, though now residing in Birmingham, Alabama. Despite that introduction, I don't speak Gaelic. But I love Celtic culture and music. And yes, I am a geek. My entire life revolves around music, science fiction and fantasy, traveling, and Celtic culture.

Welcome to Celtfather Music & Travel!

This is a podcast where I bring my passions together. I rarely follow the status quo. In fact, you could say I strive to be different. You can hear in in that I play an autoharp. And I celebrate the differences of all people. I fight for the underdogs. In fact, when I was a kid my dad would watch football. I would root for the team that was losing, even if that changed in the middle of the game. I just switched team. I try to help out the little guy. Hmm I wonder if that's part of the reason I love Firefly.

And that's what the next few episodes are all about.

We're gonna start with music: how I fell in love with it and how it completes me. Then we're gonna talk about some of the biggest influences in my life. As a hint, it started on the big screen. Then I'll share with you how I fell in love my Celtic culture. And finally, I'm gonna take you on a trip, both literally and figuratively, as we explore how I fell in love with traveling.

Before we dig deeper, I want to share with you a quick glimpse of what I have to offer you.

I learned at the beginning of my music career that if I want to make it in the music business, I had to be more than just a musician. I knew that no record label was gonna sign me as a Celtic artist, let alone a Celtic Geek musician.

If I want to be successful, then I need to know how to promote my music, and I need people like you to not just listen, but be an active part of our community.

More than likely, you've never thought of yourself as a Celtic Geek. Perhaps you love Celtic music. Perhaps you are a Geek. But the two together don't make much sense on the outside.

And yet, when I when I went to my first science fiction convention, I-Con in Stony Brook, New York, I was dumbfounded by the number of kilts and Celts at the convention. I realized there were a lot of Celtic Geeks out there. I was not alone. But no one had yet put two and two together.

So I created an album that I call Celtic Geek. It features 21 songs from my first 20 albums. You'll hear some traditional Irish and Scottish songs. You'll laugh along to some parodies of those same songs. You'll breathe peacefully with some instrumental tunes on the autoharp. You'll smile to original songs inspired by science fiction and fantasy. It's a fun album. It's 100% free to you when you subscribe to my mailing list.

Some musicians cling their music to their chests. The only way you can hear it is if you buy a CD.

That is not me.

I learned long ago that if I want to be successful with music, then I have to let go. I have to let you be a part of the music. Not just listen to it. But to be involved in it.

So I share my music freely. I offer free licenses for podcasters to play music on their shows. I encourage you to share my songs and CDs with your friends. I want you to send me your song lyrics. I've recorded a number of songs by fans. I want you to record your own version of my songs or to sing them around the campfire or the water cooler.

No, I'm not gonna sue you if you copy an album and give it to someone. I want you to.

It turns out, I was right to have this philosophy. Because now with streaming services, anyone can listen to my music for virtually free. You'll find me on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Google Play, Pandora, pretty much everywhere online. And I want you to listen.

Yes. Please follow me on Spotify or whatever streaming service you're on. Those services are doing me a great favor. They are getting my music heard. Anonymity is my greatest challenge. But streaming music helps me overcome that. You can listen for free.

Sure, I won't begrudge you if you decide to go to CelticMusic.org to buy digital downloads or a CD. I would love it. But I don't expect it.

My hope is that you love my music so much that it inspires you... to listen, to share it, to try and watch a live show, to sing or play along, and well, to be a better, happier person. I want you to have a little bit more fun in your life.

I try to make it easy for you too. Right now, I have weekly live streaming concerts online. In fact, I have two shows at present. On Monday, you can hear me sing a couple songs and catch up on my latest news on my YouTube channel. On Wednesday, I have a series I call Coffee with The Celtfather. It's a longer show featuring some of your requested songs.

If that's not enough, once a month, I also host an evening live streaming concert on YouTube. Sometimes it is publicly available. Other times, it is an exclusive benefit for my Heroes in the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon.

These are great ways to get to know me and my music in a more personal setting. But there are other ways, including podcasting.

You see, I was one of the first podcasters in the world. I started Irish & Celtic Music Podcast in the summer of 2005. It originally came out about every 3-4 weeks, at least until I found Patreon in 2014. That changed everything, including the podcast. It became a weekly show featuring the best independent Celtic music online. It's won three podcasting awards and has become a hallmark of my music career.

I've publish a lot of different podcasts over the years. Go to MageNetwork.com. You'll find many of those that are still around. But my latest podcast is this one, Celtfather Music & Travel. I try to offer a bigger look at my music and travels through it.

I also have two different podcasts exclusively available through the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon, which give a behind-the-scenes look at my music as well as stories from the road.

Of course, I have a blog. You'll find me regularly posting on Facebook, and occasionally posting on InstaStories on Instagram. I'm attempting to write non-fiction books designed to help my fellow musicians and others.

If all that wasn't enough to keep me busy, I am also the father of two beautiful girls and husband to a wonderful wife. You'll see them included in several of the videos I share.

Maybe it's my Dungeons & Dragons upbringing, but I feel like an adventurer at heart. You'll see that in my travel videos on YouTube. I wanted a fun way to share my songs. So I started adding video on top of them from my Celtic Invasion Vacations.

Every year, I take a small group of people to Europe, and other places. But primarily we go to the Celtic nations: Ireland and Scotland. We've also been to Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and Italy.

I don't know if you've ever done a European tour, but this is nothing like those. This a more personal and more flexible trip. Instead of doing 20 cities in 10 days, we stay in one place for seven days. We get to know the region and the people. It's a relaxing adventure that's more about the community than the place. That's why it's called Celtic Invasion... Vacations. You should feel rested at the end of your trip.

There's one more thing that I want to share about my music. That's my instrument. I play the autoharp. Most people have a vague idea of what the autoharp is. You probably remember it from second grade music class, if at all. But I am one of the handful of people who play the instrument, as my primary instrument, professionally.

Yes. It's very simple to start playing. Just press a button and strum. But you can do so much more with it with a little work. Just listen to my music. I think you'll hear that.

In fact, I think now is a good time to let you go and listen to my music. If you're not yet following me on Spotify or subscribed to my newsletter, go ahead and do that right now.

But I will also include a link to listen to my Celtic Geek album for free. Stream it from wherever you are right now. Then let me know what you think. I love your thoughts and feedback.

Now that I've introduced myself to you. I'd like to hear from you. Who are you? Where do you live? What do you do? Do you play music or sing? If so, what instrument? How did you find my music? What other music to listen to?

Tell me about yourself and email me at marc@marcgunn.com

Thank you so much for joining me on this Celtic Geek journey. I hope my music brings you lots of fun and happiness. Slainte!

If you enjoyed this podcast and want to hear more, subscribe at celtfather.com.

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Scotland is an incredible country. In 2010, I led my third Celtic Invasion Vacations to Scotland. I learned a lot from this trip which helped form future invasions. I'm gonna share the comments from some of those invaders in #249 of Celtfather Music & Travel.

Greetings my name is Marc Gunn. This show is about the many amazing experiences I have as a musician and an adventurer.

In 2010, I hooked with John Wilmott of Celtic Ways, who now runs the Carrowcrory Cottage and Labyrinth Gardens in County Sligo.

John used to live in Oban. So he offered to organize my third Celtic Invasion Vacations to Scotland. Unfortunately, he had health issues a few months before the trip. So I was forced to make this trip come to life.

It's now eight years since that trip happened. But I was looking for Bootleg Concerts to share for my Heroic Gunn Runners on Patreon when I found the comments of invaders from that trip.

Every year, I ask my invaders to share their thoughts of what was cool and what wasn't. This invasion had some of amazing pieces of synchronicity and challenges and fun. It might've helped or hurt that this was the year a volcano erupted in Iceland which grounded a lot of airplanes. So a few invaders arrived late.

I wish I kept a more details journal of the invasion. But alas...

Interestingly, my wife did keep a little journal. However, this was also the trip where she was pregnant and got sick the first day we arrived. So I think journal was cut short.

Now since I don't have a detailed list of what we did. I thought instead, I would share the itinerary, some of my memories of the invasion and then you could hear the feedback from invaders.

And then I will comment respond to some of their comments.

The Celtic Invasion of Oban, Scotland began in Glasgow. We met up with all the invaders and then drove three cars to Oban.

The accommodations were really nice, but sadly, we had such a big group that we were separated into two houses, and separated also by about a 1/2 mile. I actually never saw the second house.

The second day was in Oban was scheduled to walk around and see the town. It was a fairly open day, which was good because we were waiting for invaders to arrive, since a couple at least were stopped by the volcano.

Day 3, we took a boat to Iona. I honestly don't remember much except for the photo that Gwen I took in front of some church on the island. I used for the release of my single "Christmas in Scotland" which was inspired by this invasion.

Day 4, lists oban area chill out, time out, everyone do their thing, shopping, fishing, maybe go walking on nearby islands.

That's hilarious because I couldn't tell you what was involved in that.

However, I do remember that some folks decided to take a trip to see a castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. So I'm assuming that that was this day.

Day 5 mentions Kilmartin. Again, no clue. But this might've been the day when we got a private tour of a cemetery from Liam Griffin, as well as lunch.

Day 6 took us to Edinburgh. I think we might've stopped in Stirling to climb the William Wallace memorial. But I'm not sure. That evening, we enjoyed bagpipes from Jimi McRae and Sam Ooko.

Day 7 was the final exploration of Edinburgh and of course music from me.

Okay. Let's see if this recording will jog my memory and I share a few more thoughts about the invasion.

INVADER COMMENTS

Alright, a few things stuck for me. First, second ferry ride? What the heck?

I don't think I remember that ride at all. I maybe remember some musicians on a ferry. But I don't remember if it was to Scotland.

I think this was the trip that I realized I have to better plan. After this, I started creating a sort of cookie cutter plan for each trip. A loose one, but a plan nonetheless.

I also mention a bus tour. I have no recollection of that.

Someone mentioned the late starting times. That was remedied on future trips. I think we were leaving around 10 am, which was just way too late. I think future trips vary between and 8 and 9 am.

What was incredible for me was the number of folks who commented on the time with Liam Griffin.

So what happened was we had dinner a couple nights at a place called the Barn. I asked them if I could play music. They said that was fine.

So we ate dinner. I pulled out the autoharp and sang for an hour or two. I don't really remember.

What I do remember is one of the locals, Liam, got really into the show. He called all of his friends to come out. He sang us a song. And he invited all thirteen of us to his place for lunch the following day. Then he gave us a tour of his private historical cemetery.

It was an amazing experience and it helped me fine tune my trips. You see, I realized that all of the stuff I planned was not very memorable. What was memorable was our personal experiences with the people and the culture of the region.

That's why I say in my ads on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, "we get to know the region through its culture, history and legends." It's from trip.

I don't remember a whole lot about the stuff we had planned. But I remember the invaders and the people we met. I remember my time with my wife walking around Oban. I remember the joyful, adventure-filled feelings of this incredible vacation.

I hope you joined this episode, and I'm gonna leave you with a couple songs from the Bootleg concert I did that final night. If you want to hear the entire concert, join my Heroic Gunn Runners on Patreon.

Thanks so much for listening. And if you're new to the podcast, rate the show and subscribe at celtfather.com.

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This weekend, I'm heading to join the Kilted Kings at the Mid-South Renaissance Faire. I want to share with some thoughts about the show and what you can expect from our performances.

Greetings. My name is Marc Gunn. This show is about the many amazing experiences I have as a musician and a traveler.

It's funny how one show leads to another. The Brobdingnagian Bards began our career at Excalibur Fantasy Faire in March 1999. As the faire ended, a whole bunch of entertainers and patrons said, you should go to the Castle Muskgee Renaissance faire. When that one ended, they said, you should check out this faire. Those recommendations got us all the way to, our then dream faire, the Texas Renaissance Festival.

That's sort of what happened with the Mid-South Renaissance Faire. I met the entertainment director 3-4 years ago at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. Everyone was talking about this new faire. I couldn't make it at that time. It wasn't until I got invited to ShadowCon that it became a possibility.

You see, I had a booth at ShadowCon right next door to the faire's booth. Beth and I had great conversations all weekend. She invited me to contact her. But again, there wasn't much likelihood. At least until I found out that my wife was gonna be in Memphis this fall. So I emailed the faire and started a dialogue.

They wanted more than just a soloist. They wanted a full band to fill their pub, a three-piece in fact. So I decided to reunite Kilted Kings PLUS one.

Randy Wothke will once again join me on stage. Randy is the leader and percussionist of The Rogues, a bagpipe and drum quartet from Houston, Texas. He's an incredible musician. It was a great honor to record our album Name On My Soul with him. And incidentally, we have a new Christmas single that will be available online very soon.

I also invited String, aka Matthew Trautwein, to play fiddle. String plays with the Renaissance rock band, The Lost Boys. I first met him at the Georgia Renaissance Festival over a decade. Last year, he came to the Louisiana Ren Faire to fill for Randy when he was already booked.

String is fantastic and one of the nicest people you'll meet to boot. Oh! And I should point out that The Lost Boys have a brand new album that should be available soon if it's not already.

Since it's a Kilted Kings show, a lot of the music that we will play is from our debut album. You'll hear "Slainte Mhaith", "Prettiest Hobbit", "Wild Mountain Thyme", "Flower of Scotland", and of course, "Name On My Soul". You'll also hear songs like "Ride On" and "Mingulay Boat Song".

With a fiddler, I'm really looking forward to playing my instrumental tunes without singing them as well. So listen for a new arrangement of "Marionette Jig" and "Clogden More".

There are a lot of things to see at the Mid-South Renaissance Faire aside from us. There's music from Wind, Wood & Wire, Frieman the Minstrel, Silver Penny, and bagpipes from my friends of Haggis Rampant. Plus, story telling from Melandra of the Woods.

There's jousting, a Mad Hatter, and knighting ceremony. The Lords of Adventure are there. They are brilliant comedy and sword fighting duo. There's also something called Armchair Wizards, which is listed as on-stage role-playing game show. Connor O'Carriag is doing magic and mystery.

I'm happy to see my friends Arr & Tarr the Trolls will be there with kids comedy and fun. Lord Larry Longfellow does magic & comedy and Alima Tribe offers belly dancing. You'll also find fighting demonstrations and historical reenactments with the SCA and Amtgard.

Look for Kilted Kings out there for two weekends, the 13th and 14th, and the 20th and 21st.

If you want to get a Behind-the-Scenes, post-look at how the show goes, join my Gunn Runners Club on Patreon.

Thanks you so much for listening. You'll find links to many of the things mentioned in the shownotes. If you haven't yet subscribed or rated the show on Apple Podcast, head on over to Celtfather.com.

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Browncoats and Geek musicians Marc Gunn and Mikey Mason rewatch episodes of Firefly to find themes and inspiration for crafting songs inspired by Joss Whedon's cult classic TV series. Find details and subscribe at FireflyDrinkingSongs.com/intheverse/.

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I originally started playing music because I wanted to write songs that people loved. But finding inspiration or creating perspiration is tough!

Welcome to Celtfather Music & Travel.

In the last podcast, I talked with Mikey Mason about our shared love of Firefly. I had a sort of secret agenda in talking with him. I thought it would be brilliant to create a Firefly podcast with Mikey as a means to promote our Blue Sun Holiday Spectacular Tour.

Mikey is pretty practical though. I know I like to jump into projects pretty easy. But he needed a convincing reason.

Mikey’s reason was, instead of just reviewing episodes like other podcasts have done, he came up with the idea of writing one new song for each episode of the series.

I love this idea!

It makes me think of my favorite song on my new Firefly CD, As Long As I’m Flyin’. That song is “She’s Shiny!”

When I sing the song live, it has a great intro. It’s not just about Firefly. It’s a universal theme. It’s about men who have trouble talking to women.

In this case, it’s about Malcolm Reynolds who has a crush on Inara but can’t or won't tell her. So much so that at the end of the song, Mal is saying the whole song is actually about his ship Serenity.

What a great story idea!

Yes. I throw in lots of references from the show. But when the average person listens, they hear a great rhythm and fun, easy-to-sing chorus.

Yeah. They may miss the punchline at the end. But at live shows it has fairly universal appeal.

I love it.

This is what gets me excited about doing a Firefly podcast with Mikey. I want to write more songs like “She’s Shiny!”

You see, the toughest thing about writing music is coming up with the song idea. That’s why I have long loved the nonsensical songs. They’re easy to write. But they're also not as an engaging.

It’s fairly easy writing songs that have a story that actually happened to me. But to write an original song when you don’t have a thematic idea, it’s tough.

Firefly is a great story. It has a great story arc. Each episode has its own story arc. Sometimes they have multiple themes. Just watching the first episode recently, I saw many, many different themes.

The trick is to verbalize them. What about each episode or character or scene is so great.

That’s why I want to chat with Mikey Mason about this. I want us to pinpoint those themes and write.

And not just about Firefly either. Rather, I want the ideas. And I want to make them my own. I want to write powerful songs with universal themes, just like “She’s Shiny!”. I think this experience will add to that.

Someone recently recommended the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. I listened and loved it.

It wasn’t just about Harry Potter. It was giving Harry Potter the religious text treatment. The idea is to look at Harry Potter and see how it could improve your life, looking at different themes.

What a creative way to approach a book, or a tv show, or whatever!

I think Firefly has a lot to offer today’s people. It’s about the average Joe struggling to make end’s meat. It’s not always smart. But it’s often right.

As Shepherd Book used to say, “If you can’t do something’ smart, do something right.”

The rich get richer. The rest of us are just trying to survive. To feed our families. To make it to the next paycheck so we can start all over. Maybe we’ll even move ahead.

Now it’s possible I could do all of this on my own. I could sit down and start writing my own album without Mikey. But I admit what I love about this is having a songwriting workout partner like Mikey Mason.

When Jayne is working out, he has Shepherd Book holding the weights for him, to push him to do more weights. It’s the same with me. Mikey is an inspiring partner. He’s writing a lot. He got an English degree in college. He’s the guy who looks for those underlying messages in shows. And admittedly, we brainstorm well together.

That’s why I committed to the idea of doing this podcast and songwriting goal.

But it’s not happening yet. We set another goal to get you involved...as patrons.

I’m looking for 6 new people, who love my music, who want to see this succeed, and who won’t break their pocket books by pledging $10+ per month as my patron.

You will get behind the scenes podcasts and videos. You’ll be the first to hear new music.

You’ll enjoy live concert recordings and get digital downloads of several albums. Plus, I will include your name in the thank yous of each of these Firefly podcasts and with the digital downloads of any Firefly music that comes out of this project for as long as you are a patron.

Follow me on Spotify to listen to this song or just look for a link in the shownotes. You'll also find a great Firefly playlist of music and all of my Firefly tours at FireflyDrinkingSongs.com.

If you enjoyed the episode of Celtfather Music & Travel, please subscribe to the podcast at Celtfather.com. While you're there, you can sign up to Celtfather News, that's my newsletter that will keep you informed of all of the new projects I'm working including: new music, new shows, new podcasts, videos, and more. It's totally free to subscribe, and I hope to bring another smile to your face with each email.

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Mikey Mason popped up on my radar a few years back. I heard he had an awesome Browncoat song called "She Don't Like Firefly". So I invited him to play at my Firefly Drinking Songs show at Gen Con. He was amazing addition to the show. He got the crowd revved up for fun. That made the rest of the show a breeze.

You see, Mikey Mason is a brilliant musician and entertainer. He was a touring comedian for many years. He knows how to work a crowd.

When that first show ended, we realized we needed to do more shows together. So he repeated his amazing performance for the Firefly show at Dragon Con. Then we joked, we should take this show on the road.

Flash forward a few years and that is exactly what we are doing. This December, we launch the Blue Sun Holiday Spectacular. We're gonna sing some Firefly, Celtic, and geeky songs, plus a few holiday favorites. We're gonna have fun with you on the road.

We're planning six shows for the initial launch. If everything goes well, we hope to add more tour dates in 2019.

In this episode, I chat with Mikey Mason about how he fell in love with Firefly, which character he most associates with, and then we start brainstorming the idea of doing a Firefly podcast together...with fresh new songs inspired by the show.

If that sounds like a lot of Shiny fun, then you don't want to miss this show and find out how you can make this podcast happen.

Check out Mikey's video "She Don't Like Firefly". Then find out more about Mikey Mason and listen to his music on his website. He'll be at Dragon Con Labor Day weekend 2018.

You can watch Firefly Drinking Songs at Dragon Con this year on Friday night of the convention.

Now I want to ask you to head on over to Spotify and Follow My Music.

You will find links to everything I mentioned in the shownotes at Celtfather.com where you can also subscribe to this podcast and download 21 songs for free.

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It isn't difficult enough to be an artist who creates something original, exciting and new. We also allow ourselves to be judged by our creations. We let other people's opinions influence our own. I'm having that trouble with creating videos. I want perfection. And there's no such thing. See this episode on Perfect Imperfection. Fear affects most creative people. We are constantly afraid of what will people say about what we create. Is it good enough? Will people love it? I ignore those fears most of the time. I just create. In this episode I share some of my own fears and how they are holding me back from creating. If you have your down creative worries, share them below. -- If you enjoyed this episode and want more behind the scenes glimpses of my music, please join my awesome Gunn Runners on Patreon. Now I want to ask you to head on over to Spotify and Follow My Music. You will find links to everything I mentioned in the shownotes at Celtfather.com where you can also subscribe to this podcast and download 21 songs for free.

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The 2018 Celtic Invasion of the Isle of Skye is over. We had an amazing vacation.

Every year, I ask my invaders for feedback. This year, I decided to do it a little different. I wanted to help you figure out what were some of the best things to see when you come visit.

So I’m gonna share my Best and Worst things to see on the Isle of Skye, followed by feedback from Invaders, including some of their favorites.

Best of the Isle of Skye. My favorite thing in Skye was the Quiraing. This is up in Trotternish. It’s June, lush and green with powerful, towering mountains.

Now Skye is a big hiking area. I think most people go to Skye to hike.

Most of our Invaders were not big hikers. We were all happy to hike and explore. But the hardcore hiking was not for us.

Now I’m sure there’s some difficult hiking in the Quiraing, but the two places we visited were fairly easy. A third place looked even easier.

I guess for me there was more room to relax and enjoy the magnificent mountain range in the Quiraing. If you’re looking for one thing to do in Skye, this is my suggestion.

My second favorite thing to do in Skye was the Skye Cruises out of Uig. They offered a three-hour boat tour of the ocean and shoreline. We saw a castle, seals, and even watched puffins flying about.

The captain was very friendly. He and a friend started this cruise a couple years ago. It made for a very pleasant experience.

They provided free snacks and drinks including Skye Beer from the local brewery. They had binoculars available for seeing the sea life too.

Of course, it probably helped that the seas were calm. There was a little bit of rain that fell on us for about ten minutes. Then it was done.

They had some good Celtic music playing in the back of the boat. And up front, I played songs and along with Pace. And happily Danny and Christine Faught of Green Man Clan joined us.

Okay so that was a benefit of me boating out there. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful relaxing trip.

Third in my list of the Best of the Isle of Skye we’re The Fairy Pools.

On day three of our Invasion, we got a tour guide to take us to The Fairy Pools. The guide was kind of a flop. Not much more than a driver sadly. But the Pools were brilliant. Tho a little tricky too.

It was raining when we arrived. We walked down the hill to the starting point.

I say walk, but to be honest l, there was a little sliding. I had my bad shoes. The ground was moist and squishy. So I fell a couple times. That didn’t bode well.

At the bottom of the hill, there was a stream and no way to cross it but get your feet a little wet.

I wasn’t quite in the mood to plunge in. In fact, I was about to skip it. I’m glad I didn’t. I took off my shoes and walked across the small stream.

After that, the walk was a breeze. It was a gentle slope into the valley. A river guides you on the right. And all along it are bunches of small waterfalls and “Fairy Pools”.

I didn’t go all the way into the mountains. I took my time and had fun making videos. I sat with my feet in the freezing water. It was delightful. Again, I’m so happy I went.

The fourth coolest thing for me was the excitement of finding dinosaur tracks.

So we stayed in Staffin Bay Cottages. They are located a 3 minute drive from Staffin Bay Slipway. When we arrived, we learned that there were dinosaur tracks down there.

So one evening, we hiked over to the beach and looked for the tracks. It took some time to find them, but eventually we did. They were covered in seaweed.

They were also difficult to make out. But we went to the local dinosaur museum to confirm.

That was cool and all. But 2-3 months ago, new tracks were discovered at Brother’s Point. On Friday, we finally headed to the point. We arrived just before low tide.

So I should point out that there are no markers for these prints. You have to find them.

Now what I learned at the dinosaur museum was the footprints were found in sedimentary rock.

The first step was to find that. I am no geologist. But I did overhear, that sedimentary rock is layered rock. Most of the rocks out there, I think, are igneous.

I found a big slab of sedimentary rock and started looking. I found some small impressions and called over Pace and Selena. Pace told me that they were about a foot in diameter.

I spent the next thirty minutes staring at the rock. How weird is that!

Eventually I noticed differences. I saw breaks in the rock and looking at puddles, I realized the indentations were different from the breaks. I called over Pace and we jokingly decided we found dinosaur tracks.

I got some pictures and videos but I don’t think you’ll see much of anything.

Pace got a good picture. We decided to take his picture to the dinosaur museum to confirm it. We were thrilled they said yes!

Yay. I’m officially an amateur dinosaur track hunter.

I was trying to settle on my top 5 of Skye but I couldn’t. So for number five, I picked two.

First is the Skye Museum of Island Life. It’s located in the north end of Trotternish. It was a small Croft community. But now it’s a museum.

I guess I liked it because it’s the only bit of history we got on Skye. That’s because this was also the place that Flora McDonald was buried.

Flora is the woman from the song “Skye Boat Song” who carried the Bonnie Prince Charlie to safety after his defeat at Culloden, which marked the end of the Jacobite Revolution.

The museum told that story along with the story of the crofters.

I also loved Neist Point. There’s a lighthouse and soaring cliffs and gorgeous ocean vistas. It was stunning.

I also recorded a couple videos while I was out there.

That was my best of the Isle of Skye.

What was the worst? I’m sure many would disagree, but my least favorite thing about Skye was Old Man of Storr.

