Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast

Here's our improvised podcast while driving to DragonCon 2015!

The first question that raises it's head is "What is the purpose of a podcast?"

In the past, we've done brainstorming, as well as just chatting about what's going on with our lives. A behind-the-scenes tour, if you will – or a self-covering band!

So how do you create a podcast for a band that only meets once or twice a year? Do we just go for the general chatting about life and work, or do we go for something completely off-the-wall? We don't have much time together, so outrageous skits and dashing fight scenes aren't really options…

But these options of chatting about TV and our lives are all boring… a good setup is usually starting off with news, followed by an intro, and then the meat of the podcast. Informing, entertaining, evergreen. Crazy idea – we could do skits, but ask our audience to send in suggestions of what they'd like to see! Improv, parodies, rambling, actual dialogue, commentary – who knows!

Or we could just start classifying everything either Lilliputian or Brobdingnagian.

Basically, the moral of the story, this podcast is about us podcasting and the purpose of our podcasts.

Brobdingnagian Bards were officially invited to DragonCon this year. We're already planning this year's shows. One of which is a Sunday evening Hobbit Drinking Songs show. The show is currently scheduled for 10pm in the Augusta Ballroom in the Westin. Every year, we like to change things up, doing something new and exciting. Last year, we added a fun arrangement of "Seven Drunken Nights", hobbit-style.

This year, I was thinking about how the show should conclude. What can we do to create one giant crescendo of a song where everyone is singing along with us?

The song we decided on was "I See Fire", the song from the end of the second Hobbit movie. It's beautiful, dramatic and has a great sing-along at the end.

At ALEP last year (the hobbit gathering in Central Kentucky), an Elf Choir performed the song. It was amazing. Wouldn't it be awesome replicate that song at the end of the show?

I threw the idea out to Andrew and together we talk about the logistics needed to make it happen. What we are envisioning. You can even watch the performance that inspired this idea on YouTube. Then you just need to show up at DragonCon on Sunday evening to see if we can make it look as cool as we hope it will be.

It's time for another edition of the podcast formerly known as A Brobdingnagian Minute, now known as Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast. Marc got an itch to do another Bards podcast. So he crank called Andrew and now you get another show. We're kinda hoping to release this podcast on a more regular basis. In order to do that and not bore you to death, we NEED Your FEEDBACK.

What would you like to hear us talk about? What interests you? How long could you stand listening? What's the air speed velocity of an unladen bard?

Use the dang shownotes below and post your comments today!

Let us start with apologies to everyone who got excited about yesterday's April Fool's joke. Yes, it was another bad joke brought to you by Brobdingnagian Bards. I don't know if it was as bad as 2001 or 2002 when we told everyone we were breaking up the band… but it sounds like it was close. So our apologies. We are NOT reuniting, except at DragonCon.

That said, we have a bunch of fun Bards news where you can hear some of the legitimate news, some of which was included in yesterday's podcast.

If you enjoy our insanity, then then please buy a CD over on our website at thebards.net and make sure you also subscribe to our mailing list.

• April Fools Day – When Bards of a Brobdingnagian persuasion see how far they can push fans before being burned in effigy (previous post)
• A new Brobdingnagian Bards CD is in development! Magical Mystery Lore is on the way!
• Ms.Inara Gunn shall be joining the family in May
• The Unicorn Song
• DragonCon 2015 – Keep your eyes open
• Andrew's wrapping up a new CD, set to be ready by DragonCon – described as "Fantasy Renaissance with an Irish Stance"
• Saying Farewell to Leonard Nimoy
• Poll – Which part of the various styles of Marc's Music do you enjoy?
• Marc's new CD – Dragons vs. Pirates – just has a few more days left on Kickstarter!
• Louisiana Renaissance Festival –
• Booking the Library: A Guide for Entertainers, Musicians, Speakers, and Authors by Jessica Brawner
• Ethics of Kickstarter use
• Rosin the Bow

You heard that right, the Brobdingnagian Bards are back together and planning our 2015-2016 World Tour. It's gonna be amazing. You can find out all of the exciting news, including the name of our next album and all 17 countries we will be performing at, kicking off with our return to DragonCon.

Are you ready to have your mind blown away?

Find out more about Brobdingnagian Bards at thebards.net. Because WE HAVE CDS!

Sorry… This IS an April Fool's joke!

Listen to the real podcast here… No joke!

It always helps when you're announcing big news that you do it in a timely fashion. Alas, this show was recorded a month ago after said news was released. Oh well! Enjoy the show.

