Monday, June 29, 2015

Does Life Get Faster with Age?

I’ve really noticed this past year more than ever before that I seem to have less free time.  I can’t really put my finger on why though.  I remember seeing a study once that said that our brains process things more slowly as we age, and that fact can make the normal pace of the world seem to go by faster as we perceive it.  I know that we have much more to distract us with technology and communication, and that may be a factor as well.  (There is a podcast called “Note to Self” that I listen to that grapples with this.)  And yet there seems to be something more to it for me.  I don’t think I’m losing my mind, but maybe I’m just not as able to deal with multiple things as well.  We’ve heard that multi-tasking is not good for us, and that we’re actually not capable of doing it as much as we think we can.  Shying away from multi-tasking is supposed to make us better people and more able to focus and be present, so maybe this is a good thing for me when life moves more slowly and deliberately.  Still my to-do list is longer than my arm and getting longer every day.  Ahh, maybe it’s time to put it away for a few days and do like one of my favorite summer songs says, “Let the Rest of the World Go By”.

What happened last week?

Saturday my lunch gig at 8 Mile Bar and Grill by the Gorge went very well.  I had quite a mix of rafters and folks stopping by for a bite during their busy Saturday.  I had some great fish tacos to top it off.

Saturday and Sunday nights and coming up the next three nights I have been and I will be performing for Boy Scout groups getting ready for their trip to Philmont Scout Ranch.  Philmont had quite a rain storm overnight Friday to Saturday which caused flash flooding along several streams.  One ran over campsites and swept away tents and even a cabin, and a scout unfortunately drowned.  It was very sad and of course is a reminder of the dangers in the wilderness.  My heart goes out to his family and all those affected by his death and all the other losses from the flooding.  So sad.

What’s up this week?

Thursday night at 7:00 (Mountain Daylight Time) I’m doing an online concert from my living room.  I haven’t done one of these for quite a while, and it’s partially because the service I was using, UStream, changed the way they handled their recorded video, and I had to copy off everything I had there.  I’m going to try a new service called Concert Window that has a lot of good points, including the ability to pay royalties for what is performed.  You can also chat with each other and send me requests and comments.  I really enjoy doing online concerts because it offers me a way to play for friends all around the country and share an evening across the wires, as it were.  Please join me if you can at https://www.concertwindow.com/tommunch Thursday night.

Monday

I’m back in the studio recording some more guitar tunes for my upcoming instrumental album.  This has really been fulfilling so far, and I’m anxious for you to hear the work I’ve been doing.

I’d better wrap and feed my hungry pets some lunch.  I hope to see you soon.  Have a wonderful Independence Day!

Best always,

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing and singing
Where:  online at https://www.concertwindow.com/tommunch
When:  Thursday, July 2, 7-8 pm

Monday, June 22, 2015

Create Our Own Reality?

I'm revisiting an idea I've talked about before because I've run across it in my reading again - creating our own reality. The premise is that we create our space, physically and emotionally, that we live in just by the way we approach each day and what our attitude is. It's akin to having a positive attitude, but it seems to be a little different shade of meaning. It's as if we draw to ourselves the ideas and thoughts that we put out in the world. Sometimes I can see this directly when I start with a good feeling in the day and it spills over into how I interact with others and how I feel about each task and decision I come across. Sometimes I feel like things go wrong even when I start off right. So it doesn't always hold true for me - at least not the way I understand it so far. Still it seems to hold some truth for me, and so I will continue to explore it and see if I can use it in my life. And I find myself wondering how this relates to the "reality distortion" that was bandied about so much when Steve Jobs died and several of the articles and books about him talked about how he used this distortion to accomplish so many of the computer breakthroughs he was a part of. Maybe he was creating a similar reality of his own? How about you? Do you consciously think about this in your life?

What happened last week?

Monday I had a really great session in the studio with Don Richmond as I worked on my instrumental album. I recorded an old favorite, "The Water Is Wide", a new song with a Native American feel, "The Great Mysterious', and an improvisational collaboration with Don that is as-yet unnamed. It feels so good to be creative!

Saturday was a wonderful concert in Florence at the Bell Tower Cultural Center. It was a small but appreciative crowd, and between the fine acoustics and wonderful vibe of the old church-turned-cultural-center, I was inspired to go above and beyond. I wish you could have heard it!

