I’m at a loss what to write about this week. Hopefully walking through my thought process with me will be entertaining and inspiring. Let me tell you my mindset today. I’m a little groggy because we’ve been up a lot during the nights while caregiving for our old collie who has had a series of maladies. I’m a little at sea because I’m still grieving for my mother and am in limbo about my career and the upcoming year until we wrap up her estate. There are other things that are affecting me too, but those are the biggies. So what do I do when I wake up with these things weighing on me? I harbor a deep appreciation for my fellow man and our situation here on the earth. I believe that people are good and are full of love and light. I know that this life is a wonderful playground of stimulus and opportunities. So I frame my thoughts around the big picture of just how special this life and this time is. I realize that life may seem like a struggle daily, but I fill my mind with the wonder of our situation and the beauty of the universe. I work my body to feel good and have energy, and I work my mind to feel sharp and viable. Then I look at what I can do to help others with the talents I have been given. That is enough for me, and I repeat it each day.
What have I been up to?
Magpies was great fun two weeks ago. I did a bunch of songs to honor Chuck Pyle, and then rounded out the evening with '60's tunes and requests. Then I had a last-minute booking last Saturday at Eiler's Place in Bojon Town that a couple of my regulars made. That was s bunch of fun too. I found out that younger folks like my music still too!
What's up this week?
Thursday I have a private gig I've told you about before - playing for the Council of State Governments annual fall training week in Colorado Springs. I mention it because it's such a wonderful bipartisan gathering that I always enjoy being a part of.
Friday I'm back at Magpies 7-10. I thought about bringing the Christmas sing-along sheets this week, but I think it's too early, so let's do the sing-along on the 18th. I have a couple new mics this week that I think will make my voice sound smoother and more mellifluous, so let's do some big vocal songs Friday. I’ll take your requests!
Saturday at 4:30 I'm playing for the Avondale Community Tree Lighting in Pueblo County. This is put on by a community group called PCP (People Caring for People) that helps the people of Avondale, Boone, and the surrounding areas, and partners with local schools to involve adults and children in improving the appearance of the community. The tree lighting will be at the land they purchased at the NW corner of Hwy 50 and Avondale Blvd. This lot will be the future home of the Avondale Veterans Memorial Park, and they’ve been using it for the tree lighting since 2010. You can read more about the group at their Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/PeopleCaringForPeople. The East High School choir will also be performing, and Santa will be there as well as many other activities including a posada. It sounds like a lot of fun, and I love being part of community events like this. A proud community enjoying the season! Check out photos of previous tree lightings on their Facebook page. Please come if you can. Here is also the Facebook page for the event - https://www.facebook.com/events/1637518173167698/.
Best,
Tom
Details this week:
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing & singing
Where: Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo. 719-542-5522
When: Friday, December 4, 7-10 pm
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing and singing for the Avondale Community Tree Lighting
Where: Pueblo County across from Loaf 'N' Jug at the NW corner of US Highway 50 Business & Avondale Blvd
When: Saturday, December 5, 4:30 to as long as they go
Monday, November 30, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Silent Mentor
I helped with a memorial last Saturday for an old friend/acquaintance, Chuck Pyle, who passed away suddenly while fishing a week ago Friday, and it really got me thinking in ways you might not expect. I say friend/acquaintance because although we talked quite a bit many years ago, we never really got to know each other, and hadn’t talked much in several years. In truth, I think he was a mentor more than a friend, and I’ll tell you what I mean.
When I started playing professional gigs 35 years ago, I really didn’t know where I would end up, and I had an epiphany when I decided to do music more full-time in 1983. As I sat in a parking lot in Red River, New Mexico, I considered my life and where my passions were, and I made a decision to pursue music more whole-heartedly. I was writing an album of my own songs, and I was looking for gigs for the upcoming summer, and as I sat there in my pickup I wrote a song called “Playin’ for Keeps”. It expressed my commitment to pursue the music I loved, and the trip was successful in that I booked a few places to play that next summer.
