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The latest music news, stories, and events of The Original Celtic
Renaissance music group, the Brobdingnagian Bards.
CELTIC GEEK at its Best!
Find out more from the Nagians page.
Let me start by saying how much I appreciate EVERYONE who's written their sympathies, support and hugs. Wow! Ya'll are amazing! While I wanted to warn other musicians, I never dreamed we would get THIS MUCH support. THANK YOU! Tons of people got the word out about our distress and these internet scammers in LJs, Myspace, Blogs and websites. The FuMP (The Funny Music Project) took a HUGE stand passing around the word. A HUGE thanks to Tom Smith, Sudden Death and Rob Balder! Ya'll are Amazing! Ren Radio and Wander Radio put the word out on the netwaves. Rennies and even some music groups showered us with emails and phone calls. And the Nagians went above and beyond the call of duty with hundreds of dollars of donations and pledges, some asking Nothing in Return. Wow! Wow! And Wow! I haven't done the full calculations today, but I'm fairly certain we are now back in the black. So THANK YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! I am so very grateful to everyone who donated their money and energy to spreading the word about this scam. I think we Really Got the word out. I heard four other Celtic groups were contacted with the same offer and narrowly missed out on losing thousands of dollars too. Your efforts have worked. And I'm leaving open http://www.marcgunn.com/fraud/ to hopefully warn others about the dangers of internet scams. Feel free to post your stories and suggestions there as well. All that said, I don't think we even went through all 30 DVDs that we offered to release. So my thought was to leave the donation button open just a little bit longer, at least until those 30 DVDs are gone, and donate all the surplus to a non-profit. Do any of you know of any non-profits who help folks scammed like us? if so, please let me know. Again, thank you a million times over. Your support in this stressful time was overwhelming. Thank you. Labels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
 
We are $2500 poorer. I'm ashamed to admit that we were the subject of fraud. You can read about what happened here. We contacted the FBI, but as indie musicians, we can't afford this sort of loss. That money wiped out all the money we earned from the release of our new CD LIVE: Nex Monoceroti, Per Risibus and then some! To help us recover, we've decided to do a special fund raising deal. If you read our message board, you know how many people would LOVE to see us perform live. That's one of the reasons we released the live CD. But we still don't have an official DVD. SPECIAL NOTE! All 30 DVDs are now gone.
I want to seriously thank everyone who has donated to help us out and also to everyone who spread the word. We are now back in the black!
Now we are adding up the money and looking for a charity where we will send all surplus donations to help others who've gone through this same problem.
Thank you again. And if you do care to support the Brobdingnagian Bards further, please purchase a CD, t-shirt, or buy our MP3s.
However, we have received video recordings from fans. So we decided to take it to the limit. We are putting together THIRTY Fraud Rebuilding Gift Packs to help us recover some of the money we lost. That's it. There will be only thirty. In it you will receive: - ONE LIVE DVD from the Georgia Renaissance Festival,
- ONE Virgins/Dragons T-Shirt of your size and choice (Small to 4X),
- ONE Tote bag, and
- ONE CD of your choice,
- MP3s from our Live Show in Lisdoonvarna, Ireland, and
- TEN "Real Men Wear Kilt" stickers, plus
- OUR Eternal Gratitude!
The first few people who make a donation can also choose from some MP3.com CDs that are no longer available, including: - Nagians Only, Vol. 1 - some live show recorded in 2000, only 3 more copies left! never to be re-released);
- Do Virgins Taste Better - a 4-song EP of songs that were later released on other CDs with an exclusive cover-only 20 of these exist at all... and I have five!;
- A Million "Million Ducats" - the original version of this 6-song EP (we hope to release a longer version some day, but who knows when?) was done in 2000. It includes all the versions of "Ducats" that we had recorded in the studio at that time, four of which never made it onto another CD;
- Marked By Great Size - our very first CD ever, no longer publicly available for sale; or
- Gullible's Travels - our very second CD ever, also no longer publicly available for sale.