There are some stunning pictures of Storr. As far as I can see, they are either aerial photographs or from way up top on Storr. I don’t have an airplane, and I didn’t have the desire to climb all the way to. I climbed up thru the third gate. About halfway. The view was nice. But not worth the effort. I’d rather go back to the Quiraing.

Kilt Rock a beautifully named with almost pleated rocks. But it’s view is located in a very safe and boring park off the road. It was uninspiring.

I was disappointed with Talisker Distillery. I like the whisky, but there was no tasting room. You had to do the tour.

I’ve done whisky tours before. They’re mildly interesting. It’s the whisky that’s the best thing about them. I bought a bottle but even the store was limited. I think I’m a bit spoiled by Guinness and Bushmills. They’ve got a TON of incredible shops. Plus tastings.

Now it’s not a least favorite location but Skye is pretty windy. When it isn’t windy, at least during the summer, the midges are our in full force. Midges are small biting gnats. Think of tiny barely visible mosquitoes. Unless they’re swarming.

During the summer, restaurants book up. So make sure you get reservations unless you’re fine with eating at 9 or 10 o’clock.

Finally, this is the ultimate in #FirstWorldProblems. But the internet was worse here than pretty everywhere we’ve invaded. Bad internet and bad cell phone.

I know. I know. Whine whine whine. You’re on the Isle of Skye!

But I was wanting to stay in touch with my girls back home and was sorely disappointed. The house internet was slow. The data on my phone didn’t work at all. Our house was a dead zone for phones as well.

I guess the point is you should expect to disconnected.

Alright. That’s what I thought of Skye. Let’s see what folks thought of the Celtic Invasion of the Isle of Skye.

I hope you enjoyed my Invader feedback. Again, the Celtic Invasion of Skye was a huge success. I'm excited to share some photos and videos from the trip in the coming months.

Now I just announced the net two locations that I am planning for the future. In 2019, we're gonna have the Celtic Invasion of Star Wars... We're going back to Dingle, Ireland and this time we're gonna visit Skellig Michael. That's the island from The Last Jedi film.

Then in 2020, we're going to Venice, Italy. This is the Origin of Celtic Invasions Vacation. Because the area was conquered by a Celtic tribe called the Veneti that later migrated to Brittany in France, before heading to Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

If you find out more about that history, check out two episodes I released last year: The Secret History of the Celts #231 and History of Celtic Brittany #232.

And head over to CelticInvasion.com if you want to join one of these awesome vacations.

Now I want to ask you to head on over to Spotify and Follow My Music.

You will find links to everything I mentioned in the shownotes at Celtfather.com where you can also subscribe to this podcast and download 21 songs for free.

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Patreon is an incredible tool for helping musicians and creators to get paid. However, as a new patron, it's very easy to miss out on all of the cool features Patreon has to offer. Andrew McKee and I try to break down those features to share with you how you can get the most out of your patronage.

Let's Get Started This is The Celtfather. My name is Marc Gunn. I'm here with The Irish Bard, Andrew McKee. Today, we're gonna give you a Patreon Primer, to help you better understand how to get the most out of Patreon.

I've been using Patreon since 2014. However, it really wasn't until I started the account for the Brobdingnagian Bards that I really realized that a podcast like this would be super useful.

I have a lot of friends on Patreon. And Andrew is planning his own Patreon. I thought we'd talk about some of the awesome things you can enjoy and how best to do that.

Sign up for different levels.
Each offers progressively more access to our creations.
Why you should Download the Patreon App
This is the easiest way to interact with the community. It's not superbly sophisticated, but you can comment and reply to comments. You can ask questions, and get answers.You can also listen to podcast episodes directly from the app, either downloading or streaming the episode directly in the app. It saves your space. You can fast forward in 15 second increments or you can drag the slider to different points in the podcast.
How to subscribe to the Patreon Feed
If you have a preferred podcatcher, you are also given a personal podcast feed that you can insert directly into your podcatcher. That's how I prefer to listen.
How to Download Music to your computer
Now if there are albums or singles you want in a blog post, you'll probably need to use your desktop computer. You can listen directly in the app, but it's kind of annoying. I would prefer to download them and put them directly into my iTunes.
Searching in the App
Patreon doesn't currently offer a great search feature directly in the app or on the desktop version.That said, Patreons best option is the tag feature. We try to tag every post that we make with simple, easy-to-figure out tags.ie. "bootlegs" are our live concerts. "A Brobdingnagian Minute" will load all of those podcast episodes. "MP3" is the free mp3s that we share. "vlogs" are video blogs.Go to the Posts page on the desktop. You'll see tags on the lefthand side. Just click one and get the desired content. If there's a better way, let me know.
How to Interact with the Community
Bonuses
- Save money on Merch

Here are some great Patreons you can support * Marc Gunn * Andrew McKee, The Irish Bard * Brobdingnagian Bards * Irish & Celtic Music Podcast

Did we miss anything? Is there something you like about it or that you think would make Patreon better? Post in the comments.

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One of the most poorly used features on Patreon are milestones. It’s probably the name—milestone. What exactly is that?

To most creators, it’s a big goal that they reach. “When I hit $2200, I’ll make a living as a musician.”

That’s a good goal. But it’s a missed opportunity too.

My Patreon for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast helped me figure out Patreon Milestones. It’s not just about me. It’s about you and me working together to reach a goal.

For the podcast, I setup simple milestones. “When we hit $550, I will create a two-hour episode of Celtic Flute and Whistle Music”.

If this is something you want to happen, you might make a pledge. You might get excited enough to support something you already love.

Easy-peasy. Right?

As an artist, I find it a lot more difficult. How do I create a goal that will get YOU and other Gunn Runners excited but that is also something that I'm not already giving away.

You might cheer when I become a “full-time musician”, but there’s nothing in it for you to support my music. That’s what Patreon Milestones are all about, or should be. What’s in it for you?

And so we stumble. We make bad Patreon goals. Our pages don’t grow.

A couple years ago, I set a pretty exciting Patreon goal. I said I would make an EP of Firefly music if I hit a certain goal. Of course, that EP turned into a full-length album that's freely available to everyone in my Gunn Runners Club.

That goal was one that you and I both could get behind.

I think that's what I need to do then. I need to create milestones for you. I pick a song that I want to record and that you might want as well. When I reach those milestones, I record a new single and share it with the Gunn Runners Club.

I like this idea because it gets you more involved. Your generosity is the impetus to make new music happen.

You see, one of my other big internal challenges is that it's difficult to sit down and record. The recording process itself isn't difficult. But there are a LOT of steps.

Lets take for instance the two songs I've been planning: "Mingulay Cat Song" and "Why Do You Torture Me?".

I first started recording "Mingulay Cat Song" in 2015. I don't think I snagged a recording I liked until February, a couple months ago.

Meanwhile, I've been talking about releasing "Why Do You Torture Me?" since at least November last year. That's six months ago!

Obviously, it's not a fast process. Recording music takes time. And if I want to do collaborations... it's gonna take even more.

I'm okay with that. But it does mean these milestones can be a lot more productive. So that's my goal.

The two new singles I mentioned earlier are scheduled to be released this month and next. The next milestone is for a traditional Irish song, "Molly Malone". I have a video coming out for it in a couple weeks. It has an innovative marketing idea behind it. So I hope it'll get some traction. I'll tell you more about that later.

Thank you so much for listening. Now I want to ask you to head on over to Spotify and Follow My Music.

You'll find a link in the shownotes at Celtfather.com where you can also subscribe to this podcast and download 21 songs for free.

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It all started with my cat Jenga and a sippy cup left on the table when my daughter went off to daycare. I came home to find juice all over the floor.

Why do cats have this insatiable need to knock liquid over? Are they thirsty? Or is there a scientific reason that explains these crazy cats?

I break the down the inspiration behind my newest cat song. Then I talk about the Kickstarter for my newest album of cat songs--Sea Shanties for Cat Lovers. You'll hear the new recording, plus the original song that I parodied, "Mingulay Boat Song".

Gunn Runners can own a copy of my new single in the Gunn Runners Club. Read the "Mingulay Cat Song" lyrics here.

Thank you so much for listening. Now I want to ask you to head on over to Spotify and Follow My Music.

You'll find a link in the shownotes at Celtfather.com where you can also subscribe to this podcast and download 21 songs for free.

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Yes. It’s okay. You may listen to my music on Spotify. In fact, please listen. Add my songs to your library. Create Spotify playlists with my songs. I encourage you to listen and share my music.

Follow me on Spotify
Watch this Video: What do you think of Spotify?
Follow some of my playlists
Get Behind the Scenes to Support my Music

I asked my friend Gary if he listens to Spotify. He said no. He heard they did not pay artists well. He prefers to buy CDs to support the bands he loves.

Gary is in his 50s and he’s not alone. His demographic of people age 45-65 are more likely to buy a cd. At least for now. But that’s changing.

Even those ages 35-45 are split. More and more are moving to streaming music.

I host the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, the largest of its kind. I no longer accept CDs.

At the end of 2017, I started to embrace Spotify and streaming music. I just hope I’m not too late.

Right now, streaming music is loved most by younger folks. Hip hop reigns supreme. Pop music is right behind that. Metal is even doing well. Oddly, rock and country are lagging behind.

Knowing that, you can imagine how Celtic Music is doing. Folk musicians are not known to live at the front of new technology.

Course that doesn’t mean music fans aren’t already listening. They are.

Gaelic Storm has 200,000 listeners. Irish Rovers have 270,000. The Chieftains have 300,000. Celtic Woman has 400,000. Flogging Molly have over a million. Dropkick Murphys have 2.1 million!

People are listening whether we musicians like it or not.

As with all technology, this offers a great opportunity for Celtic musicians. We can be at the forefront of streaming music if we are brave enough to try. I need you to stream my music even tho the revenue is not yet in my favor.

The Dropkick Murphy revenue equates to about $10,000 per month. Even Gaelic Storm’s $1000 per month is nothing to sniff at, at least for me. Just imagine if Celtic musicians actually promoted their music on Spotify. We could easily triple or quadruple those numbers.

Now comes the hard reality. I get about 2000 listens. That’s just about $10 per month. You can’t make a living off that.

BUT Spotify is just one way to make money as an the indie musician.

The true opportunity of Spotify is as a music discovery platform. Now it is virtually free to listen to music and to share it too. I don’t even have to worry about piracy. In fact, I will make money when you “pirate” my music thru Spotify.

Spotify is a great way to get your music heard by existing fans and to find new fans.

How then will I make actual money?

As a marketer, I know that if if I give away all of my music, people will find it and if they love it, then they will find a way support me.

There are many ways, fans can continue to buy Merch: CDs, Tshirts, USB Drives, posters, jewelry, stickers, or whatever I sell. I’m trying out lots of different products.

You get something cool AND you support the music you love.

But as an artist, I am scared, I’m terrified of giving away my intellectual property.

It turns out There is another way that will make the virtually free Spotify streaming even more worthwhile—become a patron of the arts.

Patronage is as old as the music profession. In the past, musicians relied on one rich patron. But now we can achieve similar results with donations by lots of patrons each paying just a little each month.

You can join my Gunn Runners Club on Patreon for as little as a buck a month. You’ll get the inside scoop of what’s new. You can get behind the scenes podcasts and videos for just five bucks a month. You can enjoy streaming concerts for $10 per month.

This is a game changer for musicians. There’s no overhead costs. All of the money you donate (minus fees) goes straight to my music business. And you get a more inclusive musical experience.

Patreon is not for everyone. It’s for the most-dedicated fans. You might not be ready for this incredible opportunity to support my music firsthand.

If you’re not, Spotify is the perfect way to decide if my music is right for you.

So again. Yes. Please listen to my music on Spotify. Add my songs to your library and playlists. Share it with a friend.

Thank you so much for listening. Now I want to ask you to head on over to Spotify and Follow My Music.

You'll find a link in the shownotes at Celtfather.com where you can also subscribe to this podcast and download 21 songs for free.

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In the Firefly episode Out of Gas, Malcolm Reynolds says, “No matter how far the long arm of the Alliance might get, we’ll just get ourselves a little further.” This is The Celtfather, Marc Gunn. I’m going to share with you the story behind my song “The Long Arm”. It was the first single released for my new Firefly album, As Long As I’m Flyin’. The album came out on March 6, 2018. And the physical CD will no longer be available after March 31. So if you want that album, buy it in my Bandcamp store. SHOW TIMES 0:30 Celtfather News 2:01 Intro toThe Long Arm 4:15 Verse One, Basic Human Rights 5:50 Verse Two, Environmentalism and Unification 8:22 Verse Three, Fake News, Lies, and Resistance 10:25 Chorus, Fighting Back Thru the Arts 12:05 Creating Change Through Politics 14:44 Congressional Dish Podcast Recommendation NEWS Before we get to that, I want to share some news. My next CeltfatherLive internet concert is scheduled for Sunday, April 15, 2018. If you want to watch that show or future internet shows, please register now at celtfather.com/watch/. If you love the TV show Firefly, like I do, please follow my Firefly Drinking Songs playlist on Spotify. You can listen to all of my Firefly albums PLUS other Firefly songs by other artists. You can find all of my upcoming news for April in the Celtfather Monthly. It's a free post on Patreon. You'll also learn a great tip for engaging on social media. Find all these links in the shownotes. In general, I prefer to let my music speak for itself. “The Long Arm” has a lot of nuances though. So I want to talk about it. While it is set in the Firefly verse, it is a very political song. It is inspired by our current administration which I am not fond of. So if you are a fan of what’s happening in the White House, you probably don't want to listen to this episode. Might I suggest instead that you check out the Canton Radio episode of Geek Pub Songs. Alright, I'm hoping everyone who doesn't want to listen has logged off now. ABOUT THE LONG ARM When that line by Malcolm Reynolds is first spoken, it comes from a man who’s been beaten. Reynolds fought in one of the worst battles in the Unification War. The Battle of Serenity Valley saw some of the biggest loss of life of that war. You can hear in his voice a man who had lost his faith in God, in justice and in humanity. He just wanted to hide away and avoid the encroaching “civilization” of the Alliance. He wanted to escape. The Serenity movie turned that all around. He and the crew learned about one of the atrocities committed by the Alliance. He found faith in a cause bigger than himself. And once again he took up arms and won. This song is about fighting for something bigger than oneself. It was written at the very beginning of the Trump Administration. Trump was picking people to run various parts of the government with an obvious aim to dismantle the government. Most were corporate flunkies, people who wanted to decrease the size of the government and strengthen their own businesses. Liberals were up in arms and I believe rightfully so. You see, one of the things Trump ran on was to run the government like a business. I used to be a fan of that idea. I remember watching the movie Dave. One of the lines that stuck with me is “if I ran my business like this, I would be out of business.” I remember thinking, “right!” Then I saw it in practice. A government cannot be run as a business. Because either you end up giving one business a monopoly or you stop thinking about what’s best for the people. The for-profit business does what’s best for the business. That is not always what's best for its customers. The for-profit business focuses on what's best for its shareholders. Sometimes they coincide, but not always. I am not a fan of big debts and deficits. America's is out of control. And the supposedly fiscally-conservative Congress is not doing anything to stop it. In fact, they're making it bigger, even while they attempt to dismantle the minuscule programs that actually help every day Americans like you and me. It comes down to another lie by Trump. The Machiavellian idea of "the ends justify the means". He'll lie and support that lie even if he doesn't believe it, as long as he gets support for it. I'm sort of jumping ahead of myself. So let's break down the lyrics. The Long Arm is reaching for you Wants to wrest and take control It struck down your family Now it's aimin' for your soul The Long Arm is of course the Trump administration fighting to take away the basic human rights of Americans. It is trying to destroy everything that makes America beautiful and beloved by its people. This might be an over-dramatization. But it makes the point. It's grasp is filled with hate. It's fingers naught but fear White knuckled, it grips you Till your eyes fill with tears. One of the things I've noticed most about the election of Trump is the hate. I'm not gonna point fingers at conservatives though. This is a universal thing. Conservatives are arguing that Liberals are hate-filled and Liberals are saying the same about Conservatives. I think it's safe to say that this administration inspires hate. Trump is very polarizing. He bullies and belittles those who disagree with him. And he riles people up, both his supporters and those who despise him. That's a narrative that liberals tried to warn about during the election. That's what all the claims of sexual misconduct were all about. Yes, Trump will never sue those women who claimed he abused them because he did, either physically or with emotional abuse. I have no doubt. He's the worst kind of person. That's why I used the imagery of rape in this verse. I wanted the listener to get the feeling of being forced against your will to submit to Trump's will. Alright, I'm gonna save the chorus for the last because admittedly, it takes a slightly different twist. The Long Arm took our planet Down our throats, it done rammed The promise of unification But it left us all damned. This second verse is mostly about environmentalism. However, it starts with another broken promise of Trump. Much like in Firefly, the Alliance promised unification. But that idea was only if it's under their rule. Trump was the same. He promised to unite America and to work across the aisle. But he lied about that. Yes, Liberals were not willing to work with him. But he didn't even try. The great "negotiator" once again was not so great. Because all he cares about is himself and maybe his progeny. The rest of us are damned. Laid waste to our landscape While its pockets grew fat Left us homeless and cold Now it's time we fight back Now we get to the next prediction, that Trump would make it easier for corporations to destroy our environment for his own profit. To that end, he removed a lot of bad regulations that Obama setup. And I say bad, because Obama did not get these passed as law. He used executive orders to protect our country because he couldn't get the Republican Congress to pass any laws to protect our country. So let me talk a moment about regulations. I am not a fan of regulations. Or at least the idea of them. But this goes back to why for-profits should not run non-profit institutions. Corporations are beholden to their shareholders. The most-important thing for investors is to make money. So if that means cutting costs or not doing stuff, like regulating your own company in the short-term so that your investors are happy, so be it. Meaning, Corporations will not regulate themselves. And when it comes to convenience, consumers will not regulate corporations. That's one of the big pro-free market lies. The market will not regulate corporations if there's no immediate incentive. So sure, when Conservatives finally see climate change as a real thing because our air quality, water quality and health diminish, THEN they will be fine with regulating corporations. But by then it's too late. This goes back to Firefly too. "Earth's resources were all used up." Why on Earth would any sensible person wait until THEN to protect our resources. It's stupid. Regulations are necessary to prevent profit over health. Of course, who's making money while our environment goes to hell? Trump and his corporate cronies. Who's not? You and me. The only way to protect true Americans is to defend the environment and to regulate corporations. We're done running from the Long Arm Browncoats rise again We'll weaken your grip And the stories you spin As we start the final verse, I bring it back to the Independents. The Browncoats rising to fight for freedom and to fight against the "stories we spin" aka Fake News. In the case of the Browncoats, it's the news spread over the Cortex by the Alliance. In our case, it's pretty much everything that Trump says and tweets. He is the #1 creator of Fake News in our country. Everything is Trump extremism. I wish that "weaking your grip" was as easy as sharing the "facts". But as Ben Kenobi said in Empire Strikes Back. Obi-Wan: "So what I told you was true, from a certain point of view." Luke: "A certain point of view?" Obi-Wan: "Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." Yes. There are many facts that are easy to dispute. That's why Politifact has a scorecard for Trump that lists about 69% of his statements as Mostly False all the way down to Pants on Fire at 15%, higher than any other politician. Follow the link in the shownotes to see specific truths and lies. Even though Trump is held accountable for every statement, if you're a true believer in him, you will blow off facts. That's a truth for any believer. Whether you're a fan of Trump or Obama or whatever you believe. If you are a believer, you will ignore facts. This is especially true if he's keeping his big promises. And according to Politifact he's working on those. Even stupid ones like building a wall. Like you done with all your lies That you packed in your fist But you ain't seen the truth yet Till you seen us resist Of course, the final line calls for Browncoats and Americans to stand up and fight back, to Resist against tyranny. We fight for freedom, freedom, For poetry and song We fight for actors and authors Painters and potters, Dancers and dreamers, Laborers and learners, It's them artists who make us strong. I should point out that despite the resistance and calls for fighting for freedom, I am personally a pacifist. I believe in peaceful resistance. While this hearkens back to the Browncoats fighting for independence, I believe in fighting back through poetry and song, through the arts. This actually makes a lot of sense, because the arts are often some of the first things attacked by conservative politicians as they rail on about fiscal responsibility while spending even more money elsewhere. The arts are easy to overlook. But they are the best sign of a prosperous country. They're a sign of culture and humanity. The arts tell a story. Truth is revealed through that story. That's how humans grow. That's why we are no longer living in the dark ages. We live longer. We are more prosperous. Even a small independent musician like me, I can make a living playing music thanks to the arts and the internet. I am able to tell this story. And of course, I'm not alone. There's actors and authors, painters and potters, dancers and dreamers. Thank you Patty for coming up with the "dreamers". That line got new meaning because DACA, Differed Action for Child Arrivals, that was up in the air back in February. And of course laborers and learners. It's you who make us strong. But it's not just the artists. It's each and every one of us who tries to make a living in this country. We're all struggling to be heard. We are all the heroes of our own Firefly episode. Each of us can make a difference. But we have to fight for a better world. We can't just stand by idly and watch the world go to hell. We have to get to the polls and vote for people who stand for something better, people who will make a difference. And I don't mean egotistical billionaires like Trump. I mean you or one of your friends. Over the past year, I feel like I have finally learned how our government works. There's so much I didn't understand. But I read and learned. Last December, Doug Jones won a senate seat here in Alabama. What I learned from that win and from everything last year is that our votes matter. Even a Democrat in Alabama can win a seat in a very Republican state if we vote, and if we find non-extremist people to run for office. Republicans tried to brand Jones as an extremist liberal. But he's not. He's moderate who is now campaigning for bipartisanship, the very thing our Congress needs right now. But how many others could step up and make a difference, in Congress or even at the state level. Or heck! How about the city level. I saw a post on Facebook by a libertarian friend. He went to a school board meeting and was aghast. He ranted why couldn't the board do what was in the best interest of the students instead of trying to put money in their own pockets. Of course, my friend Jamie and I rolled our eyes after reading that. Because the same could be said about your city hall, your state legislature, and definitely the Congress and Trump. OpenSecrets.org publishes data on how each politician gets their money. Most are lobbied and owned by corporations. That's why the NRA has such a stranglehold on gun legislation. That's why Wall Street and banks were able to remove many of the regulations that were setup to prevent another recession like we had ten years ago. They own many of our politicians. And that's why the oil companies block the development of renewable energy resources. But just imagine if you wanted to just do good for your city, state, or federal government. Just imagine if you weren't in it to get rich quick. Well, the fact is you can do it. Anyone can get elected. Thanks to the internet, anyone can raise funding. All it takes is a passion and a willingness to make good change for our country. That's ultimately what "The Long Arm" is about. It's about doing what's right for individuals. It's about standing against governments or corporations or anyone who tries to limit your freedoms. I pray to God that we never end up with a Unification War like on Firefly. "The Long Arm" is my small contribution to make sure that never happens. Plus it’s just a gorgeous song inspired by an amazing tv show. One final note. The president doesn’t make the laws. That job falls to Congress. But the news doesn’t report much about the laws that congress passes. That’s why Jennifer Brinely started Congressional Dish. She reads the actual laws to see what’s in them and shares the facts. She also provides references in the shownotes. This is a great podcast if you want to find out what’s happening in our country beyond the headline. I can’t say the show is unbiased. Brinely has very strong opinions. But I do think she does a good job at staying with the facts. She was very critical of Obama and is just as much of Trump. But more than anything she is critical of congress no matter what side they are on. It’s an awesome show. You can subscribe for free at congressionaldish.com. - Thank you so much for listening. I know politics these days is very divisive. And I'm not gonna make a habit of doing political episodes. But if I'm to be true to myself and my songwriting, I felt I should share my thoughts on this song. You can support this podcast for as little as $1 per month when you join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. You'll get hours of great content for one low fee and help me create new music for you. You can also subscribe to the podcast and download free music at celtfather.com.

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St Patrick's Day is coming soon. I'm gonna share with you TEN fun facts about St Patrick's Day in show #238 of Celtfather Music & Travel. As a Celtic musician and host of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, I thought I’d also pick songs you can listen to to go with each fact. celtfather.com

CELTFATHER NEWS If you missed the latest CeltfatherLive Internet Concert of Shiny St Patrick’s Day CD Release Party, you can watch a free replay through March 17 at Celtfather.com/watch. The show celebrates the release of my new album of Browncoats Drinking songs, called As Long As I’m Flyin. Plus some fun St Patrick’s Day Songs.

You can sing along to many of those songs through the Irish song lyrics website.

I have two extra-Long episodes of St Patrick’s Day Music on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. The first came out last week and features the Best Celtic songs in the podcast in 2017.

The second is out this Thursday. It will feature 17 for St Patrick’s Day. As a special bonus you will be able to download all 17 songs as mp3 singles. I’ll include a link to that article in the shownotes. I have published my 17 Free Celtic MP3s for St Patrick’s Day article since 2003.

10 Fun Facts about St Patrick's Day Millions of people around the world celebrate St. Patrick's Day. You could say everyone is Irish on St Patrick's Day. But I prefer to see this as a holiday for everyone of Celtic ancestry. I don’t know how many kilts I’ve seen worn on the holiday, but it’s a lot.

I think that’s a good place to start these fun facts.

1. Ireland is one of seven Celtic nations. These are the places that the Celts settled after invading their way from central Europe before finally being conquered by the Romans and driven to the fringes of continent.

The nations include: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Cornwall in Southwest England, Brittany in France, and Galicia in Northwest Spain.

While the Celts settled in those locations, they were eventually pushed out of those homelands to places around the world.

New Orleans was one of the top 3 immigration points for the Irish during the potato blight of the 1800s.

So I’m gonna kick off my musical recommendation with “Men of New Basin Canal” that honors the 30K Irishmen who died digging that canal.

2. St Patrick was not Irish. He was born in Scotland or Wales in the 4th century. Originally, he was enslaved and taken to Ireland. He escaped, became a Christian and went back to convert the Celts. He died in Ireland on March 17, 461.

I was born on St Patrick's Day. I have a song for all those born on March 17th or of Irish heritage. It's called "Happy Birthday from Ireland."

3. March 17th is the holy day of St. Patrick in the Catholic church. Because of this, it was not celebrated like you find it today. In fact, March 17 was a dry holiday in Ireland until the 70s. All the pubs were closed. In 1995 they began celebrating it like in America.

