AUSTIN, TX — Indie Celtic music favorites the Brobdingnagian Bards (see Slice of SciFi Show #019) were named Best “None of the Above” Band of 2006-07 at the prestigious Austin Music Awards held last night at the Austin Convention Center, kicking off the music portion of the international South By Southwest music conference. The AMA’s are celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year and have long been the standard for recognizing the best musical talent coming out of one of the best music cities, Austin, TX.

Sponsored by the Austin Chronicle, the awards celebrate local bands, Austin based releases and individual musical performances. Categories range from Best Drummer to Best Experimental Performance and everything in between. The awards also sponsor an Austin Music Hall of Fame that includes past inductees such as the Killer Bees, the Butthole Surfers and Soulhat.

For more information on the awards and affiliated events go to The Austin Chronicle.

The Bards, self describe their music as Scottish and Irish folk songs combined with the Lord of the Rings music and a wee bit o’Celtic fun. The Brobdingnagian Bards (pronounced brob-din-nahg-EE-en) are The Original Celtic Renaissance music duo from Austin, Texas. Their unique brand of folk music on the autoharp, recorder, and mandolin has made them one of the most-popular Celtic music groups online where they give away thousands of free Celtic MP3 downloads daily.

The Brobdingnagian Bards perform coast-to-coast, and in a given month might be at a Lord of the Rings Oscar Party, a Celtic festival, or a Science Fiction Convention. However, they are an absolute favorite at Renaissance Faires where they add high-energy and wit to make every show a memorable experience.

ABOUT The Bards (Andrew McKee / Marc Gunn)

Andrew McKee played guitar and saxophone in high school. He grew up with a classical music background and found the transition from saxophone to recorder to be seamless which led him to perform on Marc Gunn’s first solo album. He is entirely self-taught on the mandolin.

Marc Gunn is an Irish and Scottish folk singer with a strange affinity for Celtic ballads, drinking songs and cats. He is the lead singer for the Brobdingnagian Bards, an internet music promoter, podcaster, poet, photographer and publisher of many, many things on and offline. Communicate with Marc through his websites: The Bards, The Irish & Celtic Music Podast and also stop by and visit The Renaissance Festival Podcast – Music and Entertainment from Ren Faires.