Celtfather Monthly August 2024 (Patreon)

Hey there,

How are you doing?

What did you do this summer?

What's new?

I was thinking today that I should record another Pub Songs & Stories (which turns 19 today) episode to talk about... ye know... everything I did. It was a super busy summer. Now it's almost time for some of my biggest shows and events to take place.

I might record that episode. But in the meantime, I thought I'd share a some quick thoughts and stories from the summer.

First... wow! 

Deep breath.

We started the summer with a week-long family vacation to Texas. We visited my parents, my friend and sing partner, Jamie Haeuser and her husband. We went to the beach. It was wonderful.

Only a few days later, I was off to the Isle of Man.

I was uncertain that we would have enough to do on the Isle of Man. Turns out I was totally wrong. I could easily go back and not repeat a single thing, probably few times over. I'm excited to eventually record a podcast series about it. But I'm waiting until kids are back in school before I have time to dive into that.

We saw castle ruins, visited museums, took a train ride up to the top of Snaefell Mountain. I played music at a pizzeria. We took a boat ride and saw seals and birds. We tasted local spirits. We learned about the Manx language and culture and heard local Manx music. It was quite an adventure.

The next adventure, and the one I haven't really talked about much, took us to California. We went to attend a wedding. However, my father-in-law grew up in the San Jose area where he studied Marine Biology. He took us to some amazing places.

We went to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We went tide pooling. We swam in the cold California ocean waters. I boogie boarded. We took a 4th of July train ride up a mountain. We saw banana slugs. There were long walks, seafood, frisbee, oh and another behind-the-scenes tour of a marine research facility that blew my mind! Plus we boated with ORCAS!

It was amazing and relaxing. I spent a lot of time thinking about what kind of things I should be doing in the coming months. I have a bunch of shows lined up. But what are my big goals? I'm still working on that.

In the meantime, I'm happy to share what's coming soon to the Gunn Runners world.

I'm performing Firefly Drinking Songs at The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, GA later this month! 

THINGS TO SEE ON THE ISLE OF MAN

I am writing a 7-part podcast series exploring the history, culture, music, and things to see on the Isle of Man. I plan to interview a tour guide. I'll share Manx music and language. I'll talk about my experiences on this small island. Turns out, there's still a LOT more things to see and do on this small island than I imagined.

Subscribe to my Celtic Invasion Vacations podcast.

JOIN ME FOR A VIP EXPERIENCE

I started brainstorming an interesting idea inspired by a behind-the-scenes tour at the Monterey Bay Aquarium that we enjoyed in California, as well as other behind-the-scenes things I've done. I've had several ideas over the past few

One was a walk in the woods, with music. That would involve going to a park and hiking through the woods. We'd chat, experience the great outdoors and stop along the way to listen to music.

I thought of doing a small, private concert with food and drink at Gen Con. Or possibly a walk around Indianapolis or even a sort of tour of the Gen Con convention center.

Since I'm going to Scotland in September, how cool would it be to do some whisky tastings with music when I got back?

These are just a few of the ideas that are floating through my brain.

Do any of these resonate with you? Do you have other cool ideas that might be worth buying a ticket for to enjoy a more exclusive show?

CELTIC INVASION OF SCOTLAND'S WHISKY

The housing for my Celtic Invasion of Scotland's whisky distilleries is all picked. Next step is determining what local sites we want to see.

Find out about my Celtic Invasion Vacations.

COME ADVENTURE WITH ME

Come Adventure With Me is my newest album. It's still on sale and features 13 tracks of Celtic Geek music. There are songs inspired by The Hobbit, Doctor Who, Celtic mythology and legends and of course, Firefly. The album is available to stream everywhere for FREE.

Check it out.

CELTIC ON THE INSIDE

I officially released Celtic on the Inside in July. This is a compilation CD and Album Pin featuring 14 of the Top 20 Celtic songs and tunes of 2023 as voted on for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. It is a tight album with at least one track by Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer that is unavailable for sale anywhere else. Sadly, my music is not on the album. But it is definitely worth owning.

Only 200 copies were printed. That includes 100 CDs and 100 album pins. Over half of each was sold with the Kickstarter at the beginning of the year. So if you love the podcast and want to preserve your memories of 2023 and Celtic music, get a copy.

Oh! There's also a Celtic on the Inside songbook. It is NOT exactly related to the album... It features song lyrics by yours truly

You can buy it in my store.

DANCING WITH HOBBITS COMES OUT SEP 16

Dancing With Hobbits was successfully Kickstarted last year. It is finally scheduled for release on 16 September 2024, just days before Bilbo Baggins' big birthday party.

Dancing With Hobbits is an all-original album of hobbit dance music by myself and Sam Gillogly. We spent several years writing fun, upbeat dance tunes. The music is all-instrumental and will get your feet tapping.

We have CDs, Album Pins and also sheet music that will be available for sale.

Stay tuned!