It's quite a ironic that as a sainted holiday, St Patrick's Day is celebrated with drinking. Thus my next song recommendation, "St Patrick Never Drank".

4. The first St Patrick’s day parade was celebrated in New York in 1762. The Irish were trying to hold on to their heritage.

Parades sprang up around the world since then, most notably in Chicago where the river is dyed green. Dublin too now has a big St. Patrick’s Day parade.

I want to recommend song “McNamara‘s Band” song by Bing Crosby.

Green is most-often associated with St Patrick’s Day. But St Patrick’s color was actually blue. And as a wild twist, I was told that the Scots wore orange. It wasn’t until much later I realized that green was the color of Catholics and orange was the color of Protestants. And of course the Republic of Ireland is largely Catholic.

From Brobdingnagian Bards, try the song “The Orange and the Green”.

6. St Paddy’s day is the shortened version of St Patrick’s Day. However, that shortened name is often misspelled. It should be spelled Paddy. Not Patty.

Patty is a girls name. Paddy is short for the Irish name Padraig.

Check out the song “Paddy Worked on the Railway” by The Muckers

7. The most famous Irish song is Danny Boy. But it’s not actually Irish. Okay the melody is an Irish tune called “Derry Aire”. But the lyrics were written by an English lawyer and songwriter named Frederic Weatherly.

I get the song requested so much that I play two versions of “Danny Boy”, the original and a parody about cats.

8. The leprechaun is a fascinating and mischievous creature from Irish lore. The modern representation was actually started as a means to belittle the Irish immigrants in the early 1900s. It seems Irish Americans embraced and rebirthed the myth.

Oh and apparently, there are no female leprechauns in the lore.

I wrote a song that celebrates America’s contribution to the leprechaun myth and to Irish music. It’s called “The Leprechaun”.

9. Slainte Mhaith is an Irish toast. It means “here’s to your good health”. In lovely Gaelic fashion, it’s spelled nothing like it sounds in English. So if you’re out drinking, be it Guinness or tea, raise a glass and repeat the Phrase.

I wrote a song about it. It’s called "Slainte Mhaith".

10. More than 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed on St Patrick’s Day. I hope you will raise a glass also to Charlie Mopps, the fictious inventor of beer.

You can learn him in the song “Beer, Beer, Beer”.

One final bonus fact. The music of the Celts is called Celtic music. This is not to be confused the Boston Celtics. Celtic is spoken with a hard-K sound.

I host the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. You will find over 400 hours of free Celtic music to listen to on St Patrick’s Day.

Thank you so much for listening. I hope you enjoyed these fun facts. If you want to listen to the songs, you can search for them on Apple Music or you can check out my Geek Pub Songs playlist over on Spotify.

You can also support this podcast for as little as $1 per month when you join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. You'll get hours of great content for one low fee and help me create new music for you.

You can also subscribe to the podcast and download free music at celtfather.com.

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Firefly is one of the most beloved projects from the mind of Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It came out in 2002 and was canceled after only 14 episodes. It developed such an incredible cult following that in 2005, a movie was released based on the TV series. http://celtfather.com

The show inspired me so much that I released a CD with Bedlam Bards called Firefly Drinking Songs. Now I have a new album out for Browncoats called As Long As I’m Flyin. You can buy it at FireflyDrinkingSongs.com.

How did Firefly go from a cancelled TV show to a new album 16 years after it was released? I’ll tell you all about it right now.

I was first introduced to Firefly just a few short months before the movie was released. I remember binge watching DVDs. I absolutely loved show. It had a realness to it that appealed to me, despite being a Sci Fi Western.

Firefly became my all-time favorite show ever. It hasn’t budged from that standing. I still watch it regularly.

I don’t consider myself an ambitious songwriter. I don’t write a lot of songs. I write slowly and I am usually “inspired” by something. I never planned to start a genre of Firefly drinking songs. It just sort of happened.

In 2007, I was on the first Brobdingnagian Bards tour of Ireland. I got an email from fan telling me there is a songwriting contest called Sing A Song for Saffron.

Saffron was a nefarious woman who was featured twice in the series. She first appears in "Our Mrs Reynolds" where she sneakily marries the captain of the Firefly ship, Serenity. She then attempts to seduce him. When that fails, her true purpose is revealed, leading the crew to their deaths to steal their ship.

Saffron appears again later in the episode "Trash." She works with the crew to steal a famous laser gun. She attempts to double cross the crew only to find they are ready for her.

Beautiful and seductive, Saffron is a favorite side character.

So there I was in Ireland when I get an email from a fan that read, “you should write a song for this contest.”

I was immediately struck with a parody idea using the traditional Irish melody “May Morning Dew”.

I submitted my song “She Said Her Name Was Saffron” to the contest a week after returning from Ireland. The song won the Best Parody award.

A few months later, I sang that song for The Signal Firefly Podcast for a live event at DragonCon.

I had no further plans to write more Firefly songs. But a year later, I was driving Back to DragonCon when I was struck with an idea.

I had just finished watching the episode "Jaynestown." The crew lands on Higgins Moon, a town that sells mud. The crew is hired to transport contraband off planet. One of the crew, Jayne Cobb, warns about how he had trouble with the local magistrate a few years back. We soon learn that Jayne has become a folk hero of the town with a statue and his own protest song “Hero of Canton”.

That song is a favorite among Browncoats. Everyone of us longs to have a mug of mudders milk and sing along. But as I was driving back to DragonCon, I wondered what other songs might’ve been heard in that little pub in Canton. So I wrote one.

The song was called "Monahan's Mudder's Milk". I wrote it as a sort of Woody Guthrie-style protest against the challenges faced by the mudders of Higgins' Moon.

This song was super important to me. First, because it sort of solidified what would eventually become my most-popular musical niche, Sci Fi Drinking Songs. But it was also the launching point for Firefly Drinking Songs and my newest album, As Long As I'm Flyin'.

It was around this time that the idea of recording a CD of Firefly Drinking Songs began. I set up concerts at Gen Con and Dragon Con dedicated to this theme. Each show was packed. The conventions were turning people away at the door.

The atmosphere at these shows was amazing. I really wanted to capture that feel. So I decided on recording a live CD. I wanted it to feel like you were in that little pub in Canton.

My biggest challenge was I didn't have enough songs to create an album. So I turned to someone who did.

The Bedlam Bards were the first to release a full CD of Firefly music. It was called On The Drift: Music Inspired by Firefly and Serenity. The album captured everything that people love about Firefly and the fandom. It's fantastic.

Cedric is the primary songwriter for the group. When I called him up to ask if he'd like to make an album with me, he was psyched.

We spent next few months performing Firefly Drinking Songs at various venues and conventions trying to capture an amazing live recording. It finally happened at church in Round Rock, Texas that my friend Jan Czenkusch booked for us. It had the energy, the sound. It was fantastic.

We released the CD. It quickly became one of my most-popular albums.

Once again, I had no plans for a follow up. I was trying to get out of doing themed CDs. Most of my 20+ albums are themed. Some are Irish. Some are about cats. Some are sci fi. While themed CDs are easier to sell, they are much more difficult and costly to produce.

So when I wrote "Bring Me Home, Boys", a song based on the episode "The Message" where a body is mailed to the crew with a message to bring his body home to his family, I didn't put on a Firefly CD. Nor did I put the song "Browncoats Keep Flyin'" one one. That's a song I co-wrote with Rie Sheridan Rose. Though I did put it on Sci Fi Drinking Songs. Again, I had no real plans to record another Firefly album, despite its success.

But one year at Gen Con, I was singing "Close Your Eyes". This is a song by Daniel Glasser. Many call it the "Demon Lullaby". I have a whole podcast episode about that song. Follow the link in the shownotes.

In the middle of the song, I changed the lyrics to the "reavers beneath your bed are gonna eat your face". The crowd erupted in laughter and for the next few years Browncoats asked when I would put that song on a CD.

In 2016, I set a milestone on Patreon. If I reached that goal, I would record a 4-song EP of Firefly songs, exclusively for my Patrons. I quickly hit that goal. But as I started recording the EP, more songs came out. So I asked Rie Sheridan Rose, a long-time songwriting collaborator to send me some more lyrics. She did.

Next thing I knew, I had a full album of Browncoat drinking songs. I launched a Kickstarter and the rest is history.

Now one of the things I sort of glossed over earlier is the Firefly Drinking Songs show. This show took on a life of its own. When I started, I was just singing songs about Firefly. But I wanted something bigger. I wanted something more inclusive.

You see, I have long been a part of the reenacting shows. Mostly notably are Renaissance festivals. At faires, you're encouraged to not just play music, they want you to be a part of the atmosphere, to recreate the Renaissance.

Early on, I absolutely LOVED faires for that very reason. I could pretend I was in the Renaissance.

But the simple fact is I'm not an actor. So keeping that going ALL DAY LONG was a bit exhausting and tedious. So I took on a new character, that is basically me.

I think that's why I love the Firefly Drinking Songs show so much.

I don't usually write music ABOUT things I love, like Firefly. I prefer to write as if I'm a PART of the world. Firefly is the epitome of this. The music I wrote was as if I was living in the Firefly 'Verse. The show was created as if I was a touring musician singing songs for Browncoats.

The show is about an hour long. With any luck, the one at Gen Con this year will be about an hour and a half. But for that period of time, it's easy to get and stay in character. So that's why I do.

My family is all from East Texas. So I put on my Texas accent and step into a world where people are on the fringe of civilized society. They're looking for an escape. They want to hear music that celebrates the independents who lost the Unification War. They want to escape the hard life of working in the mud pits.

For an hour, they are a part of that. We sing songs about the "Hero of Canton," "Blue Sun," reavers and the Browncoats. It's absolutely incredible.

It's been 16 years since Firefly was started and canceled. Yet new Browncoats are made every day as they discover this incredible show.

One of my dreams is to take the Firefly Drinking Songs show on the road. I want to unite Browncoats once again for a Shindig among Shindigs and an inspired passion to keep building the 'Verse. Because to quote Mal, "we have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty."

If you're interested in my new album, As Long As I'm Flyin' or the Firefly Drinking Songs show, please visit FireflyDrinkingSongs.com. You can buy the album, listen on Spotify, find cool merch, and learn more about the show. I'd love to hear about your favorite episode or character. You can post that in the shownotes.

I should point out that the physical CD will only be available in March. So if you like CDs, then you should order it as soon as possible.

Thank you for listening. Celtfather Music & Travel was produced by Marc Gunn. If you enjoyed this episode, please join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. For as little as a buck a month, you will help release more music, podcasts, videos and more.

Would you like 21 songs for Free? Plus get regular updates of what's new. Subscribe to the podcast and newsletter at www.pubsong.net.

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Learn about one of my Hobbit music partners. Samantha Gillogly is a violinist, fiddler, and geek from Massachusetts who has played three hobbit gatherings with me at ALEP in Kentucky. We there last year, and I had a delightful conversation with her. Subscribe to Celtfather Music & Travel for more episodes at celtfather.com.

Celtfather News I am performing this Thursday, February 8 at 8 PM central on Concert Window. The show is pay-what-you-want. And tips will be graciously accepted. Follow me at concertwindow.com/marcgunnmusic

I added several new items to my Bandcamp store. You'll find a Celtic Love sticker, a new Irish & Celtic Music Podcast sticker and two new cat albums listed. This is the best place to my music and merch directly from me. Find a link in the shownotes.

If you haven't done so yet, please follow me on Spotify. I making the scary and bold switch to streaming music. So I need followers, and I need folks telling others. This is a great way to get to know my music. Oh! And if you have a playlist there, why not add one of my songs.

Interview with Samantha Gillogly * How Samantha found Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit * Favorite Character * Favorite thing about ALEP * Sessions in the Dancing Pony * How Samantha and Marc Met * Places that Inspire You * Musical recommendation: Fiddler, Martin Hayes * Find out more about Samantha Gillogly at samanthagillogly.com

I hope you enjoyed this interview, if you did, then please support Samantha Gillogly. Subscribe to her mailing list. Listen to her music. Share it with your friends. Buy a CD. She's an awesome lady and deserves your kind support.

You can support my music and travels for as little as $1 per month when you join the Gunn Runners Club and become a patron of my music. If you enjoy this show, subscribe to the podcast and my mailing list at celtfather.com.

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The Demon Lullaby gets people laughing so much, I had to filk it for my second CD of Browncoats drinking songs. Listen to both versions of this hilarious song, originally written by Daniel Glasser. Listen and subscribe at celtfather.com.

0:08 CELTFATHER NEWS

First, you can catch my Facebook Live shows, Coffee with The Celtfather on Tuesdays at 9am on Facebook.com/marcgunnmusic

Second, I have some new products in my Bandcamp store.

You can now get the Firefly Drinking Songs songbook, which features all of the lyrics from Firefly Drinking Songs, my new album, As Long As I'm Flyin, and the Bedlam Bards' Firefly album On the Drift, plus a few lyrics that have not been recorded yet by Cedric and Rie Sheridan Rose, who co-wrote my Firefly album. This will make it easy for you to sing-along with us.

On Saturday, I released the Celtic Music 6-Pack. This is a compilation of six Celtic CDs, including: Kilted For Her Pleasure, Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion, Not Every Day Is St Patrick's Day, Happy Songs of Death, The Bridge, and How America Saved Irish Music. If you're looking for a great intro to Celtic songs or my music, this is it. And it's at one low price!

I had a great interview on the Sending a Wave UK Firefly Podcast that just came out. In it, I had some exciting realizations about how I write songs, especially in regards to Firefly and Lord of the Rings.

Finally, I created a fun Firefly Drinking Songs Playlist on Spotify. It's packed full of songs inspired by Firefly. I hope you will follow, listen, and share it.

2:07 ABOUT CLOSE YOUR EYES

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.

5:13 SONG: "Close Your Eyes" by Marc Gunn from Kilted For Her Pleasure

8:53 ABOUT 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!

Or mark your calendar for March 6th.

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.

13:25 SONG: "Reaver's Lullaby" by Marc Gunn from As Long As I'm Flyin'

Finally, if you're not yet subscribed to Celtfather Music & Travel, I plan to have more shows just like this coming out in the future. Go to Celtfather.com for details.

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As a Celtic singer and autoharper, I've never felt super comfortable going to Irish sessions. I had a couple dirty looks when I first got into Irish music. It biased me a lot against them since. But I love Irish music. So I was excited to watch a video by Shannon Heaton where she provides a sort of how to guide to Irish sessions. It was very inspiring.

Shannon Heaton hosts the Irish Music Stories podcast. She hosted an episode of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast last June. And I wanted to find out more about her. We had a great chat a couple months back.

My bandcamp store now offers the Celtfather Classics USB. This album features all my music from 1995 through 2009. You'll get 10 albums, including all of my current cat CDs, plus a bunch of exclusive EPs and podcasts, all for just $50. This is a way-to-generous deal. Follow the link to my Bandcamp store for details.

Coffee with The Celtfather is a new live streaming show I'm hosting on my Facebook fan page. I go live on Monday morning around 9 am. We will chat and have fun while we sing along together with your song requests. Come join me. Oh! And the more you share the show and tip, the longer I will play. The show is off right now, but it will be back in January.

Finally, I want to share some Christmas music with you. You may know I host the Celtic Christmas Podcast. But you might not yet be aware of my Spotify playlists. My two favorites right now are Christmas Drinking Songs and Fun Christmas Songs for Kids and Families.

Oh! Speaking of Spotify, this show will be available on Spotify at the beginning of 2018. Yup! You will be able to listen directly through your Spotify account.

Interview with Shannon Heaton * How Shannon Heaton found Irish music * Irish Music Stories * How do you create your podcast stories * YouTube Channel * Irish Session Culture * Touring as an Irish musician * Favorite Places in Ireland: Cruise's Pub in Ennis in County Clarre, Crane Bar in Galway City * Clare.Fm for trad music in Ennis * Desert Island Discs * Handful of Earth by Dick Gaughan * Kitty Lies Over by Mick O'Brien and Caoimhim O' Raghallaigh

Music featured in this show: "Thady Casey's & Reel of Rio" by Matt & Shannon Heaton from Blue Skies Above

"Mantle of Green" by Matt & Shannon Heaton from Tell You in Earnest

I hope you enjoyed this interview, if you did, then please support Shannon Heaton. Subscribe to her podcast. Listen. Share it with your friends. Buy a CD. She's an awesome lady and deserves your kind support.

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This month, I talk with Jennie Breeden about Comics and Kilt Blowing. Jennie is the author of The Devil's Panties web comic and carries a leaf blower at Dragon Con for unsuspecting kilt wearers. I also share my new love of the Virtual Tip Jar and how I hope it will allow me to do more Live Video concerts! SHARE this show at http://celtfather.com/

This week, you can look for me on Facebook Live a bunch. I'm doing Coffee with The Celfather to promote a private internet concert on Thursday, Nov 16 at 8 PM Central Standard Time. Tickets are $15. You can get them on The Celtfather store on Square. This will most-likely be a small group of viewers. Feel free to bring your song requests and come ready to chat with me.

I decided I'm only releasing one episode of the Celtic Christmas Podcast this year. That means, I'm gonna focus on Spotify playlists of Christmas music to promote. Rather, I'm going to be listening to Christmas music on Spotify myself. Whether you listen or not is irrelevant. But I do want to share my playlist with the hope that you might enjoy the songs too. My latest playlist is called Christmas Drinking Songs.

There's a new sale up on the Brobdingnagian Bards Square store. It's an incredible deal. The offer is good until the end of November. If you ever wanted Brobdingnagian Bards CDs, go now!

This month, I have an interview with Jennie Breeden. She's the author of The Devil's Panties comic strip. I interviewed her at GenCon as the convention opened. Unfortunately, we only made it halfway through the interview before the Vendor's Hall opened and the interview came to an abrupt end. So I guess I'll have to seek our in the future to finish the interview.

Here's my interview of Comics and Kilt Blowing with Jennie Breeden. Stick around after the interview as I share thoughts on Facebook Live and my new virtual tip jar.

Can the Virtual Tip Jar change the way I do live shows online? I'm hoping so. Here's how you can help... and it's not just with your generous donations.

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Join me as I talk with Samuel of Visite Bretagne about the history of the Celts in Brittany, France. You'll learn how the Celts got to Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. And how they came back to Brittany. You'll find out the best places to visit while you're there, and a lot more. Brittany is a great place to visit. Subscribe to Celtfather Music & Travel at celtfather.com.

Celtfather Weekly News * This Sunday, October 22, 2017 is my fourth annual Celtic Halloween music special. I will broadcast live on YouTube starting at 8 PM CDT. Go to the #CeltfatherLive page on my website to get a special reminder on the day of the event. * My Celtic Halloween single can be found everywhere. Three songs for $3 bucks. If you order a copy of the album, email me your receipt and I'll send you a copy of the fourth song that was originally released on the EP for free. * My Hobbit Music CD Collection is now on sale. You can save over 50% when you buy those CDs on my Bandcamp page. The Kilted Kings shirt and album are now available on Bandcamp as well. * Finally, I shared my newest Travel Vlog. It's a music video from Auray, Brittany where today's interview took place.

The History of the Celts in Brittany In the summer of 2017, I lead a Celtic Invasion Vacation to town of Carnac in region of Brittany in France. On second day of the invasion, I invited Samuel of Visite Bretagne to share his knowledge about the history of the Celts in Brittany. We sat down on a windy day in Auray to talk about it.

If you'd like to join me on the Celtic Invasion of Isle of Skye in Scotland, I still have space available and you can save money when you sign before the end of October. Go to celticinvasion.com for details.

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There's a lot about the Celts that I did not realize until I went on my Celtic Invasion of Brittany. It opened a secret history that most of us don't think about. In this episode, I'm gonna share how Venice is a part of that Celtic history and lots more. Subscribe at celtfather.com.

Celtfather Weekly * Buy my new 3-song single, Celtic Halloween, on Oct 3. You can also get my Firefly single "The Long Arm" * The next Celtfather Live show is scheduled Sunday, October 22nd. Celtic Halloween Special on YouTube. * This weekend, Kilted Kings are at Indiana Renaissance Festival * Watch the new Tullamore Dew Video. It's AMAZING! * Thanks to newest Gunn Runners: Kurt Goodyear, Jeremy Handon * Celtic Holocaust episode from Dan Carlin's Hardcore History * Celtic Tribes on Wikipedia * Celtic Invasion of Isle of Skye itinerary is now online.

The Secret History of the Celts I sent an email to the Celtic Invasion Vacations mailing list about doing a Celtic Invasion of Venice. Someone responded what does Italy have to do with the Celts. It turns out a lot.

The Celts were a group of people who shared a common tongue. They are believed to have originated around Austria between 800-450 BC. They migrated in there in every direction, fighting and conquering as they went. They were in fact one of the barbarian hordes that sacked Rome.

The Celts didn't just invade places. They also settled them. Dan Carlin's podcast Hardcore History has a brilliant 6 hour long episode called the Celtic Holocaust which describes how Caesar decimated the Celts in Europe. I highly recommend it.

What I really never thought about was the fact that the Celts were all over Europe at one point in time. There is a historical record of Celtic people BEFORE the seven Celtic nations. So Celts in Venice actually makes sense.

It was all brought home on this year's Celtic Invasion of Brittany.

One of the things I try to do on my Celtic Invasion Vacations is to provide a little history and legends into the mix. I bring in a tour guide for one day to get an overview of the region we are staying in.

This year, I brought in Visite Bretagne. They talked about the city of Vannes that we visited. It was originally founded by the Veneti, one of the Celtic tribes who settled in Northwest France. They were in fact one of the bigger tribes of the region.

We learned in the Celtic Holocaust episode that the Veneti were actually decimated by Caesar, though not before many of them migrated north to Cornwall, Wales and Scotland. This was all fascinating, but what really brought my story together was when my step-dad Tiziano shared with us a book about the Celtic Tribes that settled in Italy. They mention the Veneti as a Celtic tribe that originally settled near Venice.

At this point, I should share with you a few placenames. Venice is located in a region called The Veneto. There is a river in near Carnac and in the Veneto called the Po River. And of course Vannes, where the Veneti called home in Brittany, was located in marshy land with lots of small islands, just like a certain city that is now sinking in Italy called Venice.

Yes. It is believed that the Veneti of Veneto region in Northeast Italy migrated to Brittany and settled a similar region.

For the past couple years, Tiziano has been researching the Celtic history of the Veneto. And there's a lot. The Celts lived in that region for several generations before moving on or being assimilated. Sure, it's not as vast is in Ireland and Scotland, but it exists. And you can find numerous festivals celebrating Celtic culture of recent times and long ago.

This is one of the reasons that CIV goes anywhere. For me, my Invasions aren't about a location. Sure, most subscribers to my list want to go to Ireland or Scotland. But many just want to see the world. My trips are more about experiencing magical moments with like-minded people, than going to the obvious destinations.

The itinerary for the Celtic Invasion of the Isle of Skye is now on the website. It is a very loose itinerary since I'm waiting on a few more people before I book the housing. It looks like there will be room for 8 people unless there's some overwhelming demand. At which point, there might be room for 10 people.

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Hobbit Day is on September 22nd. We're gonna celebrate it with the true story behind my popular song and album "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits". I'll share the origins of Hobbit Day and how I fell in love with The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings as well all of the exciting things that have happened due to my love of hobbits. Subscribe to my mailing list for a free hobbit song and to the podcast at http://celtfather.com/.

What's in this Week's Show * Origins of Hobbit Day * How I Discovered Hobbits * Halflings and D&D * Psychology of a hobbit * The facts as I remember them of the truth behind "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" * Origins of Memories of Middle earth * How you can have a happy hobbit birthday

Hobbit Resources Mentioned * Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits CD * Memories of Middle earth CD * How to Have a Hobbit Birthday eBook * Tolkien Society * Review of our LOTR Oscar Party. (Oh! I just saw this feature of Brobdingnagian Bards in the Austin Chronicle, but it's unrelated) * Hobbit Birthday Song * A Long Expected Party * Listen to Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast * More Hobbit Songs .com

Celtfather News * New Single: "The Long Arm" from the upcoming album As Long As I'm Flyin'. Watch the lyric video for "The Long Arm". The single is out on September 21, 2017. * Watch The Mercenary Show on Concert Window on Thursday evening. Details here. * One song left to finish for my Browncoat album * Check out my Halfway to St Patrick's Day shows on the Pub Songs Podcast and the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Also check out Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast where he talks about the Celtic Holocaust. * I blogged a bunch this week. Check out what I wrote here. * Get Brobdingnagian Bards new album Dragons and Virgins. You can only buy it in September. You can also get 5 Classic Marc Gunn CDs for just $24. * Huge thanks to New Patrons in the Gunn Runners Club: Anita Gorrell, Raeyln Bangel, Matthew MacMillan, Linda Reynolds-Burkins, Justin Lawrence, Robyn Louise Finner, Tom Smith, Robert Eby, Evan Meehan.

How to Have a Hobbit Birthday Party: Hobbit Birthday Party and Games

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Dom Duff brought his guitar and charm over to Carnac during the 2017 Celtic Invasion of Brittany. We talked and then he shared stories about Breton music and culture along with his own original songwriting. You will hear some great music by Dom Duff, learn how to say "slainte" in the Breton language, and you'll learn the twisted meaning behind a famous song of Brittany. Subscribe to Celtfather & Travel at celtfather.com.

Notes Join me on Thursday, September 21, 2017 for the Mercenary Show on Concert Window. This is a FREE internet concert at 8 PM CDT. I'll play for 30 minutes or until the paid song requests stop coming. Get the details and get notified here.

The Brobdingnagian Bards have a new CD! It's called Dragons and Virgins. This is a live album recorded at DragonCon in 2016. We are releasing only a limited number of physical CDs. You have until the end of September to one.

While you're at it, you can also pick up 5 additional CDs in an incredible CD clearance. You'll get You'll get Kilted For Her Pleasure, What Color Is Your Dragon?, The Bridge, Happy Songs of Death, Not Every Day Is St Patrick's Day for less than the price of two CDs.

Just head on over to our store.

If this sounds like fun, then you might also enjoy joining me on the Celtic Invasion of the Isle of Skye in 2018. Details will be on the website by the end of September.

You can hear more of Dom Duff's music and find out more about him on his website.