You can also pick any CD that we've released or that I've released as solo artist. A special thanks also to Lunatic Fridge who donated the shirts and totes for this rebuilding. PS. Please share this warning with your musician friends. Labels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
 We almost made it! LIVE: Nex Monoceroti, Per Risibus climbed to #2 today! (I thought the charts changed more than once a week... is it twice a week?) Whatever the case, the CD is now just a pinch away from #1. Just a few more days until the sale ends next Monday. So pick up your copy asap! The Bards sparkle liveauthor: Lynn McKinney If you're a fan of live music, this is the album for you! On this album there's a lovely selection of Bard Banter, with audience participation and comedy improvisation. The guys were really on their highest level of wit when they recorded these songs, and the recording is a feast of humor and pop culture references for the media fan. But there's plenty of music too, in fine Bard Style! I've always maintained that the guys lose a certain something if you don't hear them live, and this is as close as you can get to being at a Live Bards Concert without actually being there.Labels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Friday, October 12, 2007
Hey Everyone!Last Sunday I had the awesome opportunity to interview Marc Gunn of the Brobdignagian Bards. If you want to listen to it, it is now available on my site at www.pnwcmpodcast.com. It was a live interview, made possible by the good people at Blog Talk Radio. This format allow me not only to interview artists, but allows fans to call in and ask questions, or just fawn over thier favorite musician. Hopefully this is the first of many. I plan to do one live interview a month, to suppliment my once a month podcast posting. If you are an artist who would like to participate, feel free to email me at pnwcmpodcast@gmail.com. I would like to schedule them out as far as I can, so if you have a CD or tour you want to promote at a specific time, contact me. If there is an artist you really want me to interview, whom you would really like to ask questions or fawn over...feel free to email me too. Enjoy the interview!Becky JohnstonPacific Northwest Celtic Music Podcast Labels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
AUSTIN, TX (March 15, 2007) - Indie Celtic music favorites the Brobdingnagian Bards were named Best "None of the Above" Band of 2006-07 at the prestigious Austin Music Awards held last night at the Austin Convention Center, kicking off the music portion of the international South By Southwest music conference. The AMA's are celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year and have long been the standard for recognizing the best musical talent coming out of one of the best music cities, Austin, TX. Sponsored by the Austin Chronicle, the awards celebrate local bands, Austin based releases and individual musical performances. Categories range from Best Drummer to Best Experimental Performance and everything in between. The awards also sponsor an Austin Music Hall of Fame that includes past inductees such as the Killer Bees, the Butthole Surfers and Soulhat. For more information on the awards and affiliated events go to http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Awards/MusicAwards. *** The Bards, self describe their music as Scottish and Irish folk songs combined with the Lord of the Rings music and a wee bit o'Celtic fun. The Brobdingnagian Bards (pronounced brob-din-nahg-EE-en) are The Original Celtic Renaissance music duo from Austin, Texas. Their unique brand of folk music on the autoharp, recorder, and mandolin has made them one of the most-popular Celtic music groups online where they give away thousands of free Celtic MP3 downloads daily. The Brobdingnagian Bards perform coast-to-coast, and in a given month might be at a Lord of the Rings Oscar Party, a Celtic festival, or a Science Fiction Convention. However, they are an absolute favorite at Renaissance Faires where they add high-energy and wit to make every show a memorable experience. ABOUT The Bards (Andrew McKee / Marc Gunn) Andrew McKee played guitar and saxophone in high school. He grew up with a classical music background and found the transition from saxophone to recorder to be seamless which led him to perform on Marc Gunn's first solo album. He is entirely self-taught on the mandolin. Marc Gunn is an Irish and Scottish folk singer with a strange affinity for Celtic ballads, drinking songs and cats. He is the lead singer for the Brobdingnagian Bards, an internet music promoter, podcaster, poet, photographer and publisher of many, many things on and offline. Communicate with me through my websites: -- Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music-- Marc Gunn's Irish & Celtic Music Podcast-- Renaissance Festival Podcast - Music and Entertainment from Ren FairesLabels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