Sunday I started off the season for the scout shows with a stellar group of young men and their adult advisors from Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. I have several more of these shows in the upcoming two weeks. 

What's up this week?

Saturday I'm back at 8 Mile Bar and Grill by the Royal Gorge above Cañon City for the first time since last summer, except this summer I'm playing for lunch 11:45-1:45 instead of dinner. I really enjoy the staff, the ambience, and the fine folks who come out to enjoy 8 Mile. If you've never been, you'll really enjoy the food and atmosphere.  Please come out if you can. Then that evening I start a five-night run of shows for the Philmont-bound Boy Scouts that I wrote of before. This is very fulfilling work!

That's it for now. I'm still hoping that the Yellow Pine may start up the community barbecue on Thursdays again, and since I'm itching to play on Thursdays, I'm going to do an online house concert at concertwindow.com a week from this Thursday on July 2nd at 7:00 MST. I'll write more about it next week including a link to the show. I hope you can make it. 

Best,

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing and singing
Where:  8 Mile Bar and Grill, 45000 W. US Hwy 50, Cañon City.  (719) 275-1558

Monday, June 15, 2015

Seeing the Beauty in the Ordinary

I've been spending a lot of my time in the last month trying to keep up with the prolific weeds that are growing everywhere as a result of our historic rainfall amounts. In the past I've just whacked it all down en masse without too much concern for being artistic, but this year with all the rain we have all kinds of lovely wildflowers blooming all over our property. It's amazing to see, and I don't want to lose the beauty that has popped up all around, so I have been selecting cutting and pulling weeds so that our entire property has turned into a flower garden. I say in my title above that it's beauty from the ordinary, but it's extraordinary if anything how such exquisite color and form can come from such humble earth and rain. It reminds me that there is beauty in places that you don't expect, and to remember this in the future when things seem bleak or ordinary. 

What happened in the last week?

Thursday the Yellow Pine cancelled just a day or so before the first barbecue show in Cuchara. A new owner and a change of direction are in the works. I'm still hopeful that we may still put on the barbecue for part of the summer, so keep your fingers crossed. This has always been a wonderful place to play for some wonderful people!

Friday the Song of Pueblo started out in high style with our first show at Pueblo 
Community College in their beautiful theater. We had a good crowd and were in good form to deliver the history with passion and authenticity. The next show is July 24. 

What's going on this week?

Saturday will be a very fine event playing a concert for the Florence Arts Council at 7:00 in the Bell Tower Cultural Center (formerly the First Baptist Church, 201 East Second Street). This is open to the public, and a very beautiful venue to get to play my music in. This is in conjunction with the "Our West, Our Way" art exhibit which features the western art of Rudl and Audrie Mergleman. I'm very excited to play this concert, and I hope you'll consider coming out for it if you are anywhere near Florence on June 20th. Tickets are $8 for members and $10 for non-members and can be purchased at the Bell Tower Cultural Center. More info at florenceartscouncil.com. 

Sunday I start my series of shows for Boy Scouts headed to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. I've done these for several years, and they are a wonderful opportunity to entertain and impart a little wisdom to these young men and women headed for the adventure of a lifetime. Wish me luck!

That's it for this week. I'm burning the candle at both ends and loving it!

Best always,

Tom

Details this week:

Who: Tom Munch
What: playing a concert in Florence, CO
Where: Bell Tower Cultural Center, 201 East Second Street, 719-784-2038
When: Saturday, July 20, 7:00

Thursday, June 11, 2015

On Radio!

Quick update!

My recording of the theme from "The Good, The a Bad, and The Ugly" will be featured on the "Calling All Cowboys" radio show this week on KPOV 88.9 FM in Bend, OR, and streaming online!

http://kpov-od.streamguys.us/calling_all_cowboys_new_56k.mp3

Monday, June 8, 2015

Are People Good?