Songs Played This Week Coming soon!

11:13

15:26

18:58

23:12

27:19 "E Pardon Speied" by Dom Duff

32:06

35:20 How to say "slainte" in Breton

35:58

41:32

46:08

50:37

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This is the Celtfather Marc Gunn. Today, I'm gonna share some survival tips for anyone who wants to bring their kids to Gen Con. Gen Con is the longest running gaming convention in the world. It's located in Indianapolis, IN And they are celebrating their 50 year anniversary this year. Course I've only been performing there since 2007. But I remember dreaming about going back in the 80s when I was reading Dragon Magazine and playing D&D all the time.

If you like this podcast, make sure you share and subscribe at http://celtfather.com/

Now I have two daughters of my own. And I keep waiting and waiting until I feel like my oldest daughter Kenzie will be join me. So last year, I pulled aside Nykki and Matt Boersma who bring their three kids to the convention every year. I asked them for advice. And to help other parents, I recorded it.

Oh! I don't think we mention it in the interview, but Gen Con also publishes a Family Fun Guide. So make sure pick up one of those at the convention.

But before we get to my interview, I want to share a little bit of news about what I will be up to at Gen Con this year.

Oh! I don't think we mention it in the interview, but Gen Con also publishes a Family Fun Guide. So make sure pick up one of those at the convention.

Not only do I busk at the convention every day. But I also do shows. This will be my busiest year at the convention yet. I kinda went overboard with the shows I setup. Here's where you can see me perform this year:

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Comedy Cabaret
Westin - Grand V @ 8 PM
Enjoy a comedy & music concert featuring many of Gen Con's best entertainers. It's an evening of smashing laughter and fun, LIVE on one stage for your comedic convenience! TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE

Hobbit Drinking Songs with Marc Gunn @ 9 PM
Crowne Plaza - Conrail
The Celtfather presents festive & fine songs from Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit, straight from the Shire, suitable for any pub in this or any other realm. SOLD OUT! Arrive early with generics and you might still get a spot.

Friday, August 18, 2017

Firefly Drinking Songs @ 8 PM
Westin - Capitol II
Are you're a Browncoat? Do you love Joss Whedon's Firefly & Serenity? Sing-along with Gunn as he shares songs from the Verse, pub-style, like in that wee pub in Canton. SOLD OUT! Arrive early with generics and you might still get a spot.

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Silly Irish Songs for Cat Lovers with Marc Gunn @ 2pm
Crowne Plaza - Conrail
Love cats? Irish music? Drinking songs? Join Marc for a rollicking evening of hair-raising, feline fun as he shares music from his two hit CD series. 22 TIX STILL AVAILABLE

Nerd Celtic Pub Songs with Marc Gunn @ 9 PM
Crowne Plaza : Victoria Stn A
Are you a Geek? Love to sing and laugh? Join Marc Gunn for an evening of raucous, fun songs from long, long ago, at a convention near you! Firefly, Hobbits, Dragons, Star Trek, Star Wars and more! 36 TIX STILL AVAILABLE

Go to http://marcgunn.com/gencon/ for updated showtimes, news and links to other great performances at the convention.

I have a new CD that will be coming to the convention. It's called Name On My Soul and is by my band Kilted Kings. My new Firefly CD is not yet done. The album is called As Long As I'm Flyin'. However, I will have postcards with info on how you can join the Gunn Runners Club to get a digital copy of the album as one of the Patreon gifts. And on August 14th, you can buy my new single. It's called "Wherever I May Roam". It's the acoustic solo version. Watch the video on YouTube. Follow the link in the shownotes.

If you're not familiar with my Gunn Runners Club. It is my home on Patreon. 121 people generously pledge $1 per month or more to support my music. You get free albums and mp3s, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, a stereo version of the Pub Songs Podcast and first look at new videos. You can see all the cool gifts you get for just $1 at http://marcgunn.com/us/.

Special thanks to Jen Wallace who upped her monthly pledge. Thank you!

Finally, if you want to learn a little bit about my D&D characters. Not only do I have a song called "Those Are Characters Who Died" on my album Sci Fi Drinking Songs.

But I also did an interview earlier this year on podcast called Tell Me About Your Character. You'll find a link in the shownotes.

Alright, on to my interview with Nykki and Matt Boersma. Here's what we talk about:

Different layer of planning
Pro Tip: Don't bring newborn to Gen Con!
Kids area in the Exhibit Hall
Kid-friendly events
Cosplay with Kids. Halloween costume made early!
School runs against Gen Con
Shared babysitting with other Gen Con friends
Taking breaks for avoiding over-stimulation
Food trucks offer lots of food options
Kids budgeting at con "What's my budget, Mom?"
Pro Tip: Burner cellphones
Gen Con Offers Underage Kids Registration
Big Sunday discount for 4-pack of badges
Gen Con has had babysitting services. There are also some that work at the con like Sitters to the Rescue.
Pro Tip: What is the Pathfinder Society?
What's the best thing about Gen Con from the kid's perspective.

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Phil Duckworth loves Celtic Punk. When I want that music for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, I call Phil, aka Grinning Beggar. You'll meet a man who started off in metal, found his way to Celtic and roots music. He listens to music with passion. He hosts Grinning Beggar's Paddy Rock Podcast and will be my guest host this week on my Celtic music podcast.

Find out more at

Paddy Rock Radio
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast

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May and June are always a tough time of year for me. I have so much to do to get ready for my Celtic Invasion Vacations and never enough time. I find myself frantically trying to keep up with the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast during this time period. It's frustrating.

This year, I have special guest hosts planned for the show. Steve Behrens runs 67music.net, a Celtic music promotions company. He also hosts the Celtic Music Journal, a show on YouTube highlighting Celtic musicians. He has graciously offered to host the podcast while I'm in Brittany during the first week of June.

We talk about The Corrs, Celtic metal, how different styles of Celtic music bring new fans of the genre into the fold.

If you enjoy this podcast, make sure you subscribe at celtfather.com.

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I realized I hadn't shared the latest itinerary for the Celtic Invasion of Brittany. How else am I gonna make you jealous and long to join me on one of my Celtic Invasion Vacations if I don't talk more about it? So you will hear about some of the oldest and most-condensed standing stones in the world in Carnac, Brittany. Plus, we'll explore the Broceliande and Arthurian legend as well as other great legends and history from Brittany. It's gonna be an exciting trip. Look for more podcasts and videos in the weeks to come.

Celtfather Music & Travel News I had a great turnout at the earlier hours of Johnnie MacCracken's Celtic Pub. I plan to talk to the pub owner see if I can keep those hours in the future.

There are just 3 days Left on Kickstarter for As Long As I'm Flyin', my Browncoat album. We're $984 away from 3rd stretch goal. Please keep telling folks about it.

My new Video Strategy is working well. I release new music videos weekly and other videos more frequently as well. My latest video, "Wear the Brown with Pride" is from my upcoming album and was recorded live in the studio.

The final migration of MarcGunn.com takes place this week. Look for downtime on the website.

Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits - How Did It Do?

Did you notice I rebranded this podcast title...again? It's now called "Celtfather Music & Travel". That's the name and what it will be about.

I'm brainstorming additional trips to exotic locations, maybe even a music retreat. But I could use your feedback. What would excite you in a retreat to Venice? Or Dingle? Would you like to learn some session tunes? Maybe learn some Irish songs? Learn to play the autoharp? Or perhaps you'd like to play D&D? LOL. All in an exotic location with good food, good drink and good company.

If you enjoy this podcast, please sign up to the mailing list and subscribe at http://celtfather.com

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You'll learn why you should watch out for wild boar in Italy, see what happens when a juggler's props don't arrive, and learn about the most-beautiful place in Europe. I interviewed juggler Paolo Garbanzo in April. Links for Today's Show: * I'm at Johnnie MacCracken's on May 13 from 7 - 11 PM. This might be the last. Please help spread the word. * Paolo Garbanzo * Ren Adventures * Rebel Pub Songs on the Pub Songs Podcast * May the Fourth Be With You Special of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast * Nerd Pub Songs Video * 10 Days Left for the Kickstarter for As Long As I'm Flyin'

If you enjoy this show, please SHARE and SUBSCRIBE to the podcast at Celtfather.com.

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As Long As I'm Flyin', my album inspired by Joss Whedon's Firefly, just hit $6,000 on Kickstarter. I'm not even halfway through the campaign. I'd say that's a great start!

Last week, I added some new rewards to the campaign. I added a couple more today. As I was creating them and getting ready for my daughter, Inara's birthday, it got me thinking about what makes great Kickstarter rewards. And also, what makes a great present?

I'm not good at creating either. But each time I hold a Kickstarter, I learn. And each time the opportunity to give another present appears, I get a little better too.

You can hear a solo recording of "Hero of Canton" and "The Long Arm" on the Kickstarter page. Here are some other great bits I share in this week's podcast.

As Long As I'm Flyin' Kickstarter
Get a digital-only copy of the album on Patreon when it is released. Become a Patron of the Arts
2 New Reward Levels: Name On My Soul and Keep Flyin' Gift Box
Tim Ferris Podcast episode mentioning gift giving
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast has moved! Shouldn't affect you. But FYI.

If you enjoy this podcast, please LIKE and SHARE. You can then subscribe at celtfather.com.

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The new Firefly album As Long As I'm Flyin' is currently in production. I already hit my initial Kickstarter goal too. I still hope I can hit a few stretch goals But for now, I decided to reflect on my recording process and what makes something great. I call that "Perfect Imperfection". This guiding principle has allowed me to release over 20 solo albums in 13 years of recording.

I'll share some of my thoughts about recording the new album and my favorite songs that I play.

Make a Pledge for the Firefly Album on Kickstarter
Get a digital-only copy of the album when you support me on Patreon.
Video: A Pirate's Confession
New Orleans Travel video
Find out more about How America Saved Irish Music
Celtfather Classics USB Drive coming soon

If you enjoy this podcast, please LIKE and SHARE. You can then subscribe at celtfather.com.

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I find it intriguing that I know the names of lots famous male composers through the centuries: Turlough O'Carolan, Mozart, Bach. But I can't name even one woman. So I got really excited to talk with Apryl Knight at Sherwood Forest Faire a few weeks back. She had me captivated by her knowledge of women in music through centuries. But first, I have a big change to share. I started this month with the goal to raise $1200 on Patreon for my next album. Sadly, I've only raised about $100 in the past 18 days. There are lots of reasons for that. But one of the biggest is that I think crowdfunding will work much better on Kickstarter. And so I'm pleased to announce a new Kickstarter for my Firefly album. Go to marcgunn.com/kickstarter to find out more about it, pledge your support, and get some great rewards. I have one more Facebook Live scheduled for next Tuesday at 11 am Central. That's all of the live internet shows planned. If you want free internet shows, join me on Patreon. YouTube just started offering free live streaming. So I'm gonna give that a shot next month. Apryl Knight has been playing music since she was 3 years old. She plays the bowed psaltery and the hurdy gurdy at Renaissance festivals SCA events around the country. She does it solo as well as with her band Tulstin Troubadours. She started telling me about women in music in history. I decided to sit down and find out more through an interview. She shared some of her favorite medieval women in music, plus thoughts on traveling as a solo female on the road. And her favorite app while traveling as a vegan too. Right now, she's making a Thing a Week on YouTube. You can also support her on Patreon. * Music: “Sellenger’s Round” from “Dance The Knight Away" * Happy Cow app for vegans * Apryl Knight * on YouTube * on Patreon * Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart * Hildegard von Bingen * Cantigas de Amigo * Trobairitz

My next album is being funded on Kickstarter. It's an album of Firefly music. You can support the album now. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share your feedback on iTunes. Then subscribe to my mailing and the podcast at http://celtfather.com.

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I adjust easy to change. Last week, I hit a new milestone which yielded a 4-song EP of Firefly Drinking Songs. But when I sat down to record, far more than four songs came out. In fact, my next album to be release is for the Browncoats.

My ability to change directions easily made me think of the Salmon of Knowledge from Irish mythology. So in this show, I tell the story of that famed salmon Fintan and I talk about the upcoming release.

You can own this album for as little as $1 per month when you join the Gunn Runners Club and become a patron of my music.

If you enjoy this show, subscribe to the podcast and my mailing list at celtfather.com.

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Travel is a grand adventure to me. So I love talking with other adventurers. One such person is Carl Asch. He's a musician and juggler named Giacomo the Juggler. He sings with the band Empty Hats. He is also the co-founder with Paolo Garbanzo of Ren Adventurers, a tour company that takes you on small European trips much like my Celtic Invasion Vacations. But today, I wanted to talk to Carl about a bicycle trip he did across Italy.

In this episode we'll explore:

The origins of Giacomo the Jester
How juggling, magic, and street performing can take you around the globe
Double Indemnity and Empty Hats
How to write a compelling show for Renaissance festivals
Bicycling from Sicily to Venice following places mentioned in Shakespeare's plays
Shakespeare's Guide to Italy
Some of the trips on the Ren Adventures
Find out more about Carl Asch
Three more weekends of Sherwood Forest Faire

You support my next CD Irish Adventures on Higgins' Moon when you join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon.

If you enjoyed this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Then head over to my website to subscribe to my mailing list and download free music at celtfather.com.

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If you love adventure, then you will find your heart pumping with an interview I did with Vince Conaway. He plays hammered dulcimer, is an incredible busker, and every year, he goes to exotic locations in abroad to play music in the streets and to become a part of the culture of the region. Having had years of Celtic Invasion Vacations where we sort of do the same, his story is dear to my heart.

From Florence to Machu Pichu, Austria to Croatia, plus the Renaissance festivals he does the rest of the year, Vince has been all over. He even can explain what the dulcimer is in those various languages, which is just too cool.

Vince will share his favorite memories and best travel tips. You can find him and his travel blog and photos at vinceconaway.com and he's also on Patreon.

I'll be at Sherwood Forest Faire this weekend. Once again, I have four shows daily. I'm also launching the fundraiser for my next CD Irish Adventures on Higgins' Moon. You can get a copy of that album when you join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon.

If you enjoyed this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Then head over to my website to subscribe to my mailing list and download free music at celtfather.com.

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This year's St. Patrick's Day promotions have been a lot easier and far more worth my time than they have in past years. That doesn't mean I still haven't run into Troubles with both time... and people! But I am finding a bit of freedom with a big success on the charts.

What kind of St Patrick's Day music I am I sharing this year? * St Patrick's Day & Wild Rover Pub Songs #154 * #299: St Patrick’s Day Celtic Top 20 * #298: 17 for St Patrick’s Day * #297: San Patricio Fantasy

I also finished my annual article "17 Free Celtic MP3s for St. Patrick's Day". Subscribe to the Celtic Music Magazine to be notified about where you can download that on March 15, 2017.

This week, I will release episode #300 of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, featuring 2-Hours of St Patrick's Day Music!

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is also featured on the Podcast Homepage on iTunes!!!!

The Troubles Last year, one of my podcast assistants was emailed by a Celtic musician saying he took offense to me using the moniker "The Celtfather". I thought we were friends, even if not close. So I emailed the musician directly and inquired.

Six months later, I got a response. His trouble with me stems from two things.

That I don't know much about "traditional [Irish or Scottish] music".
That I make money off of other musicians through the podcast.

Both accounts are true. Last year, when I was writing tunes (instrumental Celtic music) with Kilted Kings, I realized I still don't intuitively know the difference between jigs, reels, polkas and hornpipes. I'm still crap at determining different types of tunes. I am slowly learning. But sort of like my understanding of pronouncing Gaelic, it's not fast.

As for the podcast, this has weighed on me a LOT over the years. However, I have lost money most of the years of the podcast. It really hasn't been until the last 2 years when I got on Patreon that I have truly pulled the podcast into the black.

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast pulls in between $1100-1600 per month on Patreon. I donate 10% of that money to Celtic Non-Profits. I spend about $450 per month for web hosting, MP3 hosting, mailing list and internet so I can get those files online

In 2013, when last I checked my monthly expenses, I spent another $250 per month on average on tech support, web maintenance, some some light promotion.

Last year, I hired a guy to help share stuff on Facebook. I also spend about $100-200 per month advertising on Facebook. That's about $300 right there.

So that means I'm earning between -$100-$400 per month from the podcast. Plus, I advertise my Celtic Invasion Vacations and once and a while my shows.

So while I do hope that one day I might have a good solid part-time income from the podcast, at present I don't. I make money most months.

What it boils down is this podcast is for Celtic music fans. It always has been. If I didn't love the music, I should've stopped losing money years ago and focused on my music career. But I love Celtic music. And I love helping Celtic bands.

Which is why if someone wants to criticize me for doing so, I should just ignore them. If they can't appreciate that, then it's on them.

Thanks for listening to my rant. My apologies for rambling. But as I said, it's weighed on my mind.

Slainte!

Final Notes If you're not yet subscribed to The Celtfather, click here. While you're there, you can join my mailing list to get some free MP3s and sample my music. You can also join the Gunn Runners Club there as well. Do so before March 17, 2017 and I'll send you an autographed copy of Not Every Day Is St. Patrick's Day.

Finally, don't miss my internet concerts.

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Bob Lefsetz wrote:"you must march into the future, you cannot live in the past" in a recent post called "Truth". That quote really struck a nerve with me as I think about how I have adjusted to technology over the past 20 years in the music business. Times are changing. And we must change with them.

When I started Brobdingnagian Bards in 1999, there's a fast growing company called MP3.com that was revolutionizing the music industry...against their wishes.

It took me at least a year to jump on the bandwagon. I got there right before it peaked. Then the record labels began suing the company to stop the future from coming.

YouTube started changing the world in 2005. I heard about it. But again, I was slow to get on because I didn't have the video recording technology or skill set. It took me 8-9 years before I finally tried to step into that world.

In 2011, Spotify entered the market. I heard music futurists shout, "streaming music is the next big thing". I didn't mess with it much. But eventually, they were right.

CD sales continue to decline. Digital sales have dropped as much as 1/3. Patronage seems the most viable alternative for musicians to support themselves in the future.

I was a fairly early adopter of Patreon. But I never figured out how to properly leverage the website, even today.

Now, I am starting to plan the release of my next album--Irish Adventures on Higgins' Moon. I decided to fund raise that album through Patreon. I honestly don't know if this is possible. I've been talking about Patreon a LOT over the last 6 months trying to get more of my fans to become patrons for as little as $1.

Not too many have signed up. Is that because they don't see value in supporting artists? Do they not understand this is the only way musicians will be able to make art in the future? Or do they just need further convincing and education on the topic?

I don't know. But we must continue to march toward the future, not live in the past. That's one of my many goals.

You can support my art. Make a pledge on Patreon. If you want to find out more about my music and subscribe to this podcast, go to www.celtfather.com.

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One of the most-famous Irish songs is called "Whiskey in the Jar". It's about a highwayman who is betrayed by his lover. It's been covered by everyone from The Dubliners to Celtic Thunder, The Pogues to Metallica, Brobdingnagian Bards to me.

I first recorded it with the Brobdingnagian Bards on our album A Faire to Remember. But this version was released on my latest Irish album Not Every Day Is St. Patrick's Day. The album features 20 song that perfect for St. Patrick's Day or any day of the year.

You can own this song and the album it's on for as little as $1. From now until March 17, 2017, you can join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. Make a pledge of any amount: $1, $5, $25, $95, $897.23, and I will send you an autographed copy of my St Patrick's Day CD for free.

Plus, you'll also get all over the amazing content that is a regular part of the Gunn Runners Club, including free MP3s, exclusive album downloads, bonus podcasts, and lots more.

Become a Patreon at marcgunn.net

If you want to subscribe to The Celtfather and also my mailing list. It's free! Head on over to www.celtfather.com.

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"Name On My Soul" is the most-romantic love song I have written. It's a great Valentine's Day love song. And I come from the Elvis Presley School of Love Songs. So I know. (Though some may think it's from the Neil Diamond School...)

The song was inspired by my lovely wife, Gwen. We met at a house concert in Virginia. The next day, we met up in Maryland and went for drive. We stopped along the side of the road to walk in the countryside. It was our first adventure.

We've had many more since. We will have many more in the future.

There's nothing like being in love to make you write a song, as well as to share it. I wrote "Name On My Soul" two years ago. It is still one of my favorite songs to play. It also gets a bigger reaction than just about any other song I sing.

That's why I recorded it on Kilted Kings debut album Name On My Soul. The album is filled with Heroic, Celtic world music. These are the type of songs that make you want to sing and dance. You'll have fun and feel proud to own this album. So please...

Buy Name On My Soul now!

I sincerely believe it will make your life a little better.

Sing. Dance. Smile

With Kilted Kings

Because we wear kilts and you are royalty!

I am back on Concert Window this Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 8 PM Central. The show is once again free to attend. Just logon at 8 o'clock and enjoy an hour-long show with me singing my heart out. I'll even take some of your requests.

Go to celtfather.com/watch for more details and to get notified about the show.

If you want to find out more about my music and subscribe to this podcast, go to www.celtfather.com,.

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As Facebook gets darker and darker with political posts filled with hateful comments, I find myself at a crossroad. How can I make a difference, bringing fun and happiness back into the lives of people who are hurting.

It struck me that this is what I envisioned for my band, Kilted Kings. We call our style Heroic, Celtic World music. The goal is to lift up the downtrodden and make you feel like royalty. I feel like our new CD has done that.

It's called Name On My Soul. It features 10 tracks of inspiring music that make you want to sing and dance. But there's also a message underneath that I just now realized was staring me in the face in the song "Slainte Mhaith".

Buy Name On My Soul CD

"Slainte Mhaith" is a gaelic phrase meaning "here's to your good health." But it's the lyrics that I feel are so essential to Facebook:

"Many times in my life, I forgot the kindness code
I reaped the sorry seeds that I sowed
But when I gave instead of took
That's when my spirit growed
My charity turned into liquid gold"

We are all caught up in our biases so much that we forget that we are friends and family. We all deserve joy and happiness in our lives. Instead, we share fear and hatred...for our friends... and our family.

I don't discount anyone who is upset by current events. I am too. It makes me depressed thinking about it. But I want more fun and happiness.

For that reason, I plan to continue my Daily Facebook Fun at 10 am every weekday. I hope you will continue to watch and share. Bring a small amount of happiness to your friends.

I also want to ask you for another favor. Share the "Slainte Mhaith" music video. But not just share it. If you agree with what I said above. Share that as well. You want to see more joy and fun on Facebook. So share the kindness code. Share some Celtic Kharma and lets hope it comes back tenfold to all of us!

You can subscribe to The Celtfather podcast at www.celtfather.com and find my mailing list as well.

If you want to help me to keep making music, please join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. For as little as $1 per month, you'll get several albums, MP3s, podcasts, videos, and more stuff than you can possibly imagine. Plus together, we will bring more happiness and FUN into people's lives. Join our community at patreon.com/marcgunnmusic

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I was worried when I first heard about Disney buying the Star Wars franchise. It turns out they've done a better job with it than George Lucas. But I didn't know that would be the case when I wrote this song with my fellow Brobdingnagian Bard, Andrew McKee. "Mickey's Jedi Drinking Song" is part 3 in the "Jedi Drinking Song" trilogy.

This Thursday is the official release of Name On My Soul, the debut album by my other band, Kilted Kings. Would you please by the single "Name On My Soul" on iTunes or Amazon (or both;) or buy the album on CD Baby. You can find all of those links on the Kilted Kings website.

Andrew McKee will also release his debut album, The Irish Bard, on the same day, Thursday, February 2nd. I'm not sure where it will be available. So go to his website.

You can subscribe to The Celtfather podcast at www.celtfather.com and find my mailing list as well. Check out more about our albums on the latest Pub Songs Podcast and get a free copy of "The Prettiest Hobbit".

Finally, a special thanks to all of my Patreons who generously pledge just $1 per month to support my music and get lots of cool bonus content. Go to patreon.com/marcgunnmusic to join these 90 awesome people!

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I sat down last week to take a look at my successes and failures last year and use that info to plan ahead for 2017. Take an inside listen to my thoughts.

The subscribe to my podcast at celtfather.com. When you sign up to my mailing list, you'll get 5 MP3s for free plus regular podcasts, videos, music and more.

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The Celtfather undergoes a new change. It will once again be a short news show, but each episode will begin with a song that you can help me pick. This week, it is "The Prettiest Hobbit" from my upcoming Kilted Kings album "Name On My Soul". The CD officially comes out on February 2, 2017. Join me a for a whole host of events leading up to the album release.

If you live in or near Huntsville, Alabama. Please come join me at the Maggie McGuinness Pub for my annual concert at this intimate house concert with good friends and good craic. Tickets are now on sale.

Oh! And I value your feedback. Is this a format that you would enjoy on a regular basis? Please let me know.

Subscribe to the podcast at www.celtfather.com. Then become a patron for as little as $1 per month.

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I learned a valuable lesson last weekend when we built up a nice-sized audience of about 40 people and HALF of the audience walked out in the middle of a song.

In this show, I share why Kilted Kings is a different and becoming one of my most-successful shows at a Renaissance festival.

What song caused so many people to leave the show? "

Why am I playing different songs at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival than most of my shows?

I answer these questions and more in today's podcast. It's a nice lesson in knowing your audience and how to market to them, including some of the problems with picking an audience.

If you're not already subscribed, you can do so and find shownotes at celtfather.com.

Join the Gunn Runners Club to support Marc Gunn's music over on patreon. Go to marcgunn.net for details.

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Last week, I released a brand new album called Celtic Halloween EP. What's that you say? You missed the news? That's probably because it was exclusively released to my Official Gunn Runners and Patrons over on Patreon.

In addition to exclusive podcast, news updates, live concerts and more, you will now also get some free music that is unavailable anywhere else.

I tell you more about the EP and the four songs on this episode of The Celtfather. And I also forget to mention the cool eBook that goes deeper into the music and album.

Before we finish, a Special thanks to all of my Gunn Runners on Patreon who pledge just $1 or more per month to help me make a living as a musician. You'll get free music, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and first look at new videos. You'll find all the details at marcgunn.net.

The Celtfather was produced by Marc Gunn. If you enjoyed this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. I want to invite you again to my website at Celtfather.com. You can subscribe to my mailing list and download my free album. You'll enjoys hours of music plus a few free gifts.