by Bill Holloweg, with some music by the Brobdingnagian Bards The Saga of the Grog and Gryphon tavern is a tale about the exploits of the characters who frequent the Grog and Gryphon tavern, located in the village of Hammerstoothe. Paul Mannering, a good friend of mine and a VA in tonight's production at Darker Projects Audio Productions (also home to wondrous tales of Horror and Sci-Fi), referred to it warmly as: “Cheers for the Dark Ages.”  That is as good a description as any, though this is not a comedic sitcom. It is a drama set in a mythic time of sword bearing heroes and magic of good and ill. There are elements which (hopefully) will bring a bit of mirth, but it is a drama in the tradition of Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings and Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. Truth be told, I wrote this tale as if Robert E. Howard had been tasked to write a saga in his harsh Conan style, yet set the story in Tolkein’s middle earth. While I LOVE Tolkein, and Howard’s Conan tales have been favorites of mine for as long as I can remember, Tolkein’s LOTR tales were more of a mythology, while Howard’s were action/adventure; a wild west tale set against a harsh and unforgiving fantasy landscape. Being that I live in Texas, located only about two hours away from the hometown of Robert E. Howard (Cross Plains, Texas), this was a great starting point for a story. I am a fan of Battlestar Galactica (new and old series), and I had in mind a saga that would have some similarities in style (hopefully) to the way that the New BSG is put together. In the new series (BSG) there are 2 main plots, 1-the Cylons attempting to exterminate the Galactica and her ragtag fleet of survivors, and 2- the myth of the earth (13th Colony) and the continued search for it by the Galactica for sanctuary and an ally to stop the Cylons. These are the backbone of the story, while over the top of this are a ton of plots/subplots between the characters, which makes for a very rich and intriguing story, as opposed to just blowing up Cylons week-in and week-out... It is a story about people, but set in a sci-fi landscape. The Grog and Gryphon, as I mentioned earlier, is a story about a Tavern on the fringe of known civilization (the D’Annulshire forest being the start of the unknown realms and the spawning ground for the evil in the land) and the characters who frequent it. That is the underlying theme. But the story, if I have succeeded, is about the people, similar in scope to Galactica.... I enjoy the fact that to watch Galactica, you cannot miss an episode or you are lost because so much has happened. I am attempting to do this with the Grog and its seeming cast of thousands... Bear with me, they all serve a purpose and are all intertwined in one manner or another... I send out my warmest thanks to all the talented people who have shared in this dream of mine! I would also like to thank from the bottom of my heart, Gareth and Andrew and all the incredible people at Westlake Films for allowing a guy living in West Texas to add his Audio Drama to their stellar collection of audio drama’s and films. I can’t say how indebted I am for your help! The music... The music for tonight’s tale was provided by: Peter Wicks of Westlake Films, check out his symphonic masterpieces here at the Westlake Films website. Other wondrous soundscapes were provided by: James Underburg, Devin Anderson, and Seraphic Panapoly- www.seraphicpanoply.com, all of whom I found at the Podsafe Audio website, if you haven’t visited www.podsafeaudio.com, you are missing out! Next I would like to thank the Renaissance Faire/Celtic bands that have graciously allowed me to use their incredible music in this production. The Renn Faire bands heard in tonight’s tale are as follows: --The Brobdingnagian Bards, check out: www.thebards.net The BARDS ROCK! --Cantiga , check out: cantigamusic.com CANTIGA IS AWSOME! --And Howl-O, Check them out at www.howl-o.com HOWL-O IS INCREDIBLE! Labels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Rampway is Georgia State University's student-run online magazine. There was a great article about DragonCon called "Dragon 20006: Everything You Need". We got a nice feature...
So last year, I was at Dragon Con, minding everyone's business, when a friend declared she would die if she didn't hear this group play. I figured I had enough bad Karma, so I tagged along with her. This group was amazing! They played comedic Celtic Music one second and achingly poignant tunes the next. But the whole point was this song...Lily the Pink. It's about this medicinal compound and all these stupid people and well...I thought it was hilarious. It haunted me for the next year. So this year I am all ready to hear the B.Bards play my personal jam, Lily the Pink. I go to a performance gathered around a huge Jabba the Hutt statue. Yes, it was weird. But the stupid fire marshal shut down the performance before they could play my song. *sad me* But, I hunted them down to two more performances and they still didn't play it. Although I am normally a shy,retiring person with a gentle manner and a kind word for everyone, I cornered one of the bards. See, the group is made of two men. Andrew McKee and Marc Gunn. Poor Andrew was in the direct path of my wrath. Well, not direct, he sort of snuck up on me and made me scream. But the point is, I demanded they play Lily the Pink at their next performance. I was given the promise that they would. I expressed my doubts. But they did it! They played the song! Yay! So Andrew is a man of his word. A musician with strong morals? I know. This incident prompted me to give this group my newly instituted Cool Musical Group of Dragon Con Award. There's no money, physical award, or even a gift certificate, but if you work it into a sentence it sounds great. So I say go to their site www.thebards.net, to find out how to pronounce their name if nothing else. They also have clips of their songs for you to listen to and believe me, it's your loss if you don't take advantage of it.
