St Patrick’s Day isn’t just about drinking. But I will tell you the story of how I learned to write drinking songs so you can write your own… just sing along a little more easily.  I share 17 amazing Celtic Bands you should check out for St Patrick’s Day. Learn a green idea for investing in our climate. This is Sci Fi Pub Songs & Stories #267. 0:22 - Kilted Kings “Ride On” from Flower of Scotland 4:42 - WELCOME TO SCI FI PUB SONGS & STORIES Happy St Patrick’s Day! I am Marc Gunn. I’m a rhythm and folk Celtic musician living in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the audio edition of my weekly newsletter. I play traditional Irish and Scottish drinking songs. I also write songs inspired by pop culture, things like Lord of the Rings, Firefly, and Doctor Who. That’s why this is Sci Fi Pub Songs & Stories. But this week, I’m mostly focusing on St Patrick’s Day fun. 5:17 - UPCOMING SHOWS MAR 17: Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, Ga @ 7:00-7:30 PM, St Patrick’s Day Show with my Family MAR 18: Pontoon Brewing, Sandy Springs, GA @ 12-3 PM MAR 18: Ironshield Brewing, Lawrenceville, GA @ 7-10 PM APR 29: The Lost Druid, Avondale Estates, Ga JUN 3-10: Celtic Invasion Vacations, County Mayo, Ireland 8:15 - WHAT’S NEW STORY Studio Days NPR Tiny Desk Concert performance of “Blink” 15:53 - Marc Gunn & Jamie Haeuser “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye” from How America Saved Irish Music 19:47 - FEEDBACK Mitchell Petersen responded to my last newsletter about “Saying No Even If It’s Included”. I said “When I choose fruit and vegetables, I pick the ones that aren’t in plastic bags. I get a little grossed out by putting them on the scanner. But then I wash them when I get home.” He responded: “FYI, we have these bags for fruits and veggies at the grocery store and they are awesome and you don't need to use the plastic bags OR have to put your stuff straight in the basket” 21:08 - One of the best things about Dragon Con… 21:55 - DOWNLOAD MY FREE EP You can download all of my songs in this show. Just send me an email.  pubsong@ celtfather You will get an auto responder with a link to download this month’s album. You can also subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already subscribed. It’s quick and easy. While you’re emailing me to get your free EP, let me know what you’re doing while listening to this episode. 24:08 - Jiggy “King of the Faeries” from Translate New video: “Fiery Arrow” 27:21 - STORY OF THE CAT CAME BACK… THE CAT’S PERSPECTIVE I learned how to write a drinking song thanks to “The Cat Came Back… The Cat’s POV”. First, let me point out, a drinking song isn’t about alcohol. It’s a song with a fun, easy-to-sing chorus. Sometimes it’s interactive. “Wild Rover” has claps in the chorus. “Rattlin’ Bog” and “The Unicorn Song” have a whole bunch of motions that act out the lyrics. “Seven Drunken Nights” and “Big Strong Man” have phrases that the audience shouts back at the singer. These were the songs I was thinking of when I wrote the cat’s perspective of a famous folk song. I never liked “The Cat Came Back.” It was cruel and I love cats. So I decided to rewrite the song using the melody of “The Moonshiner”. But I wanted to make it a call-and-response song. So I added “Ka-Boom”, “Gurgle” and more to the end of the verses. But when I finally decided to play it live, I had NO idea how to get the audience to interact with the song. Eventually, I taught the audience the 5 different responses (five, really? What was I thinking?). I introduce each exclamation before the verse. But it’s still difficult to get them involved. If you want to write a drinking song, keep it simple. One call and response throughout is best. Teach it at the beginning of the song. “Slainte Mhaith” is a great drinking song. It has an easy-to-sing chorus. But it also has a super easy call-and-response. “When I sing slainte mhaith, you shout it back to me. Slainte mhaith! [Slainte mhaith]”. Sometimes you learn to do something the easy way. With this song, I learned what not to do. Ah well. Li