Marc Gunn
Encyclopedia
Marc Gunn is a musician and podcaster. As the autoharp
-playing half of the Brobdingnagian Bards
, Gunn and partner Andrew McKee developed a following with weekly performances on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin
. This led to gigs at renaissance faires, science fiction conventions, and Celtic music festivals as well as parties and weddings for the pair. The group headlined at the Oscar
party for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
.
With the Bards’ calendar busy, Gunn began producing the duo’s recordings. His first solo album, Soul of a Harper, appeared in 2004; he then embarked on work for Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers.
The Brobdingnagian Bards band broke up amicably on September 15, 2008, and Gunn plans to pursue a solo career.
After the Brobdingnagian Bards disbanded, Gunn began releasing several albums a year with four full-length studio albums released in 2008, three in 2009, and two in 2010.
He is also involved in an online resource called the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. The weekly publication reviews Celtic music of all varieties from Irish traditional music to Celtic rock
. Two free, full-length MP3
s are offered for download every week on the site. Marc is one of the few professional podcaster producing five different podcasts each month, the most-popular being the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Additionally, Gunn publishes The Bards Crier's Music Marketing and Promotion Tips Ezine, a newsletter that teaches musicians about marketing and promotion, and handles webmaster duties for a variety of sites including the Austin Celtic Association
.
It is claimed that more than five million MP3s have been downloaded from him; over one million of those were for "Tolkien (The Hobbit
and The Lord of the Rings)." The Brobdingnagian Bards were voted “Best Renaissance
Men” in the Austin Chronicle
’s 2003 Best of Austin poll. In March 2005, The Bards collected an Austin Music Award for the Bards as Best Novelty Band, the first time any Celtic band has won. Gunn’s solo CD Soul of a Harper won the Best Cover Art category that year. In 2007, they continued that honor by winning Best None of the Above Band, and in 2008, they won Best Folk Band.
See Brobdingnagian Bards
for additional discography.
Autoharp
The autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the...
-playing half of the Brobdingnagian Bards
Brobdingnagian Bards
-History:Marc Gunn, formerly of Austin Texas' alternative rock bands Skander and Breastfed, released a solo album featuring himself on autoharp and Andrew McKee on recorder in 1998...
, Gunn and partner Andrew McKee developed a following with weekly performances on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. This led to gigs at renaissance faires, science fiction conventions, and Celtic music festivals as well as parties and weddings for the pair. The group headlined at the Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
party for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
.
With the Bards’ calendar busy, Gunn began producing the duo’s recordings. His first solo album, Soul of a Harper, appeared in 2004; he then embarked on work for Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers.
The Brobdingnagian Bards band broke up amicably on September 15, 2008, and Gunn plans to pursue a solo career.
After the Brobdingnagian Bards disbanded, Gunn began releasing several albums a year with four full-length studio albums released in 2008, three in 2009, and two in 2010.
He is also involved in an online resource called the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. The weekly publication reviews Celtic music of all varieties from Irish traditional music to Celtic rock
Celtic rock
Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock and a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context...
. Two free, full-length MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
s are offered for download every week on the site. Marc is one of the few professional podcaster producing five different podcasts each month, the most-popular being the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Additionally, Gunn publishes The Bards Crier's Music Marketing and Promotion Tips Ezine, a newsletter that teaches musicians about marketing and promotion, and handles webmaster duties for a variety of sites including the Austin Celtic Association
Austin Celtic Association
The Austin Celtic Association is a non-profit organization based in Central Texas. Its goal is to celebrate and promote the Celtic culture through music, dance, language, sports, history, and the arts...
.
It is claimed that more than five million MP3s have been downloaded from him; over one million of those were for "Tolkien (The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
and The Lord of the Rings)." The Brobdingnagian Bards were voted “Best Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
Men” in the Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
’s 2003 Best of Austin poll. In March 2005, The Bards collected an Austin Music Award for the Bards as Best Novelty Band, the first time any Celtic band has won. Gunn’s solo CD Soul of a Harper won the Best Cover Art category that year. In 2007, they continued that honor by winning Best None of the Above Band, and in 2008, they won Best Folk Band.
Discography
- Intent on World Domination with Skander (1995)
- Breastfed with Breastfed (1997)
- Ichabod's Geography (1998)
- October Sessions (1998)
- Mountain Rain (2001)
- Celtic Love & War (2002)
- Soul of a Harper (2004)
- When Kitty Eyes Are Smiling (2005)
- Irish Drinking Songs for Cat LoversIrish Drinking Songs for Cat LoversIrish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers is the first full-length cat-related CD by Marc Gunn. The majority of the songs are parodies of Irish folk songs , with new cat-themed lyrics written by Marc Gunn...
(2005) - 4 Irish Whiskey Drinking Songs (2006)
- A Collection of Irish Pub Songs (2007)
- Irish Drinking Songs: A Cat Lover's Companion (2007)
- Three Movie and TV Songs for Geeks Like Me (2007)
- A Tribute to Love (2008)
- A Gift of Cat Love (2008)
- Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers (2008)
- Going for Brogue: Irish Pub Songs and Sea Shanties with an Accent (2008)
- What Color Is Your Dragon? Folk Music with Delusions of GrandeurWhat Color Is Your Dragon? Folk Music with Delusions of GrandeurWhat Color Is Your Dragon? is an album of mostly original autoharp music by award-winning, Celtic musician Marc Gunn. It features of folk and filk songs inspired by Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Bugs Bunny, Dr...
(2008) - Heart's Ease: Instrumental Autoharp MusicHeart's Ease: Instrumental Autoharp MusicHeart's Ease is an album of original, instrumental autoharp music by award-winning, Celtic musician Marc Gunn.- Track listing :# "Stardust Serenade" - 5:00# "Heart's Ease" - 3:04# "She Vanished in the Mist" - 3:59# "Songwind" - 2:31...
(2009) - Live at the Cactus CafeLive at the Cactus CafeLive at the Cactus Cafe: Cat Songs and Celtic Music is a live CD recorded for the CD release of Marc Gunn's second CD of cat parodies, Whiskers in the Jar. It features Marc Gunn on autoharp and vocals, James "Cedric" Hazelrig of the Bedlam Bards on fiddle, mandola and vocals and Michelle Hedden on ...
(2009) - Happy Songs of Death (2009)
- The Bridge (2010)
- Kilted For Her Pleasure (2010)
- Firefly Drinking Songs with Bedlam Bards (2011)
- Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits (2011)
See Brobdingnagian Bards
Brobdingnagian Bards
-History:Marc Gunn, formerly of Austin Texas' alternative rock bands Skander and Breastfed, released a solo album featuring himself on autoharp and Andrew McKee on recorder in 1998...
for additional discography.
Compilations Produced and Featured On
- Coventina's Well (2003)
- Secret World of Celtic Rock (2005)
- The CircleThe CircleThe Circle is a peer-to-peer distributed file system written mainly in Python. It is based on the Chord distributed hash table .Development on the Circle has ceased in 2004.-Features:...
(2006) Hurricane Katrina benefit CD co-produced with Modern Bard - Victims of Irish Music (2007)
- Renaissance Festival Podcast Compilation (2008)
- Best of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast (2009)