Read my new Blog "Subfamous" at Blogspot. For now, it is reposted below...


Let me preface this by saying I'm not sure which side of this I come out on. Many people look on the New Year as an opportunity to start anew. They make "resolutions" to better themselves that are, most of the time, lofty and ambitious but lacking in any real strategy to implement these changes in their lives.

"I'm going to lose 10 pounds".

"I'm going to quit smoking".

"I'm going to try and be more patient".

"I'm going to make more money".

Is the New Year really a big do-over or is it another in a sequence of days that make up a life? I imagine for some, an opportunity to partition a group of experiences allows for the cataloging of those experiences as "my past" and the illusion of a clean slate to move forward on. A disarmingly neat little psychological Hocus Pocus that will enable and empower one to "do better" in the coming year.

It's not a bad notion as self delusional notions go.

My question is this... should we waste a cycle of 365 days to catalog, move on and vow to do better in the next 365? Are we belittling the little triumphs and growth opportunities that happen between Jan 1 and Dec 31 by not taking full stock as they present themselves in real time in our lives?

With luck and a touch of wisdom, we learn from our mistakes. Do we need a bullet list, year end, Top 40 countdown of the best and worst moments of the previous year in order to make the following year a better one?

Or...

Should that list be an ongoing, month-end inventory? daily tally? hourly assessment?

Don't get me wrong. The idea of setting forth resolutions to better yourself is noble in its inception. I just tend to ponder the logic of establishing expectations that are out of realistic reach in the short term, or have no clear plan to achieve success. It sets us up for disappointment that compounds annually, turning us more bitter and jaded as the years wear on.

So what is my New Year's Resolution for 2009? You could say it's to make smaller, more timely resolutions as life presents itself and allow myself to grow or fail with more grounded expectations for both. To quote Doc Holliday from Tombstone, "It appears my hypocrisy knows no bounds".

"I'm your huckleberry".

Happy 2009!
[munk]

Hey all - Sorry I've been so quiet since the big show in August. The Mrs and I just closed on a new house and did the big move. NOT historically the best time to buy a house. It was wicked stressful but it's OVER! We're now homeowners.

One of the best perks... I get my own studio space! I've had very limited space to record in over the past several years, which has seriously hindered my output. In setting up the new space, I've broken out gear I haven't seen in a few years and wired everything I own. I missed all the blinking lights - love that "cockpit"!

After Jennifer and I finish digging out of boxes I will finally have a chance to kick start the new project that has been rattling around in my head for the better part of a year now. I really need to focus on something that will kick start my brain. I've been so inundated and sleep deprived I can feel a significant difference in my ability to concentrate and communicate. I think a little right brain activity is just what the doctor ordered.

[m]

Watch it here

From the 8.1.08 show at The Middle East, Cambridge, MA

Recorded live Aug 1 2008 at The Middle East in Cambridge MA

Check out this video: [munk] :: Superheroes (live)

The song "30 Days" from MODEST AMONG THE LIVING won an Honorable Mention in the 15th Annual Billboard Contest. This is my third win — the songs "If I" and "You Will Know" from my second release SEVERED won in the 11th Annual Billboard Song Contest.

Go Billboard! Go me! Whoop Whoop!

Listen here

There has been a lot of great press in local media (The Boston Globe, NECN) about the Aug 1st show at The Middle East. Unfortunately, SO much of it was prefaced as "[munk] calls it quits".

It makes a great headline BUT that's not exactly what I said in my July 22nd BLOG ("Final Live Show Aug 1 @ The Middle East - Explanation").

Here it is, plain as day... ready?

I will not be performing the same music, the same way. I'm allowing myself the opportunity for graceful growth as an artist.

Does this mean I'm DONE performing or DONE writing? It does not.

It simply means there will be no deluding myself into thinking I'm at a stage in my life that has clearly passed. I'm closing one chapter of my musical life and turning the page to the next.

Writing and performing is not what I do, it's who I am. Sometimes I tend to forget that. I'm fortunate to have people around that remind me.

So what's next? Beyond a cryptic "more music - duh" snark, I can't say for sure exactly. I will begin recording again in October, after taking a break from the awesome whirlwind that was "Modest Among The Living".

I'm listening to new music, and to life, in new ways. I'm allowing myself the freedom to "dream it up again".

Growth

This shocked the HELL out of me!

Not fade away
By Meredith Goldstein
Globe Staff / August 1, 2008

Local alt-rocker [munk] is calling it quits - despite the fact that he is much loved and has a great new album, "Modest Among the Living." [munk], who has had his songs played on "The Sopranos" and CBS Sports, has posted a long explanation for his decision on his MySpace page. Reasons include his health and turning 40. In the letter, [munk] says, "So is it better to burn out than fade away? [Expletive] yeah. I can't imagine anything feeling more hollow than growing less and less relevant with each passing Vampire Weekend." You can see the final show by the Beatles-inspired [munk] at the Middle East Upstairs tonight. Joining him will be the Vital Might, Topheavy, and Axemunkee. 9 p.m. $10. Middle East Upstairs, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 617-864-3278. www. mideastclub. com

It was very heart-warming to get some of the responses a lot of you sent. Apparently I even made a few misty. You can only imagine how I feel.

Making this decision is scary. Making it public - even more scary. It's an acceptance of a reality I'm now living, a day I honestly never thought I'd see come. Ferris said "life moves pretty fast" but even he could not have any idea the break-neck speed in which it passes by.

I will be continuing to perform with The Emergency Broadcast System every weekend. It's a LOT of fun and there would be no point slamming on the breaks to that project at this time.

I may even dream up a new original project that fits into the now.

However, the [munk] I have been is playing his last show this Friday @ The Middle East in Cambridge MA. Please join me in this one last bash.

Thanks to all.
[m]