Monday, June 26, 2017

What Is Truth?

I'm struggling with something this morning. I told a historical story on Saturday that I had researched and told many times. Shortly thereafter someone else told a different contradictory story about the same event. I deferred to them because I figured my memory might be faulty, but I researched again this morning and found that my story was correct. I thought about sending a link to the person who told the other story, but I decided not to - even though it goes against my grain to let history be incorrect. But it opened up a bigger topic in my thoughts - what really is truth? I don't think that even if something is proven scientifically that it is absolutely true. I'm still open to what some might call "magical thinking" because I've seen too many things I couldn't explain. This may brand me as "simple" in some folks' eyes, but I have my own inkling of what is true. I suspect we all do. Some see this as a major problem in our world that leads to uninformed decisions. I see this, but I also don't want to close myself off to new paradigms and explanations that science hasn't broadened enough to study yet. The science I have studied has taught me that the world is a much more wonderful and mysterious place than we tend to believe - especially in the quantum realm where the laws seem to contradict what we know in our bigger visual world. It makes for an interesting experience in this life - separating the wheat truth from the chaff truth. Stay curious and thoughtful, my friends!

What have I been up to?

Thursday at the Yellow Pine Barbeque was a little slow last week. I need to sell it better. A friend told me that there's nothing that can compare to the atmosphere of the old barn where we enjoy yummy barbeque and share bygone western tunes and hospitality, and the campfire where kids can roast marshmallows and make s'mores. Does this sound good to you? Then come on out if you can!

Saturday was interesting. I got a rock in my windshield that blew glass onto my head and lap. My Subaru also lit up pretty much every light on the dashboard to check most of the systems - Check engine, AT Oil Temp, Vehicle Stability, ABS, Hill Holder, Cruise, and Sport Shift. I think the computer is fried. It still runs great though! Then my voice disappeared in the middle of a song at the wedding. It came back within a few notes luckily. What a day! I just wanted to go home and go to bed. But I did have two good gigs.

Saturday was cowboy tunes in the old patio of the Francisco Fort in La Veta. I had a great crowd for my set of trail-drive and movie cowboy songs, and then I shared the stage with Will Dudley, Kurt Corsair, and Peggy Godfrey in a round-robin of tunes and poetry.

Saturday was also a beautiful mountain wedding for Erin and Mark in the chapel in Cuchara. Congratulations, you two!

Sunday was my first time of the season playing for the Scouts heading to Philmont Scout Ranch after rafting the Arkansas River. They had a wild ride on very fast water with winds whipping the canyon. Sounds like fun, no?!

What's up this week?

Tuesday I'm playing for rafting Scouts again. I can't wait.

Thursday 6:30-8:30 I'm back at the Yellow Pine Barbeque. I'll sell it again. It is a really cool place for some good eats, hospitality, and music. You don't want to miss it if you are in the area. It's a Cuchara tradition! Call 719-742-3528 to reserve a table for your family.

Saturday 11-1 I'm playing for SPACe (Spanish Peaks Arts Council) Art in the Park in La Veta. This is always a fun event with handmade art, food, and music. Come on out!

Sunday 9:30 and 11 I'm playing for church services in Cuchara at the chapel where I played the wedding last week. I love little mountain chapels - I went to several with my grandparents on summer vacation in the mountains when I was a kid where we even had deer grazing next to us at outdoor chapels.

Sunday evening 7-8ish MDT I'm playing my monthly first-Sunday online concert from our living room. I haven't picked out any sort of theme, but I made a list recently of some of my absolute favorite songs that I've gathered and written, and I think I'll pick songs from that list. Think of it like the list of essential songs that Johnny Cash made for his daughter, RoseAnne, that she picks songs for her album, "The List".


I think I'd better close on that note. There's a busy week ahead, and today has several commitments - fix the car and windshield, change guitar strings, cut weeds, and we're going to see a possible new cat today. Be good to each other, and love life!

Best always,

Tom

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing at the Barbeque
Where:  Yellow Pine Guest Ranch, Cuchara.  719-742-3528
When:  Thursday, June 29, 6:30-8:30 pm

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing and singing for Space Art in the Park
Where:  Ryus Ave as you enter on the right - just cross the tracks in La Veta
When:  Saturday, July 1, 11-1 pm

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing and singing for church services
Where:  Cuchara Chapel, Cuchara, CO
When:  Sunday, July 2, 9:30 and 11:00

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

Monday, June 19, 2017

What Is Music?

I often contemplate what music really is to me and to this world.  There is no doubt in my mind that it is magical beyond what we see, hear, and understand.  Sometimes I feel it like a wind inside of me, and sometimes it is a slowly moving deep current of water.  I intimately know that it is part of the force of the universe and flows through me and all around me.  I often struggle with the fact that its creation within me is not something I can take credit for, and yet I also know that I have been given a gift to express it and mold it to some extent.  To this end I sometimes balk at being paid for performing it.  But then I think that being paid is an odd concept at its heart as well.  I think I would have been better off in a barter and patron society.  But back to music, what is it - really?  Some see it as a mathematical set of principles whose inter-workings help to shape our brains with its patterns and logic as we listen and play.  Some see it as an frivolous curiosity.  Some see it as a beautiful jewel that sparkles and awes.  I see it as an integral expression of that unknowable and powerful great mysterious that you can call God, or spirit, or universal energy.  Whatever it is, it's a pure pleasure to be part of it.

What have I been up to?

Thursday at the Yellow Pine was a lot of fun at the barbeque.  Unfortunately it was a sad day for the staff because one of their horses got colic and was doing very poorly.  I'm not sure whether the horse pulled through.

Friday was the anniversary party for PDubs, and it was great to see so many friends and to help celebrate PDubs with good music, beer, and food!

