"Live From Potter's Field"?
What kind of album title is that? Well now, that is a secret. I can't tell you. But there are more than enough clues on the album for you to figure it out!
Now, head for your closet, break out and dust off the old boom box! Tracks one through four are Christmas carols. These are great to take caroling with you. More than enough to get you and your's some cookies and cocoa, but not so much as to get you "ran off"! “Good King Wencelas”, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, “Joy To The World” and “Oh Come All ye Faithful”. All guaranteed to bring Christmas cheer to your neighbors.
In keeping with the holiday I follow those four with three hymns, “Nearer My God To Thee” (made famous by the sinking of the Titanic), “Holy, Holy, Holy” (which is a great recessional for emptying a chapel after services), and a great short processional, “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow”.
And, in acknowledging the more melancholy side of the Celtic spirit, I've included four tunes for a passing; “Pleyel's Hymn”, “Going Home”, “Amazing Grace”, and a special short medley of “Taps” and “Rally Round The Flag”.
Then... on a lighter note, I have also included “Happy Birthday To You”, and Wagner's “Bridal March”. I can't be too somber now!
Finally, I wrap it up with three classic Bagpipe marches; “Scotland The Brave”, “The Minstrel Boy To The War Has Gone” and “The Rising Of The Moon” (also known by “Wearing Of The Green”.) The more astute among you will recognize the last two as extreme Irish. I was going to include “God Save Ireland”, but decided it was a little too strident for the season.
All of these tunes are performed on a single stand of bagpipes and are exactly what you will have if you hire a piper to stand there beside you and perform the tune. No vocals, no accompaniment, no editing tricks, just pure piping. Very good for the Piper, very good for you and very good for the soul!
So download “Live From Potter’s Field” for some "instant gratification". If I'm lucky enough to meet you at a gig I'll be sure to have a hard copy CD to sell you!
Slainte Mhor,
Mike
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Michael "Pops" McGee / Blog
New Video
A huge Thank You to Anna Majella! A Reverbnation.com Artist from Munster, IE, Anna took my recording of Nearer My God To Thee and some pictures I had used on my Facebook page and made a wonderful video. You can see Anna’s video at http://youtu.be/-5-q4NljzOA. Please, take a look at it and let Anna and me know what you think! Slainte, Mike M
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Album Release!
"Good Night From Arcadian Haven" is Released for MP3 downloading today at http://cdbaby.com/cd/michaelpopsmcgee2 . 14 great tunes, download a copy today!
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Good Night From Arcadian Haven
Amazon.com is already taking "Pre-Orders" on the album's August 15 release! Love it!
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Finished at last! :-)
The new album (Good Night From Arcadian Haven) is finished at last! I laid down the final track today. This project started out as a St. Paddy’s project for release last March, but my son’s passing threw it quite a curve. Now, I’ve got myself back together, and modified the album to be more of a tribute to Evan. I’ve incorporated some Small Pipes on the album in addition to a solo Chanter. I hope you like it, it should be available early August on CDBaby.com. I’ll also be posting the tunes on Soundcloud.com, Reverbnation.com, and naturally, my page on Facebook. Thank you all for bearing with me! Slainte, Mike "Pops" McGee
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Arctic Vortex
A question for you North American Pipers. At what point did the current "Arctic Vortex" cold front cause you to give up graveside services? There are limits to both what the Pipes can take, as well as the Piper!
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A passing
I had occasion to pipe a graveside service this morning. The sky was that deep crystal blue that only a desert sky can display. The air was clear and crisp with just the faintest of breezes moving the leaves. It was a bitter sweet moment, for just as the family’s loss was very, very real, the fraternal love and support from the “extended” family was so real you felt you could touch it. It was a remarkable tribute to a life well lived.
Blessings on the Wind
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iTunes Too!
Thank you again! My new album “Live From Potter’s Field” is now selling on iTunes, as well as Amazon, CD Baby, Google Play, Zonga, and several others!
This just seemed like a “win-win” for everybody. You get 16 Bagpipe solos for the price of only 10. Of course, if you only want to download a single tune you can do that too. I’ve tried to include at least 1 tune for every occasion.
Now, back to work on next March’s release! ;-)
Slainte mhor, Mike M
Reply
Live From Potter's Field
"Live From Potter's Field"?
What kind of album title is that? Well now, that is a secret. I can't tell you. But there are more than enough clues on the album for you to figure it out!
Now, head for your closet, break out and dust off the old boom box! Tracks one through four are Christmas carols. These are great to take caroling with you. More than enough to get you and your's some cookies and cocoa, but not so much as to get you "ran off"! “Good King Wencelas”, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, “Joy To The World” and “Oh Come All ye Faithful”. All guaranteed to bring Christmas cheer to your neighbors.
In keeping with the holiday I follow those four with three hymns, “Nearer My God To Thee” (made famous by the sinking of the Titanic), “Holy, Holy, Holy” (which is a great recessional for emptying a chapel after services), and a great short processional, “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow”.
And, in acknowledging the more melancholy side of the Celtic spirit, I've included four tunes for a passing; “Pleyel's Hymn”, “Going Home”, “Amazing Grace”, and a special short medley of “Taps” and “Rally Round The Flag”.
Then... on a lighter note, I have also included “Happy Birthday To You”, and Wagner's “Bridal March”. I can't be too somber now!
Finally, I wrap it up with three classic Bagpipe marches; “Scotland The Brave”, “The Minstrel Boy To The War Has Gone” and “The Rising Of The Moon” (also known by “Wearing Of The Green”.) The more astute among you will recognize the last two as extreme Irish. I was going to include “God Save Ireland”, but decided it was a little too strident for the season.
All of these tunes are performed on a single stand of bagpipes and are exactly what you will have if you hire a piper to stand there beside you and perform the tune. No vocals, no accompaniment, no editing tricks, just pure piping. Very good for the Piper, very good for you and very good for the soul!
So download “Live From Potter’s Field” for some "instant gratification". If I'm lucky enough to meet you at a gig I'll be sure to have a hard copy CD to sell you!
Slainte Mhor, Mike
Reply
Finally! ;-)
At last! The final track, number sixteen, has been recorded! It’s been a long day already. Now, some editing and assembly and then I’ll be uploading the entire album to CD Baby for distribution. I think I’ve got something for all of you on this album; four Christmas Carols to take caroling with you, a couple of tunes for special occasions (weddings, birthdays), a couple processionals/recessionals, a few bagpipe standards, kind of a mix of everything.
It will be available for download at cdbaby.com either as an album or as individual singles. I’ll let you know the release date as soon as I find out. I’ll also have CDs burned for sale at gigs.
What an adventure this has been. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have already.
I’ll have more info for you as release date gets closer.
Slainte, Mike M
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