Going with the Flow

It’s been a while!  Sorry to be so out of touch for the last month.  I didn’t have any weekend gigs to tell you about, but I could have written just to check in.  I’m preparing for the summer season, and getting myself aligned for one of my favorite topics - going with the flow (never mind the rain that is flowing down outside as I write this...)  What do I mean by "going with the flow"?  Well, to me that means letting go and letting the moment take me wherever I’m needing to be.  I had a good conversation with my good friend, Don Richmond, about this yesterday in the studio.  In this life we work so hard on planning for where we’re headed today and this week and further out, and we keep past mistakes and missteps in mind so we don’t repeat them, and meanwhile we’re reminded by wise folks that the present moment is the most important thing in life.  So we play at this dance of trying to be mindful while our mind shifts back and forth between past and future.  I really felt this yesterday in the studio as I played take after take of a couple songs I was recording.  You see, in the studio the only way to make a good take for me is to completely let go of my concentration on the mechanics of playing and put my thoughts instead on the mood of the song and the emotion I’m trying to convey or the story I’m trying to tell.  When I think about what my fingers are doing it’s like concentrating on each step we take while walking - that can make us stumble and sometimes fall.  But when the moment is being enjoyed and we are going with the flow of the overall activity then the playing or walking just happens effortlessly.  We can even be aware of it and enjoy each movement and note without really concentrating on it.  And as this summer gets busy I can only be successful and joyful if I go with the flow of the summer - enjoying each face and song and opportunity (and step) as it comes along.

So what have I been up to since my last blog?

The last time out at Magpies for the Spring was a lot of fun!  Lots of folks were out and about, and we had a bittersweet time knowing we won’t be back there for music until next October.  Then the rest of the month was spent doing my regular Alzheimer and nursing gigs, celebrating my birthday on the 25th, planning and rehearsing for the summer Song of Pueblo season, and working on instrumental guitar songs for my next album.  Speaking of Song of Pueblo, we will have four shows this summer and fall at Pueblo Community College’s Hoag Hall - June 12, July 24, August 21, and September 12.  I’m not sure of the price yet or where tickets will be sold, but I’ll let you know as soon as I can.  And speaking of the instrumental guitar songs, I am following my guitar’s lead on creating a bunch of what I hope folks will find engaging and meaningful songs for my next album.  I say "following my guitar’s lead” because I had thought I would write these songs mostly in my head and then find the melodies on the guitar after the fact, but my fingers wanted in on the action, and so the songs have mostly flowed out of my fingers when I have sat down to write.  I’m willing to write however the moment takes me, so I’m fine with letting my fingers find the melodies, and I think they have found some wonderful tunes so far.  I’m anxious for you to hear them!  More on that soon.

What’s up this week?

I have a wonderful gig this Sunday 2-5 that I have done for the past few summers that happens to be this weekend - the Summer in the Park concert at the Feed Store in Westcliffe.  This is a beautiful outdoor amphitheater with pretty much perfect ambience for music in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo mountains at the west end of Westcliffe.  I have had wonderful experiences each time I have played this concert, and this year should shine as well.  It’s a free concert, but you do need to bring a lawn chair to sit in the shade of the big canopy (they have a few there in case you forget).  They have refreshments for sale, and if the weather is a little sloppy they usually bring the action into the restaurant, so don’t stay away if there are clouds that day.  The restaurant and park is on 2nd Street just one block west of the main intersection at the west end of town and then one block north on the west side of the street.  Please come out if you can. This a s wonderful concert venue for me, and I give it may all!

I’m also planning on doing an online concert soon, so stay tuned for that!

I’d better close up for now.  The rain is going to make for a slow and cautious day.  It’s good to be back in touch!

Best always,

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing and singing a concert in the mountains
Where:  the Feed Store, 116 North 2nd Street, Westcliffe.  719-783-2771
When:  Sunday, May 24, 2:00-5:00 pm