Celtfather Monthly April 2025 (Patreon)

Greetings Gunn Runner

One of the toughest things about this time of year for me is it’s the season of getting sick. Frequently it’s from allergies. But I also have kids so I pick up their colds. 

I was nervous about the St Patrick’s Day holiday. I had four shows lined up, plus The Lost Druid show. I resolved to fight back. I doubled up on allergy medicine. I also stopped eating and drinking after my kids. 

And guess what? Success!

I made it turn St Patrick’s Day, even with a four hour show, with my voice still in tack. It was amazing! 

The hardest thing about being a soloist and a singer is you need that voice. I’m glad what I learned worked. 

Now on to my legacy

ALBUM PINS CONTINUE

This is a good year for the album pin. I learned a LOT about how best to market them. In fact, I’m finally ready to record a video to help other musicians learn how to make and sell album pins. I have two big changes. 

First is the Album Pin Jacket. This is a rack card that is folded in half.  It has an album cover on the front. The back cover has credits. The inside left side has a track listing. The inside right has a record image, a QR code, and a URL to download the album. 

The Album Pin Jacket really makes a difference as far as displaying the pin. It looks great. And much like a CD case, it is something you might want to hold on to. 

Unlike the business cards I was using, the card doesn’t bend. It’s sturdy. 

The second new thing is the physical pin. The original pins were enamel. I just finished a new printing of the Come Adventure With Me dragon. This one is laser engraved wood. 

The new medium looks beautiful. But it also fulfills my desire for creating a more environmentally sustainable. I found a wood burner just outside of Atlanta. 

There are no US-based enamel printers. Enamel is petroleum based. So I’m supporting my local community and I’m removing a requirement for petroleum-based pins when going forward.  

Oh no, I am super excited about the new album. I can’t wait to share them and hopefully help other musicians replace the income they loss with the decline of CDs while still giving fans music and a great gift.    

BROBDINGNAGIAN BARDS HAVE A NEW CD

Last week, I finished uploading the new album to Discmakers. I was suddenly filled with overwhelming relief.

The previous few weeks, Andrew spent many hours editing the music recorded at the end of February. Last week I was listening every single day offering suggestions on how to improve what we had recorded. I'll be honest it's not perfect. But perfection is an illusion.

What's the most important to me is that there are some amazing songs on this album!

Some of my favorites include "Mushrooms", "Love Song to Alcohol", "I'm Coming Home", "Mother's Blood", "An Irishman Who Doesn't Drink". There are two stunning instrumentals. There's a whole bunch of fun traditional songs. 

The CDs are ordered. The album pins are already in our possession. We ordering new copies of A Faire to Remember and planning very special package deal with our very own ducat. 

CELTIC FOREVER

The Celtic Forever compilation CDs arrived last week. I'm now in the process of mailing all the rewards to fulfill that compilation. It's all looking good. 

CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS

The Celtic Invasion of Wexford, Ireland is finally closed. I got my last two invaders signed up. This coming month I will work on the final itinerary. 

That also means I will start promoting next year's Celtic Invasion of Galicia in Spain. 

DID YOU SEE THE KIDS PICS ABOVE?

Decatur Arts Alliance has an event called YEA (Young Emerging Artists). They invite kids to show off and sell their art. My girls signed up in February and were accepted in March. It was a fairly small event. But it still went great.

I don't know where the idea came from, but Kenzie is making these incredible animal masks. She puts so much thought and character into each mask. And they're not just for display. She makes them so you can actually wear them. She sold the masks as well as some art at the event. She was thrilled to make some decent money.

Inara, of course, sang. I was strictly her back up band. She put on a good show and even with allergies making her vocals rough at a few points, she did a spectacular job.

You can see more pictures from the event on Decaturish.

UPCOMING SHOWS

APR 4-6: StellarFest, Duluth, GA

APR 12-13: Sherwood Forest Faire, Paige, TX

APR 19-20: Sherwood Forest Faire, Paige, TX

APR 25-27: Jordan Con, Atlanta, GA

MAY 3: Maggie McGuinness Pub, Huntsville, AL

May 4: The Lost Druid Brewery, Avondales Estates, GA @ 4-7 PM

JUN 21-28: Celtic Invasion of Wexford, Ireland

JUL 19: Fiddler's Green Coffeehouse Concert series @ 8 PM

JUL 31-AUG 3: Gen Con, Indianapolis, IN

SEP 24-28: ALEP 6, Harrodsburg, KY

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 = 978 is down a LOT due to subscriber cut

Celtic Music Magazine = 3325 down a lot bc I trimmed a lot of dead subscribers

YouTube Subscribers = 6292 is up 20

Facebook Likes = 4280 is up 1

Instagram = 2171 is up 10

Spotify followers: 2731 is down from 2815

# Number of streams on Spotify: 6201

LATEST SPOTIFY ALBUM STATS

Most-popular songs on Spotify, Last 28 Days: 

The Widow and the Devil (8128)

Hero of Canton (4781)

Doctor of Gallifrey (3266)

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (3177)

Hobbit Hornpipe (1339)

Caltown Weaver (1326)

Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (1020)

A-Working in the Garden (1016)

Leprechaun (897)

Reavers Malcolm Reavers (257)

Top albums on Amazon, Last 28 Days: 

Sci Fi Drinking Songs (2882)

Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits (1088)

Kilted For Her Pleasure (213)

Happy Songs of Death (205)

St Patrick's Day Songs for Kids (192)

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

Doctor of Gallifrey (1557)

Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster (508)

Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits (258)

Those Characters Died (240)

Jedi Drinking Song Prequel (215)

Spotify playlists:

Irish & Celtic Music: Best of 2024:  152

Irish & Celtic Music: Best of 2023: 168

Irish & Celtic Music: Best of 2022: 230

Top Irish & Celtic Music: 784

Firefly Drinking Songs: 163

Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers: 113

Joyful Celtic Christmas Music: 161

Fun Christmas Songs for Kids & Families: 1986

YouTube playlists:

Irish & Celtic Music: Best of 2025 views: 459 is up from 133 

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 and my blog.

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

Patreon Subscribers: 145 paid, 408 total members

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