Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Brobdingnagian Bards

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Genre
  
Celtic

Members
  
Marc Gunn, Andrew Mckee

Brobdingnagian Bards sclksslsslhwcdnnet04imagesbbandbrobdingnag

Origin
  
Austin, Texas, United States (1999)

Albums
  
The Holy Grail of Irish Drin, Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales, A Faire to Remember, Memories of Middle Earth, Songs of Ireland

Profiles

Brobdingnagian bards tolkien the hobbit lord of the rings


The Brobdingnagian Bards were a Celtic music group from Austin, Texas, United States.

Contents

Brobdingnagian bards legolas


History

Marc Gunn, formerly of Austin Texas' alternative rock bands Skander and Breastfed, released a solo album (Geography) featuring himself on autoharp and Andrew McKee on recorder in 1998. This initial collaboration lead to the official formation of the Brobdingnagian Bards in 1999.

The group's name is derived from Brobdingnag, the kingdom of coarse giants described in Jonathan Swift's satirical novel Gulliver's Travels. The band was made up of its original two members, Marc Gunn (autoharp, vocals), and Andrew McKee (recorder, mandolin, vocals).

The Brobdingnagian Bards musical style is best described as a mixture of Irish and Scottish folk music, with their original compositions often falling into the filk genre. Although the pair did perform a good deal of purely traditional songs, it is the band's own works that set them apart, with their humorous pop-culture and sci-fi parodies. Despite performing in what is considered a "niche" genre, this duo was ranked as one of the top 20 bands on the original MP3.com. Over time, the Bards also honed their act into live entertainment by adding comedy, with McKee being the "straight-man" to Gunn's antics. As a result, they also became a familiar and popular act on both the renaissance faire and geek-show circuits.

The Bards had the honor of being headliners at the Oscar party for the The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. As Austin natives, they make regular appearances in the Austin Chronicle's annual Austin Music Awards poll, taking home the #1 prize for "Best Novelty Band" in 2004, "Best None of the Above" performing band in 2006 (the first Celtic band to ever win such accolades), and "Best Folk Act" in 2007. The band also makes regular top-ten finishes in the folk band and world music categories. In 2002, the Bards were also given a critic's pick award for "Best Renaissance Men" in the 2002 Best of Austin awards. In addition to the many conventions, faires and music festivals the group performed at around the Austin area, they also have toured coast to coast, and developed a following of devoted listeners, referred to as "Nagians." In 2007 and 2008, the Bards with several of their fans took a vacation tour of Ireland.

On September 15, 2008, the Brobdingnagian Bards band broke up amicably in order to pursue solo careers. They played one of their last public performances at The Browncoat Ball, organized by the Austin Browncoats.

The Bards performed at the 2012 Sherwood Celtic Music Festival near Austin.

The Bards performed at DragonCon in Atlanta, GA in August 2013.

Discography

  • Marked by Great Size (1999)
  • Gullible's Travels (2000)
  • Songs of the Muse (2001)
  • A Faire to Remember (2001)
  • Songs of Ireland (2002)
  • Memories of Middle Earth (2003)
  • A Celtic Renaissance Wedding (2004)
  • Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales (2005)
  • Christmas in Brobdingnag, Vol 1 (2005)
  • The Holy Grail of Irish Drinking Songs (2006)
  • LIVE: Nex Monoceroti, Per Risibus (2007)
  • Real Men Wear Kilts (2008)
  • See Marc Gunn for additional CDs.

    Songs

    Jedi Drinking SongBrobdingnagian Fairy Tales · 2005
    Old Dun CowBrobdingnagian Fairy Tales · 2005
    Do Virgins Taste Better?Marked by Great Size · 1999

    References

    Brobdingnagian Bards Wikipedia


    Similar Topics