Brobdingnagian Bards

Brobdingnagian Bards

Company type	Musical duo
Industry	Music
Founded	1999
Founder	Marc Gunn, Andrew McKee
Defunct	September 15, 2008 (2008-09-15)
Fate	Disbanded to pursue individual careers; reunited in 2012 for occasional collaborations
Headquarters	Austin , United States
Products	Celtic music albums and live performances
Website	www.bards.com

The Brobdingnagian Bards are a Celtic music ensemble originating from Austin, Texas, United States.

History

In 1998, Marc Gunn, previously a member of Austin-based alternative rock groups Skander and Breastfed, released a solo project titled Geography, featuring his autoharp performances alongside Andrew McKee on the recorder. This initial partnership eventually led to the official establishment of the Brobdingnagian Bards in 1999.

Their name is inspired by Brobdingnag, the land of giants depicted in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. The duo consists of Marc Gunn, who provides vocals and plays the autoharp, and Andrew McKee, who performs on the recorder, mandolin, and also contributes vocals.

Musically, they fuse traditional Irish and Scottish folk music elements, with many original pieces classified within the filk tradition. While they perform classic folk tunes, they have gained particular recognition for their original humorous parodies centered around pop-culture and sci-fi themes. Despite catering to a specialized audience, they achieved a position among the top 20 artists on the early platform MP3.com. Their live performances often incorporated comedic interplay, with McKee acting as the straight man to Gunn’s lively humor, earning them a strong following within the renaissance faire circuit and geek-centric events.

The Bards were featured as headliners at the Oscar celebration for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Both natives of Austin, they frequently participated in the Austin Chronicle's Austin Music Awards, securing titles such as "Best Novelty Band" in 2004, "Best None of the Above" in 2006—the first Celtic group to receive this honor—and "Best Folk Act" in 2007. Additionally, they consistently placed within the top ten in categories covering folk and world music. In 2002, critics recognized them as "Best Renaissance Men."

Beyond local fairs and festivals, their tours extended nationwide, cultivating a dedicated fan community known as "Nagians." During 2007-2008, they organized an exclusive fan trip to explore Ireland.

The band amicably parted ways on September 15, 2008, to focus on individual careers. One of their concluding shows took place at The Browncoat Ball in Austin.

They reunited in 2012 at the Sherwood Celtic Music Festival near Austin and have collaborated sporadically since that time.

The Brobdingnagian Bards performed at DragonCon in Atlanta during August of 2013, 2016, and 2018.

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)
• Dragons and Virgins (2017)
• I Will Not Sing Along (2020)
• Another Faire to Remember (2023)

External links

• Official website of the Brobdingnagian Bards
• Feature article from Celtic MP3s Music Magazine
• "The 'N' Word: Exploring the Filk Music Genre" published in The Austin Chronicle
• "Looking for Fame? Try the Internet" featured in The Daily Texan
• Interview with Marc Gunn on Slice of SciFi
• Electronic Press Kit for the band
• Brobdingnagian Bards' Myspace page
• Brobdingnagian Bards on SoundClick
• The Brobdingnagian Minute Podcast
• The Adventures of the Brobdingnagian Bards Comic