Justifying Things

I've been thinking about the things we tell ourselves and the things that others tell us and how we let these things affect us. What do I mean by this? Well, for me at least, I get ideas about things and other people - sometimes from what I read, sometimes from what I hear from others, and sometimes from what I think up myself. Sometimes they are just simple ideas, and sometimes they border on wild conspiracies, but how I absorb these things and how I act on them is what is important to me. It's very easy to just go along with the idea and let it affect me, but I'm better off when I ponder on it and weigh it against what I think is true and beneficial. I mean this for everything from believing a news story to justifying a purchase or big decision in my life. It seems there are a few steps in this process. 1) I read, hear, or think up the idea. 2) I decide what I think about it and how I'll act on it. 3) I justify my action. The justification step is the one which gives me pause. I'm as bad as anyone at justifying an action that there is no good justification for. Of course this takes a little bit of wisdom to work out, and you have to make some bad decisions and justifications to get this wisdom. Nonetheless, the extra time to ponder before I act is always time well spent. This avoids step 4 which tends to be remorse. Nobody likes dealing with this. And I always come back to wanting to live my life with joy and thoughtfulness, so avoiding remorse flows out of the process of pondering and thoughtfulness

What have I been up to?

Friday I picked up a gig with the Atomic Fireballs at the Steel City Eagles in Pueblo. It was great seeing some of the boys and playing our old favorites. There is always something special about locking in with a bunch of great players.

Saturday's fundraiser at First Christian Church in Cañon City was a bundle of fun! Such kind people and good food we had! I even had some good friends sit in and sing with me, so it was a great time all around.

What am I doing this week?

Tuesday is Mardi Gras. I'm not playing anywhere that night, but I hope you do something special to celebrate. I do a lot of Cajun and New Orleans music during this season at my facilities, and it's such fun and heartfelt music to be a part of.

Friday I'm back at Magpies 7-10 for what should be a great night. Last time saw a whole different group of folks, so I'm not sure who'll be there this time. I know some of my regulars will be back in town, so it could be a wild night.

Saturday I'm in Nebraska celebrating my niece Pam's birthday.

Sunday I'll do an online concert from my sister's and niece's house in Nebraska at 8:00 Central Standard Time. I SO enjoy getting to sing for everyone around the world on these online events, and getting to do one in the room with my sister and niece will be a real treat! Please tune in if you can at concertwindow.com/tommunch.

What's on the horizon?

I booked a couple dates at the Bull Moose in Guffey, Colorado, July 15, 1-4, and September 30, 6-9. I haven't played in Guffey in several years, so it'll be good to play for the folks up there again.

I've contacted the La Veta Inn and 8 Mile to work out some dates this year. I'm also trying to book a couple things in Colorado Springs.

I have decided on the first Sunday of each month at 7:00 for my online Concert Window concerts. I may do themes for these of different types of music for different groups of folks. I may also do some other concerts of more specific themes at Concert Window like Civil War songs, songs by different artists, cowboy songs, old standards, and topical songs. I may not announce these on my blog since they won't appeal to as many people. These concerts are relatively simple to do since I don't have to travel or set up much equipment, and they let me do some songs that I don't get to perform as often. It's a good outlet for me.

I guess that's it for this week. Be good to each other and enjoy some music. You can justify it any way you want.

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing
Where:  Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo.  719-542-5522
When:  Friday, March 3, 7-10 pm

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing and singing
Where:  online at https://www.concertwindow.com/tommunch
When:  Sunday, March 5, 7-8ish pm MST

