Owning a Song

I had a good friend hire me to record a few songs for her to put on a CD. It’s something I do on occasion for folks, and sometimes involves learning a request or two. (If you ever would like this kind of thing let me know.) Sometimes it’s a challenge if a song doesn’t fall under my fingers or fit my voice very well either from pitch or technique. When I was much younger and without near as many hours performing songs I would really struggle with a song that I didn’t know very well or was awkward on the guitar or on my voice. I had a house gig at a resort hotel in Pueblo West, Colorado, where I had some long-term hotel guests who were in the area on an extended contract. One man in particular was very adept at picking up on whether a song fit me and whether I could own a song. He would give me a silent look from the bar when I nailed a song or when I floundered. It gave me incentive to work on my approach to songs in general and my details on certain songs. Owning a song takes getting inside the song to see what the meaningful phrases are, the signature melodies and licks, and the character that the singer needs to play. That's how Joni Mitchell looks at a song. She says that she is an actor who must play a part in the story that is the song. I don’t quite look at it that way, but I do condense the song down to its essence so I can approach it with an honest take on what the song is about and what rhythms it expresses. It is a challenge and it is a lot fun as well. And it’s the same kind of sensitivity that helps us get along in life - seeing every situation as new and worthy of our time and effort. You just have to love enough to give it your all.

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What have I been up to?

My senior performances last week were a lot of fun. I forgot to mention last week that I had two in person on Sunday before my online show as well. I’m starting to see a few more smiles than I have in previous weeks, and that’s a great relief. Some of these folks have had to be so isolated for their own safety during the virus that they are literally dying of loneliness. It’s a blessing to me to be able to make a difference for them.

My Sunday Facebook Live concert was great fun as well. I did some songs for Father's Day and some favorites in addition to a bunch of requests. You can always watch these after the fact on my Facebook pages facebook.com/tom.munch and facebook.com/TomMunchFans/ and my website - tommunch.com/photos-videos.

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What am I up to this week?

Tonight I’m playing a private online campfire for previous Don K Guest Ranch staff and guests where I played campfires weekly during the summer for ten years 1989 to 1999. These online reunions are just a blast, and getting to play for these folks in a virtual campfire like we used to do under the stars will be a highlight of the summer for me. I’d like to do these for some other groups I’ve had the pleasure to be a part of over the last 40+ years as well if anyone's interested.

I have a couple more senior facilities outdoors and socially distanced this week.

Sunday will be my Facebook Live Concert again 7-8:15 mountain time. We’ve been stretching these to 8:30 a few times, so I may just start saying 7-8:30 so folks don’t feel pressure to be done at 8:15. Let me know if this is something you’d like. You can tune in on Facebook facebook.com/tom.munch or on my website tommunch.com/photos-videos.

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That’s it for this week. I’m still thinking about doing some theme nights with different groups and genres. I love so many styles of music, and I’m really getting a hankering to play more of late. If there is a particular night you’d prefer for this please let me know.

Best always,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing and singing a Facebook Live Concert from my home
Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/photos-videos
When:  Sunday, June 28, 7-8:15 pm mountain time