Artist description The Brobdingnagian Bards are The Original Celtic Renaissance duo combining unique instrumentation (autoharp, recorder & mandolin) with a romantic, comical meal that'll leave you hungry for more. Celtic folk songs for breakfast. Fantasy, filk and dragon sandwiches for lunch. And an extra helping of JRR Tolkien-esque instrumentals for dinner. We have had over 1.5 million downloads on mp3.com in just over one year, making us one of the hottest and fastest rising Celtic bands online.

Music Style The Original Celtic Renaissance - Celtic Folk Music from Austin, Texas

Musical Influences dubliners, corries, corrs, u2, bob dylan, elvis presley, altan, clannad, enya, loreena mckennit, boys of the lough, martin carthy, chieftains, clancy brothers, corrs, phil coulter, dervish, fureys, planxty, pogues, silly wizard, alan stivell, tannahill weavers, beatles, kingston trio, stone temple pilots, joanie mitchell, wolf tones, rogues of scotland, clandestine, seven nations, chad mitchell trio, fabrizio de andre, paul simon, billy joel, lothlorien, bob denver, lynyrd skynyrd, gene kelly, eric idle, wierd al yankovich, chet atkins, bing crosby, they might be giants, tom lehrer, bare naked ladies, bnl, celtic soul, emerald rose, legacy, ed miller, 2 o'clock courage, de dannan. gaelic storm, christy moore, nettles, waterboys, poor clares, bryan bowers, ivan stiles, Evo Bluestein, Becky Blackely, Lindsay Haisley, Carol Stober, Stoneman Family, ani difranco, arlo guthrie, woody guthrie, roger miller, janis joplin, leadbelly, Gordon Lightfoot, Dave Matthews, rogers & hammerstein, pete seeger, tom paxton, mozart, beethovan, metallica, al grierson, tuorlough o'carolan, irving berlin

Similar Artists dubliners,corries,corrs,u2,joni mitchell,elvis presley,altan,clannad,enya,,boys of the lough,martin carthy,chieftains,bryan bowers,roger mcguinn,clancy brothers,filk,autoharp,celtic,renaissance faire

Artist History In February, 1999, Marc Gunn and Andrew McKee joined together to perform at the Excalibur Fantasy Faire in Smithville, Texas to form the Brobdingnagian Bards. They combined their unique instruments--autoharp, recorder, and mandolin--together to form a unique sound they dubbed 'Celtic Renaissance' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Following in the great bardic tradition, the Bards perpetuate their musical genre by performing songs of old while still writing songs for a new generation that maintain the eternal sound that is still sung to this very day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marc Gunn forms the backbone of the Bards playing the autoharp and singing. He composes original Renaissance-style and Celtic-sounding music while performing traditional Celtic and Renaissance music for inspiration. His voice is low, romantic, and inspiring, singing songs about fairy tales, love, rebellion, and lullabys that have brought tears to peoples eyes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Andrew McKee forms the energy and melodys of the Bards, writing and arranging brilliant classical and original pieces evoking a sound as beautiful a baby blue sky. Andrew plays his recorder with a soft subtle sound that perfectly compliments Marc's autoharp and sweeps the listener back to the Renaissance while still holding on to the Celtic isles with his mandolin.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Together, the Bards play throughout the Southwest from Texas to Missouri, enchanting audiences and delighting people ages eigth to eighty.

Group Members Marc Gunn-vocals, autoharp; Andrew McKee-mandolin, recorder, vocals

Instruments Autoharp, Recorder, and Mandolin; Occasional addition of guitar, drums, flute

Albums Marked By Great Size, Gullible's Travels, Songs of The Muse, A Celtic Renaissance Wedding, Nagians Only, Vol. 1, A Faire To Remember, Best of the Bards CD Sampler, Songs of Ireland

Press Reviews "Among the most whimsical acts of SXSW 2002, the Austin-based Bards are masters of traditional folk. Like a Celt-Renaissance They Might Be Giants, albums like Marked by Great Size and their latest, A Faire to Remember are equal parts lilting melodies and good humor. Their song "Tolkien" is an unexpected MP3 hit." --Austin Chronicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Let's put it this way, they arrive early. They play music. The play throughout the day. The day is over and their still playing music. We love them!" --Hamlet of Mid-Missouri Renaissance Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "We had planned on having a string quartet at our wedding. While looking on the web for groups, we ran across The Bards. We immediately called Karen's dad, since he was footing the bill, and played Tolkien over the phone. It was an instant hit and we later chose it as the solo for our wedding ceremony. We decided to be a little different and use Maids in the Meadow for the recessional. It was wonderful!" --Karen and Erik Hayden, Newlyweds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Pour yourself a shot of Jameson, throw another mat of peat on the fire and let the Bards carry you away to the Emerald Isle." --Bill Cunningham, Chautauquan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "a kind of Renaissance version of They Might Be Giants" --Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle - 3 STARS

Location Austin, TX - USA

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