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One of the highlights of my Celtic Invasion Vacations is playing music for my invaders. That's because the setting is small and intimate. The music is often requested by my invaders who enjoy the many shades of Celtic music I play. On the Celtic Invasion of Cornwall, we had a beautiful house in Instow. I pulled out my autoharp and played a few songs for a couple evenings. You will enjoy one of those shows in a moment. The show was performed in the kitchen after one of my home-cooked meals.

Before I share the show, I want to let you know that I play concerts live on the internet. I have a few such shows in October. On Thursday, October 20, 2016, I will play my third annual Halloween music special, performing spooky Halloween stories about death, ghosts, murder, and all sorts of haunted fun.

SONGS IN THIS SHOW

"The Leprechaun" from Soul of a Harper
"Close Your Eyes" from Kilted for Her Pleasure
"Middle Earth Bragging Song" from Soul of a Harper
"Whiskey in the Jar" from Not Every Day Is St. Patrick's Day
"I Will Not Sing Along" is unreleased
"Lily the Pink" from Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales
"Paddy McCullough" from Songs of Ireland
"Black Is the Color (of My Cat's Fur)" from Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers
"Mingulay Cat Song" is Patron's Only
"Monahan's Mudder's Milk" from Firefly Drinking Songs

You can subscribe to my internet concert mailing list. I will send you emails only when I have a big internet concert. Go to celtfather.com/watch to sign up today!

If you want to experience one of these shows first hand, then join me on my Celtic Invasion of Brittany. Next year's trip is scheduled for June 3-10, 2017. Subscribe to my mailing list to join the invasion at celticinvasion.com.

Special thanks to all of my Gunn Runners on Patreon. They pledge $1 or more per month to support my music. You can too and you'll get free music, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and first look at new videos. Find details on Patreon at marcgunn.net.

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Every year, I host a Celtic Invasion Vacation. We travel to various locations around the world get to know a small region through its culture, history, legends and music.

In 2016, we invaded Cornwall in the Southwestern portion of England. Cornwall is one of the seven Celtic nations and has a lot to offer. We only tapped a small portion of it. But the experience left many great memories.

Next year is the Celtic Invasion of Brittany. Applications are now open. Only 8-10 people will join us. We have four booked as of this writing. So if you want to reserve a spot, send in your deposit and application soon.

Details about the 2017 trip will be announced in November at www.celticinvasion.com.

I want to send Special Thanks to all of my Gunn Runners on Patreon who pledge just $1 or more per month to help me make a living as a musician. You'll get free music, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and first look at new videos. You'll find all the details on Patreon at marcgunn.net.

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I posted a video on Facebook announcing a sale on physical CDs that I plan to discontinue. Kris asked me if I would stop playing these songs. No. I will not stop playing them. It's all part of a big restructuring I am making to reflect the modern music business.

A couple weeks back, I posted a blog called "Patronage in the 21st-Century".

The music business is changing. CD sales are dropping. Streaming is the future. The only way professional musicians will have to make a living is through live performances or through patronage.

To that end, I am restructuring my entire business with Patreon as the center. I am looking for innovative new ways to grow my patronage as well as build my Fanbase.

Here are some of the changes you can expect over the next year:

I hope to start giving out a free EP every month through my mailing list. Patrons will get full access to these short albums. These albums will be just me and the autoharp. But the best of these songs may end up in a full album complete with background musical instruments like most of my albums. I may also release the EPs On Bandcamp. But we shall see. These might be fan only albums.

I am also planning a monthly e-book style newsletter. My hope is for a fan interactive ezine. I will publish one soon. And you can see what you think.

Now what are the things that will stay the same?

I will continue to use Kickstarter to raise money to pay for the production of my main albums. The physical copies will probably be limited to 300-500 CDs, depending on demand. If I sell out of the first printing, I may reprint if it's a popular title.

I do need to figure out some sort of swag that I can sell in its place. I haven't figured out what that is yet.

You might've noticed that a lot of these items are for my regular email subscribers. My hope is to attract new fans to my mailing list and then convert them into patrons.

However, patrons will continue to get bonus stuff including live audio and video concerts, as well as all the other bonuses.

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This is The Celtfather. My name is Marc Gunn. Today I want to share with you something a little different. It's a podcast for my musician, actor and artist friends out there. I'm gonna explore everything I have learned about how to create good videos all on my phone. I'll tell you more about that in a moment. But first I want to let you know you can download a full album of 21 MP3s from my first 20 albums by heading over to Celtfather.com. I am not a professional videographer. I'm a musician and podcaster or who recognizes the value of video for marketing. I have only been doing relatively good videos for less than a year. My goal is to teach you how to record video, make it good, and keep it simple. There's nothing as daunting as trying to stitch together a good three minute music video. So we're not gonna do that. Yet. I'm a big believer in just getting started, create, create, create. If you wait until you have it down perfect, you'll do what I did and wait five years. I make all of my movies with my iPhone 6S. I edit them in iMovie. For the most effective marketing with videos, I suggest you learn by doing short 30 second videos. Start by scripting what your goal is for each video. Write in short sentences. At the end of each video, include a call to action. For me as a musician, that means my website. Offer a freebie to download on the website. The script does not need to be fancy. Again, keep it simple. We're talking about 100 words... Tops. You don't need a script. And many times I start without one. There is a good way of scripting for those who don't like to write. Record into your camera or just the audio and talk. Then transcribe what you recorded. Voilà! You now have a script. All right let's make a video. Now since this is an audio podcast, I have no way of showing you specifics. It's up to you to figure out. Instead I will guide you with the basic concepts. The first thing you need to consider is location. You want a place with good lighting and a little background noise. Those of course are the ideals. You can adjust the visuals at least with lighting. Sometimes background noise can be useful. If you have a tripod, I would suggest that you get it out right now. If you don't, then find a nice place to set up your phone. Holding it is a recipe for disaster. Close your eyes and listen. Is there a lot of background noise? If so, find a new location. If one isn't available, oh well let's keep planning. The microphone on the iPhone is pretty darn good. I tried out and did video reviews of a few microphones for the iPhone. Most were not comparably good enough to spend $20-100. If you want a much more clear sound, a lapel mic is always nice. But the headphone mic on your iPhone works pretty darn good. For all practical purposes, we're going to assume you were using the regular microphone on your phone. Let's go on to lighting. This has always been my nemesis. That's why many of my first videos were filmed outdoors. I could use natural lighting. Eventually, I needed to do video inside. That's why I bought a three point lighting system. It was pretty cheap. The lights cost about 40 bucks each. I'll include a link on Amazon in the show notes. Put lights at 45° angles from you to the left to the right and up. The third light I haven't figured out how best to use. It's supposed to be a backlight to sort of set you apart in the background. My location has not worked as well. You may have heard of the DIY Workmans lamps that you can use. If you can get a nice diffuser for the lamps, then it should work pretty well. A diffuser basically softens the light that shines on your face so that there are fewer shadows. If you do go the workmen lamp light route, then make sure you have a day lightbulb to balance out The orange glow of regular lightbulbs. Considering the low price of the other lamps I suggest skipping the DIY route. Let's talk about location. I am not the best when it comes to figuring out aesthetics. My office is in a dark woodpaneled basement. It looks crappy. But with good lighting it works out okay. You want something that is visually appealing though. It shouldn't be too cluttered or dirty looking. It's also pretty boring if it's a very plain background. I have found too dark doesn't work right either. Try shooting your background without you and maybe adjusting it a little bit so that it looks nice with or without you. Once you have a visually appealing background, you should try shooting some test shots with you in the frame. From movie scripts, I've learned that there are basically four different shots. First is the wide location shot. Second is the full body shot. Third is the torso shot. And last is the close-up. For the sake of our 30 second ad, we're only gonna be talking about the last two. The torso shot is exactly as it sounds a shot from the waist up. It is your basic friendly every day shot. A close-up is of course basically a headshot. It's a good way to seem a little bit more intimate with the viewer. Your basic torso shot should have you 3 to 5 feet from the camera. While the close-up will have you 1 to 2 feet and may distort your facial features if you get too close. So be warned. Let's start shooting. I am terrible at memorizing scripts. My mind would go blank as soon as I started rolling. But I still tried to memorize these long scripts and record something. Then I learned the most important tip for video making--jump cuts. Before you start recording, I want to talk a little bit about editing your videos. One of the most-popular features on editing software is the Crossfade. This allows you to pleasingly blend 2 scenes. If you're new to video, you will want to use it. Don't. Go watch any video, TV show, movie. You will see the jump cut. In fact, most YouTubers use nothing but jump cuts. If you ever worked with audio, you'll find it actually works better. My goal with video is to make sure the audio sounds good. With scripting, I said write short sentences. That's because when you record the video, you want to make it easy to edit. When you record your video, speak in short sentences. If you have a crappy memory for memorizing scripts, like I do. This will help you with your video editing later. I memorize one very short sentence. Look at the camera. Smile. Recite the sentence. Pause. Look down and memorize the next sentence. When you go to edit this video, you will be able to easily cut after your short sentence and stitch together good sounding audio. If you don't move much, many people might not even notice the jump cut. It's not important whether they do or not. This is the modern style, and it looks good. Of course, you can do the same thing without a script. Just start talking. Keep your sentences short, Or at least your ideas short. Then just talk. Just remember that five minutes of rambling may take 30 minutes to an hour of editing. But with practice, I have found 30 seconds of video, I can edit in 5-10 minutes, complete with pseudo subtitles. Subtitles you ask? No. These are not the SRT file of actual subtitles. Instead, I just quickly overlay text for what I am saying in the video. Since it's only a 30 second ad and you're speaking in short sentences. It's quick and easy to do. From here, I recommend you practice. A lot. Create a weekly ad for something. Keep it short. As you get better at it, you can make it a little longer or start using effects. The big thing as with all marketing is tell a story. A good story will engage your viewers and get them excited to learn more. Before we finish, a Special thanks to all of my Gunn Runners on Patreon who pledge just $1 or more per month to help me make a living as a musician. You'll get free music, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and first look at new videos. You'll find all the details at marcgunn.net. The Celtfather was produced by Marc Gunn. If you enjoyed this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. I want to invite you again to my website at Celtfather.com. You can subscribe to my mailing list and download my free album. You'll enjoys hours of music plus a few free gifts.

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My new band, Kilted Kings, just launched a Kickstarter for our debut album, Name On My Soul. I am extremely excited about this album because not only does it feature 10 awesome tracks that I love to sing and play, but it also includes seven original songs and tunes written by me.

I will tell you about those seven songs and why they inspire me. I hope that will inspire you to make a pledge and support the album on Kickstarter.

A couple things before we finish, would you like to get a short email from me, every week or two where I tell you what's new with my music and share some cool Celtic and Geek things I find online, plus get a free album of my music? If you want to receive that, sign up at celtictop5.com.

Special thanks to all of my Gunn Runners on Patreon who pledge just $1 or more per month to help me make a living as a musician. You'll get free music, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and first look at new videos. You'll find all the details at marcgunn.net.

The Celtfather was produced by Marc Gunn. If you enjoyed this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Find complete shownotes at celtfather.com.

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The Firefly episode "Jaynestown" is on my mind right now due to my long hours of podcast listening driving to and from GenCon. It has me thinking about how I can be a better musician and podcaster. As well as how to better reach my target audience.

It all stems from a quote at the end of "Jaynestown". Malcolm Reynolds tells the befuddled Jayne, "It's my estimation that every man ever got a statue made of him was one kind of a son of a b***h or another. Ain't about you, Jayne. It's about what they need."

There's so much wisdom in that quote whether your a business trying to find your audience, a politician seeking re-election, or just someone wants to be a better person.

I try my best to think about what you need and want. That's how I'm creating my newest Kickstarter. But it's also how I try to create everything I do, while still balancing it with my creative art.

It's not easy as you'll hear.

You'll also hear my latest news:
- Brobdingnagian Bards show scheduled is up at http://thebards.net/dragoncon/
- Friday, I have a Firefly Drinking Songs Show
- Bards Hobbit Drinking Songs show on Sunday
- Kilted Kings will have a Kickstarter for our new album online soon.
- If you ordered Pirates vs. Dragons Deluxe Package, I will be mailing those out on Monday.
- I was reviewed on Fandomania.com for Celtic Geek music.
- New Celtfather podcast on Jaynestown
- Voice actors wanted for Pirates vs. Dragons Podcast
- Special guests at Johnnie MacCracken's this month is LandLock'd

If you enjoy this podcast, please LIKE and SHARE it. You can also become a Patron and Official Gunn Runner at www.marcgunn.net.

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I drive to Indianapolis, Indiana for GenCon tomorrow. So this show will let you know where I am at the convention, tell you about my recent Pirates vs. Dragons CD Release, and share a new podcast in the work.

Where will I be at GenCon?

Comedy Cabaret on Thursday with Mikey Mason, Bill Sutton, Dan the Bard, Chris Waffle, The Damsels of Dorkington, Professor Shyguy, Red Rum, Marc Gunn
Cat Songs on Friday at 5
Firefly Drinking Songs on Friday at 8
Sci Fi Drinking Songs with a Pirate Theme on Saturday

Successful Album Launch of Pirates vs. Dragons

Patreon Changes. Become a Gunn Runner for just $1. Jessica Clark, newest Patron.

Started work on the Pirates vs. Dragons Podcast. Thanks to David Reiland, who also produces the Renaissance Festival Podcast. I am looking for people who want to be involved in the production.

Special thanks to all of my patrons on Patreon who pledge just $1 or more per month to help me make a living as a musician. You'll get a free album when you become patron plus, you'll get a PDF copy of the new journal. Gold+ Patrons will get a download of "Kilted For Her Pleasure" this month. Go to marcgunn.net.

If you're not yet subscribed to my mailing list, sign up and get 21 MP3s for free.

Read more at http://celtfather.libsyn.com/#IIT7q1eRA8tYbsky.99

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Captain Black Jack Murphy once again pirated The Celtfather podcast to share his own review of Marc Gunn's new album Pirates vs. Dragons.

Subscribe to the podcast at celtfather.com.

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Right before the release of Pirates vs. Dragons. I have a lot of news to share about it and other things including my CD release on Concert Window.

Pirates vs. Dragons CD Release
Booked Louisiana Renaissance Festival
Booked at GenCon and DragonCon
Pirate Pub Songs is now up on the Pub Songs Podcast
11th anniversary of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
Michael Liebmann of Souther Fried Filk Passes Away
When will the deluxe edition be mailed?
The infamous iPatch
Simplifying my websites for the mobile world.

Subscribe to the podcast at celtfather.com.

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We're just three days away from the release of Pirates vs. Dragons. Today, I made the Pirates vs. Dragons journal available for free on Amazon for the next five days This will give you the entire backstory behind the album the nefarious character of Captain Black Jack Murphy.

Remember, if you buy the album on Weds, July 27, 2016, you'll save 40% off the price of the album on CD Baby. Order your copy at savedragons.com.

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This week, I feature a lot of big news that's happening. My next album, Pirates vs. Dragons, is out on July 27th. My goal is to make it the #1 top-selling album on CD Baby. If I can sell 120 copies on that day, it might be possible. But it's success depends on how well you and I both spread the word.

That's right. You too!

First, let me make sure you realize that this album is not for everyone. You'll hear one complaint in this episode about a risque pirate song on the album. It's also a compelling story about a pirate who kidnaps a musician to chronicle his dragon hunting in song.

While most of my albums are themed. This has a deep story too. So be prepared for something new and exciting.

Here's some other news in this week's show.

Buy Pirates vs. Dragons on July 27
Celtic invasion of Brittany. Subscribe to find out more details.
Two new music videos: Keep them Soaring and A Pirate's Confession
Concert Window CD Release on July 28
Three big shows at Gencon
Brobdingnagian Bards are back at DragonCon
New episode of pirates versus dragon
Pre-order album on iTunes
Trip to Cambridge
CD release in Marietta Georgia

If you enjoy my music become a patron for as little as $1 per month.

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Was King Arthur born in Tintagel in Cornwall? I went there on my Celtic Invasion of Cornwall. We talked to a couple experts.

Subscribe to the podcast at www.celtfather.com.

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The Celtic Invasion of Cornwall begins as I explore the Chalice Well, Glastonbury and how it all fits in with my life and my old band, Brobdingnagian Bards.

Subscribe to the podcast at www.celtfather.com.

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Last month, I recorded an episode of the Pub Songs Podcast where I talked about the Origins of The Celtfather Name. Les Howard responded with an audio clip sharing the exact episode of the The Signal Podcast where that name was born. You can listen and hear a Firefly song in that show.

Here's some other stuff you'll enjoy in this episode:

I offer thanks to all of my top supporters of my Pirates vs. Dragons Kickstarter. Thanks to my Executive Producer, Rie Sheridan Rose. Thanks to my Dragon Egg Rescuers: Cherry and Pat, and Angela Hughes. Additional thanks to Fred McDonald, Kris Dobie, Randy Hoffman, Kevin Monkhouse, Jason Denen, Ruth Acoya, Jim & Jan Czenkusch, Ray Gonzalez.
I share some of my promotion ideas for Pirates vs. Dragons including videos, pictures, and podcasts. My goal is to sell 120 copies of the album on CD Baby on July 27, 2015 when the album is officially released.
I have two CD release shows. One is at Johnnie MacCracken's Celtic Pub on July 23 and then an internet show on Concert Window on Thursday, July 28th.
I share a few plans for DragonCon (though we are not yet confirmed yet), and GenCon. Several shows planned.
Album title idea: Irish Adventures on Higgin's Moon
Plus, I share some plans for Cornwall including a daily podcast episode.

If you're not yet subscribed to my mailing list, sign up and get 21 MP3s for free.

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The Podcast Awards are now officially open. I've been podcasting since 2005. I would love to win an award. But to win, I need your help. Will you nominate the following podcasts in the appropriate categories. You only need to make your nomination once. And it must be done before April 30th!

Vote here: podcastawards.com.

Best Music
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
http://celticmusicpodcast.com

Best Entertainment
Renaissance Festival Podcast
http://renaissancefestivalmusic.com

Best Society - Culture
The Celtfather
http://celtfather.com

Q&A Rachel Wilkerson and Toni Bell If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron. Then post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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The first quarter is over and I took a good look at my music promotion efforts at the beginning of the year. It was disappointing. I'll tell you why...

In this episode:

Upcoming Gigs: April 16 Johnny McCracken's, April 30 Pepper Place Farmer's Market, May 12 on Concert Window

Updating the Pub Songs Podcast: Why Cats and Celtic Music? Watch my latest video of "Nancy Whiskey" over on Concert Window. Watch the entire Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion show if you are a Gold or Platinum Patron Gunn Runner. Free Celtic Geek Compilation now includes a video description of why I chose each song. I am seeking at least 50 reviews of my Hobbit CD on Amazon. Will you review it? I have a full social media promotion schedule that I hope to implement in the weeks to come. --- If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe at www.celtfather.com and if you want to show your support for Marc Gunn's music, then become a patron for as little as $1 per episode at www.marcgunn.net. Don't forget to send feedback by email or using the hashtag #celtfather

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In 2015, I took a small group of 8 people on a Celtic Invasion of County Donegal. One of the highlights was Slieve League. These are the highest ocean cliffs in Ireland, 3 times higher than the more famous Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs were stunning, but was just as fascinating was Patrick Maloney, a young man selling walking sticks and Dulse, which is basically Irish seaweed that I developed an tasty appreciation for, first in Belfast, and then again up on top of Slieve League. You can find out more about this Celtic Invasion of Donegal along with picturs and a video of Slieve League in the shownotes. -- If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron. Then post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I do a lot of marketing and promotion for my music online. In fact, you may not realize everything I do and offer for free. This episode is designed as a quick introduction to my music, podcasts, vacations, freebies, musical instrument choice and much more. I hope you find it useful.

You can find detailed shownotes and links on the website.

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I have a lot happening as we get closer to St. Patrick's Day from a live internet concert tonight to Facebook Live events. There's something most every day of the week. You can find all the details at www.marcgunn.com/st-patricks-day-2016/.

I'm also seeking reviews for some of my albums on iTunes:

Victims of Irish Music
Not Every Day Is St. Patrick's Day
St. Patrick's Day Songs for Kids
The Holy Grail of Irish Drinking Songs
Best Irish Drinking Songs
Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers

If you love this show and my music, then please take a moment to post a review. And don't forget to check out the shownotes above. There's a lot going on.

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron. Then post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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James Hazelrig is not only a funny fiddler, he's also a certified hypnotist in Austin, Texas with a lot of funny advice on laughing. I chatted with him at the Sherwood Forest Faire where I start the show with him using some of his hypnosis training and marketing prowess to promote his shows. Then we go into a wonderful discussion of his life as a hypnotist and Laughing Yoga. This is a funny and informative episode you will enjoy.

Find more about James Hazelrig, aka Cedric the Fiddler, at hypnosisaustin.com.

Complete shownotes can be found here.

f you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron. Then post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Band: Ginger Ackley Homepage: http://www.gingerackley.com Description: Ginger's music is Celtic – with at Twist! A Texas native happily transplanted to Ohio, Ginger has taken her life-long passion for music, combined it with a love of history and tradition, and mixed it all into a delightful style of Celtic Folk. Performing both traditional and original songs, she sings while accompanying herself on one of her six autoharps, or jams with other folks on her penny whistles. She has been described as a songwriter “in the old style," and her most recent album “The Elf King's Horn" reaches into the magical and new age music! Personal Fact: Before I really started singing outside of a small set of friends, I traveled on a cruise in 2005 with Danny O'Flaherty and his Celtic group. They had a song writing contest among the group where the song had to be about leaving one place to go to another. It had to be upbeat and positive. The judges of the contest were Danny O'Flaherty, Danny Doyle, Andy M. Stewart and Aoife Clancy. There in the middle of the Caribbean, I wrote "It Is Time" which won the contest. I've never stopped playing and writing music since! Newest CD: The Elf King's Horn Year Released: 2015 You can subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic geek music. Special thanks to all of my Patrons. For as little as $1 per month, you can become a patron and show your support for The Celtfather. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Ever since I started performing at Renaissance festivals in 1999, I've dreamed about starting my own faire. I think most Rennies have. How exciting that would be! George Appling, or King George as he's known at the Sherwood Forest Faire, not only dreamed of it, he made his dream a reality.

How did it happen? Where did this inspiration come from? Where he has he seen his greatest successes and challenges over the years?

These are all questions I asked him to answer. We had a great time talking. You can read more about it in the shownotes.

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When my first daughter was born, I had a flood of comments from Gunn Runners asking me when I would release a kids CD. It was bound to happen. I theme most of my albums from Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers to Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion, Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits to Sci Fi Drinking Songs. Nearly all of my albums have some unifying theme.

I prefer recording themed CDs. It makes it easier for me when someone asks, "What's your best CD?" I can respond by asking them what theme they love best.

So of course, I made a children's CD called St. Patrick's Day Songs for Kids. I released it in 2015 with some good reviews on iTunes and Amazon. I even podcasted the entire kids album on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. It continues to be a tremendous success.

Today, I talk about some of the songs on that album and other fun Celtic kids songs. See the complete list and listen to the songs in the shownotes.

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Cedric is the fiddler and one of the singers of Bedlam Bards, a comedic Celtic group from Austin, Texas that was one of my biggest influences when learning how to put on a show. This weekend, I sat down with Cedric to get a in depth interview about how he escaped Lubbock to join the SCA, form a Celtic band, and hypnotize his audiences with charm and wit.

You can find out more about him when you read the shownotes.

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner and a show tomorrow, this is a good time to compile a list of funny Irish drinking songs that perhaps I might play this year. See my complete show schedule here. I also do a lot of shows online.

You can check out the shownotes and listen to the songs mentioned right on the website.

What are your favorite funny Irish drinking songs?

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron

Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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In county Antrim on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland is the giants causeway. What one Radio Times poll named the fourth greatest wonder of the United Kingdom. 40,000 interlocking basalt columns line the coast, the result of a volcanic eruption millions of years ago. Now it's one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Ireland.

Find the complete Giant's Causeway shownotes here.

The wind was pretty fierce as bus drove us the 1/2 mile from the visitors center to the Giants Causeway. We were excited.

At first glance after exiting the bus, it was beautiful but disappointing. There were a bunch of people milling about on the rocks in a very small area. A big sign and guard halted people from climbing up further on this national wonder.

Then I found a passage through the rocks that was overlooked by many of the visitors. On the other side, like crossing through the thin veil, we saw the true majesty of these rocks. Plus a long path along the coast where you could get a better view.

When we got back to the visitors center, One of my Invaders told me about the singing rocks they found.

That was all cool but what got me excited most about this trip was the legend behind it--Finn MacCool.

Finn MacCool was a giant living on the north coast of Ireland. On a clear day you can see the island Staffa in Scotland. There lived a Scottish giant named Benandonner. They taunted one another from afar until finally Finn MacCool tossed long pillars of stone into the water all the way to Scotland, creating a long causeway between the countries.

When Finn arrived, he was surprised to find that Benandonner was a lot bigger than Finn. He fled back home and told his wife Oonagh, who came up with a plan. She told Finn to dress like a baby and climb in a crib.

When Benandonner knocked on their door Oonagh told him that Finn was out hunting. When Benandonner saw the size of the baby that belonged to Finn and compared it to the human sized Oonagh, he realized Finn must be even bigger than he. So he fled Ireland destroying the Causeway between the two countries.

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic Geek music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I had a good show last night on Concert Window. It was great to be back. It was awesome to see all of the names who popped up in the chat room.

Read the full shownotes here.

All in all, it was a successful concert. The next one is scheduled for Thursday, March 10th. I hope you can join.

Oh! And listen to the podcast for more details about the show.

Become a Patron of The Celtfather at www.marcgunn.net

Visit www.Celtfather.com to subscribe to this podcast.

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Some weeks I want to podcast some new and exciting episodes. Other weeks, I just want to share some news. That's the case for this week's podcast as I talk about a new compilation CD, my first Concert Window performance of the year, Celtic Love Songs and of course the third annual St. Patrick's Day Internet Music Festival.

My first Concert Window show is tomorrow night. That's Wednesday, February 9th at 7:30 PM Central Standard Time. Next one is Thursday, March 10th.

"Name On My Soul" video is posted for NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert Contest.

The Celtic Invasion of Cornwall deadline is next Monday, February 15th. Contact me as soon as possible if you wanna join me on this year's Invasion.

