Monday, August 26, 2013

The Dilemma of Being Known


My wife, Jen, and I were having a conversation over breakfast that is still lingering in my head. I'm at a fairly low level of fame with my career, and yet even at my level I have come into contact with literally thousands of people over the years, and the expectations and interactions still hint at what is a major dilemma for people who are well-known.  Part of being on stage and having frequent publicity is a certain pedestal and celebrity that is difficult to deal with from both sides - for the object of the attention and the givers of the attention.  I've always tried to downplay it from my perspective, often to the dismay of those who give freely.  I've had to learn to say "Thank you!" even if I felt I didn't deserve the praise.  Being on stage brings a culturally-influenced relationship that is really strange.  The performer has his/her reasons for performing and being an artist, and the audience member his/her reasons for being in the audience and appreciating the performance and artist.  For the performer/artist it's unavoidable that a certain familiarity and comfort with being praised sets in after a while, and it's also hard to deny that it can be hard to have a genuine and gracious response or even aware that you've neglected to give one.  In people with much more fame than myself that I've interacted with I've been aware that the habit has developed in the person to be totally unaware of the praise or the sincere and worthy person offering it.  This is a psychological state that (in my opinion) is very unhealthy and dangerous.  It leads to narcism and dishonest behavior - something I have always sought to avoid in every way I can.  For the audience member there is an appreciation of the artist that can border on idolism (in the worst case) that is also unhealthy (in my opinion.)  As I look at my career and why I've held back from pursuing greater fame, I've often thought of whether I wanted to put myself into this pressure-cooker of emotions.  I've sometimes used that as an excuse to not push for more, and I've sometimes looked at it as something I maybe wanted - adulation is something we all desire, after all.  I don't have any answers for this, but I know it has influenced many performers over the years, and I know that I'll never have it worked out fully for myself.  What do you think?

So what am I up to this week and into this Labor Day weekend?

Friday I'm back the La Veta Inn 6-9 - hopefully on the patio.  Last Friday was unbelievably beautiful, with warm breezes from the tropical storm in Baja California that made for a gorgeous evening.  Hopefully this week will be as beautiful.  Please come out if you can for a start to the long holiday weekend!

Saturday we're performing the last regular show of the Song of Pueblo for the summer at El Pueblo Historical Museum 7-8:30.  The July show was one of the best we've ever had - the band and the audience were cookin', and I have high hopes that this one will be just as wonderful!  Call the museum to reserve your tickets today at 719 583-0453.  Doors open at 6:30.

Sunday I'm at Shadow Hills for brunch 10-1.  This should be a great week for brunch as well with the long weekend and relaxing atmosphere of Shadow Hills.

So that's it for this week.  Be well and be good to each other!

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, August 30, 6-9 pm

Who:  Tom Munch with Johnny Watson, David Enke, & Linda Amman
What:  playing, singing, & telling the history of Pueblo at the Song of Pueblo oratorio
Where:  El Pueblo History Museum, 301 N. Union, Pueblo.  719-583-0453
When:  Saturday, August 31, 7:00 pm

Who:  Tom Munch
What: playing and singing for brunch
Where:  Shadow Hills Golf Course, 1232 County Rd 143, Canon City.  719-275-0603
When:  Sunday, September 1, 10 am-1 pm

Monday, August 19, 2013

Going for a Hike!


We just got back from one of my favorite things - a hike in the mountains.  It was just a brief afternoon hike on the Rainbow Trail above Westcliffe, but the late summer air felt great, and there were still a few raspberries on their bushes, and even fleabane and harebells still blooming along the trail.  It was very regenerating, and we need to do more of it!  What is it about a trail that is so enticing?  Is it the promise of adventure, or of new things to see, or just the feeling of the dirt under your feet, the smell of the pines in your nose, and the warmth of sun on your face and mountain air in your chest?  Either way it is heaven on earth to me.  I even like the ache in my legs and feet when I get home.  Sometimes I think it reconnects me with those who went before - the miners, pioneers, frontiersmen, and native Americans who walked the same rugged land and pondered their own existence.  I guess the wild lands give you something to measure yourself against - something that is so much bigger than your self and so primal.  And it reminds me how much I am a part of the earth - made from the very elements of the earth and the stars.  A hike is a magical thing that always brings out these thoughts in me.  How about you?

So where will I be this week?  Well, the summer is finally slowing down, so I only have a couple gigs to tell you about this week, and only one that most of you could come to.

Friday night I'm at the La Veta Inn 6-9.  I had another great group of folks last week, and it was getting a little chilly by the end of the evening as the summer starts to give way to fall.  Come out if you can.  There is a new menu with several items that looks really yummy to me, and my music just seems to fit this marvelous old building and patio.

Saturday I have a private outdoor concert in Cuchara for some wonderful folks I get to play for many summers - the Cuchara Hermosa.  If you're one of their members, I hope to see you for an evening of music and friends!

So that's it for this week.

Tom

Details:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing
Where:  La Veta Inn, 103 W. Ryus Ave, La Veta.  719-742-3700
When:  Friday, August 23, 6-9 pm

Monday, August 12, 2013

Would I Ever Give It Up?


