Remaking Myself at 50, well 60 then!
Monday, March 31, 2025
Spring
Monday, March 24, 2025
Sunrises
If you have known me a while or follow me on Instagram or Facebook you’ll know that I love getting up early to see and capture pictures of the sunrise. I’ve been both an early-riser and a late-night person at different times of my life. I love both. They’re quiet, peaceful and full of reflective time that I thrive on. Of course the sweet reality of the early morning is getting the chance to see the sun rise in all its glory. It’s not always the moment that the sun breaks the horizon, but the buildup when the clouds are just right to catch the light and there is just the right amount of dust or volcanic ash in the air to make an outstanding display. I studied just enough meteorology in college to know different cloud formations and conditions. I also did enough professional photography to know my way around a camera, but I’m using my phone for all my sunrise photos, and for the most part the phone does all the settings except for adjusting exposure and composing the shot. The key is just to enjoy the moment and watch the light for just the right time to take each shot. Of course I’m also walking Beau, our almost 10-year-old dog and taking pictures of him too. He’s a very good boy on walks - always stopping when I ask him so I can get a shot. He doesn’t always pose when I’m taking a shot of him, but I get some good shots of him anyway when I can. And the real reason I do it is just to capture the beauty and stillness of the moment to share with others. There are so many things you can do to encourage others, and I’m happy to have a gift to give to others. If you want to see them you can follow me on Instagram or Facebook. I also do a couple calendars every year on lulu.com. I’m not saying this as an ad, just wanting you to know in case you want to see them.
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What have I been up to?
I had 14 senior facilities last week, and I was still singing Irish tunes for many of them even though St. Patrick’s Day was just the first day of the week. I just couldn’t let it go, and the energy it gave me and the audience was amazing.
My Wednesday online show was songs from 50 years ago - 1975, and there were so many memories tied up in these songs. Everyone had a great time, and we’ll do some more songs from 1975 this coming Wednesday.
My Sunday online show was favorites and requests, and there were some great ones as well as a couple new songs. I did a couple Jesse Colin Young songs too in tribute to him on his passing. I love this group of folks so much.
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What am I up to this week?
I have 10 senior facilities this week, and I’ll be doing Spring songs for most of them. This is the time of year when everything starts to green up and the birds beginning singing in the trees again. It’s a wonderful time to share.
My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be more songs from 1975, and it’ll be so much fun. This was a really good year as music transitioned from the folk rock of the early ‘70s into the rock and dance music of the later ‘70s. Come on out and hear some old favorites and relive some memories.
Friday night 5:30-8:30 I’m back playing instrumental guitar tunes at the Garden of the Gods Club in the Grand View restaurant. Last time I was there I was getting folks who wanted a little bit more rock and roll which was a lot of fun. I’m ready to play whatever the diners want to hear.
My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests, and it’s always a very special evening of music and friendship with my online community that I am so privileged to play for and share time with. You’re always welcome, and it’s always a worthwhile time.
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That’s it for this week. I hope you had a good St. Patrick’s Day, and that your Spring is starting well. We’ll probably do Spring songs next Wednesday for my online show.
Best always,
Tom
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Details this week:
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing an online concert of 1975 songs
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts
When: Wednesday, March 26, 7-8:45 pm mountain time
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing instrumental guitar tunes
Where: Garden of the Gods Resort and Club in the Grand View Restaurant. 888-994-3156
When: Friday, March 28, 5:30-8:30 pm
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts
When: Sunday, March 30, 7-8:45 pm mountain time
Monday, March 17, 2025
1975
Monday, March 10, 2025
Feeling the Music
I’m noticing in this time of playing Irish songs for St. Patrick’s Day that I’m very captivated and possessed by the music as I play it. This happens to me often, and it’s part of the reason I play music for a living. I frequently tell people that I feel music is a magical and spiritual experience, and I believe it truly is. We are beings of harmony and rhythm and melody. Music spurs all these elements deeply in us. The harmony is how we relate to each other and our world in finding ways we work with and against every situation just like the notes work with and against each other. The rhythm is fairly obvious - going with the pace of the flow of moments as we encounter them. The melody is how we follow the ever-changing expected and unexpected thread of life just like the melody in a song. Some songs are fairly mundane in that they don’t surprise us much with the harmony, rhythm, and melody, and others surprise and delight us at every turn - just like a grand adventure or good conversation. (I think I’m carrying this analogy too far.) Add in some great words that wrap us up in a story or idea, and the interplay of words, harmony, rhythm, and melody are just magical and spiritual - bringing us to tears. All I know is that I feel these things profoundly with music - especially songs that I can feel were written with true passion like so many Irish tunes I get to play during this season. How about you? Do you feel the music in ways that feel deeply magical and spiritual?