I made updates to the St. Patrick's Day Internet Music Festival and I'm still accepting submission for new bands to perform in the festival.

Celtic Love Songs are on this week's Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

You can hear me hosting the latest Renaissance Festival Podcast: Celts at Renaissance Festivals.

I'm finishing up my latest compilation CD which is officially called Celtic Geek... for better or worse.

You can find complete shownotes here.

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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An Taisdeal (pron.: An Tahshdel, Scots Gaelic for "The Journey") is a Celtic Folk project from Germany. Originally founded by Rüdiger Reinhardt in 2002 with Anna Molitor on the fiddle, the project was put on ice, as he moved away in 2005, and playing together was no longer possible.

"The Journey" can be seen as a journey through the celtic countries, where the songs are originated, through history, which is told in the songs, and also as a journey for the audience, on which the listeners embark at a gig.

The songs are in English, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic and also Breton language.
An Taisdeal is not a real band, but rather a project with friends as occasional guest musicians. You never know who you might meet on your travels.

Some recordings of the songs on the "home recordings" album are more than 10 years old, but never really made their way into public.

Personal Fact: Celtic langguage afficionado, celtic geek, but mostly harmless

Band: An Taisdeal
Homepage: http://www.reverbnation.com/antaisdeal
from_CD: Home Recordings
Hometown: Heidelberg, Germany

Listen to An Taisdeal on Irish & Celtic Music Podcast

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron

Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I’m working on a new compilation CD. You could call it a Best of Marc Gunn, but it’s not really. And I don’t think. Rather, the album features one track from each of the 20 solo albums I’ve released since I released Soul of a Harper in 2005. I tried to pick some of my most-popular recordings of songs. I confess. That got hard at times. So I then tried picking the songs that I actually enjoyed playing at shows.

Now I need to figure out an title for the album. Below I list two album titles I’m considering. Which appeals to you more? Or do you have another suggestion?

Post your comments in the shownotes.

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I didn't actually pick these amazing bands this week. It was a lot more organic than that. This list features the Celtic bands I played most-often on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. I love all of these bands, but there were a few surprises that I didn't anticipate.

You can see the complete list in the shownotes.

Or visit the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast and see the original article "Top-Played Celtic Music Bands of 2015".

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I met Robert at ShadowCon XX, and was blown away by what he’s started with his kids.

In 2009, Robert started off with five kids who needed something to do or felt like no one wanted them around, and began helping old folks out by removing pests from their homes at no charge. Before long, this endeavor had turned into a pretty solid business, and the kids started branching into different directions – now, there is a Construction Crew, Demolition Crew, Toy & Comic Sales, and the original Pest Removal Service. They’ve grown to 331 ‘Kids’, ranging in age from newborn to 93 years old. Their philosophy is that anyone who is a kid at heart deserves to be a daycare kid.

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I had a rockin’ show at ShadowCon last night here in West Memphis. I saved my set list and thought I’d like to share it. But I’ve been turning this into an audio blog, so I decided instead to talk about the show as a podcast. Hopefully, you’ll find it fun to listen to.

Here is the final Set List that I remember:

Kilted
Slainte Mhaith
Mikey’s Jedi Drinking Song
Close Your Eyes
Doctor of Gallifrey
Reavers, Malcolm, Reavers
Name on my Soul
Mingulay Cat Song
Catnipped Kitty
Wild Mountain Thyme
Bring Me Home, Boys
Come Take a Trip in My Airship

I also played 3 encore songs:

A Drop of Vulcan Blood
Monahan’s Mudder’s Milk
Old Dun Cow

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A few years back, I was trying to find out how to create a great set list. I found virtually no blogs or articles on the topic. I tried again last month and the results were once again poor.

I decided to share my own tips on how I create my awesome shows. However, I do need to give a HUGE shout out to Tom Jackson. Tom is one of the only Live Music Producers I've ever heard of. The rest are on his staff. He teaches people how to put on a great show.

I reference Tom Jackson's Live Music Method a lot in this podcast because it was my starting place for finding regular success as a live musician. I bought his All Roads Lead to the Stage DVDs and learned a lot. Of course, I had to improvise and fine tune my shows because his formula didn't entirely fit my unique musical style and performance venues. But it was again, a great starting place.

I also talk a bit about performing traditional Irish music. I've seen NO blogs or articles that talk about that style. But it's important and when mixed with Tom's Method, I feel like it works even better.

Find complete shownotes in The Celtfather Audio Blog.

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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A couple weeks ago, I decided to list everything I could remember that was a success and failure in 2015. It turned out to be a nice long list in one of my longer Celtfather podcasts.

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I have begun reviewing my success from 2015 and I'm starting to set goals for 2016. You can learn some of my solid plans for next year. Though there will be more exciting things to come... once I figure those out!

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Special thanks to my Patrons. You can support my craft for as little as $1 per month. Become a Patron at www.marcgunn.com/patron Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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We're getting a little philosophical today as I encourage you to change the way you think of gift giving this holiday season. Gifts should not be given with expectations, only with hope. If you expect, even a thanks, you're doing something wrong.

Yes, it goes both ways when you receive gifts. It is the social convention to say, "Thank you". But sometimes, it doesn't happen. If you're too focused on the thanks when you give gifts, then you don't really deserve them. Because a gift, given with love, is without commitment.

I make this show for free thanks to the generosity of my Patrons. You can support my music, podcasts, and creative endeavors for as little as $1 per month. Plus you'll get bonus content including rough cuts of songs I release, exclusive podcasts, even some videos. Go to www.marcgunn.com/patron to join. Special thanks to my newest patrons. If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher where you can also subscribe to the show. Go to www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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It's time for an update of all the things i am working on right now. Learn more about what's new with my music and podcasting in the past few weeks and what's to come. Here's some of what you can look for:

Kilted Kings at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival
Playing traditional Celtic music
New version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman"
What are my most-popular songs?
Going from the comedy to serious music
"Name On My Soul" getting a new requests on CD every weekend
Sci Fi Conventions are my base!
Kids getting sick as I tour
Irish & Celtic Music Podcast
Celtic Christmas Podcast
Celtic Christmas app? Will it happen this year?
USB Pre-Amp is fried
New YouTube videos
Celtic Music Spotlights
What do you think of The Celtfather audio blog posts?

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Whether playing festivals and touring as their five-piece, guitar and fiddle-driven rock lineup or as a pared-down acoustic pub duo, the Bhoys have successfully forged their own unique place in the Irish/Celtic musical genre. Each of the five Bhoys brings immeasurable musicianship, making this what is sure to be one of the best albums you’ll hear in 2015!

Personal Fact: Lead singer Adam is a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan and a WWII historian.

Band: Wild Colonial Bhoys
Homepage: www.wildcolonialbhoys.com
from CD: On Our Own (2015)
Hometown: St Paul MN, US

Listen to Wild Colonial Bhoys from Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

Follow the link in the shownotes. While you're there, post feedback, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

You can subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic Geek music. Special thanks to all of my Patrons. For as little as $1 per month, you can become a patron to show how much you love The Celtfather.

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Jig to a Milestone is a Celtic folk duo from Gainesville, Florida, playing your favorite ballads, pub classics, instrumentals, sea shanties, and the occasional bawdy tune. Jig to a Milestone focuses on traditional acoustic sounds. They bring unique instrumentation to a repertoire that spans the centuries.

Jason Catron is the voice and rhythm of the group. He plays a barrage of stringed instruments including guitar, Irish bouzouki, mandocello, tenor banjo, and mandolin. Tearing through jigs at a breakneck speed, Jason's fingers of fire take flight on his handy tin whistle. His rich, lilting baritone fills the air with the purest tone that will make you believe you’re kissing the Blarney Stone!

Victoria Van Arnam plays the Hammered Dulcimer, she’s the cornerstone of their signature sound. Her tiny wooden hammers dance over the strings to produce haunting melodies. The delightful ambiance of the dulcimer is not one to be missed!

Personal Fact: Lead singer gained an octave when he quit smoking.

Band: Jig to a Milestone
Homepage: www.jigtoamilestone.com
from CD: Crawford's Pub (2015)
Hometown: Gainesville, Florida

Listen to Jig to a Milestone on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

You can subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic geek music. Special thanks to all of my Patrons. For as little as $1 per month, you can become a patron and show your support for The Celtfather.

You can hear their music in the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Follow the link in the shownotes where you can also post feedback. Use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd share my views on What is Celtic Christmas music as I wrote last year. I confess I'm kinda picky about it.

However, my views have defined what kind of music is played in my Celtic Christmas Podcast too. I hope to help you find better Celtic Christmas music this holiday season.

Make sure you check out my two Celtic Christmas albums:

A Celtic Christmas is a compilation of Christmas music by Celtic musicians featured in the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. I believe this album beautifully captures the true spirit of Celtic Christmas.

Celtic Christmas Greetings is my solo album of Celtic Christmas music featuring some new and original Christmas songs with a truly Celtic music feel. Let me albums sweep you away.

You can subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic geek music. Special thanks to all of my Patrons. For as little as $1 per month, you can become a patron and show your support for The Celtfather.

Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Out of Huntsville, Alabama, Mike Clem, Andy Kruspe, and Garrett Smith have been playing Celtic music together in one form or another since 2010. During this time, they kept a running tab of cool band names and even better album names. When it came time to form a trio, "Black Market Haggis" became the clear choice for a band name. So they did what every new band should do when starting out- they searched their band name on the internet to see if it had already been taken. Predictably, no band has ever used that moniker. However, they did find that there is a demand for such a product since the USDA will not allow real haggis in the United States.

Personal Fact: The Guardian UK once called us to ask if we really could provide them with black market haggis for Burns Night.

Band: Black Market Haggis
Homepage: Www.betterthanitsounds.com

You can listen to Black Market Haggis in the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Follow the link in the shownotes where you can also post feedback. Use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Eddie Biggins is a singer-songwriter from the Boston area. He has written music in many varying genres, from folk to electronic to musical theater. In 2007 he joined a popular Irish band, Jug o' Punch, and since that time has focused more on traditional music, both in a band setting and as a solo artist. In 2014, along with his son Ryan and family friend Michael Maloney, he formed another Celtic band, The Boston Harbor Bhoys.

Personal Fact: My family and I are big fans of the Disney theme parks. Someday I hope you'll see me playing at Raglan Road in Disney World.

Band: Eddie Biggins
Homepage: eddiebiggins.bandcamp.com
Hometown: Medford, MA

Listen to Eddie Biggins on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

You can subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic geek music. Special thanks to all of my Patrons. For as little as $1 per month, you can become a patron and show your support for The Celtfather.

Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Out of Manchester, United Kingdom, The Brayzen Heads are an Irish Music Duo featuring Dave Gimore on Guitar and Vocals and Shane Farrell on Banjo, Fiddle & Mandolin. They play Irish Traditional Music, Songs and ballads with a mixture of more Modern Folk & Pop songs. They have played over 4000 shows in many different countries after they met each other in Spain in 2000.

Personal Fact: The Brayzen Heads have been the house band at Raglan Road, Walt Disney World, Florida since 2012. They are planning to take time out to travel and play all over the USA and Canada.

Band: The Brayzen Heads
Homepage: www.brayzenheads.com
from CD: Floored (2014)

Listen to The Brayzen Heads on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

You can subscribe to the show at www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic geek music. Special thanks to all of my Patrons. You can become a patron. For as little as $1 per month you can show your support for The Celtfather.

Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I've been playing Celtic music since 1999. I've given away millions of MP3s. I would love to give it all away, but I have a family to feed. I started a Patreon page to support my musical and creative endeavors. Now I also found a way to give away all my music. For a limited time, I'm giving it away to all of my Platinum Patrons.

Since 2004, I have released over 20 albums. There's some great music in that list that much of it may never be heard. Until now.

You see, I make music because I want it to be heard and enjoyed. If I could give it all away for free, I would love to. But I still have a family to feed and lots of bills. That's why I started a Patreon page for my music and art. I wanted a way for fans to show their appreciation for all the great music and content that I give away. And a way for me to earn a regular paycheck.

The site is already working great so far, but I just opened up the Platinum membership level and was looking for a great reward. Then it hit me. Why not give away my entire solo catalog to my Platinum Gunn Runners, fans who pledge $25 per month.

You can find out more about What is Patreon? here.

What do you get when you become a Patron of Marc Gunn?

I asked that of my current Patrons. The overwhelming response was, "We don't care. It's not about what we get. It's about supporting your music."

That's incredibly awesome! Nevertheless, I do offer some cool rewards depending on your level. Silver Patrons get early access to new music. Gold Patrons get early access to new videos. And of course, Platinum Patrons get full access to my entire catalog. Plus, you'll also get HUGE discounts on autographed, physical CDs.

How long is this offer available?

I don't know exactly how long I will keep this offer open. Right now, I'm doing this for a limited time. I'm gonna keep it open until the end of December 2015. I'll probably stop it when I'm back from the holidays in January. That's the current plan. But you never know. It may last much longer.

So signup now at www.marcgunn.net or www.marcgunn.com/patron

If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher where you can also subscribe to the show. Go to www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music.

Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Kat is considering joining me on a Celtic Invasion Vacation. But she had a few questions.

She writes: "I know this is probably basic for you but I have never been able to traveling a lot, so I really don't know what Europe is like. So I need a closer budget to see if it is even in the vague realm of possibility. Just curious for estimates on the flight closer to the date. Best I could find right now was $900 I know it will change closer just give me a guess. Lunch probably in the $10-15 a meal higher, lowerish? Are drinks comparable? Are prices in general comparable? I'm not really asking for specifics. Anything I might be missing?"

I do my best to provide as much information as possible, including: cheapest airline travel to Ireland, expected currency exchange rate, cost of meals and drinks, plus how it all works with my Celtic Invasion Vacations. You can find details at celticinvasion.com

Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Sisters Of Murphy is a 7 piece american celtic rock band from Rochester, NY. The group formed as a seasonal novelty act in 2000, and eventually began to write and record their own brand of original celtic rock and roll. SOM has 2 Silverdish Records releases out with a new full length effort due out next March 2016.

Personal Fact: the band is made up of 6 sinners and one local church paster to even things out with god

Find the band at www.sistersofmurphyband.com

Listen to Sisters of Murphy on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.
http://celticmusicpodcast.com/tag/sisters-of-murphy/

Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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People are already talking about Chirstmas and it's not even Thanksgiving. We're just a week after Halloween. Should they? As a consumer, I believe so. You may not agree with me in today's episode.

I think the Starbucks red coffee cups meme is dying down now, but it was dumb to be up in the first place. Very few Christians actually are boycotting Starbcuks. Do you even care?

Find out more at http://marcgunn.com/2015/christmas-before-thanksgiving-starbucks-red-coffee-cups/

I make this show for free thanks to the generosity of my Patrons. You can support my music, podcasts, and creative endeavors for as little as $5 per month. Plus you'll get bonus content including rough cuts of songs I release, exclusive podcasts, even some videos. Go to www.marcgunn.com/patron to join. Special thanks to Mary Anne, Marie, Gail, Melinda, Chad, Matthew and Michael, my newest patrons. If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher where you can also subscribe to the show. Go to www.celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Louisiana Renaissance Festival starts this weekend. You will find me once again at the Paradox Pub, but this year, I'm performing with a new duo with Randy Wothke (of The Rogues) called Kilted Kings.

Kilted Kings feature Marc Gunn on autoharp and vocals and Randy Wothke on percussion. It's kilted Celtic music with driving rhythms and tunes, upbeat songs and heart-wrenching ballads.

You can enjoy our music three times daily at the Paradox Pub drinking local micro-brews at 11:15 am, 2:00 pm and 4:15 pm.

This is fun, rhythmic Celtic music that you don't want to miss!

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I recorded my 2nd annual Celtic Halloween Music Special and posted it to YouTube this week. If you enjoy Celtic music and Halloween and just like to have fun, you'll love this episode.

Watch the show here: https://youtu.be/G6CmqKYQHAg

And don't forget also to check out the Celtic Halloween Music playlist on YouTube.

This whole show is dedicated to Halloween and Samhain. That's what I spent the week working on. I got some great music lined up for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast in it's Celtic Halloween and Samhain special. And I talk about the history of Halloween too.

Hear the latest episodes here: http://celticmusicpodcast.com/category/celtic-halloween-samhain/

I make this show for free thanks to the generosity of my Patrons. You can support my music, podcasts, and creative endeavors for as little as $5 per month. Plus you'll get bonus content including rough cuts of songs I release, exclusive podcasts, even some videos. Go to http://marcgunn.com/patron to join. If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher where you can also subscribe to the show. Go to www.Celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I love smoothies. The very best tasting to me are all-natural ingredients. With this recipe, I even figured out what to do with all of that fruit that was going bad. I dump it in the freezer for my smoothies. When there's leftover smoothies, I use it to make popsicles. I've been using this recipe for my daughter since she was two-years old. She still loves it. Now she even loves making it too.

You'll find complete shownotes on my website at http://celtfather.com/

I make this show for free thanks to the generosity of my Patrons. You can support my music, podcasts, and creative endeavors for as little as $5 per month. Plus you'll get bonus content including rough cuts of songs I release, exclusive podcasts, even some videos. To join, go to http://marcgunn.com/patron If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher where you can also subscribe to the show. Go to www.Celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I have two new kids game to review. This is the first. The game is called Fandooble. It's a dice game where you're goal is to win the most treasure from the dragon's horde. I gave this game to my 4 year-old, about to turn 5-year old daughter, and she loved it. She was totally engaged for the entire 30 minutes it took to play the game.

You can get the game on Amazon via my affiliate link though it looks like there are more dice in this version. Find it here: http://marcgunn.com/fandooble

I make this show for free thanks to the generosity of my Patrons. You can support my music, podcasts, and creative endeavors for as little as $5 per month. Plus you'll get bonus content including rough cuts of songs I release, exclusive podcasts, even some videos. Go to marcgunn.com/patron to join. If you enjoy this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher where you can also subscribe to the show. Go to Celtfather.com where you can join my mailing list to download a free album of my Celtic and comedy music. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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We conclude part 3 of the series talking about internet marketing and promotion from a series of questions that Rie Sheridan Rose wrote me. This episode is all about my Best Kickstarter tips and reward levels, plus how to create a marketing plan.

Rie Sheridan Rose wrote: "I am doing a platform building challenge, and today's task is to interview an expert. You are the best marketing guy I know. Would you be willing to do an email interview--like ten questions--about marketing and Kickstarter in particular, because I may need to do some projects soon, and you always do so well. :)"

Here are Rie's questions:

8) I’d like to focus on Kickstarter a bit. This is sort of overwhelming to me. How do you go about creating a successful campaign?

9) I’ve seen great variety in tier rewards—yours included. Is it better to tie directly to the product you are creating, or to make the rewards peripherally based? For example, on the Pirates vs. Dragons CD, you had dragon eggs as a reward. Another Kickstarter I know is offering stories in the world as a reward. Do you think one is better than the other?

10) What one piece of advice would you give someone trying to build their first marketing plan?

Find out more about Rie Sheridan Rose at http://riewriter.com/

Find the first 5 questions answered in last show at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather057

Find the next questions 6 & 7 here: http://marcgunn.com/celtfather058

You can find the last set of questions and complete shownotes right here: http://marcgunn.com/celtfather059

To subscribe, go to iTunes, or go to Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list to download a free album. This show is sponsored by my Patrons of the Arts. You can support my music, podcasts, and creative endeavors for as little as $1 per month. Go to marcgunn.com/patron and get bonus content. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I continue answering questions provided by Rie Sheridan Rose in today's episode where we focus on the best social media platform for artists, musicians, and writers and then we delve into why you should try Patreon.

Here are the next two questions answered:

6) Which social media platforms do you recommend for artists? Is Twitter effective, or does Facebook provide better exposure?

7) You have been enjoying fair success on Patreon. Do you recommend it as a leg of an artist’s marketing plan? Does it work better if you already have an established fan base? How did you go about creating your tiers and rewards for this platform?

Find out more about Rie Sheridan Rose at http://riewriter.com/

Find the first 5 questions answered in last show at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather057

You can also find the complete shownotes for THIS episode at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather058

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What is the most-effective viral marketing plan? Should you brand yourself online? Today, I answer questionaire I received from Rie Sheridan Rose who wrote: "I am doing a platform building challenge, and today's task is to interview an expert. You are the best marketing guy I know. Would you be willing to do an email interview--like ten questions--about marketing and Kickstarter in particular, because I may need to do some projects soon, and you always do so well."

Find out more about Rie Sheridan Rose at http://riewriter.com/

You can find the complete shownotes for this episode at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather057

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Garrett Crowe wrote: So Marc, I've been doing three podcasts. One is radio drama style actual play of a four year long Star Wars RPG campaign, one a celebration of various games I love with local specialists in each game providing news and advice, but mostly geeking out over the games... and the last being the live play vidcast of the Middle Earth game. The first two have remained at about 300 hits per episode, but I know these numbers can get higher. What's an effective podcast marketing plan I should adopt?

I release teaser promos complete with original artwork posters for each episode at appropriate facebook groups, enworld forums, google communities. Other gaming podcasts seem to take a spam the hell out of all gaming groups on the net, and that seems counter productive. What resources should I study to form a marketing plan.

I really want to make strides with this so I can establish myself as a professional game designer, in demand for projects and known by the industry.

Find out more about Garrett's podcasts at http://threat-detected.com

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My husband and I still trying to start a family. We're not there yet, so maybe this question is premature, but I'm starting to seriously look at work pay vs. daycare. My original plan was to be a stay-at-home artist and mom. Neither are working out right now (to the level of being a self-sustaining artist), and I picked up a job while I get my art off the ground.

My question is: How do you balance infants and a home job?

I know you do it, but I don't remember the specifics if you mentioned them. I remember, though, you doing it for awhile and now Kenzie seems to be in daycare, but Inara is now home with you. I didn't know if it was possible to get enough content out while being a full time parent too. It probably helps that you are already established as a musician with a following. :)

This all came about while looking at the price of daycare and seeing that it isn't much under my paycheck. So it seems possible to do better if I could bring in an income from home.

http://feltedfamiliars.com

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News from Marc Gunn including upcoming shows, next CD and possible dip into Periscope and Blab

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I had a wee lesson today from my five month old daughter about success. It started by watching her trying to crawl. She has developed upper body strength to lift herself up, but she hasn't figured out how to use her legs to move forward. Instead, she pushes backwards. Then she gets terribly upset.

Isn't that a good life lesson?

How often have you found yourself getting upset by failures as you try to go forward and only fall further back? It's frustrating. But you and I both know that one day she will learn to crawl. Then she'll learn to walk. And finally run. It will take a long time. But if you keep trying, you will see success.

Find full shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather053

To subscribe, go to iTunes, or go to Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list to download a free album. This show is sponsored by my Patrons of the Arts. You can support my music, podcasts, and videos for as little as $1 per month. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Count 4dB is a hip Hop artist who spent two years living in Glasgow performing and recording with the local artists. His Song Fisherman's song received praise from listeners aged 6 to 60 during shows in pubs, venues, and gatherings. The group behind the instrumental is Reely Jiggered from Greenock, and the instrumental, Mhairi's Tune can be found on their debut album. Count4dB believes poetry and beauty can be a larger part of hip hop than most assume and attempts to prove so with this piece. Band: Count 4dB
Homepage: http://Count4dB.com
from_CD: Rylander: There Can Be Only One
Year_Released: 2015 Hometown: San Francisco, California USA The Celtic Music Spotlight highlights Celtic bands featured on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. You can follow a link in the shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather052 to listen to the band's music on the podcast. To subscribe to this podcast, go to iTunes, or go to Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list to download a free album. This show is sponsored by my Patrons. You can support my music, podcasts, and videos for as little as $1 per month. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Emerald Accent Irish Music was founded in the spring of 2010 for the enhancement of the Celtic cultures through music in South Mississippi. Emerald Accent includes members Clark Lowery (vocals, guitar, banjo), Gail Fox (fiddle), Tom McCandlish (bodhran, vocals). With backgrounds in Irish, Bluegrass, Blues and Classical, the band brings freshness to the genre while priding itself in the Irish traditional style. The band loves working as a ceili band while also producing soothing slow jigs and waltzes. They have played for dances, concerts, pubs, and receptions and stand as the performing band with the Jackson Irish Dancers all across the Southern United States. Emerald Accent is a well-rounded band for those who enjoy Irish and Scottish music. The band has produced two CD's, "Laurel Green" and their latest 2015 release "For Love of Scotland."

Band: Emerald Accent
Homepage: http://emeraldaccent.com
from_CD: For Love of Scotland
Year_Released: 2015

Hometown: Laurel, Mississippi, USA
PersonalFact: Lived in County Louth, Ireland from 1990-1995.

Find out more about The Rathmines at marcgunn.com/celtfather051

Listen to Emerald Accent on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

To subscribe to this podcast, go to iTunes, or go to Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list to download a free album. This show is sponsored by my Patrons. You can support my music, podcasts, and videos for as little as $1 per month. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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The bass-player, Marcus, and the singer/guitar-player Martin had a band called STAINLESS BONES, which kind of broke apart in 2011. The two attended a POGUES-concert in August 2012, wanting to see Shane for at least one time before he kicked the bucket. Afterwards the sang (or maybe: growled) Irish Folk in the underground on their way home. As they got off the train, a guy approached them asking: You guys make music? Thus they met their new accordion-player, Egidio. He had attended the same concert and rode the same train. The three of them exchanged numbers and decided to focus on Irish Folk which they all liked. Eventually they managed to play some small gigs in Berlin. On a gig in January 2013 they found out that their friend René, had played punk drums years ago. The Rathmines were born.

Personal Fact: We are named after a nice district in Dublin where their accordion player used to live for a while.

Find out more about The Rathmines at marcgunn.com/celtfather050

Listen to The Rathmines on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

Subscribe to The Celtfather podcast at celtfather.com

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The Boston Harbor Bhoys are a Celtic and Irish-American band consisting of the father-son team of Eddie and Ryan Biggins along with family friend Michael Maloney. All three are versatile singers and musicians, each capable of holding a stage on his own. But when they come together in harmony, something special happens. The Boston Harbor Bhoys can set your feet to tapping or your heart to breaking.