I had an interesting thing happen in my family this week.  The old trailer that we had on an irrigation lake in Nebraska where I learned to swim and fish was vandalized.  Many windows were broken, and many things were generally smashed and busted up for no apparent reason.  I haven’t had to deal with it directly - my mom, sister, and niece are cleaning it up and dealing with the insurance.  Nothing of any real value other than a couple things with family sentiment were wrecked, but of course there’s the hassle and the feeling of violation.  But it also brings back that old question - why do people do this kind of thing?  And that brings back the bigger question - are people basically good or bad?  To the first question, I don’t have any idea why these particular people did this.  There wouldn’t be any reason someone would be getting revenge for anything, and I can’t imagine it was anything more than just someone wanting to bust things up for the perverse fun of it.  But the second question is the one I find on my mind most this morning.  I believe that people are basically good, not bad, despite the church training I received that people usually tend towards a more depraved state.  I haven’t found that in my life.  I’ve usually found people to be decent when given the chance, and though I may be naive, I want to stick to this basic belief in the wonder of the planet and humanity.  I’ve read enough to know that the bigger and stronger and more aggressive don’t always win out - even in animals.  We will help those in need even to our detriment.  And believing that we are inherently bad leads to all kinds of self-doubt that is frankly destructive in my opinion.  Humans are amazing (as is the rest of creation), and we are capable of love and caring and magnificent feats beyond the mundane norms we are accustomed to accept.  Believing this and in our own goodness leads to joy and accomplishment and wanting to help others do and be the same.  This is what I believe.

What’s happened in the last two weeks?

The Sunday show with the Atomic Fireballs at the Royal Gorge Bridge was loads of fun.  We had a little rain to contend with but we made it through with wonderful crowds of people all seeing the rebuilding at the Gorge.  They’re on the road to regaining their old glory.  I also had a couple private events that weekend that were very fulfilling with old and new friends.  Then last week I played a wonderful wedding at a nursing home that honored the bride’s mother who has been a resident there for several years, and lastly I played an anniversary for the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center in Pueblo for a group of enthusiastic supporters, and had a strong rehearsal for the Song of Pueblo which debuts our new season this week.

So what’s up this week?

Thursday starts my season at the Yellow Pine Guest Ranch in Cuchara, CO.  If you don’t remember me writing about this before, I’ve been playing the Thursday-Night barbecue at the Yellow Pine since 2001.  It’s a wonderful community barbecue in the old barn at the ranch where friends and family gather for Texas-style barbecued brisket, ribs and chicken with all the fixin’s accompanied by my music (as well as a campfire and roasting marshmallows) in the picturesque old town of Cuchara, Colorado.  They have cabins for rent as well, and horseback riding, fishing and other activities.  It’s a great old place that I’ve been privileged to play for these last 14 years.  If you want to come, please make sure to call for a reservation by Tuesday (719-742-3528) so they can make enough good food for you.  It’s a blast, and I’d love to have you there.  Sometimes it books up early, so make your plans soon!

Friday we start the Song of Pueblo oratorio for our 7th season.  If you’re not familiar with the Song of Pueblo, it is an oratorio-style show with a 4-piece band led by yours truly that narrates and sings songs about the history of southern Colorado centered around Pueblo and accompanied by wonderful stills and video illustrating the story we tell.  It is moving, funny, and ultimately a great ride learning about the fine people who settled and built this area of the West.  Tickets are $15 and are available at the Visitor’s Center in Pueblo at 301 North Union Avenue, 719-543-2430.  We are performing this year at Pueblo Community College’s Hoag Theater in the lower level of the Academic Building on the corner of Orman and Arthur.  Doors open at 6:00, and the show starts at 7:00.  We’ll also be performing it July 24, August 21, and September 12 if you can’t make it this week.  Much of the visuals are brand-new this year, and we’ve made a few tweaks to the music as well, so there are new things to see if you’ve seen the show before.  This is such a stellar project to be involved with, and I hope you’ll come and see it.

That’s it for this week.  I’m back in the studio next Monday, so I may not get an update out until Tuesday.  Wish me luck as I pursue my instrumental album this summer!

Best always,

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing at the Barbecue
Where:  Yellow Pine Guest Ranch, Cuchara.  719-742-3528
When:  Thursday, June 11, 6:30-8:30 pm

Who:  Tom Munch with Johnny Watson, David Enke, & Alan Polivka
What:  playing, singing, & telling the history of Pueblo at the Song of Pueblo oratorio
Where:  Hoag Theater, Pueblo Community College, Orman and Arthur, Pueblo.  719-543-2430 for tickets
When:  Friday, June 12, 7:00 pm