Celtfather Monthly November 2024 (Patreon)

Greetings

The Celtic Invasion of Scotland's Whisky was a great trip. I learned a lot more about how to run a trip like that in the future. But I also learned about how to add a little more hiking to the trips. Our current invasions are great, but I want that flexibility to add either a laid back trip to spot for a couple hours or a great hike for the more adventurous. This trip helped me better understand how to pull that off.

There's a LOT going on this month. I have shows nearly every week. I'm preparing the start of the Celtic Christmas Music podcast season. I'm preparing for closing up the Celtic Top 20. And I'm getting ready to start major promotion of Nerdy Wonderland at The Lost Druid Brewery on December 8.

I'm also considering new strategies...

STRATEGY OF SONGWRITING

Even before I started listening to Seth Godin's new book This Is Strategy, I had started thinking what it means to be a songwriter.

When I started playing music, it was just about writing songs. That was my entire goal. Write songs. Then I shared those songs with fans, whether they were good or not. I was an archivist of my music.

One of the things I've learned from the modern internet is that there is too much information. Not all of it is good. Misinformation abounds because there's endless opportunities to make up crap and share it.

I no longer want to be a part of that.

Seth Godin always says, "Make things better by making better things." It's not just about making things. It's about changing the culture and making things for your people to make their lives better.

While driving to MultiVerse, I asked myself what is my goal. How will I change the culture with my music... as a songwriter?

My goal is no longer to just write songs. It's to write songs that people want to sing. Yes. Sometimes, I might just write a song and share it. But the goal is to write songs that YOU want to sing or share. I want to write impactful songs that are fun to sing, that inspire you.

Knowing that that is my goal, it frees me up from other stuff that I'm currently spending too much time on, like creating merch and new album pins. Those might help me in the short-term and PERHAPS they might be good for getting closer to my goal. But my goal is to get you songs you want to sing and share. Thus, spending too much time on it does not follow my goal.

Hopefully, I can find new ways to better pursue that goal. And you will love it when you join my Patreon and get more.

DANCING WITH HOBBITS

I keep saying I'm gonna promote Dancing With Hobbits more so I can reach my $300 sales goal. But alas, I've done little to nothing. I'm gonna consider that better in the days to come.

PUB SONGS & STORIES

I was hoping to release a live Pub Songs & Stories episode earlier this month. Now I need to find it and share it. Stay tuned.

BROBDINGNAGIAN BARDS

There's a new Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast now available. There's also a new Patreon-only episode.

I've made no progress on the Bards album, though the songs are still getting a lot of praise. The Kickstarter is currently scheduled for November 7, 2025. I'm considering delaying it until the end of March. Follow the page so you don't miss it!

Sign up to the Brobdingnagian Bards Pre-Launch Page.

IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC PODCAST

I have a new interview with Joanie Madden of Cherish the Ladies coming out on October 31. Another one with The Friel Sisters, I'm hoping, will be available on November 7, right before IrishFest Atlanta.

The podcast will have a booth at IrishFest Atlanta too. If you want to help out at the booth. I'd love it!

I'm considering a bunch of changes in 2025. First off, I'm looking at adding a new interview every month with a Celtic musician. Second, I'm considering changing the donations from per episode to per month.

CELTIC INVASION OF GALICIA

The Celtic Invasion of Galicia is officially open for applications. If you want to join me exploring the Celtic nation of Galicia in Spain, sign up soon. The trip is scheduled for June 21-28, 2025.

I don't have an itinerary yet. I'm researching the cool things to see and do. So stay tuned.

Find out about my Celtic Invasion Vacations.

COME ADVENTURE WITH ME

Come Adventure With Me is still one of the two albums I'm most proud of. The other is Selcouth. I love them because of all the original songwriting.

I also see the flaws better. And I know how I will overcome in them in the future. I hope you are enjoying the album too.

Check it out.

JOIN ME FOR COFFEE

Coffee with The Celtfather is back. The show is at 11:30 AM Eastern.

That said, I am taking off the next two weeks as I travel to Europe. However, I uploaded some bootleg concerts from August. They will go live at 11:30 AM eastern exclusively for Patrons. Thank you for supporting my music.

UPCOMING SHOWS

• NOV 2: Georgia Renaissance Festival Fall Fling, Fairborn, GA from 2-9 PM

• NOV 9: IrishFest Atlanta, Roswell, GA with Inara

• NOV 15-17: CONjuration, Duluth, GA

• NOV 23: Georgia Renaissance Festival Fall Fling, Fairborn, GA from 2-9 PM

• NOV 30: Georgia Renaissance Festival Fall Fling, Fairborn, GA from 2-9 PM

• DEC 8: Nerdy Wonderland at The Lost Druid Brewery, Avondale Estates, 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 = 1167 is up 3

Celtic Music Magazine = 4014 is down 17

YouTube Subscribers = 6234 is up 8

Facebook Likes = 4370 is up 11

Instagram = 2137 is up 1

Spotify followers: 2619 is up 15

# Number of streams on Spotify: 5856

LATEST SPOTIFY ALBUM STATS

Most-popular songs on Spotify, Last 28 Days:

• The Widow and the Devil (6326)

• Hero of Canton (4890)

• Hobbit Hornpipe (2106)

• A-Working in the Garden (1568)

• Doctor of Gallifrey (1340)

• Slainte Mhaith (870)

• Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (545)

• Reavers, Malcolm, Reavers (460)

• Hobbit Polka (193)

Top albums on Amazon, Last 28 Days:

• Sci Fi Drinking Songs (2303)

• Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits (775)

• Firefly Drinking Songs (139)

• As Long As I'm Flyin (129)

• Scottish Songs of Drinking & Rebellion (109)

• Kilted For Her Pleasure (108)

• Best Irish Drinking Songs (83)

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

• Doctor of Gallifrey (1380)

• Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (526)

• Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits (175)

• Prancing Pony (137)

• The Widow and the Devil (94)

• Hero of Canton (94)

Spotify playlists:

• Irish & Celtic Music: Best of 2024:  118

• Irish & Celtic Music: Best of 2023: 166

• Irish & Celtic Music: Best of 2022: 230

• Top Irish & Celtic Music: 780

• Firefly Drinking Songs: 166

• Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 112

• Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 158

• Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families: 1994

GUNN RUNNERS CLUB ON PATREON

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: 148 paid, 305 total members

Here's some posts in the past month (not including Coffee Shows):

• Multiverse and d20 Song Game

• What a Great Celtic Invasion of Scotland's Whisky

• Bootleg: Firefly Drinking Songs at The Lost Druid, Aug 2024

• Bootleg: Lost Druid Brewery from Aug 17, 2024

• Stories: Speyside Way & Recap

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 livelihood as a musician!

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