Find out more about The Boston Harbor Bhoys and the Celtic Music Spotlight at marcgunn.com/celtfather048

Listen to The Boston Harbor Bhoys in the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast.

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Big changes are coming to The Celtfather podcast. I can no longer publish the show on Monday mornings like I've been doing, more or less, for a year and a half. The demands of fatherhood and desire to keep a regular schedule to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast means that this show will once again return to 1-3 episodes randomly published throughout the week, as time permits, and as I am hit with inspiration.

Since I'll be homeschooling Kenzie, as well as taking care of Inara, my life is a bit more kids focused. I'm gonna go with that and may publish more kids content.

In the meantime, the new Pub Songs Podcast is now live and new episodes will start up in February or March of next year.

I hope you will enjoy these changes and continue listening and enjoying my music. Slainte!

Marc Gunn, The Celtfather

Find out more at marcgunn.com/celtfather048

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Since I'll be homeschooling Kenzie, as well as taking care of Inara, my life is a bit more kids focused. I'm gonna go with that and may publish more kids content.

In the meantime, the new Pub Songs Podcast is now live and new episodes will start up in February or March of next year.

I hope you will enjoy these changes and continue listening and enjoying my music. Slainte!

Marc Gunn, The Celtfather

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I had big plans for another Celtic Travel episode of The Celtfather. But alas, sick kids left me a little tired. So instead, I decided to ramble on about some upcoming news about ContraFlow this weekend and share some cool insights about our weekend at the Beach.

Find full shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather046

To subscribe, go to iTunes, or go to Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list to download a free album. This show is sponsored by my Patrons at marcgunn.net. You can support my music, podcasts, and videos for as little as $1 per month. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Traveling will fill your life with joy and satisfaction. You experience life more fully when you hit the road and leave your comfort zone. I've felt its rewards more fully through my years on the road. I've grown and learned a lot, much like Mark Twain.

Twain wrote: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

This week, I share some of my reasoning behind why I love to travel and also how you can kickstart your travel experience. Plus, I share a Celtic Music Spotlight on Abby Green and offer you a free copy of my album Not Every Day Is St. Patrick's Day.

Join me for the as we delve into WHY you should travel too. Find the shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather045

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My apologies. That pirate scoundrel Captain Black Jack Murphy pirated my podcast for Talk Like a Pirate Day while hunting dragons. How horrible!

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A friend of mine wants to turn his dream into a full-time career. He knows what he wants, but he seems uncertain. So I decided to share this podcast as inspiration for him and for every budding entrepreneur who has a dream.

Find complete show notes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather044

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I had a an amazing time at Dragon Con 2015. This week, I want to share some of my fun experiences with Firefly Drinking Songs, Hobbit Drinking Songs, Tom Smith, plus some movie recommendations, the return of the Pub Songs Podcast, and a Celtic Music Spotlight on Emerald Rose.

Find complete shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather043

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This has been a phenomenal DragonCon with amazing gigs and audiences! As we’ve reached Monday morning, the Con is winding down, but there’s still plenty to do. There’s a lot to do in the upcoming weeks, but for now, I’d like to highlight the work of a friend of mine, Chaz Kemp.

Find complete shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather042

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I'm getting ready to head off on a family vacation. But I have a lot of news that needs to be shared before I head out.

We are two weeks away from the largest science fiction convention in the world--Dragon Con. I'm performing all weekend with Brobdingnagian Bards. However, I have a few extra shows of my own, including a Firefly Drinking Songs show and a Pub Songs Podcast Live show that will also be streamed live online.

This week's Celtic Music Spotlight is on the Rachel Hair Trio out of Glasgow, Scotland. My website is redesigned and I have a new podcast audio host. Plus, the Celtic Invasion of Cornwall is just about on a waiting list.

You can find all of his and more in our website at marcgunn.com/celtfather041.

PS. Make sure you listen to the very end of the show for a special treat from the Celt Father.

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What is the ONE thing that will make you successful? That's what the latest audiobook I'm enjoying, called "The One Thing", is all about.It has me thinking how I can best use my time right now. I'm taking care of a baby and home and trying to do work at the same time. It's not easy. It really requires focusing on ONE thing at a time. Can I do it?

Read the full shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather040

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GenCon is the world's largest gaming convention. You would think with such a big convention, that it would be easy to find any game you wanted. But last year when I went to find a game for my 3-year-old daughter, I couldn't. So in 2015, I decided to make an even more thorough search of the convention to find games that she would love. Today, I talk about two: Rhino Hero and Mega Monster City Smash.

Find full shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather039

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GenCon was another amazing weekend. I even found some great geeky games for my daughter. My Celtic Geek shows rocked as well. I talk all about it in this week's podcast.

Find show notes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather038

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It's funny how when I start planning this podcast, I frequently have NO news to share. Then I start searching to see what I did the past week, or what I have planned to come. Everything comes together. I end up with a longer show. I start the show off as usual with my Celtic Music Spotlight of the Scottish band Breabach. I also made an update to my Gunn Runners page to earn more patrons on Patreon. I talk about how I created this week's Irish & Celtic Music Podcast which features three hours of awesome Celtic music picked from my past ten years producing this podcast. I also share about some of my plans for GenCon this weekend. Finally, I finished the "itinerary" of next year's Celtic Invasion of Cornwall. I picked Cornwall because of its Arthurian history more than it's Celtic. But both are super important. I give you a day-by-day glimpse of what is completed thus far for next year's vacation. It's gonna be fun and exciting. Will you join me?

Find shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather037

Find out more about the Celtic Invasion of Cornwall at http://celticinvasion.com/itinerary/cornwall-2016/

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I had a great weekend at Johnny McCracken's Celtic pub this past weekend. It got me thinking and planning a street team for the weeks to come, as I finish the last shows of the year there. But first GenCon is coming up. And that means comedy music. This week I highlight some of the comedy music singers and performers at Friday Night Live, the big comedy event of the convention. Finally, I share a rant about the Celtic festival booking that will not happen.

Find complete shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather036

To subscribe, go to iTunes, or go to Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list. This show is sponsored by my Patrons at marcgunn.net. Your generous monthly donation feeds a human family of three and half plus three cats. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I finally came up with a plan for promoting the Irish and Celtic music Podcast. It's called the Celtic Music Challenge. The goal is to hit a Milestone on Patreon, plus get lots of voicemails which will bring a three hour Celtic music retrospective to the show. In the meantime, the new Brobdingnagian bards podcast is now online, and it's a good one. And of course, I have a lot of shows coming up in the weeks to come.

It's all this week on The Celtfather Podcast. http://marcgunn.com/celtfather035

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Apple Music launched this week and I already joined the bandwagon because I find most other social networks crappy. So even if this one is no better than Ping, it won't be much worse than everything else out there. This Wednesday, July 8th also marks my 10 year anniversary as a full-time musician.

If you want to wish my Irish & Celtic Music Podcast a big congrats, call 678-CELT-POD or email an MP3 to celticpodcast@gmail.com To subscribe, go to iTunes, or go to Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list. This show is sponsored by my Patrons at marcgunn.net. Your generous monthly donation feeds a human family of three and half plus three cats. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Life is busy so it's time for a six month review. I decided to look at my ideas and to do list and try to decide what I really should be working on. Especially considering my time is more limited than ever. It turns out I've been off track. No big surprise there. Hopefully this will get me back on track.

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Well, we’ve reached Donegal, and are currently enjoying our stay in a cottage by Mt.Charles! Though I’d initially intended to put out more podcasts during the trip, but because I’m enjoying putting more production into each one, several of them will probably be posted after the trip. There are only so many hours in the day, and when on vacation, they should be spent having fun! This idea was reflected by all of us, as we enjoyed a lazy morning (resting up from so much vacation!) at the cottage.

While there are a lot of merits to bus tours and CID trips, there are also a lot of cons that come along with those. Primarily, you don’t have any say in the itinerary, and you’re rushing about to see as many things as possible. That works for some folks, but our group is very happy to take it a little easier, and to enjoy the sites. This morning, I cooked up breakfast for the crew – potentially one of my favourite parts of Celtic Invasion Vacations, giving us a nice, quiet start to the day, along with some fun! This afternoon, we’re heading off to visit a national park and castle on the Peninsula, followed by an evening at Leo’s Tavern!

More details at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather032

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Exploring the Titanic by Marc Gunn

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Ireland Air Travel Tips: Celtic Invasion Vacation 2015 by Marc Gunn

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I have a lot of awesome news to share with you in show #28 of The Celtfather podcast, including a new band, an interview, a 10-year anniversary and a new feature--Celtic Music Spotlight featuring The Killdares. My Hobbit Drinking Songs show was a success and I also take a look at Mumford & Sons' new album, why I didn't like it, and how that could affect my music.

You can find out more about the show by visiting http://marcgunn.com/celtfather028

Subscribe to the podcast at http://celtfather.com

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Inara Claire Gunn was born yesterday at 7:08 pm. She's a happy, healthy girl of 7lbs. 11 oz and 20.5 inches long. Come meet her this Sunday on Concert Window.

Find out more at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather027

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My cold or whatever it was is doing better. Just in time too. Tomorrow, Gwen will be induced at the hospital. I should have baby pics to share soon. Find details at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather026

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There's still no news on the baby front. And we're less than one week away from the birth of Inara. Today, I share a little catch up news as well as do a short highlight of my Celtic Invasion of Donegal, Ireland in a few weeks.

Find shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather025

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First let me remind you that I have another Internet concert this Sunday. Look for a May Day them. Join my Internet concert mailing list for updates and reminders to join the show.

The winds are changing. What's in store for the coming weeks?

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I was listening to the Sell More Books show, episode #55. I got a fun show idea. This is basically an extra-long voicemail for their show where I share my thoughts on bookstores.

I also am considering this as a new feature of the podcast. I'd love your thoughts on the show.

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I'm flying home from Denver. Starfest was awesome but I'm a little tired from the weekend. Instead of succumbing to my fatigue, I decided I should get this podcast out on Monday like I plan each week.

My new kickstarter is coming to a close. And there's a few other tidbits of news in this week show.

Find more about this show at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather021

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I had another awesome gig at Johnnie MacCracken's Celtic Pub in Marietta, GA this weekend. If shows keep going like that, I could really start up some fire and passion at this pub. I'm feeling very hopeful. And even better, we're all making deeper friendships. The next show is on May 9th. Come on out.

I also answer River's questions: "What is some advice you would give to older people trying to start in music?"

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A rough mix from the upcoming CD Dragons vs. Pirates. Make a pledge at http://celticmusic.org/DragonsvsPirates

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I fell in love with podcasting early, early on. Podcasts provide me with an endless amount of joy AND education as well. Many of the shows I listen to are about how to market your... [Fill in the Blank], because all marketing podcasts are useful to the entrepreneur. This week, I share my Top 5 favorite podcasts right now, and why.

You can find links to all of these shows at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather019 (usually goes up the day after the show is released)

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I have some big news for the coming weeks to kick off this week's show. Afterward, I have offer another rant that was inspired by a Facebook post this week. While the post was political in nature. Today's rant is not. It's all about showing one another respect and not being a self-righteous arse. Which is why I decided to delete the original post out of respect for the person who showed me zero respect.

You can find complete show notes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather018

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The big St. Patrick's Day season for me starts in January and runs all through March 17th. It was a busy year, but was it all I expected and hoped to achieve? Find out and find out what my plans are for 2016. Plus, hear about Saturday's gig at Johnnie MacCracken's in Marietta, Georgia last weekend.

You can find shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather017

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There's a LOT of St. Patrick's Day news that has happened since last week, including free Celtic MP3s from the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, the St. Patrick's Day Internet Music Festival, concerts in Birmingham, an interview, revealing dragon eggs and... my second daughter's name. It's all part of today's show.

You can find complete shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather016

To subscribe, go to iTunes, or go to Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list. This show is sponsored by my Patrons at marcgunn.net. Your generous monthly donation feeds my family and supports this show. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #197 features the Top 20 Best Irish Drinking Songs ever. Since St. Patrick's Day is nearly here, I thought it's a good time to share some of the St. Patrick's Day drinking songs that I'll be performing this year for the holiday.

You can find more Celtic folk songs at http://celticfolksongs.com

Irish & Celtic Music Podcast http:;//celticmusicpodcast.com/197

And find the full shownotes for this podcast at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather015

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Here's another rough take of a song from Dragons vs Pirates. It's another shanty style song about a pirate's first attempt to steal gold from a dragon and how foolish it is.

Find out more about the project at Http://celticmusic.org/DragonsVsPirates

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St Patrick's Day is just five days away. It's a good time to share some of the great St. Patrick's Day music resources that I offer including, Celtic podcasts, free St. Patrick's Day MP3s, Celtic albums, some awesome Celtic bands, as well as Celtic art and travel links. This is one giant update on all things Celtic for St. Patrick's Day

You can find shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather014

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St. Patrick's Week starts tomorrow. So it's time to start philosophizing about Celtic music, awesome songs and fulfilling my promises through your generous patronage, including some thoughts I learned from Amanda Palmer.

You'll find a link to the full shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celtfather013

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The 2014 Podcast Awards are now open for voting and the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is once again nominated. Can we win our third award. Please vote every day from now until March 24th so we can win!

Http://podcastawards.com

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Spock meant a lot to me and countess others. Sadly, Leonard Nimoy passed away last week and left a great hole in the Star Trek universe.

Meantime, I'm getting ready for St Patrick's Day festivities and promotion. Find all about it at marcgunn.com/celtfather012

Kickstarter for Dragons vs Pirates marcgunn.com/kickstarter

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You're gonna hear about my brand new Kickstarter, and some plans for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. You might get a free copy of my next CD, St. Patrick's Day Songs for Kids, and I rant about crappy marketers in show #11 of The Celtfather.

Get the full shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/2015/poverty-with-flair-dragons-on-kickstarter-building-trust/

Help Kickstarter Dragons vs. Pirates http://marcgunn.com/kickstarter/

To subscribe, go to iTunes, or go to Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list. This show is sponsored by my Patrons at marcgunn.net Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celtfather on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Many people don't realize that for a short period of time in January 2013, I was shanghaied by air pirates. I'm the coming weeks, I will share this riveting story as well as a new Kickstarter for my next album, Dragons vs Pirates. I look forward to sharing more about it, but for now, please help me #SaveTheDragons

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Renaissance Festival Awards were posted this week. Congrats to all the winners. I was also excited to see my name among the most-influential people of the Faire community. It's a great honor!

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I'm back in Texas for the Sherwood Forest Faire with four shows daily. It was a great start to the season, and I'm SO happy to be back. I'm getting some nice audiences thanks in part to Gary Luther, my hawker, who's out inviting people to my shows. It's awesome. Thanks Gary!

To subscribe, go to iTunes, or go to Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list. This show is sponsored by my Patrons at marcgunn.net. Post feedback in the shownotes, use the hashtag #celticgeek on social media, or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I just posted my very first "DJ" experience from when I was a teenager to my Patrons. It reminded me today that I actually tried to become a DJ back in college. I reflect on that as well as on my iPad and the Best Celtic Rock and Celtic Music of 2014 all in today's edition of The Celtfather.

Pre-order St. Patrick's Day Songs for Kids http://celticmusic.org/StPatricksDaySongsForKids-I

To subscribe, go to iTunes, or go to http://Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list. This show is sponsored by my Patrons at http://marcgunn.net Post feedback in the shownotes or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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I have a quick rant about introversion that was sparked by a person on podcast today. The guest said he was a bad public speaker because he was an introvert. That reminded me of one other misconception someone alluded to last week. Find out more about both misconceptions in this week's Celtfather podcast.

The show is sponsored by Marc's Patrons at http://marcgunn.net/

And don't forget to check out Amanda Palmer's book, The Art of Asking. http://marcgunn.com/TheArtOfAsking

To subscribe, go to iTunes, or go to Celtfather.com where you can also join my mailing list. This show is sponsored by my Patrons at marcgunn.net Post feedback in the shownotes or email me marc@marcgunn.com

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Starting in 2000, I published a weekly email called The Bards Crier Music Marketing newsletter. It was one of the most-respected indie music marketing sites online. My goal was to guide musicians on the journey on how to make a living as a musician by documenting my own journey. The newsletter mostly stopped by the time I went full-time in 2005.

In show #5, I want to share some of the amazing music marketing tips I learned on the way. Plus, I have one sneaky tip that I didn't know back then that will make the journey a wee bit easier.

Join me THIS Sunday, January 25th on Concert Window. Sign up to be notified at http://marcgunn.com/concert/

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What do "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" and the death of Thorin Oakenshield have in common? Find out in the show #4 of The Celtfather podcast.

And remember, this Sunday, February 25th is the date of my next Concert Window performance. Sign up to be notified at http://marcgunn.com/concert/

Then become a Patron of the Arts at http://marcgunn.net/

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Last week, I picked my favorite Celtic music groups of 2014. All of these bands were featured in the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast and just blew me away. If you love Irish music or Celtic music, you should give them a listen. You'll find them all in episodes of the podcast.

Don't forget to VOTE for YOUR favorites in the 2014 poll at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/vote2014/

A special thanks goes out to my Patrons on Patreon. http://marcgunn.net/

Subscribe to my mailing list at http://celtfather.com

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I'm strategizing the best way to increase my fan base. I have an idea, but it scares me. Will it be alright?

Find out what this idea is all about and how you can help me see light of day... or not.

Remember to join my new street team at http://marcgunn.com/joinstreetteam

Subscribe to the podcast at http://Celtfather.com

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Welcome to my brand new podcast of 2015--The Celtfather. The name has changed but the content is pretty much the same as The Celtic Geek, and the Pub Songs Podcast before it. I share news regarding my music career plus, I ramble on various topics. If you have a show theme for next week, email me.

Today's show is brought to you by Patrons of the Arts. Become a Patron at http://www.marcgunn.net/

You can find out more about this show at http://celtfather.com

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The year is nearly at an end. My music career didn't go through the roof this year, but I had a lot of small successes which I hope to leverage to something bigger next year. I want to thank everyone who supported my music this year. And stay tuned for a newly named show in 2015.

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Yesterday, I kicked off a brand-new podcast called Celtic Christmas greetings. The show is free to download, of course. You can find it in my blog at www.MarcGunn.com or by visiting www.CelticChristmasmusic.net

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The Louisiana Renaissance Festival is over. I'm heading home to spend the holidays with my family. As I drive, I share the last news and lessons learned from this weekend including an update on my Celtic Christmas video show that's coming. Find out more at http://CelticChristmasMusic.net

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It's #CelticThursday and I have some time to actually do promo for the day where I ask you to share something Celtic with people through social media. Today, I'm sharing my song "Let's Have a Celtic Christmas". It's the first song on my album "Celtic Christmas Greetings" with lyrics by Rie Sheridan Rose and music by me. http://celticmusic.org/CelticChristmasGreetingCards

If you supported my Kickstarter for Celtic Christmas Greeting Cards, then I have some important news for you. Please listen.

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I'm home sick with my daughter. So in today's show, I keep it fairly short and share the immediate news of interest, including a show at The Irish House, the new Celtic Rock episode of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, thoughts on the Celtic Christmas shows. And more. Immediately after I finished recording this I realized I forgot to mention my next internet concert. It's tomorrow night at 7 pm on Thurs, Dec 4th. Get your tickets at http://marcgunn.com/cw

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I was at the post office today. When the attendant asked me how I got to music. And I discovered a nice revelation about how Elvis Presley's music affected me. Subscribe at http://celtfather.com

Find Celtic Christmas music http://celticchristmasmusic.net/

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On my drive back to the Louisiana Renaissance Festival, I had a brainstorm about a new podcast that I hope to roll out in the next couple o'weeks. It's a new Celtic Christmas podcast highlighting my album Celtic Christmas Greetings which is now mostly in the mail. Find out what I love about podcasts and also how you can win a free t-shirt. Read all about it at http://marcgunn.com/2014/you-need-a-celtic-geek-t-shirt-i-need-reviews/

Coming soon. Don't miss the Celtic Christmas Podcast http://celticchristmaspodcast.com/

Find Celtic Christmas music http://celticchristmasmusic.net/

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I'm trying to figure out how to promote my Celtic music show at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. So I take a retrospective look at what is Celtic music and what is Celtic Geek?

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I've been sharing the stage with the Dublin Harpers, a family of Celtic musicians from Dublin, Ohio. As the name says, they play harp music, but it's not like harp music you've heard before. There are at least two harpers, a bodhran player, and occasional other instruments mixed in by the whole family. The music is also upbeat, with reels and jigs that sound like reels and jigs. If you usually think of harp music as slow and pretty, then give this a listen and find out how wrong you are. Find out more about the band at http://www.facebook.com/dublinharpers

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I got to chat with Jared Billeaud, one of the drummers and singers with the Whiskey Bay Rovers. He also came up with the original idea for the song "Reavers, Malcolm, Reavers" that went on my CD, "Sci Fi Drinking Songs". We talked a wee bit about how he got started with music and the song. http://celticmusic.org/SciFiDrinkingSongs

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The Whiskey Bay Rovers came by to chat with me at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival after a show. We talked origin stories of these pirates from Lafayette.

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I am happy to announce a Celtic Christmas Show was officially sponsored by my Patrons. Can I pull it off in time for Christmas? Meanwhile, you can win something cool if you help me get reviews of this podcast. Post a review from now until the end of November 2014 for a chance to win a Celtic Geek review.

Find more Celtic Christmas music at http://celticchristmasmusic.net/

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The Bilge Pumps sent me their newest CD, Bail Money, last month. I had the pleasure of seeing them at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival where I dug deeper into their murky history. Subscribe to the podcast at http://celtfather.com

You can become a patron of the podcast
at http://marcgunn.net/

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It's #CelticThursday. Each and every week, I'm gonna share a song from one of my albums until I can't do any more. Then who knows what will happen. This week, I have a song inspired by Joss Whedon's Firefly and Serenity. It's called "Browncoats Keep Flyin'" and features lyrics by the magnificent Rie Sheridan Rose.

If you'd like to enjoy more of this music, get a copy of Sci Fi Drinking Songs at http://celticmusic.org/SciFiDrinkingSongs

You can become a patron of this show
at http://marcgunn.net/

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Today's podcast was recorded on the road as I returned from the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. I share with you an awesome new Celtic music podcast, update you about this week's 2-hour bagpipe music special, offer some insights into my next, next album, and share how I died. The Kickstarter is coming to a close. You have about 24-hours to get discounts on Celtic Christmas Greeting Cards + CD for this holiday season. Go to http://celticmusic.org/CelticChristmasGreetingCards

And finally, this show is brought to you by my Patrons of the Arts. You can become a patron and support this podcast for as little as $1 a month by heading over to http://www.marcgunn.net/ and making a donation. In fact, you could get my next, next album as a free gift when we hit $300 per month!

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My friend Nancy Flynn emailed me some Christmas lyrics a couple years ago. We both love JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings. The lyrics were inspired by A Long Expected Party, a hobbit gathering that happens every few years in Central Kentucky. It's a magical place and the lyrics do it justice. After returning from this year's ALEP and recording the song, I realized the song needed one of our famed Hobbit Choirs to join me the chorus. My fellow ALEPers were up to the challenge and recorded the beautiful voices you will hear in this recording.

As with all of these Christmas songs, this one will be on my Celtic Christmas Greeting Cards and CD. I'm currently raising money on Kickstarter to pay for the album and cards. Please show your support and make a pledge at http://celticmusic.org/CelticChristmasGreetingCards .

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I'm pleased to share another rough mix of from my Celtic Christmas Greeting Cards. This is a slight modification of "Frosty the Snowman". There are no substantial changes to the song we all love. But since it doesn't snow too often in Ireland, I had to take a few creativity licenses. Thanks to Samantha Gillogly who added a bouncy fiddle part to the song as well.

The greeting cards have just six days left until the Kickstarter campaign comes to a close. You support it by making a pledge. Just go to http://celticmusic.org/CelticChristmasGreetingCards to get yours for this Celtic Christmas season!

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It was an absolute crazy week with a stomach bug, a tooth pulled, a birthday and a family visit. I'm exhausted. There's no rest for the weary because Celtic Halloween approaches. Then I'm off to the Louisiana Renaissance Festival for 6 weekends. I still have a Celtic Christmas Kickstarter to promote with just 8 days left... and what's that I want to do? A super secret Christmas music show? I think I must be crazy. This show is brought to you by YOU, the Patrons of my music.

You can become a patron for as little as $5 per month. If I can raise a bunch of money, then I will shoot a Renaissance Festival music special at the faire. Become a Patron at http://marcgunn.net/

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Here's another rough cut from my Celtic Christmas Greeting Cards and CD that are now on Kickstarter. Everyone in America, at least, knows "Jingle Bells". It's a favorite for kids especially. So I decided to keep the rhythm and mood of it more traditional Christmas than Celtic. Samantha Gillogly add a beautiful fiddle part which brings out the melody even better.

The Celtic Christmas Greeting Cards are still available until November 3rd. Order yours now at http://celticmusic.org/CelticChristmasGreetingCards

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This is perhaps my favorite Christmas song ever written. Obviously, it's not a Celtic Christmas song. So to give it that Celtic edge, I had Samantha Gillogly add some brilliant fiddling. The result is sheer perfection.

You can get this and other Celtic Christmas music as part of my Celtic Christmas Greeting Cards that are now on Kickstarter. Go to http://celticmusic.org/CelticChristmasGreetingCards

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This is still one of my favorite Celtic Christmas songs that I've written. It captures a little bit of the American Christmas mythos while merging it with the leprechauns of Ireland and the old English recruitment tactic of the 19th century.

You can get this and other Celtic Christmas music as part of my Celtic Christmas Greeting Cards that are now on Kickstarter. Go to http://celticmusic.org/CelticChristmasGreetingCards

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One of my favorite Celtic Christmas songs was made famous by Bing Crosby. It's a delightful song with a toe-tapping melody. I had Samantha Gillogly give it an even more Irish sound with some fantastic fiddling.