Time and Music

I’ve been thinking about time over this weekend.  My wife and I watched the movie, “Arrival”, and it got me thinking about time.  Time is a frequent subject in science fiction and even religion and spirituality.  From science we learn that time is not constant, and in science fiction we often see time travel and all its complications as something to explore.  In religion and spirituality we come across the idea that in other realms there is no time - that all time happens in the same instant.  The movie we saw played with that idea a little bit.  The alien written language in the story is not linear like our language is, and so it is without time.  This influences how the characters interact with time.  What we can know in this life is that we mainly experience the very moment we are in right now.  I wrote about this a while ago in a way - talking about tomorrow, today, and yesterday.  When talking about only the moment we are in though, I find music fascinating.  Music is involved with many things - melody, harmony, rhythm, etc.  Rhythm is the main musical thing that deals with time, and music allows us to play with rhythm to the finest degree.  You can play ahead of the beat and so the moment of time or even behind the beat.  You can syncopate the melody and harmony.  The beat can make us anticipate and that anticipation is a huge motivator in how we experience time.  When playing with other musicians you can feel the music together in a symbiosis that has to be felt to be believed.  I find it endlessly fascinating to think about the permutations of this, and getting to make music and play with time is one of the true joys of my life.

What have I been up to?

Friday at Magpies was a blast!  Some my regulars were out of town or unable to make it, but I had a bunch of new faces and other friends who helped make it a stellar night.  I brought down a half dozen guitars including a couple nylon-string guitars I haven’t played in some time which added a completely different tone to the night.

What's up this week?

Saturday 11-2 I’m playing for the First Christian Church Valentine’s Spaghetti Dinner in Cañon City again.  This is a fundraiser for several local non-profit agencies, so it’s a really great event that helps the community.  Come on out if you can for some great food and romantic tunes!  I’m not certain of the price.  Last year it was $7 adults, and $4 ages 12 and under.

What’s on the horizon?

I’m tentatively planning to do online concerts on concertwindow.com once a month on the first Sunday evening.  I’m not sure if I’ll start in March or April.  I’ll be out of town in March for my niece’s birthday, so I may do a concert from there if they’d like it.  Otherwise it’ll be April to start.  I’ll let you know soon.

That’s it for this week.

Best always,

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  singing and playing a Valentine’s spaghetti dinner fundraiser
When:  Saturday, Feb 25, 11 am - 2 pm
Where:  First Christian Church, 320 N 16th St, Cañon City (719) 275-9644

What Is My Role?

I’ve been thinking today along the lines of an idea I expressed a couple years ago. I often think of what purpose or role I feel I should play in this life. I'm not sure how most folks determine this for themselves. I'm sure many look at what gifts and skills they have, and then they tailor their life towards how they can best use those to make money, help people, or build a life with a mind to some sort of legacy. My gifts and skills are fairly obvious to me - music, philosophy, organization, and writing. I've been blessed with probably more directional leaning than most folks have, although many would not consider pursuing music or writing as a career. They don't make much money, but they offer a lot of opportunity to help people by encouragement and inspiration. They also give the chance to leave something behind in recordings and writings. So my role is to offer encouragement and inspiration. I do this by finding things to sing about that provoke thought and emotion that hopefully make others' lives and the world a better place, and then interpret and perform them in a way that hopefully is mighty fine and inspirational. What's your role?

What have I been up to?

The last outing at Magpies was really fun! I brought out 11 different guitars (I know - overkill) that I cycled through every couple songs. It was quite the assortment of sounds - from banjo-like travel guitars to full-bodied bass monsters. The majority of the night was spent on 1960's favorites, and there was a great bunch of friends all around.

What's up this week?

Friday I'm back at Magpies again 7-10. I'm sure I won't be bringing as many guitars this time, but we will have a great time! Come on out if you can.

What's coming up?

I recently asked if folks would like more online concerts. The overwhelming response was "Yes!", and the day folks asked for was Sunday with the frequency of once a month. So I'm leaning towards the first Sunday of each month. I'd like to do themes for these shows once they're up and running. I have friends from all over the country with different favorites, so there'll be e some flexibility, but in general I'd like to stick to themes as much as possible. I could see themes like cowboy, folk, different artists, mountain songs, songs for specific places and folks I know like Philmont Scout Ranch or the Don K Guest Ranch, old standards, historical songs, and more. It sounds like I could do some special shows for some of these themes in between more general shows. It just depends on how it develops.

I guess that's it for this week. Take care of yourself, and I hope to see you soon!

Best always,

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing
Where:  Magpies, 229 S. Union, Pueblo.  719-542-5522
When:  Friday, Feb 17, 7-10 pm