Monday, April 29, 2019 - Music and Aliens

One of my favorite podcasts is a sound show called “Twenty Thousand Hertz.” It features all kinds of topics around sound - from music to hearing to ad jingles to nature. The show topic for this last show was the golden records that were sent on the Voyager spaceships. These records had all kinds of info that was intended to hopefully introduce us to other life forms someday who would come upon the ships and these golden records. There was human speech included as well as pictures and sounds of nature, but the thing that fascinated me most was the inclusion of music in many varieties from all over the world - some with integral mathematical complexity and some with folksy simplicity.  You see, we don’t have any idea what kind of alien life forms will find this information, and we don’t know what they’ll understand about us. Maybe they won’t have the visual or auditory systems that we do, so maybe they won’t have eyes to see the pictures or ears to hear the melodies we sent. Maybe they will only understand the mathematics of the music in the way the notes interact with pitch and timing and not the melodic beauty of the sound. Maybe they will communicate through ESP, and so our physical way of communicating and sending info will be lost on them. It’s amazing to think about, and really makes me wonder how we perceive life on our world. I have a feeling that we would be able to communicate with them on some fundamental level, but that goes to my thoughts that we are all a part of the universe on a quantum level - a topic I’ve talked about before and will again. Do you have any thoughts about this?  I wish I was a fly on the wall when the scientists were deciding what to include on these golden records.  

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What have I been up to? 

I’ve had a couple weeks off from weekend and public gigs, but I’ve been busy still.  

Two weeks ago on Saturday I did my concert with Ken Saydak at the La Veta Mercantile. It was such a good time! We had a great group of folks come out and enjoy an evening of 1960's tunes and new originals. I will remember this night for a long time.  

The following Sunday I played a new song I wrote at the Cuchara Chapel. It was very well-received, and then they asked me to play for Easter, and I wrote another song and played for that too with my good friend, Peggy Hoobler. I love playing for these folks immensely! 

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What am I up to this week? 

Friday night 6-9 is our monthly first-Friday at Bistoro, and I’m looking forward to it. It’s become a busy place on my Fridays, so make a reservation if you plan to come - 719-696-9672.  

Sunday 7-8ish MDT is my First-Sunday Online Living Room Concert. I haven’t picked out a theme for this show yet, but trust that it will be something entertaining and enlightening. I love playing these for you. Please tune in if you can - concertwindow.com/tommunch.  

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That’s it for this week. I had a birthday last week, and we made a trip to Taos Saturday to celebrate and spend a little time in the mountains. It was grand! Be good to each other, and hopefully I’ll see you soon.  

Best always, 

Tom 

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Details this week: 

Who:  Tom Munch  
What:  playing and singing 
Where:  Bistoro, 109 Central Plaza, Pueblo. 719-696-9672 
When:  Friday, May 3, 6-9 pm 

Who:  Tom Munch 
What:  playing and singing a concert from my living room 
Where:  online at https://concertwindow.com/tommunch 
When:  Sunday, May 5 7-8:15 MDT

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