What have I been up to?
I had 7 senior facilities last week, and I did Irish tunes at most of them. There’s so much energy in these songs that the folks really liked them.
My Wednesday online show was Irish tunes, and the energy was palpable for this show too. Everyone commented on how much they enjoyed them, and several said we should do Irish tunes often during the year as well.
My Sunday online show was favorites and requests as always, and there were some great requests with a couple Irish tunes thrown in for good measure. This is such a wonderful group of people who are so supportive of each other. It is a joy to play for them and call them friends.
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What am I up to this week?
I have 8 senior facilities this week, and I’ll be doing Irish tunes for all of them, I’m sure. I’m playing an Irish guitar and an Irish bodhran drum while wearing green and an Irish cap, so most folks are really liking that and getting into the spirit.
My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be Irish tunes once again, and I have many, many more great songs to sing. There will be lots of passion and history. I’d love to have you listening too!
Friday 5:30-8:30 I’m back at the Garden of the Gods Club in the Grand View restaurant. I will love playing some Irish favorites as well as some other favorites for the diners. With the beautiful view of Garden of the Gods and Pike’s Peak, it’s always a beautiful time. Come on out if this sounds good to you. Reservations are at 888-994-3156 or you can usually sit at the bar or the small table near me in the bar.
My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests, and you know it will be a genuinely good time with good folks. Come on out and toss in your request too!
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That’s it for this week. I’m so enjoying this time of pre-Spring and Irish spirit. I hope you are healthy and happy even with the uncertainties this year has brought.
Best always,
Tom
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Details this week:
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing an online concert of Irish songs
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts
When: Wednesday, March 12, 7-8:45 pm mountain time
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing instrumental guitar tunes
Where: Garden of the Gods Resort and Club in the Grand View Restaurant. 888-994-3156
When: Friday, March 14, 5:30-8:30 pm
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts
When: Sunday, March 16, 7-8:45 pm mountain time
Monday, March 3, 2025
Irish
Monday, February 24, 2025
New Orleans
Monday, February 17, 2025
Snow
This has been an extremely snowy winter this year so far in our area of southern Colorado. It reminds me of the winters when we lived in Nebraska 60 years ago. We would have multiple snowstorms that would not melt for months. Of course it made for all kinds of fun in the snow with sledding, skating, building snowmen, and having snowball fights. When I lived in Breckenridge I took loads of pictures of snow, snowflakes, snowboarders (it was a new sport then), and snow-capped mountains. I skied, snowboarded, and snowshoed quite a bit. I still love a winter morning with fresh snow. It sparkles and looks so pure under a freshly-cleaned blue sky. Beau loves to romp in it too! There is just something so ancient and almost sacred about that blanket of white on the land. It can also look cold and forbidding, but I love it all the same! Here’s to snow!
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What have I been up to?
I had 10 senior facilities last week, and there were some wonderful moments connecting over love songs for Valentine’s Day. I love these folks. Now it’s time to start singing songs for Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day.
My Wednesday online show was love songs, and it was a wonderful night of songs and friendship. The people who come out to listen and chat are such genuine folks with such good musical taste that it’s a pleasure playing for them!
My Sunday online show was favorites and requests, and once again we went to new places with the songs and memories. I am truly blessed to have such interesting and loving folks who come to listen and join in.
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What am I up to this week?