You can get this and other Celtic Christmas music as part of my Celtic Christmas Greeting Cards that are now on Kickstarter. Go to http://celticmusic.org/CelticChristmasGreetingCards

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In show #62, I talk about some of the fun things that happened during the Firefly Drinking Songs shows and the excitement for the Celtic Halloween show. I inform you of a new Celtic music YouTube series that has me excited and update you on a new level for the Kickstarter campaign that I hope will Kickstarter the project faster to its goal. Today's show is brought to you by Lunarpages. Get affordable, high-quality web hosting at http://marcgunn.com/lunarpages/

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I just launched a Kickstarter for my next project which is Celtic Christmas Greeting Cards that you can send to your loved ones complete with Celtic Christmas music by Marc Gunn.

If you plan to send Christmas cards this year, why not make a pledge and share the gift of music. Go to http://celticmusic.org/CelticChristmasGreetingCards to sponsor the album

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I'm back from a rockin' weekend of house concerts in Maryland and Virginia where I shared a bunch of Celtic music as well as geek music with some wonderful people. Now I'm gearing up for the Celtic Halloween special on YouTube tonight and the ultimate Firefly Drinking Songs show on Sunday. There's a LOT of news to share.

I want to thank my Patrons of the Arts who make it all possible. Find out how you can be a patron to support this show for as little as $1 per month at http://marcgunn.net/

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I've been meaning to do this show for a while. Some of you signed up to Song Henge because it was for a brief time MY fan club as well as that of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. That has changed a wee bit even if most of the content hasn't. How are Song Henge and Patreon different? What cool benefits do you get from being on one than the other? Hopefully, I answered those question in today's podcast.

Join Song Henge at http://songhenge.com/

Support the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast's Patreon page at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/patreon/

And support my music at http://www.marcgunn.net/

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ALEP was wonderful. Now it's another ALEP Year until the next one. You'll have to listen to find out how an ALEP Year is. In this week's episode, I talk about my favorite moments at ALEP. Plus, I announce a bunch of shows that are coming up. The show is brought to you by ALEP. Go to http://www.alep-ky.us to find out more.

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Michael Drout is an amazing professor who teaches the works of JRR Tolkien. He's also a regular guest of A Long Expected Party, aka ALEP, the ultimate Tolkien gathering in the world. I had the pleasure of talking to him about his love of Tolkien and he also provided valuable insight on how to read The Silmarillion. If you are passionate about hobbits and all things Lord of the Rings, then find out more about ALEP at http://www.alep-ky.us/

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Jef Murray is a fantasy artist best known for his illustrations inspired by JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. He's been a regular guest of ALEP these past few years. I had the overwhelming pleasure of sitting down with him to talk about his art and love of Tolkien. http://www.jefmurray.com

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Every three years, much like Brigadoon, a small hobbit village arises from the mist in central Kentucky. I just got back and was able to snag an interview with one of the founders of ALEP, A Long Expected Party, the ultimate gathering of Lord of the Rings fans on the planet. Our very own Bilbo Baggins had wonderful things to say about this amazing event. http://www.alep-ky.us

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I'm on the road to ALEP, The hobbit gathering in Central Kentucky. As I listen to some podcasts and CDs right, I got inspired to put out my own show and talk about some of the stuff that's happening. Today's show is sponsored by Audible. Get a free audiobook and a 30-day free trial at http://marcgunn.com/audible

Become a patron of my music at http://marcgunn.net/

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Last night, I had a very successful show of cat songs. About forty people showed up to celebrate our joint love of cats. I talk about that as well as some more riveting news that will have you on the edge of your seat anticipating cool new projects. Today's show is brought to you by Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers. Do you love cats? Do you love Celtic music? Experience this fun pet project and meow along at http://catdrinkingsongs.com/

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Halfway to St. Patrick's Day may've once been associated with Arthur's Day, and getting drunk on Guinness. I like to think of it as another reminder that Celtic music, dance, art, and culture are alive and growing throughout the world. I hope you will join me in celebrating Halfway to St. Patrick's Day. Turn on some Celtic music. Go watch some Irish or Scottish dancing. Pick up a pen and raw a Celtic knot. Join your Celtic breathren in happy community. Today's show is brought to you by Audible. http://marcgunn.com/audible/ I love audiobooks. It's a great way to keep up with new books. And with Audible, you can get a free 30-day trial, plus a one free audibook when you subscribe.

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I was looking at Google Trends today. I found that "Celtic music" has declined dramatically in popularity since 2008. So in today's podcast, I not only talk about what happened, but also how we can change the trend and create a spike in popularity. Today's show is sponsored by the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Enjoy over 200 hours of free Celtic music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/

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Sci Fi Drinking Songs is officially on sale. Go buy a copy, OR post a review if you already own it. It's on all the major digital distribution websites. http://celticmusic.org/SciFiDrinkingSongs

Today's show was sponsored by the Celtic Invasion of Donegal, Ireland at http://celticinvasion.com/

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What is Patreon? And how can you get involved supporting a musician and podcaster like me? Celtfather Music & Travel #49.

I originally recorded in 2014 for my Celtfather podcast. It was a bit out of date. I decided to update it for 2021.

In this episode, I explain the two different types of patronage you can do on Patreon. I tell you why it is important for all creative people to use it. I also educate you how to get involved supporting your favorite musician, podcast, artist, or video creator.

I'm sure there's a lot more I could say, but it's my way to quickly get you on top of how amazing Patreon is.

If you're looking for more Celtic Musicians on Patreon, follow this link.

The show is brought to you by my Patrons. Follow the link to my Gunn Runners Club on Patreon.

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Andrew and I started Brobdingnagian Bards 15 years ago in 1999. We've been friends since 1993. You will hear a little bit if the Bards story in today's Celtic Geek. http://andrewmckee.com/

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I've know Jessica Brawner for years when we first met her on the South Mall of UT Austin. She's gone to DragonCon as long as we've been there. She was back helping is sell CDs, but she also a new book for Con-goers. It's called Charisma +1. Get it right here: http://marcgunn.com/CharismaPlus1

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I was racing to a panel at DragonCon when I heard a song about Dobby the House Elf. I had to stop and interview Wizard Rock band, the Blibbering Humdingers. http://camelot-treasures.com/humdingers.htm

Enjoy this interview, then please become a patron of the arts at http://marcgunn.net/

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Mikey Mason does comedy geek rock. I've had his song "So You Don't Like Firefly" stuck in my head all day and I haven't heard it since GenCon. So what does that tell you? But if you're a fan of D&D, then you don't want to miss "Best Game Ever". http://www.mikeymason.com/

Become a patron of the arts at http://marcgunn.net/

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I had a break at Dragon Con. I thought I'd take a moment to chat with Emerald Rose, the Celtic Geek band that inspired me to perform at Sci Fi conventions. They have a new cd out called Sunwise. Find them at http://emeraldrose.com/

Become a patron of this podcast at http://marcgunn.net/

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The Concert Window show last night was a blast. There were about 23 people watching the performance from around the world. It was a small but passionate group. We laughed and sang together. Thanks to everyone who showed up on the stream for the show. I made two big announcements last night. You can hear them now in this week's edition of The Celtic Geek. Find shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek043

Today's show is sponsored by Audible. Get a free audiobook and a 30-day free trial at http://marcgunn.com/audible

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GenCon is over. As much as I love the con, boy, am I tired! I'm ready for a few days of recoup, but "days" is the wrong turn of phrase. I have today. The show whole weekend was fun, fantastic with lots of amazing people. I think it's the people I love best at this convention. They're pretty laid back. They're friendly and fun. I saw nothing but smiles all weekend, even in those grumpy mornings when folks were up after not enough sleep. It's a wonderful environment. Add on top of that some amazing people to work with like Jeannette, Tiana, Todd, LT, and good friends and musicians like Apryl Knight, the Great Luke Ski, Dan the Bard, Water Street Bridge, Il Troubadore, Mikey Mason. It's just a tremendously awesome weekend. I also enjoyed meeting Sarah Donner, who tore it up at Friday Night Live this year. I want to thank each and every person who came by and said hi. Thanks to everyone who attended my shows. And a big thanks to those who supported the arts by buying a CD. I hope you love the new albums!

Today's show is sponsored by Lunarpage. Need awesome web hosting. Go to http://marcgunn.com/lunarpages

Become a patron of this podcastd at http://marcgunn.net/

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It's the final day of the GenCon. I'm tired. But I still have a couple hours of performing in the lobby before the long drive home. So I did final podcast to chat with musicians and helpers and share some of the fun. Was that English? Tiired.

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I am in Indianapolis once again for GenCon. I added a new Wednesday evening show that went well despite Autoharp and location problems. Now it's time to rock out the rest of the con. Sponsored by Lunarpages http://marcgunn.com/lunarpages

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I'm back after a week off from vacation on the beach with the family. Kenzie's school started back up so I'm also back to a regular work schedule. Today, I'm pleased to share all of the news I missed this past couple weeks. I list my upcoming shows and apologize for a Celtic podcast screwup. Plus, I get to talk about my "new" autoharp It's like the Six Million Dollar Man, faster, stronger, better than before. Learn what I look for in an autoharp. Find out more at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek039

Today's show is sponsored by Lunarpages. It's intelligent web hosting for intelligent people. I've used it for 10+ years. http://marcgunn.com/lunarpages

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I saw an advertisement for a lady's fashion store with the most appalling anorexic woman on the ad. It raised an idea for a parody advertisement that I decided not to share. Was it too much? Find out more about it in this week's Celtic Geek. http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek037

Today's show is sponsored by Lunarpages. Do you need high-quality, affordable web hosting? If you have a business online, then the answer is yes. Give Lunarpages a try. It's intelligent web hosting for intelligent people. http://celticmusicpodcast.com/lunarpages

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As I pack up CDs to mail from my recent Kickstarter for Sci Fi Drinking Songs, I thought I'd record a podcast. Today, we talk about how to filter your email. I share the challenges of promoting with social media. And I remember the ah-ha moments that changed my musical career forever. Today's show is sponsored by Celtic Invasion Vacations.

Visit http://celticinvasion.com/ to find out about the Invasion of Donegal next year.

Find links at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek038

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We had a great weekend in New Orleans complete with show stopping performance at The Irish House with my daughter. Find out all the exciting details at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek037 Today's show is brought to you by You! Thank you for listening.

Become a patron at http://marcgunn.net/

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While chatting with Haggis Rampant this weekend at a wedding, I learned of an exciting new development in the Celtic music world. Don't miss this Celtic music news flash! Find out more at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek036

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We drove to Asheville, North Carolina for the wedding of our friends. It was not only an awesome wedding but a great family adventure too. We saw a lot of great sites along the way. We even caught some 3rd of July fireworks. Find out all about it in this week's Celtic Geek at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek035

Today's show is brought to you by the Celtic Invasion of Donegal, Ireland. Learn more about this year's invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/

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Some insights regarding the Celtic Geek Con and some thoughts I earned from listening to the audio book "Quiet" Find out more at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek034 I started listening to a new audio book today by Susan Cain. It’s called Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. And yes, today’s show is sponsored by Audible. You can get the book free when you go to http://marcgunn.com/audible.

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I started listening to a new audio book today by Susan Cain. It's called Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. And yes, today's show is sponsored by Audible. You can get the book free when you go to http://marcgunn.com/audible. Sci Fi Drinking Songs is done and off to the printers. If you pre-ordered it, stay tuned. I'll have it in the mail soon. You can find this show at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek033

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The definition of Celtic music has changed over the last fifty years. It could easily be defined as the traditional music of Ireland and Scotland. That definition no longer works. "Traditional Irish music" is a subset of Celtic music, just like "traditional Scottish music". And "Irish music" does not automatically equal Celtic music. So what is Celtic music the 21st century? This week's Celtic Geek will answer that question in regards to how it is defined by the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast and the Celtic Music Magazine. You may not like the answer! Today's show is brought to you by the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. This is the world's largest podcast for Celtic music that highlights indie Celtic music. The comes out every week and is 100% free to download or listen to online. It's hours upon hours of great Celtic music by some of the best Celtic musicians online. Visit www.celticmusicpodcast.com to thumb your nose at commercial radio while you celebrate one of the most-influential musical styles of the world. Find out more at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek032

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After a wonderful CeltFather's Day, it's time for your weekly edition of The Celtic Geek. I thought I'd take the time to re-emphasize my goal in promoting indie Celtic music by sharing some thoughts as to what indie Celtic music is. Today's show is brought to you by Audible. Go to http://marcgunn.com/audible and you'll get a free audiobook download and a 30-day trial of the service. I recently downloaded Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as read by Stephen Fry. The audiobook will cost you $14.95 on Amazon. It's free if you go through audible right now. Find this show at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek031

Become a patron at http://marcgunn.net/

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I'm feeling extremely bothered by some recent posts on Facebook. I thought I'd share a message of education about manipulation, hate, love and forgiveness. The show is sponsored by Amazon.com. If you want to protect yourself from digital and media manipulation, then check "Influence" by Robert Cialdini. http://marcgunn.com/influence

Become a patron at http://marcgunn.net/

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The Kickstarter for Sci Fi Drinking Songs came to astoundingly awesome ending yesterday. I raised over $6000 for the CD which is far more than I hoped. However, it’s actually more like what I need. I have a lot of bills that I incurred this year with server problems. I’m still paying those off. So it looks like this will not only cover additional costs for the CD, but it’ll also puts a huge dent in those financial issues. So thank you for your support. Today, I want to talk a little about the Quidditch World Cup. I love Harry Potter, and I had a brainstorm for a fun podcast idea. Listen in and you’ll learn that the QWA is not only real, but you could make it come alive even more.

Today’s sponsor is Audible.com. Join Audible and you will not only get a free audiobook and 30-day free trial of the service, but you’ll also be able to find over 100,000 audiobooks that will make your drive easier. Visit http://marcgunn.com/audible/ and support this podcast.

Find links and more at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek029

Become a patron at http://marcgunn.net/

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There's just three days left for my Kickstarter for Sci Fi Drinking Songs. Instead of sharing one song a day, I'm gonna share three songs that have rough mixes already. These are "Doctor of Gallifrey", "A Boy and His Frog" and "Romulan Ale". If you enjoy the music, I want you to do two things. First, sponsor the album. You can pre-order a digital copy for as little as $15. Second, SHARE this preview and the Kickstarter campaign with ALL your friends. The more the merrier.

Just go to http://marcgunn.com/kickstarter/

Find more about the album at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek028

Become a patron at http://marcgunn.net/

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It's time for me to share more songs from my upcoming album Sci Fi Drinking Songs. I have never written a song inspired by my many, many years playing Dungeons & Dragons. At the beginning of this year, I was back home going through boxes in my dad's attic. I found all of my old D&D books and gaming material, including a folder of the dead. I saved each and every character who I played over the years. There were dozens. I thought it was appropriate that parody Jim Carroll's song "People Who Died" as a fun tribute to D&D and my many dead characters. There are four days left for you to sponsor "Sci Fi Drinking Songs" to keep these dead characters alive for years to come! http://marcgunn.com/kickstarter

See more at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek027/

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I haven't shared any music yet from the upcoming album "Sci Fi Drinking Songs". So I decided to put together a few songs for your listening pleasure. You can hear some of the music that will be on the album and decide if it is something that will suit you. You can support the Kickstarter by going to http://marcgunn.com/kickstarter And find a direct link to this podcast http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek026

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It's kind of tough getting back to work after 10 days on a Celtic Invasion Vacation. I actually don't want to do it. But I have a lot to do, including returning to my weekly schedule of Celtic Geek news. http://www.marcgunn.com/celticgeek025

The show is brought to you by Amazon where I bought a Apogee Professional Microphone. http://marcgunn.com/apogeemicrophone

Become a patron at http://marcgunn.net/

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This year's Celtic Invasion of Wales came to an end. I must say I'm extremely pleased with how well it worked out. Everything I have learned since I started doing trips to Ireland in 2007 and then the Invasions of 2009, it all came into a beautifully formed vacation, filled with glorious sites. good food, good drink, and good company. I had a blast and I think my Invaders did too. My final day in Europe was in Dublin, where Kevin and I got to experience a little of the city before we return home. Now it's time for me to start thinking ahead to next year's Invasion. Right now, I am looking at going back to Dingle, Ireland in 2015. But I won't know for sure for another month. If you'd like to join a Celtic Invasion Vacation and not just see the world through a bus window, but experience it with good people, then sign up to my mailing list at http://www.celticinvasion.com . I hope to see you there!

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We just got back late from a trip to the Llyn Peninsula and dinner at the The Old Boathouse on Red Wharf Bay (not to be confused with Red Dwarf). It was AWESOME. I had lamb shanks and mussels. I'm Stuffed! I can barely move, let alone record another podcast. So I'm gonna share with you the interview I did with Vicki Swan and Jonny Dyer. Our entire group is still talking about how fantastic the trip was yesterday. I can't wait to meet them again.

You can find out all about them at http://www.swan-dyer.co.uk

You can find out all about Celtic Invasion Vacations at http://celticinvasion.com

Become a patron at http://marcgunn.net/

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I ran out of bandwidth for this podcast. So I upgraded to the pro plan for SoundCloud. That's awesome news for you because it means you get this Awesome podcast featuring one tune and one song by Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer. In a few days, you'll also get an interview with another song by this amazing duo.

You can find them and get their albums from their website at http://www.swan-dyer.co.uk

Don't you wish you were on one of my Celtic Invasion Vacations. Subscribe at http://www.celticinvasion.com

Become a patron at http://marcgunn.net/

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We visited Llaberis, Wales today. It was an exciting ADVENTURE. And I mean that on many, many levels. From the mountain climbs and waterfalls to the mead tasting before heading to Cae Mabon and looking death in the face on the side of a mountain. It was one helluva day as you'll hear from the exciting story of the day. You too can join me on a Celtic Invasion Vacation as we invade Ireland in 2015.

Visit http://www.celticinvasion.com/ and sign up to the mailing list to find out more.

Become a patron of the show at http://marcgunn.net/

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We went to Caernarfon today and saw the castle. Wow! If you ever get a chance to go there. DO! it's fantastic for a "ruin". After a stop in Holyhead at the lighthouse and dinner on the marina, we came back. I played a set of music. But as usual, I thought I'd tease a little music, especially since I haven't shared ANY music from my new Kickstarter--Sci Fi Drinking Songs. The album is currently $600 away from my second financial stretch goal with 12 days left.

So enjoy a few live versions of some of the songs that will be on the album. http://marcgunn.com/kickstarter/

The show is sponsored by Celtic Invasion Vacations. Find out where we are going next year at http://celticinvasion.com/

Become a patron of the show at http://marcgunn.net/

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Today we had a brilliant Welsh historian and guide named Gwilym Morus. Right before the day came to an end and he played us an amazing concert, I sat down to interview Gwilym. He also shared a stunning Welsh love ballad.

Find out more at http://welshmythology.com

Brought to you by Celtic Invasion Vacations. http://celticinvasion.com

Become a patron of the show at http://marcgunn.net/

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Day one of the Celtic Invasion Vacations. We're at our cottage tired and got try out some Welsh whisky. It's pretty dang good. We visited Conwy today. Had a wonderful dinner at Dylan's Restaurant in Menai Bridge. Fun, tiring day. Tomorrow, we meet our Welsh bard.

Today's show is brought to you by Celtic Invasion Vacations. You know you wish you were here. http://celticinvasion.com

Become a patron of the show at http://marcgunn.net/

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I arrived in Manchester where my Celtic Invasion of Wales will begin. This is a brief introductory show to get you ready for daily episodes of our adventures in Wales. The show is sponsored by Hotels.com. If you're looking to travel anywhere around the world and need a hotel, then sign up for Hotels.com. You can support the podcast by using this URL http://marcgunn.com/hotels

Become patron of The Celtfather at http://marcgunn.net/

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I will be in Wales next weeks, so I thought I should do a wee bit o'promotion for some of my upcoming shows that will happen when I get back in town, including a house concert hosted by the Irish Society of North Alabama. I'll be in their Maggie McGuinness Pub. You can now reserve your space at the concert right here: http://marcgunn.brownpapertickets.com/

My Kickstarter is $283 away from reaching its first financial stretch goal. You will get a 4-page booklet with additional details about the album if I reach the goal. You can make a pledge at http://marcgunn.com/kickstarter/ Find this show on my website at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek016/

Today’s show is sponsored by Hotels.com. Wherever you travel around the world, you can book a hotel at discounted rates. Book ten hotels and get one night free. Hotels.com saved my butt this week when I realized I forgot to book my hotel in Dublin at the end of my Wales trip. Show them some love and sign up to book your own hotel vacation. http://www.marcgunn.com/hotels/

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"I never heard about this album". That's the comment I got from someone on Facebook this week. So I thought I should dedicate today's podcast to talking about the Kickstarter for my next album Sci Fi Drinking Songs. Come to think of it, I should do an entire show talking about all the songs... I'll aim for that for this Thursday. In the meantime, I am super blown away and ever grateful to everyone who has already pledged money towards my next CD Sci Fi Drinking Songs. The album is already 165% funded. Now I need to start thinking about stretch goals. Hmm... Any thoughts? You can make a pledge at http://marcgunn.com/kickstarter/

Find this show on my website at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek015/

Today's show is sponsored by Hotels.com. Wherever you travel around the world, you can book a hotel at discounted rates. Book ten hotels and get one night free. http://www.marcgunn.com/hotels/

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I am excited to offer my first ever Celtic Geek interview. I would love to offer more such interviews. In the meantime, listen to Laramie Williams as he talks to The Stubby Shillelaghs. http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek014

Become a patron of this episode at http://marcgunn.net/

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This past weekend, I flew to Denver, Colorado for an exciting return to StarFest. It's been three years since last I was there. Once again, the weekend was filled with some awesome fun. I share a wee bit of the excitement in this week's Celtic Geek. http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek013

Today’s show is sponsored by Lunarpages. If you’re looking for a premium web host, you can get started at one low price. Go to Lunarpages and get a Starter Web Hosting package if you’re new to creating website or even starting your own podcast.

Become a patron of this episode at http://marcgunn.net/

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Dark smile Smooth and cool Like a Browncoat Awaiting a duel Drink Monahan's Mudder's Milk This week I take a brief look at my favorite TV show ever--Firefly. Two years after the show was canceled, a podcast emerged from the rubble and kept the spirit and passion for the show alive and growing. It was called The Signal. Every time I listened to the show, I had to watch the TV show or movie again. It kept my love for Firefly alive. Ten years since it began, the podcast is coming to an end... NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

See the complete shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek012

Today's show is brought to you by Firefly Drinking Songs. What other songs might've been heard in that little town of Canton? The album was recorded live by the Bedlam Bards and Marc Gunn. Find out details at http://marcgunn.com/fireflydrinkingsongs

Become a patron of the podcast at http://marcgunn.net/

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When I was a kid, I believed I could use the Force from Star Wars. I never could move objects with my mind, but my idealistic belief I could accomplish anything. As Dr Emmett Brown said, "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything". I believe that wholeheartedly. It is one of the reasons I am a full-time musician today. Read the full shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek011

Today's show is sponsored by Lunarpages. If you're looking for a premium web host, you can get started at one low price. Go to http://marcgunn.com/lunarpages and get a Starter Web Hosting package if you're new to creating website or even starting your own podcast.

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We had a lovely time this weekend in New Orleans. We walked through a field of wildflowers. We ate amazing food. We spent a relaxing Easter with friends. Today’s show is brought to you by Audible. Get a free audiobook download when you join today. Then listen to thousands of titles. If you need a suggestion then check out Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold. It's awesome.

Find details at http://marcgunn.com/audible

Visit http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek010 for the latest show

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It's tough being an introvert in an extroverted world. Do you enjoy my music? Are you an introvert or extrovert? How does a musician make a name for oneself as an introvert? These are some of the questions I hope to answer into today's episode of The Celtic Geek. http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek009

Today's episode is sponsored by Audible. Get a 30-day free trial and a free audiobook download when you join Audible at http://marcgunn.com/audible

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The Celtic Geek is now completely integrated with SoundCloud. That means as soon as it is uploaded, it goes live in the podcast feed. But it also means if you were looking for detailed shownotes, you're not gonna find them. SoundCloud feeds don't allow active URL links. Instead, you will need to go to marcgunn.com/celticgeek008 to find the complete shownotes.

Subscribe to the podcast here: http://celtfather.com/

Photo by Rhetta Akamatsu

Today's show is brought to you by Audible. Get a free audiobook download when you join today. Then listen to thousands of titles. Find details at http://marcgunn.com/audible

You can become a patron of this show at http://marcgunn.net/

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There are a wide variety geeks in the world. Explore and let me know what your favorite geekdoms are.

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Right before Christmas last, I saw the coolest thing. Films were packaging DVDs along with digital download codes so you could enjoy movies in multiple formats. How awesome is that!? It got me thinking about how I can do the same with CDs... and books... Let me offer some cool insights.

Find the full shownotes at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek006

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New this week: The podcast has a new URL. I win a Celtic music award. I start a new video show. I rock out MidSouthCon and I ask the question, "What Is Your Super Power?" Find a full length to all this news at http://marcgunn.com/celticgeek005

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Happy St. Patrick's Day! I am pleased to announce the official birth of a new podcast--The Celtic Geek. For the last four weeks I've been debating what to call this new podcast. I thought and thought and finally decided three things: The Celtic Geek community needs a town crier, someone to unite the Celtic music lovers and Sci Fi fantasy geeks under one roof. I've been a Celtic Geek my whole life, so why not just use that name.

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We are one week away from St. Patrick's Day. This is my busiest time of the year. I plan to share St. Patrick's Day music with you all week long with my Internet St. Patrick's Day Festival. You can join me starting at 9am each day this week.

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I'm getting ready for a busy week for St. Patrick's Day. In preparation, I'm recording another Pub Songs Podcast this morning at 9am on Google Hangouts. Watch it on YouTube. This show is brought to you by The Secret World of a Celtic Rock, a brilliant compilation of Celtic rock music by some of the best indie Celtic rockers in the world. These are some of my absolute favorite songs I found on MP3.com.

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Welcome to my newest podcast. Thought you could cut back, huh? Well, no such luck. The goal of this show is to provide you with a weekly, audio update of what's going on with my music, my podcasts, my life in general. I want to use it as a sort of weekly To Do List for my week. I'll let you know what's coming, what I accomplished last week, and just give you updates of whatever kind I can.

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Celtfather Unkilted: Recent Episodes

Marc Gunn