At one of the places I ended up playing, Texas Reds, I met a traveling singer/songwriter who was playing the next night at Texas Reds (that was Chuck Pyle). I was playing there most weeks Thursday through Saturday, and quite often Chuck was on his way back to Colorado from Texas and would play Sunday for a great dancing crowd of locals. I knew a song of Chuck’s, “Other Side of the Hill”, that I had learned from a Bill and Bonnie Hearne album, and I wanted to hear him play, so I came back on Sunday and was blown away. Chuck’s finger picking on the guitar was so much more intricate than what I was doing, and his guitar tone, easy style, and strong backbeat were simply amazing. We hit it off talking shop right away - guitar pickups, sound systems, etc. That’s what got us calling each other on a regular basis back then.
But by the late ’80’s we had stopped calling so much, and when I met a common friend while looking for guitars in Salt Lake City in the early ’90’s I listened to Chuck’s playing on recordings and was blown away all over again. In fact, listening to Chuck play made me change my guitar style all over again. I have played with many styles over the years - flatpick, fingerpick, bare fingers, but Chuck’s style had a percussion and feel that I really wanted to incorporate into my playing. So I went to hear Chuck several times and got reacquainted with him a bit. Over the next couple years I modified my style to incorporate some of the percussive elements and backbeat of Chuck’s style that I admired so much. (Just so you know, this is the two-step beat that is so prevalent in the dance clubs of New Mexico, and the music that I had heard in my teenage years at Philmont and in Taos and Red River.)
So Chuck was a silent mentor to me as I studied his guitar style and brought some of that heartfelt rhythm into my own style. Chuck was well known across the West, and you would love his music. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due and offer him a genuine “Thanks!” for the influence and musical prodding.
What have I been up to the past couple weeks?
Magpies went really well the Friday before last, and it ended up being a ’60’s night which was a lot of fun! Then I had a wonderful show on Veterans Day for the vets in Walsenburg.
What’s on tap this week?
Friday I’m back at Magpies 7-10. I always look forward to seeing everyone at Magpies, and we have such a great group of folks who come down to enjoy the music, food, and camaraderie. I’ll probably play some of Chuck Pyle’s music this week since he has been in my thoughts so much over the past week. You may remember his song, “Moonglow Rising”, that starts my “Signature” album. Anyway, it will be a lot of fun. Please come out if you can.
Best always,
Tom
Details this week:
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing & singing
Where: Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo. 719-542-5522
When: Friday, November 20, 7-10 pm
When I started playing professional gigs 35 years ago, I really didn’t know where I would end up, and I had an epiphany when I decided to do music more full-time in 1983. As I sat in a parking lot in Red River, New Mexico, I considered my life and where my passions were, and I made a decision to pursue music more whole-heartedly. I was writing an album of my own songs, and I was looking for gigs for the upcoming summer, and as I sat there in my pickup I wrote a song called “Playin’ for Keeps”. It expressed my commitment to pursue the music I loved, and the trip was successful in that I booked a few places to play that next summer.
At one of the places I ended up playing, Texas Reds, I met a traveling singer/songwriter who was playing the next night at Texas Reds (that was Chuck Pyle). I was playing there most weeks Thursday through Saturday, and quite often Chuck was on his way back to Colorado from Texas and would play Sunday for a great dancing crowd of locals. I knew a song of Chuck’s, “Other Side of the Hill”, that I had learned from a Bill and Bonnie Hearne album, and I wanted to hear him play, so I came back on Sunday and was blown away. Chuck’s finger picking on the guitar was so much more intricate than what I was doing, and his guitar tone, easy style, and strong backbeat were simply amazing. We hit it off talking shop right away - guitar pickups, sound systems, etc. That’s what got us calling each other on a regular basis back then.
But by the late ’80’s we had stopped calling so much, and when I met a common friend while looking for guitars in Salt Lake City in the early ’90’s I listened to Chuck’s playing on recordings and was blown away all over again. In fact, listening to Chuck play made me change my guitar style all over again. I have played with many styles over the years - flatpick, fingerpick, bare fingers, but Chuck’s style had a percussion and feel that I really wanted to incorporate into my playing. So I went to hear Chuck several times and got reacquainted with him a bit. Over the next couple years I modified my style to incorporate some of the percussive elements and backbeat of Chuck’s style that I admired so much. (Just so you know, this is the two-step beat that is so prevalent in the dance clubs of New Mexico, and the music that I had heard in my teenage years at Philmont and in Taos and Red River.)