PUB SONGS & STORIES: SOUL OF SUMMER WRAP UP

Technically speaking, I already finished my Soul of a Harper series that celebrates the 20th anniversary of my first solo CD. But I got in my head the idea of doing a summer wrap up episode. I have lots of stories to share from my summer adventures.

So that may be coming.

Or perhaps I'll just start working on some Hobbit episodes to promote Dancing With Hobbits. I haven't entirely decided yet. Especially since I have a Hobbit Drinking Songs show scheduled for Gen Con. It seems like a good idea.

Whatever the case, please subscribe and listen to Pub Songs & Stories.

BROBDINGNAGIAN BARDS KICKSTARTER DATE MOVED

Speaking of Kickstarters... Brobdingnagian Bards are working on a new album called Another Faire to Remember. The album will feature some fun Renaissance festival music.

We originally planned to launch the Kickstarter this week. But we haven't had time to work on it. Now Andrew is in the middle of an unexpected move. So we are pushing the release date of the Kickstarter back a bit. In the meantime...

Sign up to the Brobdingnagian Bards Pre-Launch Page.

JOIN ME FOR COFFEE

Coffee with The Celtfather is back starting Wednesday, 14 August 2024. The show is at 11:30 AM Eastern.

UPCOMING SHOWS

JUL 27: The Lost Druid Brewery, Avondale Estates, GA @ 6:30-9:30 PM

AUG 1-4: Gen Con, Indianapolis, IN

THU, AUG 1: Comedy Music Cabaret @ 7-9 PM

THU, AUG 1: Firefly Drinking Songs with Marc Gunn & Mikey Mason @ 9-11 PM

FRI, AUG 2: Hobbit Drinking Songs @ 8:00-9:00 PM

SAT, AUG 3: Marc Gunn: Sci Fi Irish Drinking Songs in a Kilt @ 7-8:30 PM

AUG 17: The Lost Druid Brewery, Avondale Estates, GA @ 6:30-9:30 PM

AUG 29-SEP 2: Dragon Con, Atlanta, GA

SEP 28 - OCT 5: Celtic Invasion of Scotland's Whisky, UK

OCT 18-20: MultiVerse, Atlanta, GA

NOV 9: IrishFest Atlanta, Roswell, GA with Inara

NOV 15-17: CONjuration, Duluth, GA

If you want to see the latest places I'm performing at, make sure you check my homepage.

Here's a complete list of What I'm Doing Now.

STATS

Mailing list subscribers = 1157 is up 7

Celtic Music Magazine = 4044 is down from 4080

YouTube Subscribers = 6187 is up 28

Facebook Likes = 4257 is up 24

Instagram = 2112 is up 6

Spotify followers: 2547 is up 55

# Number of streams on Spotify: 20,525 is up from 4371

LATEST SPOTIFY ALBUM STATS

Most-popular songs on Spotify, Last 28 Days:

The Widow and the Devil (5358)

Hero of Canton (4465)

Hobbit Hornpipe (1348)

A-Working in the Garden (1320)

Doctor of Gallifrey (1226)

Slainte Mhaith (651)

Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (620)

Reavers, Malcolm, Reavers (427)

Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits (158)

Proudfoot Shuffle (110)

Hobbit Polka (97)

Brandywine River Reel (94)

I'm a Rover, Seldom Sober (75)

Top albums on Amazon, Last 28 Days:

Sci Fi Drinking Songs (2337)

Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits (426)

Firefly Drinking Songs (197)

Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (145)

Best Irish Drinking Songs (136)

Most-popular songs on Amazon Music, Last 28 Days:

Doctor of Gallifrey (1305)

Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (367)

The Widow and the Devil (98)

Don't Go Drinking With Hobbis (95)

It's It Grand Boys to Be Walking Undead (92)

Spotify playlists:

Irish & Celtic Music: Best of 2024:  81

Irish & Celtic Music: Best of 2023: 168

Irish & Celtic Music: Best of 2022: 231

Top Irish & Celtic Music: 774

Firefly Drinking Songs: 162

Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 112

Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 158

Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families: 2002

GUNN RUNNERS CLUB ON PATREON

Summer is a weird time for Patrons. It traveled a lot. I posted less than normal.

I also spent the summer planning. More Coffee shows are coming. More podcast episodes. More songs. Plus, I plan to release more of my albums for Patrons. There's a lot coming in August.

Thank you to all of my Patrons in the Gunn Runners Club who support my music for as little as a buck a month. Even with the low posts on Patreon, I feel like the club still offers a ton of value. I hope you're enjoying the podcasts, albums, exclusive songs andy my blog.

If you haven't done so, please Subscribe now!

Patreon Subscribers: 150 paid, 284 total members (all up 9)

BREAKING DOWN THE SUPPORT

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, CD sales, and album pins allow me to tour.

Kickstarter funds physical products like CDs, shirts, pin and other merch.

And Patreon funds my songwriting and my life!

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!

#CFMonthly