Monday, February 17, 2014

Beatles!

I don't know if you've been following all of the shows celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beatles coming to America and their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, but they have brought back a lot of memories and a lot of joy for me.  I've been a fan of the Beatles' music since the first time I heard it when I was a kid and my sisters played the music of the Beatles in our house for the first time.  It's hard to say what first drew me to them.  I knew that their sound was different somehow than other music I was hearing.  I didn't know if it was the words or the harmonies or the fact that they were British, but something definitely grabbed me and made me want to hear more.  As I grew up and learned to play guitar and sing myself, the Beatles music was always more of a challenge than other popular music I tried to learn.  What were those chords they were playing?  How did those harmonies combine to sound so unique?  How could they make something so simple sound so sophisticated?  I now know that they were using harmonies and chords that were closer to jazz and great standards than the folk and blues-inspired rock of the day.  They often sang harmonies below the melody which was uncommon as well.  The main thing was that they always surprised the listener with changes in melody and song structure that were really satisfying and original.  Being original and different with excellence is something for anyone to aspire to - whether a songwriter or an engineer or a cook.  Bravo, Beatles!

So this week I'll be playing the music of the Beatles.  I played a lot of Beatles last week as well.  Where will this happen?

Friday I'll be at Magpies from 7-10, and I'll be featuring the Beatles for the middle hour, 8-9.  This promises to be a really fun show!  Come on out if you can.

That's it for this week.  Be good to each other, and remember "All You Need Is Love!"

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing
Where:  Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo.  719-542-5522
When:  Friday, February 21, 7-10 pm

Monday, February 10, 2014

What is Love?

Since Valentine's Day is this week, I have been thinking about love.  I heard a good show about it recently, and I have been reading several things that also made me think about love.  I even think about playing music and even music itself maybe being some form of love abstractly.

I heard a really good show on love on NPR's "To the Best of Our Knowledge" over the weekend.  Actually the show episode was titled "Redefining Romance," (you can listen to it here if you'd like - http://www.ttbook.org/book/redefining-romance) with segments on several topics, but the segments that got me thinking were specifically about love - the segment "Love 2.0" and the segment "Asexuality."

Love 2.0 was a scientific explanation of love that called it a micro moment of connection when we have a momentary mutual concern for another.  This even includes neuro-firings becoming synchronized, and also gestures and biochemical reactions becoming synchronized.  That's a really cool thing, and it thrills me to think that there is so much going on beyond what we can feel and think.  And of course this is not just romantic love, but the love we feel for a good friend or even someone we meet on the street briefly.  I would even extend this to our pets and maybe inanimate objects we have an affection for in some way - things, places, etc.

The Asexuality segment talked about people who feel attraction and love for another and don't feel the need for physical love.  That got my brain reeling as well with all kinds of ideas.  I always wondered what it would be like to be separated from the desires of the body and be purely emotional and intellectual and spiritual with another person.  I do feel like I have been that way with close friends from time to time.

My reading on after-death experiences also mentions an importance of how much we loved in life - not as a judgement of how well we did in life, but a goal to pursue. A great number of people who die and are brought back to life experience a state where they are asked if they loved whenever they had the opportunity, and they are presented with examples of when they did love and when they could have loved more.  That's a pretty practical and exciting thing to consider - that we should love at every opportunity.  I am trying to make this a daily practice in my life.

And this also makes me think about playing music.  I think that musicians experience some kind of connection that is akin to love through our mutual admiration of each other and complete rhythm and soul link to a song we're sharing and playing together.  It's hard to explain the symbiotic relationship that you establish with other musicians when we play together.  It takes a while, but in my life it has been as deep as any other bond I've had with another person.  And maybe that is because music is more than mathematical patterns and beautiful melodies, maybe it is actually love as well.

So I don't know if all of this leaves me with any epiphanies about life and love, but it sure makes my head spin in a good way.  What do you think of all these ideas?

I'd better move on before I come up with more ways to look at love.

What am I up to this week?

I'm doing several Valentine's Day shows for different facilities this week.  I won't tell you about them, but I want you to be aware that I have 2 or 3 gigs every day doing this.

Friday night - Valentine's Day - I'll be playing at the La Veta Inn 6-9ish for the diners and maybe dancers.  This should be a special night, and barring a snowstorm I hope we get a lot of folks out to share in some love songs and yummy food and romance.  Please come out if you can!

I'd better run.  I have lots of thinking to do about love.

Best,

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing
Where:  La Veta Inn, 103 W. Ryus Ave, La Veta.  719-742-3700
When:  Friday, February 14, 6-9 pm

Monday, February 3, 2014

Physics?

Yeah, physics.  I'm trying to understand physics in my never-ending quest for knowledge.  I really wanted to be a scientist when I was a kid.  I was fascinated by magnets and fire and natural forces, but my math skills were atrocious, and so I didn't follow that path.  But I've still maintained a healthy interest in science, and I try to understand what I can.  Lately I've been I've been reading about physics in trying to understand spirituality and the laws of the universe - weird combination, I know, but they are related somehow I'm just sure.  So I dive into quantum physics and string theory and even biocentrism and find myself overwhelmed in a big hurry.  I'm amazed at how hard these concepts are to grasp, and yet it's possible to have an intuitive understanding on some level.  I think we all have a sense of how things work, and when we're confronted by theories that don't make logical sense then we wrestle with them.  That's how I am at least.  I'm just sure there is an explanation for all of the forces, troubles, joys, and mysteries out there.  When I get it all figured out I'll let you know! ;-)

So what am I up to this week?

Friday evening I start by playing at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center 5:00-6:45 for a public gallery opening reception.  I haven't played at the Arts Center for a year or so, and I really like the ambience there.  If you want to see what's being shown at the Arts Center this winter, then come on down!

Friday night I'm back at Magpies 7-10 (or as quickly as I can make it over from the Arts Center.)  The middle hour I'm thinking of featuring something appropriate for Valentine's Day.  Who did a lot of love songs?  Maybe Bread or The Beatles, or maybe I'll just do '60's and '70's love songs.  I don't want to get too sappy, but I don't mind a good love song or three occasionally.  Either way we'll have fun, so come on downstairs and help make it a great evening!

That's it for this week.  Hope your'e well and happy.

Tom

Details this week:

Who: Tom Munch
What:  playing and singing for the Winter/Spring Exhibition Reception
Where: Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, 210 N. Santa Fe Ave, Pueblo.  719-295-7200
When: Friday, February 7, 5-6:45 pm

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing
Where:  Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo.  719-542-5522
When:  Friday, February 7, 7-10 pm