I've been thinking today about whether I could ever stop playing music.  I have always thought that I would play until I keeled over, but several things have come up this week that have made me think again.  First, I've been having a lot of pain in my hands in the last few weeks, and then I almost lost my voice on Sunday in Buena Vista (I think I just had some allergies land in my throat.)  But then a friend of mine posted on FaceBook today that he was having to cancel some of his upcoming gigs because of a chronic illness that plagues him.  I reached out to him with encouragement and sympathy.  We always think that it can't happen to us, but as we know that's not true.  It doesn't mean I'm going to stop living my life day by day, but it does make me wonder what my life would be without the constant flow of music going through me.  I've been looking at different ways to express what it's like to play music on a regular basis.  Lately I've thought it was like an eternal river that I can jump into and ride whenever I want and need to.  That's sometimes how it feels - a river that keeps on flowing and is never-changing that always will be there for me.  Sometimes I feel like it is like flying - it takes great effort to take off, but after the initial push to get off the ground is accomplished it lets me glide and soar.  Sometimes I feel that it is sacred and a way to tap into the powerful energy of the universe (heady and maybe goofy, I know.)  So I'm not sure what it would be like to stop playing.  I do know (from reading Oliver Sacks) that the brain is actually changed by playing music regularly, so I know it would have a profound effect on me - mentally, spiritually, and physically.  I guess I'll cross that bridge if I ever come to it, but for now I'll keep enjoying the great privilege it brings to create and share something wonderful!

So what's up this week?

Thursday 6:30-8:30 is the final barbecue at the Yellow Pine for this year in the old barn.  We expect it to be a big evening with many folks who are coming to eat and enjoy.  If you'd like to be there call Jo Anne at 719-742-3528 by Wednesday.  Last week we had a visit from a bear and a good and entertaining rainstorm to boot!

Friday I'm back at the La Veta Inn 6-9 - hopefully on the patio.  I know it will be a memorable evening of good friends and music!

Sunday I'm at Shadow Hills for brunch 10-1.  Shadow Hills is always a great time with good food and views.

So please come out if you can.

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing at the Barbecue
Where:  Yellow Pine Guest Ranch, Cuchara.  719-742-3528
When:  Thursday, August 15, 6:30-8:30 pm

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing
Where:  La Veta Inn, 103 W. Ryus Ave, La Veta.  719-742-3700
When:  Friday, August 16, 6-9 pm

Who:  Tom Munch
What: playing and singing for brunch
Where:  Shadow Hills Golf Course, 1232 County Rd 143, Canon City.  719-275-0603
When:  Sunday, August 18, 10 am-1 pm

Monday, August 5, 2013

Morning at the Lake


I'm reminiscing again today because the cool breeze I was greeted with this morning outside our house brought back a summer memory that washed over me in a rush.  When I was a kid we had a trailer on a lake in central Nebraska where we would spend many weekends.  It wasn't fancy - just a house trailer we could sleep in and use as our base for boating, fishing and exploring the lake.  It had a great big porch we could even sleep on with screens and storm windows, and my folks bought a bunch of old mattresses to lay out on the porch so we could have sleepovers with a bunch of friends if we wanted to.  There are so many things I could tell you about the lake, but the main thing I'm thinking about today was just how it felt in the morning walking down to the shore and feeling that breeze - that grand breeze in my face with the faint smell of lake water and the promise of an exciting new day!  I may have been looking forward to taking the rowboat out to a new cove or fishing along the bank of trees in the cove where we pulled our boat in.  Our next-door neighbors on both sides were interesting characters, and one of them used to make German chocolate cakes for me which I still love to this day.  (I had convinced her to quit smoking when I was 6 or 7, and she was so grateful that she made me cakes!)  Whatever the adventure, the smells of the grass and trees and water, the sights of the sunlight dancing on the lake and greenery, and the sounds of red-winged blackbirds, frogs, and splashing water were heaven to a young boy.  I also remember walking in that breeze at night down to the point to listen to the waves lapping the shore.  It is so vivid in my mind to this day!

But enough reminiscing for now, what am I up to this week?

Thursday I'm back at the Yellow Pine 6:30-8:30 for the barbecue.  We only have two weeks left for this summer for the barbecue, and there have been many great memories with old and new faces.  If you'd like to be a part of it, then by-all-means call and make a reservation - 719-742-3528.

Saturday and Sunday I'm back in Buena Vista for the annual Gold Rush Days celebration 11-3 both days.  (I'm usually a little flexible with my time to fit into the activities during the weekend.)  This is a really fun festival with all kinds of fun things to do and vendors with great items and food.  I bring an EZ-Up craft tent and set up in the grass on the south end of McPhelemy Park near the waterfall with chairs and benches for folks to sit and enjoy the park and my music.  It makes a fun getaway in the cool mountains with some fine folks.  If you're hankering for a nice day in the mountains, you can't do much better than this!

So that's enough for this week.  I hope you're enjoying your summer, and I'd love to see you if you can make it out!

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing at the Barbecue
Where:  Yellow Pine Guest Ranch, Cuchara.  719-742-3528
When:  Thursday, August 8, 6:30-8:30 pm

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing at Gold Rush Days
Where:  Buena Vista at McPhelemey Park (on the west side of the highway in the center of town)
When:  Saturday & Sunday, August 9 and 10, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm