Grammy-Nominated Bagpipe Music

"RogueTrip" by The Rogues

by Marc Gunn

I love The Rogues. They were the band that taught me if you had pipes and drums, it wasn't just another bagpipe band. It was The Rogues. "RogueTrip" is the latest offering from this Grammy-Nominated Celtic music giant.

There are some semi-new faces on this new CD. Randy Wothke is still the mastermind behind the success of The Rogues, playing a variety of percussion with some delicately added keyboards in the mix. Nelson Stewart continues to front the band with this dynamic personality and bodhran playing. Though I didn't realize he could sing until I heard, "When Diana Fell". Jeremy Freeman is the newest face for me, but he is no amateur when it comes to rocking on the pipes.

EJ Jones is the newest member of The Rogues, but definitely no stranger to the band. He dominated the Celtic super group Clandestine with his amazing bagpipes and flute playing. I'm thrilled to see him find a new home with The Rogues. He's added bombarde to this mighty group with the Breton tune "An Dro", a remarkable addition to the musical variety that first drew me to this "pipe and drum" band in "5.0".

The new CD isn't a change of sound though. It's the solid evolution of a group that continues to grow from the traditional pipe sounds of "Bobby Cuthbertson" to the breathtaking celebration of the Celtic spirit found in their newest arrangement of "Bonny Portmore". I look forward to seeing the new incarnation perform live. After hearing the lead track off the album "Pressed for Time", I'm convinced that their live show is just as much mind-blowing fun.

  Buy CD: RogueTrip

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Since 2000, Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards has guided thousands of Celtic music lovers to the best independet free Celtic MP3s through his weekly email magazine, the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine where he recently unleashed his personal archive of bands with free Celtic downloads--SONG HENGE. Marc hosts two podcasts, Irish & Celtic Music Podcast and the Renaissance Festival Podcast, where he works hard to promote independent Celtic artists.

LOTR Marathon, Hobbits, Food, and more Food

I have a serious question. Are there supposed to be seven hobbit meals in ONE DAY and then you don't eat for a week? I can't imagine eating seven meals EVERY DAY like that!

Ugh! I am sooo stuffed. I just got back from the Alamo Drafthouse who having a Lord of the Rings marathon complete with all seven hobbit eating times. What a feast!

The food was just delicious too. Here was the meal plan:

First Breakfast
Fresh Hens eggs, nice crispy bacon, grilled mushrooms and orange slice

Second Breakfast
Strawberries and Cream

Elevensies
Pan Seared Sausage and tomatoes with cheeses, cabbage and pickles

Luncheon
Braised Spareribs with mashed potatoes, roast carrots

Afternoon Tea
Baby greens with garlic blackberry vinaigrette, cheese herb galette, served with tea cookies

Dinner
Stewed Coney (rabbit) with taters, carrot, and leek, fresh garden herbs with crusty bread

Supper
Swirl of tomato and spinach soups wild mushroom crouton, apple pie

The only downside was that it was supposed to be Extended Edition throughout. Instead, only the first two movies were extended edition. Apparently, the Return of the King film version is not yet out and the DVD version "didn't fit". What ever that means?

There was also an raffle that I actually won prizes in. One was a CD Cardz. Some sort of trading card type thingies that also work in your CD player with pictures and stuff. Boh?

The other was the Grand Prize. Some lady's dog chewed up one of her copies of Fellowship. So she took the pieces and turned it into art with a mirror surrounded by the pages in mozaics. Pretty cool. I also had one of our Lord of the Rings music CDs raffled as well.

All in all a very FULL FILLING day.

Just one more month until, Bilbo's Birthday.

The Rabbi's Cat

Just heard a cool mention about a comic book called The Rabbi's Cat. Sounds like a neat story. It's by Joann Sfar from France and takes place in the 1930s in Algeria.

Makes me wish I had written something about that for my Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers CD.

Scots CD Recording - Banks o' Loch Lomond and Follow Prince Charlie

Another good day in the studio. We recorded autoharp tracks for "The Banks o' Loch Lomond" and "Follow Prince Charlie (Come Ye By Atholl)" on Sunday. Didn't quite make it to the vocals. We're being a little bit more particular with the recording since we have plenty of time for it. It's no big rush. Hopefully, tomorrow we'll add vocals.

Scottish CD recording - Donald, Where's Your Trousers? Troosers?

Andrew and I are back in the studio recording to our heart's content. We are working on our Scottish CD, Real Men Wear Kilts. We've planned this CD for a couple o'years now and finally have time to work on it.

The first songs we recorded was our version of the Scottish song Donald, Where's Your Trousers?. I say our version, because as any Scots person knows it's pronounced "troosers" and not "trousers". Well, we're Americans, so we sing "trousers". My apologies to the Scots.

We also recorded an original song, When She Held Me in Her Arms. We first recorded that song for "Gullible's Travels", but I felt the performance was way too fast so we didn't use it for that CD. However, we did add it to our wedding CD after we released it on MP3.com. The album went over so well I figured I'd leave it there, but I still want a good version of the song. So we're re-recording it.

March of the Penguins

I didn't know what to expect when I went to see the mysterious movie, March of the Penguins. I had no idea it was a documentary. I just heard someone mention it was good. And they were right.

I know I'm a sap for sappy movies. This one tugs at your emotions. The March of the Penguins soundtrack had a lot to do with it. Very emotional and passionate. The instrumentation made me think of Songs of the Muse by the Brobdingnagian Bards, though that CD is much more acoustic. The March of the Penguins uses a lot more New Age music compositions. Ours is more classical Celtic. Though I did hear a touch of a Celtic sound at the beginning of the movie.

Anyway, the documentary is described as a love story between penguins. But I admit, it was also a love story between movie and movie watcher. I was ready to take those penguins home with. I cried as they died. I rejoiced as they made it back to see. I laughed as the stumbled around. What a beautiful film! I was happy I went.

SONG HENGE - Celtic Irish Music Archive

This month marks the five year anniversary for the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. When the magazine started, I planned to feature the Brobdingnagian Bards in every issue. But as I heard all the great music out there, I changed my mind. I decided to help Celtic groups reach Celtic music fans.

Our community is just way too small. It's not very profitable and time-consuming to run a free weekly magazine. That's why such popular sites as Ceolas the CelticMusic.com have good information, but they are now outdated. Other websites, charge you a fee to access the great information. I never wanted to do that.

My goal was to offer free Celtic music and to rely on your benevolence to support the artists you love. And you do that.

However, it got me thinking. This newsletter and website costs me far more than the amount of time I put into it. I wonder if there is a special service I can offer you that might help me to continue this magazine while giving you a value-added access to the great music you love to listen to.

With my five-year anniversary upon me, I thought it was now fitting to introduce Song Henge, the quick and easy guide to the music and bands found in the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine.

I'm sure some of you have tried digging around the CelticMP3s.com website trying to find out if your favorite band offers free music. In the process, you found some more great music, but it was really rather inconsistent.

Well, I decided to make that easier with Song Henge. This is a comprehensive guide of Celtic music features, reviews, and sites with the best free Celtic MP3s that were featured in the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. Like this newsletter, there are no illegal Celtic MP3s, but there are currently over a hundred and twenty bands with 300+ MP3s that you are allowed to download. Plus, you will find information about each group, or find out what happened to these groups.

The site is still under construction. I hope to do a full-release in September when I will release annual memberships. Until then, I decided to release a limited number of Lifetime Memberships at well-over 50% off the regular price.

This is your chance to show your support for the work I do on this magazine and to easily access the bands that you enjoy listening to.

As a Lifetime Member of Song Henge, you will also get access to free CDs, some exclusive Celtic MP3 downloads, and an exclusive Song Henge monthly mailing list, where I will notify you about the latest Song Henge gifts.

I put hundreds of hours into compiling this information, writing these features, reviews, and building this directory. It is a massive project that is still under construction. I could easily charge $150 for a lifetime membership.

When it's released, it will cost you $49, but this month only, you can join Song Henge for just $29. For the price of two CDs, you can access five years of research.

Join Song Henge right now and save!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

What do you get when you cross one of the film industries most-disturbing Directors with a brilliant children's book?

Ans: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

After months of anticipation shot down by stupid critics, I finally got around to seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Yeah, I was pretty excited seeing Johnny Depp in the role of Willy Wonka. But when the movie came out, I heard some bad reviews. I am now kicking myself for listening to them.

Holy crap! Was that a great movie!

I remember seeing Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory when I was a kid. I had nightmares for years when Augustus Gloop was sucked up into that tube. It wasn't until maybe three years ago that I finally overcame my nightmares by watching the movie again. It too was brilliant. Gene Wilder. Wow!

So when I heard about this new movie I wasn't sure what to think. I've been a fan of Johnny Depp for years because he always picks and commands such great roles. Everyone said, Gene Wilder would always be Wonka, but I think Depp pulled in a performance that was comparably amazing, and it all starts with the story.

The story was based on the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (something I never read). I can't help but imagine that this was a great book having inspired two brilliant movies.

The new one was both imaginative, unique, and scary... in it's own playful way. No doubt the music of Danny Elfman helped make Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a smashingly disturbing hit... though I can't say I'd want to own the soundtrack personally... but the movie? Yes. I need to watch it again. It was inspiring.