Building Better Shows (Patreon)

What Hobbit Pub Songs taught me about fan experience

Greetings friends

This weekend at the Georgia Renaissance Festival, I rebuilt my set list. Every set had its own theme. Naturally, the Hobbit Pub Songs set drew the biggest crowd. It’s fun, it’s rowdy, and it’s interactive. That is what makes a show great. Not just the music. The community.

At GaRF, each set stands alone. Brand-new audience. Brand-new energy.

The next morning at Nerdy Wonderland, it hit me again: every crowd is fresh. Every set can be its own world.

So I started wondering…what if all my shows worked this way?

Most folks at a brewery aren’t there for me. They’re there for good beer. But if I can grab their attention and delight them? That’s a win.

But then there are the Gunn Runners who LOVE-LOVE the Hobbit Drinking Songs experience, the superfans who want the awesome shows that they love and the themed chaos. So why not design sets that work for both? Newbies and the die-hard Gunn Runners.

So for my next Lost Druid show, I’m changing the format:

6–8 PM: a Celtic set for folks who don’t know my music yet.

8–9 PM: a full-on themed experience for the hardcore fans.

Two shows. One night. A test run for a whole new era.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

POLL: If you could request one theme for a future show, what would it be?

My projects and upcoming events:

I don’t have any shows planned in the next couple weeks. But I’m hoping to schedule an internet concert. Stay tuned…

CELTIC CHRISTMAS PODCAST. A new episode was released yesterday. This episode blends whistle melodies, pub Christmas cheer, timeless carols, and two storytellers bringing the season to life. Pour a warm drink and dive in. Music from Cedar Dobson, Kinnfolk, Celtic Woman, Plunk Murray, Stonecircle, The Irish Rovers, Bonnie Rideout, Al Petteway, Cherish the Ladies. Plus music and stories from The Gothard Sisters, Jesse Ferguson. Follow and listen.

NEW HIGHLIGHT REEL PODCAST. Highlight Reels are music-only episodes that are available exclusively to Patrons of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. These shows feature some of the best tracks from previous episodes as voted on by Patrons. They also help me determine the winners of the Celtic Top 20. The final poll of the year ends this Friday. So please go listen if you’re a patron and vote now!

CELTIC PODCAST KICKSTARTER. I’m starting to create the next Kickstarter for the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Once again, you’ll be able to own a CD, Album Pin or Shirt along with the best Celtic music of 2025. The pre-launch page is setup. Follow it now!

PATRONAGE HAS ITS PERKS

Thank you. Really. Every time you listen to a song, tune into a podcast episode, share a show with a friend, or send a kind note, it reminds me why I create. It tells me that this strange, joyful, Celtic-Geeky musical adventure is reaching people who care.

Patreon is where I get to share the heart of what I do: new music, behind-the-scenes stories, early podcast releases, and the creative sparks that don’t always make it to the public stage. It’s also how I’m able to keep making music at all.

If there’s something in my work that has ever lifted your spirits, made you laugh, helped you through a hard day, or even just kept you company… I hope you’ll consider joining the Gunn Runners Club. When you support the things you love, you help them grow. You help them continue.

Your kindness, your generosity, your belief in this little corner of the musical universe… those are the fuel that keep it alive.

Thank you for being part of it. And thank you to everyone already supporting this journey for as little as $5 a month. You mean the world to me.

Patreon Subscribers: 153 paid, 492 total members

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