Tom Munch

Is it really Fall already? My cooler morning walks definitely say it’s so. It officially starts this coming Saturday, the 23rd. I always write about this season because it is my favorite time of the year. One thing I don’t like about it is that it’s harder to keep my fingers warm when taking pictures on my morning walks with Beau. But when the leaves start to change and life begins to slow a bit I am rejuvenated. Another thing I don’t like about it is that snow comes to the high country, and I can’t get…

I traveled over the weekend to our family cabins in New Mexico to close them for the winter, and seeing the beauty on the drive and at the cabins refreshed me like I knew it would. There’s just something about seeing the land and the creatures in it that makes me remember my connection to the earth. It’s something that’s easy to forget in our coddled lives. But when you slow down and let yourself sink into the horizon and the sights, smells, and sounds of a beautiful morning or evening it helps you…

Jimmy Buffett passed away Friday night. I always liked his music, but the reason I want to write about him is because of his lifestyle. He seemed to be the epitome of someone who just lived his best life. That’s a newer phrase in the last few years to me, but it’s one I’ve pondered many times. I don’t really worry much about making plans or having bucket lists. I’ve always gone with the flow for the most part. But I also haven’t taken huge chances. Jimmy was one who would go on grand adventures with no…

This year I’m going to do work songs for my Wednesday show before Labor Day, so I thought it would be appropriate to say something about work and music. When I Googled work songs there were some interesting results. I was immediately thinking of rhythmic songs that people used to sing when they worked at jobs that required working together to a beat like sailors’ songs or millworkers’ songs, but what came up was more interesting. There were results of playlists that people could listen to at work, or there…

When I was young and just developing my sense for music and who I was going to be I encountered Simon and Garfunkel’s music through my sister’s records. There was something mesmerizing in their gentle harmonies, acoustic sounds, and cleverness of lyrics that swept me up and carried me along. Some of their songs were very simple, and I know that Paul Simon doesn’t particularly care for some of his early writing, but to me they had a sophistication and forthrightness that I really respected and enjoyed. I can…

There’s no doubt about it. This life is filled conversely with bouts of angst and bouts of joy. It’s kind of the continuous reality. I think that’s our purpose here - to feel all those things that life has to offer both hard and wonderful. But knowing that doesn’t always make it any easier when you’re deep into hard times. So what do I do when I’m feeling angst? I have two things I go to - 1) Seek out beauty, and 2) Give to others. I’ve written about both of these before. First, there is so much beauty and…

I’m preparing for a fun show on Wednesday doing songs for my online show that I’ve never done for my online shows. Because of that I’m thinking about this interesting group that has been created around my shows. It is an eclectic group of friends I have crossed paths with from my entire life from childhood to the present. It is a pocket of people like many other pockets of people in so many like-minded or topic-oriented groups all over the world. I’m honored to have this group gather around me and my music…

As the summer progresses and I hear about all the fun things people are doing, I find myself remembering all the fun things Jen and I have done in past summers. I have lately felt more of a drive to work even more than I used to, and I have always worked 6 or 7 days a week. I’m not sure why this is. Part of it is just being glad to work after spinning my wheels during the pandemic - although I definitely filled that time learning songs and reaching out to my friends and senior facilities with music. Part of…

I’ve been thinking a lot about sincerity the past few days. It first came to me when I heard that Tony Bennett died. The first word that popped into my head was sincerity. When he sang a song, especially in later years, you always believed the words he sang. They seemed to be coming from him personally and authentically. Then I was thinking about sincerity as I had conversations with friends and acquaintances this week. Some people were so available and aware of what was happening around them and in the…

Last week was so busy, and for the most part I was able to keep up and even perform above my energy level. Part of it was by pushing myself, and part of it was by riding the energy of the people, the music, and the moment. I can’t deny that I am slowing down. I write about it every year when the summer season is really whirling around me. This is the first year since the pandemic that I’ve really felt like things are back to normal. The mind-shift that we went through during that pandemic time made me…

One of my favorite memories of childhood and young adulthood is sailing with my dad. He had gone to a summer camp when he was a teenager that had sailboats, and he fell in love with sailing and then passed it on to us kids. He got a boat that we sailed with him for fun and in many regattas (races). I still have a Laser sailboat behind our house that hasn’t been used in many years. There is something about sailing that is hard to describe. It’s a communion with the earth and the wind as you align yourself to…

I’m heading to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico today to host a music event all afternoon and then play a concert this evening. I’ve written about Philmont before since it had a big influence on me in my formative years, but it’s part of a bigger involvement for me with mountains and wildness. I was listening to a podcast this morning with Doug Smith, one of the principal people involved with the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park, and he was telling some stories about wild encounters…