Labels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Monday, October 09, 2006
Mark your calendars! On Sunday, September 17th, Things Celtic is having our annual "Six Months To Saint Patrick's Day Celebration". *10% of all sales on this day will be donated to The Austin Celtic Association.* Things Celtic will be open from 10 AM to 5 PM on Sept. 17th. The fun begins at noon, with a beginning Irish language lesson from The Gaelic League of Austin. At 1 PM, Doc Grauzer will entertain us with Celtic harp music, followed by always enjoyable Brobdingnagian Bards at 2 PM. Then at 3 PM, storytellers David and Lucinda will be on hand to tell us tales of adventure, folklore, and excitement. They'll also be having a sidewalk sale on Sept. 17th only; all items out on the sale tables will be *at least* 50% off the regular price! ....speaking of calendars, the 2007 calendars are in, including the brand new "Things Celtic 2007 Men Without Pants Calendar" ! Real men - our friends & customers from the Central Texas area - wearing kilts. Available at Things Celtic, 1806 W. 35th St, Austin, or you can order a copy from our website here. Interested in a touring Ireland with a fun loving group? The Brobdingnagian Bards are hosting a tour of Ireland, June 7-15, 2007. This tour has been planned with the Irish and Renaissance Festival fan in mind. Base cost for the land trip only is $1,685, based on double occupancy. This price does not include airfare, but it *does* include transportation around the island, admission to historic sites and attractions, accommodations, breakfasts, and some dinners. See www.thebards.net/ireland for more details and reservation info. ADDED: Yes, Andrew and I are your January models for the calendar. Buy It HereLabels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Monday, September 11, 2006
Check out the new review from G-Pop of our CD Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales by Melissa Minners. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away (Austin, Texas), there lived a musician and a computer geek. The musician wanted to be a rock star. The computer geek…well, he was busy doing whatever it is that computer geeks do. Then, one day, the musician’s rock band was no more and the musician, known to all as Marc Gunn, decided to learn how to play the autoharp. Knowing that his computer geek friend - otherwise known as Andrew McKee - also dabbled with musical instruments, Gunn decided to ask McKee to join him in his endeavor to create a musical album. Unfortunately, the album idea never panned out. But a short time afterward, Gunn was invited to play at a Renaissance Festival. He invited McKee to join him and they became the Brobdingnagian Bards.
Since that fateful day, the two have been inseparable. Marc Gunn is primarily an Irish and Scottish folk singer who brings a unique quality to the genre. Andrew McKee taught himself how to play the mandolin, and adds his talent in vocals and recorder to the mix. The music of the Bards is unique. Sure, they perform classic Irish and Scottish folk songs, but they have taken other songs and set them to the folk song genre.
Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales is the title of the Brobdignagian Bards latest album. The album features 18 tracks and contains both classic folks songs and new creations. Classics include The Orange and the Green, a story of a young man whose father is Protestant and whose mother is Catholic, Old Dun Cow, a drinking song, and Bog Down in the Valley, a traditional folk song with a humorous twist by the Bards. Other Bard creations include: Angel’s Lament, a song inspired by the television show Angel and set to the tune of the alternative rock song How’s It Gonna Be, Jedi Drinking Song which tells the tale of a would-be Jedi with a Brobdingnagian twist, Exclamations, a parody of the song Interjections from School House Rock, and If I Had A Million Ducats, a Brobdingnagian twist on the song If I Had A Million Dollars. Also included, are unique renditions of Santa Lucia and the Monster Mash.
Fans of Celtic Renaissance Music will enjoy Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales for its music as well as its lyrics. Folks who normally wouldn’t listen to music in this genre will definitely get a chuckle out of the lyrics such as: “How'm I gonna eat, when Buffy no longer loves me / How'm I gonna eat, when the writers kill me / How'm I gonna eat, when the Goth scene's too depressing / Will I be like Mr. T, in a spinoff series, how'm I gonna eat” from Angel’s Lament or “A long time ago, in a pub far away / I sat on a barstool, just drinking away, / I couldn't hold it down, I guess I had too much / I felt a tremor in the force and then I lost my lunch / I woke up in a desert land, feeling hot and sick, / I saw a bearded man, he looked like some kind of hick, / He slowly waved his hand, and my pain was gone / He said let's go see Yoda, and I'll teach you this song.” from Jedi Drinking Song.