What's up this week?

Thursday 6:30-8:30 is the barbeque at the Yellow Pine.  It’s starting to get busy as the summer progresses, so call now if you’d like to come - 719-742-3528.  It’s great fun!

Saturday 11-1:30 I’m playing for Cowboy Day at Francisco Fort Museum in La Veta again.  I love getting the chance to play cowboy music, and this event is always spectacular with some great cowboy poets and singers.  It runs 10-4:30, so come on out!

Saturday afternoon I’m playing a private wedding in Cuchara.  I love playing for these beautiful summer weddings.

Sunday I start the season of playing for the Boy Scout groups on their way to Philmont Scout Ranch after they raft on the Arkansas River.  I always enjoy playing for these groups of young men headed to the adventure of a lifetime.  Hopefully I give them a little inspiration and some great tunes to keep in their heads as they hike the trails.

That’s it for this week.  Be good to each other, and come on out and enjoy some summer fun if you can.

Best always,

Tom

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing & singing at the Barbeque
Where:  Yellow Pine Guest Ranch, Cuchara.  719-742-3528
When:  Thursday, June 22, 6:30-8:30 pm

Who:  Tom Munch
What:  playing and singing for Francisco Fort Cowboy Day
Where:  Francisco Fort, 306 S. Main, La Veta.  719-742-5501
When:  Saturday, June 24, 11-1:30 pm

Monday, June 12, 2017

Where Does It Come From?

I was walking early one morning last week and was amazed at the energy I had for a fast walk. I hadn't had enough sleep the night before, and I didn't feel energetic when I woke up. But as I walked I began to drink in the sunrise and the beauty of the morning, and before I knew it I was bounding along behind the dog - marveling at how much pep I had. So where did this verve come from? I could say it was the healthy food I had eaten the night before. I could say it was the adrenaline flowing through me as I anticipated the walking path. But it seems that there is an innate energy of the universe that we all tap into when we are aware of it (and even when we're not aware of it!) This seems to be a spirit that flows in nature and all through us. Many religions have names for this - chi, prana, ki, even God, depending on how you look at it. The universe is full of energy that makes the planets move and even the plants on earth grow. It is unstoppable and magical in the way it affects us. It feels amazing to be a part of it and sense its flow in us. Drink it in!


What have I been up to?


The first Thursday of the season at the Yellow Pine barbecue was too much fun! It was so good to see old friends and be in the barn letting the music flow. This is going to be a fun summer!


What's up this week?


Thursday is the Yellow Pine barbecue 6:30-8:30 again. Please join me for a beautiful night under the mountain stars in the old barn. Call 719-742-3528 for reservations by Tuesday. 


Friday night is good beer and good food at PDubs in Pueblo West 6-10. They are celebrating their first year of brewing and business, and I'm happy to be a part of the celebration. Please come on out for a really fantastic night!


What's on the horizon?


June 24th I'm playing for Cowboy Day at the Francisco Fort Museum in La Veta 11-1:30 before I run up to Cuchara for a wedding. It's so much fun to play the old cowboy tunes, and the plaza in the old museum feels just right - like the walls of the place are playing along with all the history they hold. 


July 1st I'm playing Art in the Park in La Veta 11-1. I always enjoy playing for the folks in the park for this event. 


That's it for this week. A very Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there this Sunday. Be good to each other, and I hope to see you soon.


Best,


Tom


Who:  Tom Munch

What:  playing & singing at the Barbeque

Where:  Yellow Pine Guest Ranch, Cuchara.  719-742-3528

When:  Thursday, June 15, 6:30-8:30 pm


Who: Tom Munch

What: singing and playing for the first anniversary

Where: PDub Brewing Company Taproom, 181 S Purcell Blvd, Pueblo West, 719-647-8864

When: Friday, June 16, 6-10 pm

Monday, June 5, 2017

Beauty of the Outdoors

I spent the weekend in the mountains getting our old cabins open for the summer - opening shutters, draining antifreeze, opening chimneys, cleaning up rodent calling cards, etc. - and I’m always refreshed and made new by being in nature and the great outdoors.  It’s honestly a little amazing how just a little time outdoors can reconnect us to who we are and what our place is in the universe.  We are part of the world and the universe - made up of all the same reactions and atoms and part of the same forces physically and spiritually that shape everything we see around us.  Being in nature seems to enhance this understanding intuitively.  This is calming and exciting at the same time, and the wonder you feel can remind you that our daily worries are very small in the grand scheme of everything.

What have I been up to?

My online concert last Sunday went really well!  I played off the cuff from my favorites list and hit some really special songs that brought me joy in the sharing and playing of them.  Thanks to everyone who tuned in!  My apologies that I set the concert up wrong on the website so that it had a ticket price of “pay what you want.”  This meant that you didn’t have to pay anything, but it was confusing to folks since it’s usually set as free.  I already have next month’s set as free.

What am I up to this week?

This is the first week of the season for the Yellow Pine Thursday-night Barbeque.  This is one of the highlights of my summer!  If you’ve never been, it’s a Texas-style barbeque in the old barn at the Yellow Pine Guest Ranch in Cuchara, Colorado, where I play for dinner and then dancing and listening afterwards.  The feeling in the barn is so cool, and the food and camaraderie is so special that I have a great time playing for this!  I think this is the 16th season I have played the barbeque at the Yellow Pine and the friends I have made up there are really special.  Come join in if you can.  You need to make reservations by Tuesday so that they can plan the right amount of food, and you may want to call a week or more in advance because the evening sells out often - especially in July.  Call 719-742-3528 for reservations.

That’s it for this week.  Check my website for other dates if you’re interested in other places I’m playing and stay tuned.  http://tommunch.com

Best always,

Tom

Details this week:

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