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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.

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 (5

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 th

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. 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. 0:33 - 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 t

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. 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. 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

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. Sign up to the mailing

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 ju

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.

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

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.

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

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.