I have 13 senior facilities this week, and I’m looking forward to playing for them all. I’m sure that some still may want to hear love songs, and I’ll be happy to oblige. This is a labor of love.
My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be songs about snow as I wrote above. I’m going to try to not repeat songs I did for my winter show in January. I did listen to several playlists about snow, and I found at least one new song to add that is very nice. I think it’ll be a very enjoyable night even if you are getting tired of winter already. Snow is exciting no matter how you feel about it, and I hope to capture that excitement.
Friday night 5:30-8:30 I’m back at Garden of the Gods Club in the Grand View restaurant playing instrumental guitar tunes. I’m going to start playing Mardi Gras and Irish instrumentals to see how many folks respond to them. I’ll also be playing some of the surprise numbers that folks there are starting to expect. Reservations are at 888-994-3156 or you can usually sit at the bar or the small table near me in the bar.
My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests as always, and I’m sure there’ll be some good ones. This group of folks is so supportive and fun to be part of, and they also are so welcoming of everyone. Come on out and join in!
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That’s it for this week. I hope you aren’t buried in snow wherever you are this winter. It can be beautiful.
Best,
Tom
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Details this week:
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing an online concert of Snow songs
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts
When: Wednesday, February 19, 7-8:45 pm mountain time
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing instrumental guitar tunes
Where: Garden of the Gods Resort and Club in the Grand View Restaurant. 888-994-3156
When: Friday, February 21, 5:30-8:30 pm
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts
When: Sunday, February 23, 7-8:45 pm mountain time
Monday, February 10, 2025
Love
Friday is Valentine’s Day, so I thought it would be apropos to talk about love. I contemplate about love a lot. I truly believe that love is the answer to all the ills we see in life. We tend to see it as just a nice idea that takes a back seat when we are worried about making ends meet or how to solve the stresses in our country and world. There is a reason that most religions and philosophies talk about love. It is a simple idea that is nothing more or less than a regard for ourselves, others, and all that surrounds us. It comes from an understanding that we all need each other and the environment we live in to thrive and enjoy our time here. I’m not so naive as to think that everyone will understand love in their lifetime. This life is a learning process and a journey of discovery. Being open and honest to our situations and those around us is how love is revealed. I only encourage you to rise above each moment and take a higher perspective where you can see the purpose of every interaction. Love is evident when you can do this. When you are calm and observant you will find love.
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What have I been up to?
I had 7 senior facilities last week, and I sang love songs for all of them. There were some very sweet moments as people recalled sweetheart stories and shared songs.
My Wednesday online show was love songs, and there were some good ones. I leaned toward the fun love songs, and the audience requested more poignant songs. It was all good and I loved it all!
Friday night I played instrumental love songs at Garden of the Gods Club, and it was such fun to come up with arrangements on the fly and watch the reactions of the diners. They almost sang along when I played “Sweet Caroline”!
My Sunday online show was favorites and requests, and there were a lot of love songs there as well. I even had a good turnout in spite of the Super Bowl being on, or as I called it, the Superb Owl. (I took that from a podcast I heard earlier this week.)
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What am I up to this week?
I have 10 senior facilities this week, and I’m looking forward to every one. It’s so much fun playing love songs for all these folks!
My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be love songs again to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I know it will be a sweet evening of tunes and good friends. Come on out if you’d like to celebrate with me.
My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests once again. These nights are always so much better than I can ever anticipate. I love being with my online audience sharing good music. Join in if this sounds good to you!
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That’s it for this week. You might have noticed that I’m not playing at Garden of the Gods Club this week. They’re doing something different for Valentine’s Day, and I’m sure it’ll be good. I’ll be back there next Friday - no worries. It gives Jen and I a chance to enjoy the day together. I hope you have a great week of love, and I trust you’re healthy and happy.
Best always,
Tom
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Details this week:
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing an online concert of Love songs
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts
When: Wednesday, February 12, 7-8:45 pm mountain time
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests
Where: facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts
When: Sunday, February 16, 7-8:45 pm mountain time