Glastonbury duo - Storytelling and Music

I recently read a blog post by Sean Bulava, and it got me thinking about story interuptions I've had that stuck in my memory. Recently I went and told a set of stories with music at a local rest home. The activities director was grateful that I would come and entertain the residents for the small budget they had and they knew what my normal evening fee would have been. The experience was not well planned by the staff and there was some confusion as to where in the building I was to perform, so w… Continue

A Celtic Tale from the Isle of Man The following story is a Manx tale in the public domain. It has a typical Celtic theme of mortals becoming ensnared in the fairy world. The Isle of Man has a very interesting history and culture. Celtic Settlers came to the island during the bronze age, their language is akin to Irish Gaelic and had much in common with Ireland and the Western Islands of Scotland. The island is named for the Celtic Sea God – Mannanan MacLyr and was called “The Throne of Mannana… Continue

Storyteller Sound-scapes I wrote this for our local storytelling guild newspaper last year or so. One of my favorite sound effects for storytelling is the Irish Bodhran. (pronounced in Gaelic, Bough-ron) It is a versatile frame drum with a variety of pitches and sounds that can be made. A few years ago my wife and I had our first experiences making sound effects and music for other storytellers. It seemed to me that the Bodhran helped express a number of moods and narrative sound effects. Man… Continue

Why I should renew my Instrument and equipment insurance. (I thought this aritcle I wrote for the local Musician's Union Newsletter might be helpful for anyone with sound gear and or instruments that they pack along for a job.) Every couple of years I have a “close call” with my gear. Two years ago my wife and I played a wedding with a violinist from the Local. We set up on the sun deck of the Stein Eriksen Lodge. We had shade and a large umbrella for each of us for overhead cover. We played fo… Continue

Things happen and I almost can't help but tell a story about it, even when my friends all look at their watches. At one time in my past, I worked as an animator. Scripts and storyboards came out of the Los Angeles area to the studio where I worked. One of the things I learned to do while drawing animation or illustrations, was to tell my self a little story about the scene I was creating. For a wizards den I would start by telling myself what was in there. Old books would be on the shelves with… Continue