Every track of Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales is loaded with fun. Even the Bards themselves appear to be having fun, as witnessed in the live tracks If I Had A Million Ducats and Bog Down in the Valley. If you’re a fan of Celtic Renaissance Music and are looking for a rollicking good time, this CD is for you! Labels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
I keep forgetting to mention this. But recently our music was featured in a movie about Amtgardt. And it looks like the movie is finally going on sale. Check out a trailer at the Swordplay Myspace page. Or find out more about the movie at the Clear Productions website. I can't wait to see the show meself. I missed the screening a couple weeks back. It looks like a lot of fun, and I had so much fun the few times I dropped by this Amtgardt group back in college. Labels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Thursday, May 25, 2006
I've really been getting into Myspace recently. I know it almost sounds cliché, but ever since I talked to Voltaire about how he manages his Myspace page, I've been excited about using it as a promotional tool. I'm out there chatting with everyone I can and introducing them to the music of the Brobdingnagian Bards as well as some of my own stuff. Make sure you friend me if you haven't already. I am using my myspace page a lot and now have over 900 friends on the site. But that's not all. It's also a great promotional tool for my many podcasts. I do my best to get the word out to as many folks as I can. And it seems to be making a difference. Not since MP3.com days have I sent people get as excited as I've seen them of recent. The next step is to get Nagians involved in talking us up on Myspace, adding us as their "favorite band", add one of our songs to your website, whatever it takes. Labels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
I love free stuff. I've given away MP3s, CDs, stickers, t-shirts, you name it. But it's the free stickers that have become one of my favorite freebies of recent. I don't even remember where we got that slogan. I think it was thrown around on our Nagians discussion group. But last year, we started giving away free stickers that read "Real Men Wear Kilts". We just wanted something to promote the Brobdingnagian Bards. These days, we pretty much only wear kilts at gigs. It seemed like a natural slogan, especially as much as I dance on stage, kilt swaying, women trying to look for a blue ribbon. Any case, our first run was just a thousand stickers. We gave the free stickers away from our website with a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope. I was pretty surpised at how quickly they disappeared. I think the first batch was gone in three months. So I decided to get serious. I hired fantasy art guru, Jen Clower-Brown to create a new design. I ordered another thousand stickers. This one disappeared in two months! I was blown away! This was pretty much a vanity project. I don't think we make a dime on these stickers. In fact, I had to really talk Andrew into agreeing to print two thousand more since we were losing money. But it's promotion. So he finally agreed. It helped that one day, I had a brainstorm. We were already planning on making our next CD an album of Scottish folk music. The tentative title, Songs of Scotland, would match our Irish folk song CD, Songs of Ireland. But the more I think about it, the more happy I am we scrapped that first CD title. It kinda hit me like a baseball in the head. "Duh, Marc! Real Men Wear Kilts." I mean, we've been doing all this promotion for this Scottish CD using that slogan. Why not just name the CD "Real Men Wear Kilts." And that's what we're doing. We're now into our fourth printing of stickers. That means, over four thousand stickers are already decorating the cars, books, computers, and instrument cases of America. And there seems to be no end in sight. Which is grand! So 2005, we're declaring "The Year of the Kilt". So hit your local kilt retailer, don your plaid, and show your Kiltic colours. And to start it off, don't forget to pick up your copy of our free stickers, "Real Men Wear Kilts. OH! And now you can order a hundred stickers at a time for just thirty bucks! Labels: cd_news, publicity, swag
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Thursday, July 08, 2004
We are in major need of help getting flyers up for our Cactus Cafe CD Release of Memories of Middle Earth.So much so, that we're willing to offer CDs or one of our original t-shirts for the effort. If you'd like some free stuff or just want to help out, please contact us. I have pocket billboards and flyers I will give you to post and hand out. If you'd like to do it yourself, then you can download the files here: Pocket Billboards (business card-sized ads, PDF) CD Release Flyers (PDF) Thanks a lot for all your help! Labels: publicity
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Thursday, July 03, 2003
Thanks for all your help at keeping Tolkien (The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings) at the top of the charts. I just saw a couple days ago that we were the 7th most listened to band in November. That is just awesome! Meanwhile, the Lord of the Rings movie is rapidly approaching. If you're interested in more news about the movie, check out the Lord of the Rings Fanatics site. We were reviewed on it not to long ago. If you're looking for more Tolkien resources, click here. When our first CD, Marked By Great Size came out. We thought up a wonderful variety of promotional t-shirts and stuff, but due to the cost, we never followed through. Finally, along came Cafepress and inspired, I redesigned the t-shirt. Now you can order a " Size Does Matter" T-Shirt exclusively through CafePress. Cafepress lets you upload graphics and they handle all the printing and shipping. If this works out, I may just see about designing some other shirts too. Meantime, drop me a line and tell me what you think of the shirts and other bard merchandise. Labels: publicity, swag
--posted by Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards, Celtic Folk Music
Tuesday, December 11, 2001
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