So Chuck was a silent mentor to me as I studied his guitar style and brought some of that heartfelt rhythm into my own style. Chuck was well known across the West, and you would love his music. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due and offer him a genuine “Thanks!” for the influence and musical prodding.
What have I been up to the past couple weeks?
Magpies went really well the Friday before last, and it ended up being a ’60’s night which was a lot of fun! Then I had a wonderful show on Veterans Day for the vets in Walsenburg.
What’s on tap this week?
Friday I’m back at Magpies 7-10. I always look forward to seeing everyone at Magpies, and we have such a great group of folks who come down to enjoy the music, food, and camaraderie. I’ll probably play some of Chuck Pyle’s music this week since he has been in my thoughts so much over the past week. You may remember his song, “Moonglow Rising”, that starts my “Signature” album. Anyway, it will be a lot of fun. Please come out if you can.
Best always,
Tom
Details this week:
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing & singing
Where: Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo. 719-542-5522
When: Friday, November 20, 7-10 pm
Monday, November 2, 2015
Quantum Entanglement and Who We Are
I've been reading and contemplating again, and that always makes for dangerous thoughts that I’m going to share. I’ve been reading about quantum physics again, and I got to dwelling on quantum entanglement. Quantum Entanglement is (from wikipedia) “a physical phenomenon that occurs when pairs or groups of particles are generated or interact in ways such that the quantum state of each particle cannot be described independently—instead, a quantum state may be given for the system as a whole.” That sounds pretty technical, but what it comes down to is that particles operate in pairs where the action on one particle is mirrored in real time on the other particle whether they are next to each other or a universe apart. Einstein called this “spooky action at a distance” and it does seem a little magical and even spooky - especially when you consider that these particles are not only inside of us but in every other object and being in the entire universe. If you extrapolate this back to the big bang it means that we are all entangled on a quantum level since we are all part of that original piece of matter that formed the universe. In a very real sense we are all one. Not only that, but the actions we take effect every other person and thing in the entire universe - on a quantum level. Kind of puts a different spin on our ordinary problems we fuss with every day, huh? So when you wonder why you know that a friend or relative is hurting even though you haven’t talked to them, or when you sense that something is wrong with a physical object in your day like your car, now you know that there is a scientific reason for this supposed spiritual or psychic phenomena. Maybe spirituality and science aren’t so far apart! If you want more info, there’s a fun and quick explanation on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X93XMwOG66E&list=FLFEh0O95Z6UE-y_Kog0svXw&index=1
and the wikipedia entry is here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement
What happened since I last wrote?
Magpies, the Goodnight Barn art reception, and my private party went really well! So many good friends came out to Magpies, the Goodnight reception was perfect with such great art, and the private party was a bullseye surprise with perfect weather at a beautiful location.
Then Halloween I only played Alzheimer’s and nursing gigs which was fine and fun. It saved you all from having to hear me sing “Monster Mash” again. ;-)
What’s up this week?
I’m at Magpies Friday 7-10 for what promises to be a great time. I so look forward to these evening with good friends and good food. I haven’t made a plan for what I’m going to sing yet, so be prepared for some surprises. Hope to see you there!
That’s it for this week. I need to go contemplate some more!
Best always,
Tom
Details this week:
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing & singing
Where: Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo. 719-542-5522
When: Friday, November 6, 7-10 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X93XMwOG66E&list=FLFEh0O95Z6UE-y_Kog0svXw&index=1
and the wikipedia entry is here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement
What happened since I last wrote?
Magpies, the Goodnight Barn art reception, and my private party went really well! So many good friends came out to Magpies, the Goodnight reception was perfect with such great art, and the private party was a bullseye surprise with perfect weather at a beautiful location.
Then Halloween I only played Alzheimer’s and nursing gigs which was fine and fun. It saved you all from having to hear me sing “Monster Mash” again. ;-)
What’s up this week?
I’m at Magpies Friday 7-10 for what promises to be a great time. I so look forward to these evening with good friends and good food. I haven’t made a plan for what I’m going to sing yet, so be prepared for some surprises. Hope to see you there!
That’s it for this week. I need to go contemplate some more!
Best always,
Tom
Details this week:
Who: Tom Munch
What: playing & singing
Where: Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo. 719-542-5522
When: Friday, November 6, 7-10 pm
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