I’m doing my Wednesday online show about dreams, and so I wanted to write about dreams a bit. Dreams have always enchanted and confused me. My dreams range from flying over mountains or floating above a crowd to exploring my old school and childhood church or spending time with my late parents. Some people say that dreams are our brain’s way of working out questions and situations in our subconscious. I think that may be true, but I also believe it could even be a way that we communicate with other times…

Well, it’s almost the longest day of the year. Somehow I can actually feel it in my bones. Since I get up to walk Beau for sunrise every day I have an intimate feeling for the seasons. This time of year is filled with activity and life from every being and plant, and it’s so evident when you’re out in it. When the sun rises it’s like a symphony playing everywhere you look. There are birds flitting and bees buzzing and lizards scurrying and deer pogo-sticking. It’s just amazing! And the energy in the sky…

This Wednesday my online show will be the music of Ricky Nelson and the Everly Brothers, and it has me thinking of when I really started trying to collect and listen to the music I love. When I was first out of college and on my own around 1984 I started really paying attention to older music that I liked as I heard it in different places. When CDs came out about that time it gave me the opportunity to collect  all the music I wanted to have in my own home. (Who knew It would all be available to freely…

My trip last week and a few other things like meeting new people and reading about cultural changes and AI have made me think about relevance lately - relevance of my life and where relevance fits into our general conversation these days. It’s a big topic, and I only want to say a couple things. We tend to see the world through what we read and the overall consensus of people we meet and interact with. Having the latest things and being in touch with the latest trends would seem to be important. I can see…

I’m doing some traveling this week in a way that I haven’t done in many years. I’ll be flying to Atlanta on Tuesday to play for the annual meeting of the Boy Scouts of America on Wednesday night. This is an extension of my continuing connection to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico where I worked summers in high school and college and have played many concerts. My friend Rod Taylor was on staff at Philmont for many years and used to play for these events but he has retired, and it has fallen to me now as an…

I don’t know how it happened, but it’s already almost Memorial Day. That means the summer season is kicking off for most folks this weekend. It is for me too. I used to get so excited planning and engaging with so many summer gigs. I’m still excited, but COVID shut down a lot of the gigs and planning, and I haven’t pursued as much and have been happy with more online gigs. But the open road and the great outdoors still beckon, and I love seeing the summer folks and getting to play in the mountains and in…

This is the weekend that my siblings and I open our old cabins in the mountains for the summer. This entails cleaning, getting water turned on, fixing whatever’s broken, and uncovering chimneys and windows so family can come to stay for a bit. It’s always hard work, but it’s also a time of renewal and getting away to the mountains to see how the winter treated the trees and meadows. We get to see siblings and reminisce a bit and enjoy each other’s company. My grand folks bought a little bit of land almost a…

I’m doing a show in tribute to Gordon Lightfoot Wednesday, and that has me thinking about songwriting, writing in general, and more specifically, how we use words. I’m fascinated by those who can use words well to express ideas and feelings. I’m fortunate that I had teachers who stressed how important it is to be able to write and speak well. I’ve lost some of my ability to do this, but I still love to read and explore ideas in conversation and in writing. Good writing comes from deep thought and…

I’m thinking today of the little beings who live with us and are part of our families - pets. I imagine you might have a pet now or have had one or many in your life. In my life I’ve had cats, dogs, a ferret, Guinea pigs, and fish. They add so much to our lives in such a selfless way. We share a bond with them that is somehow deeper and more interesting than human friendships because they depend on us and can’t talk to us. As a child they often are the first to teach us about caring, respect, and loyalty…

My 62nd birthday is this week, and I’m doing my show Sunday from my friend Deann and Matt’s house to celebrate our birthdays (Deann’s is in early May). That has me thinking about birthdays and how we celebrate and about time passing. I don’t usually make a big deal about birthdays. I’ve worked almost all of mine as an adult. I do remember one birthday where the bar where I was playing that night decorated the bar with birthday decorations and a big banner that said “Happy Birthday, Tom!” on it. That would…

I’m thinking about what is real and what is artificial in our lives with with all the talk of Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT lately. I have to admit that I have had a penchant for what is real throughout my life - preferring glass and wood and metal over plastic and man-made materials even though I marvel at what science and ingenuity have created. I feel the same about sound - I’d rather hear acoustic or even electric instruments over synthesized ones. As I think about whether I will use ChatGPT to…

Interesting question to ponder this week - why people lie. There are lots of reasons and theories. Some do it to gain something. Some say they do it to protect others. Some are just downright nasty. I had a new friend ask me once why I don’t lie. I told him that it just takes too much work - remembering what lies you told in different situations and then covering those up with other lies. That’s kind of comical, but there is some truth in it. It’s a vicious circle and a house of cards that must fall at some…