• Favorite thing about the digital age
• Marc DJing in high school
• Andrew's Star Wars Podcast project
• Starting late at gigs
• Run-ins at the Georgia Renaissance Festival
• Marc's family vacation in Ireland
• Release of Ichabod Zeuss CDs
• Andrew recording on my CDs
• Trivia Question: What song appears on our CD more than any other?
• Brobdingnagian Bards Reunion Show at Sherwood Celtic Music Festival
• Song requests for the reunion?
• Hedgehog-free zone, Certificate of Authenticity
• Hunger Games-review
• Getting Old and Becoming Your Parents
• In Dumbledore fashion
• Looking forward to The Hobbit

Music:

"The Kiss" from Gullible's Travels

"Lanigan's Ball" from Songs of Ireland

"The Orange and the Green" from by Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales

"The Scotsman" from A Faire to Remember

The Brobdingnagian Bards Christmas Soap Opera episode with special guests, Blu, the Teddy Bear, and a whole bunch of Christmas movies.

• Google Hangouts
• Jedi Mind Tricks
• Favorite Christmas Movie
• The many incarnations of Charles Dickens Christmas Story
• White Christmas vs. Holiday Inn
• TV Shows with Staying Power
• Steve Jobs biography
• Building excitement for Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits
• New albums from Marc?
• End of the World as Mayan's Know It
• Music video ideas
• Merry Christmas!

Christmas in Brobdingnag

Music:

"Little Drummer Boy" from Christmas in Brobdingnag, Vol. 1

"Lusty Young Smith" from A Faire to Remember

"Bog Down in Christmas" from Christmas in Brobdingnag, Vol. 1

"Ye Jacobites By Name" from Real Men Wear Kilts

Insert this RSS Feed into your podcatcher to have the shows downloaded automatically: http://www.thebards.net/mp3/ABrobdingnagianMinute.xml

• Now with More Virgins
• Marc's a Daddy
• Andrew's podcast and upcoming CD
• New CDs from Marc: Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits and Firefly Drinking Songs
• The Last Bards CD–Real Men Wear Kilts
• Marc Heading Back to DragonCon
• "If I Had $1000000" by Barenaked Ladies at the Texas Renaissance Festival Karaoke
• New Harry Potter movie
• Comic Book movies: Captain America vs. Green Lantern vs. Thor
• Rant about 3D Movies
• Hulu Plus vs. Netflix
• Lie to Me
• Big Bang Theory Rip Off
• Featured on SIMS Medieval Trailer
• More Super Secret Brobdingnagian Bards Projects
• Subscribe to the podcast at www.bardbootlegs.com

Music

Intro tune: "Swift Dining" from Marked By Great Size

"Do Virgins Taste Better Medley" from A Faire to Remember

"Tolkien (The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings)" from Songs of the Muse

"Seven Drunken Nights" from Real Men Wear Kilts

"If I Had a Million Smurfy Ducats" from Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales

"My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose / 500 Miles" from Real Men Wear Kilts

Every venue has its work. GenCon is "Freebird". We made the mistake of playing it in the pre-show last year at Friday Night Live and ended up with a standing ovation before our actual show started. Sadly, we succumbed to peer pressure and played it again… but with a twist. Michelle Hedden joins us on bodhran for this mad hour of geek-filled fun.

Show Notes:

• Name that Tune
• "Morning Song", a 45-minute song in the dealer's room
• "Don't Go Drinking With Hobbits" from Marc's Dragon CD
• "Do Virgins Taste Better Medley" from A Faire to Remember
• Why Andrew stands on stage right of Marc
• Motley Crue Contest
• "Come Out Ye Black and Tans" from Songs of Ireland
• "In the Mood" from Bards Live
• "Exclamations" from Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales
• Starbucks Sponsorship
• "Old Dun Cow" from Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales
• "Free Bog"
• "Monahan's Mudders Milk" (a Firefly song)
• The Great Luke Ski
• "If I Had a Million Ducats" from a bunch of CDs
• "Jedi Drinking Song" from Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales

We're back from another brilliant time visiting Ireland with our fans. The trip was all too brief, but in this podcast, we take some time to share some of our fond memories of our trip.

Show Notes:

• Favorite Places from our Vacation Tour of Ireland
• Gougane Barra
• Stone Circles
• "Black Velvet Band" from The Holy Grail of Irish Drinking Songs
• Magnum Ice Cream
• Video from Brigit's Garden "Fellowship of the Ring"
• "Rocky Road to Dublin" from Songs of Ireland
• Fond Fables
• Movie Reviews: Zohan, Get Smart, Hancock, WALL-E
• GenCon Confirmed
• "Lish Young Buy-A-Broom" from Songs of Ireland