Demon & Reaver Lullaby, Top 10 Celtic Bands of 2022 #262

There are demons beneath your bed that are gonna eat you up this year. I am unofficially performing at GaFilk this weekend in Atlanta. And I count down the Best Celtic Bands of 2022.

This is Atlanta Pub Songs & Stories #262.

0:16 - "The Prettiest Hobbit" by Kilted Kings from Flower of Scotland

2:08 - WELCOME TO ATLANTA PUB SONGS & STORIES

I am Marc Gunn. I'm a Celtic and folk musician living in Atlanta, Georgia.

This is the audio liner notes for the songs I record and play and for the stories I gather and the people I meet in the city of Atlanta and beyond.

This is the first episode as an Atlanta-centric podcast. Hopefully, I can do it justice.

4:26 - WHAT IS GAFILK?

Filk is the music of fandom. The name started as a misspelling of folk music that was happening at science fiction conventions back in the 60s.

GaFilk, or Georgia Filk, is a convention that happens every year here in Atlanta, Georgia. I was first introduced to it when Brobdingnagian Bards was invited as a Super Secret Guest. We were still performing together in Austin.

It's a different kind of convention. There aren't a whole bunch of panels on your favorite fandoms. It's all about the music… and the people.

Folks from all over the nation gather together to sing songs inspired by science fiction, fantasy, parodies, and just geek out together. And it's a RelaxaCon. It's super laid back.

I've been a guest about three times, including with the Bards. This year, I'm just going for fun. But I'll have CDs and album pins and will do my best to entertain you when it's my turn in the filk circle.

6:50 - UPCOMING SHOWS

Here are some more shows happening this month:

• JAN 6-8: GaFilk, Atlanta, GA
• JAN 12: Internet Concert with Special Guest @ 6:30 PM EST
• JAN 21: Maggie McGuinness Pub, Huntsville, AL @ 7 PM
• JAN 28: The Lost Druid, Avondale Estates @ 6:30-9:30 PM
• JUN 3-10: Celtic Invasion Vacations, County Mayo, Ireland

10:06 - Altan "Dúlamán" from Island Angel

13:45 - JOIN THE CLUB

The show is brought to you by my Gunn Runners on Patreon. If you enjoy this podcast and my music, please join the Club. You get 4-10 new things every month. That includes bonus podcasts, downloadable songs, printed sheet music, blogs, stories from the road, and access to Coffee with The Celtfather video concerts.

Sign up for as little as $5 per month. And you can save 15% with an annual membership.
Thanks to my newest Gunn Runners on Patreon: Rich C, Janice G, Emil V, Bob H, Marguerite K

14:42 - COUNTDOWN OF TOP 10 CELTIC BANDS OF 2022?

I was listening to a podcast called Hit Parade. They talk about the hits. The host is a Charts Nerd. Like me, he listened to Casey Kasem's Top 40 Hits back in the 80s. I wasn't quite as obsessed as he was. But I did love the show.

My interest in charts really took off in the early 2000s when the Brobdingnagian Bards were topping the charts. I was able to figure out the system and how to maximize our success there.

So now I have Two Charts that I keep track of each year. One is the Celtic Top 20. This is the last episode of the year of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. I highlight fan votes for the top 20 songs and tunes of all of the episodes of the year.

The second is my organic pick of the Top 10 Celtic Bands. Meaning, these are the bands I played the most. I didn't plan to play any band more than any other. But I did.

You can read the blog, Top 10 Celtic Bands of 2022, on my website.

You can also check out my 5 Celtic Bands to Watch in 2023.

24:37 - DOWNLOAD MY FREE EP

You can download all of my songs in this show. Just send me an email.  pubsong@celtfather

You can let me know what you're doing while listening to this episode. I'd love to hear from you.

You will get an auto responder with a link to download this month's album. Please subscribe to the podcast if you're not already subscribed. It's quick and easy. And just like this Free EP, it is FREE!

25:38 - "Biddy Mulligan" by Banshee in the Kitchen from Last Pint - NOT

31:38 - STORY OF CLOSE YOUR EYES & REAVERS LULLABY

One of my most-popular songs since 2009 is a song called "Close Your Eyes". It's commonly known as "The Demon Lulllaby".

The song was written in 2003 by filker, Daniel Glasser. It won Best Comedy Song in the 2008 Pegasus Awards. That's also the year I first heard the song.

It was a I-Con Science Fiction Convention in Stony Brook, New York. I remember those filk circles fairly well.

Now if you're not familiar with the word filk, that is the music of fandom. It's the music you hear at science fiction conventions. The word was first used as a misprint of folk music that was happening at conventions back in the '50s. I guess con goers liked the term, because next thing you know, filk circles exploded.

The filk circles at I-Con were my first. My old band, Brobdingnagian Bards,