Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The Bard's New Hat: Official CD Launch

July 25th, 2010, 7pm
Hurley's Irish Pub
1225 rue Crescent
Montreal, Qc
Facebook Event

Join us for an evening of storytelling and music with Shayne Gryn and friends at Hurley's Irish pub. This is the third and last time I'll be standing in for Mike Burns as he gallivants across Ireland.

This will also be the official CD Launch party for my new CD "The Bard's New Hat". You can by your own copy for the ridiculously low price of $10 a copy.

If you can't make the CD Launch party and you still want to purchase a copy, the easiest (and cheapest) way is to buy it directly from me. You can read more about it on my storyteller website. But if you don't think you'll be seeing me in person anytime soon, I can mail you a copy for $12 ($10 + $2 for S&H). Contact me at mtlbard@gmail.com to make these arrangements (payment via cheque/money order or PayPal).

You will also be able to download the tracks only from CDBaby. Stay tuned for updates on that!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Guest Teller: The Debate

It is with great pleasure that I get to feature a fellow storyteller on this blogcast. Laurent Castellucci (aka LC) is a comedian, actor, writer, and storyteller based (mostly) in Montreal, but he has been known to travel hither and yon.

Back in April 2010, during the 92 Degrees of Foolishness, LC was invited to share a couple of tales with us that night. There is a bit of an ick with this story because there are hand gestures that, due to the limits of sound, you cannot see with the naked ear. Without seeing the gestures, the story loses a good chunk of its meaning.

To fix this problem, here are the gestures:
1. The Bishop holds up three fingers. Joshua holds up one finger.
2. The Bishop gestures in a circular manner above his head. Joshua thumps his chest once with his fist.
3. The Bishop pulls out a cup and a piece of bread. Joshua pulls out an apple.

Enjoy! Also, please remember that LC will be telling tales with us at Hurleys Irish Pub on the last Sunday in June! You do NOT want to miss that evening of tales!

The Debate (7:14 minutes)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Walking the Moonlit Road...

Guess who is now featured on The Moonlit Road? I am so honored... I've been a fan of this fantastic site that specializes in Creepy and Ghostly stories from the Southern US (it's where I discovered the Hall of Wonders story). I am also doubly honored to share the page with Priscilla Howe, another fantastic storyteller from the US.

Go have a listen to these two versions of the Ghost with One Black Eye. I'm especially honored since this is one of my nieces Natasha, Sam(antha), and Alex(andra)'s favorite stories, although they refer to it as the "Apple Juice" story.

Monday, June 14, 2010

LC will be the Guest Teller in June!

We are pleased to announce that LC has confirmed he will be joining us at Hurley's Irish Pub on June 27th as our guest teller. Shayne Gryn will be providing the musical accompaniment as well as a few of his own pieces and I have a whole new set of stories to share.

We hope that you can join us for pints and a few tales too! See you in a couple of weeks!


Date: Sunday, June 27, 2010
Time: 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location: Hurley's Irish Pub
Street: 1225 rue Crescent (Montreal)
Facebook Event Page

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Power to the Pickle!

Our good friend Shayne Gryn is about to release his latest CD "The Untold Story of Pickle of Love", so we say Huzzah!

You can read more about it at: Power to the Pickle. You can download the CD, and if you like it, please donate and support a fellow artist!

June Story: Koji and the Headmaster

This is the very first story I ever told. I read it in a collection of tales by Dan Yashinsky called Next Teller. Dan has a series of story collections that I highly recommend, including Ghostwise and Suddenly They Heard Footsteps.

What I love about this story is that it took me several years to figure out why I loved this story. It has an odd ending that moved me, but I couldn't explain what it meant. Listeners had all sorts of interpretations of what the story really meant, while others were frustrated with the ending, saying it was inappropriate. Any story that generates that much discussion is a good tale in my book.

The musical component of this story is provided by Shayne Gryn. It's sometimes difficult to focus on the story because his music is so beautiful.

If you are moved to do so, I would be interested in hearing your reaction to this story, so please leave a comment.

Koji and the Headmaster -- Told by JD Hickey (10:24 minutes)

Monday, June 7, 2010

Storytelling at Hurley's Irish Pub in June

Join us for an evening of storytelling and music with Shayne Gryn and friends at Hurley's Irish pub. This is the second month where I'm standing in for Mike Burns as he gallivants across Ireland.

Last month, we packed the room and even had to turn some people away! Get in early to find yourself a seat, order a pint, and settle in for some fabulous summer stories.

Date: Sunday, June 27, 2010
Time: 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location: Hurley's Irish Pub
Street: 1225 rue Crescent (Montreal)
Facebook Event Page
 
Copyright© 2010 John David Hickey