About That Song: Mike Munson
About That Song #105
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
For our 105th edition, I was delighted to chat about songwriting with Mike Munson, an amazing guitarist and prolific songwriter with a new album coming out this month.
Mike Munson. Photo credit: Nate Nelson.
Sarah: Hi Mike Munson! Over the last few years, I’ve had the incredible joy of sitting in an audience and watching everyone fall under the spell of your singular guitar playing. Blending elements of indie folk, jazz, roots, and improvised music into your compositions, you’ve traveled the world as a solo artist, releasing 10 full-length albums and gathering a devoted following along the way.
Recently, you’ve taken to playing as a trio with one of the Twin Cities’ most in-demand rhythm sections: bassist Nick Salisbury and Lars-Erik Larson on drums. In a few weeks, Mike Munson Trio will release its debut album, Sometimes, Not Always, on Liatris Records. Congratulations! This strikes me as a lovely opportunity to learn a bit more about your musical journey and the songs that have made a difference along the way. Do you remember the song you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Mike: As a child, I didn’t realize that it was making me want to write songs, but “Graceland” by Paul Simon subversively did that. Today, that song rather explicitly makes me want to be a better songwriter! Hearing that song as a child was one of the first times I recognized that a song and specifically its lyrics had the power to transport. “The Mississippi Delta was shining like a National guitar / I am following the highway through the cradle of the Civil War …” At that young age (maybe I was 8), I had yet to love National guitars, nor did I have any understanding of the Civil War, for that matter, but that song still worked on me! A few verses later was actually my favorite: “There is a girl in New York City who calls herself the human trampoline / And sometimes when I’m falling, flying, or tumbling in turmoil I say WHOA, so this is what she means- She means we are bouncing into Graceland.” Seriously! Amazing!
Sarah: And right there is the power of a song! That it would continue to reveal itself to you over the years is pretty wonderful. Once you began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? It took me a few years of writing before I believed it—was there a song that gave you that “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment? Tell us about that song.
Mike: Most days, I still don’t believe I am a songwriter, but there are moments where I do become that person! My song “Over Now” was probably that “a-HA” moment for me. It was the first time I really worked at a song. I wrote it rather quickly, but then spent considerable time editing and being thoughtful about the order of the verses and such. I played it at my weekly residency, and numerous people asked that night about the “super cool cover song” I did. It was a song I wrote! It felt different writing, editing, and performing it, and the reaction was also quite different. The process became demystified as the song was the result of intention and work. Not all songs work that way, but I would say most do! When I recognized that, my relationship to writing songs changed for good.
Sarah: That little bizarre thrill when someone assumes a song you wrote is a cover—that’s a thing, isn’t it? “Over Now” is such a compelling song. You maintain this steady-steady in the guitar, and then there are these sharp slices that pull the listener here and there. I’m a fan.
Let’s jump ahead a bit. The title track of your forthcoming album, Sometimes, Not Always, is an instrumental composition that sets the stage for an extended three-way conversation between you, Nick, and Lars. There’s a sense of patience and inquiry within the warm and open tones you captured over a two-day recording session at Rochester’s Carpet Booth Studios. What can you tell us about that song?
Mike: I love instrumental music, and the song “Sometimes, Not Always” is a great example of why. We get to set the scene, if you will, but the story is completed by the listener. I love that inside of that musical universe, anything can happen! Nick and Lars are such amazing traveling companions in that sort of music. We all value patience, open space, and the role of the unplanned occurrence in music.
Sarah: Those are excellent values, and it sounds like they serve you (and the listener) well. At the opening of “Sinner,” you declare, “I didn’t come here, and I’m not staying.” This song appears on your 2018 album Rose Hill, and you’re revisiting it with your current project. Tell us about that song.
Mike: I appreciate the idea that songs continue to grow and change with us. I often revisit “old” songs and continue to bring them along with me in the hopes that they can live on and morph. That particular absurdist lyric was a small piece of a longer story shared with me by a pal who witnessed it first-hand in a rather absurd moment occurring in real life.
Mike Munson Trio. Photo credit: Nate Nelson.
Sarah: A meditative repetition of “feel like going home,” coupled with a relaxed trill of a guitar riff, anchors the single “Kansas City Lightning,” which you released last year. Would you tell us about that song?
Mike: I like that song a lot. I really like playing it. Some days I feel like I know what “Kansas City Lightning” is about and other days I’m not so sure. I think I like it so much because it has a life of its own.
Sarah: You’ve been playing with Lars and Nick for a couple of years—was there a song where you realized that the three of you had landed upon an artistic voice that warranted the Trio name?
Mike: It happened when I was a guest at the Second Stringers Wednesday at the White Squirrel.
Sarah: Reader! Mark your calendar for the first Wednesdays at White Squirrel Bar. The Second Stringers have something very special going on there.
Mike: Nick had invited me after I was a fill-in on a gig he was on. I think he noticed I was not made uncomfortable by not having rehearsed or having charts or anything. He invited me to the Second Stringers, and I sat in with that band (which includes Nick, Lars, and Blair Krivaneck). We proceeded to play, and it was palpably inspiring all around. I can’t remember any specific song … it was every song! Haha!
Sarah: I know that crew, and that place, and I bet it WAS every song! Between your solo performances and your trio shows, what does your Midwest summer look like? Where might we hear you play these songs?
Mike: Release shows for “Sometimes Not Always” are May 22 (Icehouse, Mpls) and May 23 (Peter’s Biergarten, Winona). I am so excited for these ones! There are also so many great events this summer in Minnesota. Winona has MidWest Music Fest in May, and Festival Rialto in Grand Rapids hosted by the Wild Horses is another one I am looking forward to. mikemunson.net has my full calendar. There are lots of outdoor summer Minnesota-style concerts with some Montana and South Dakota shows in July. In October, I head the other direction towards North Carolina!
Sarah: Thank you for taking some time before all of your travels to talk to me all about THAT song. And that song, and also that other song! Wishing you all kinds of fortune on your upcoming release and tour.
Be sure and get your tickets to see the Mike Munson Trio’s album release show on Friday, May 22 at Icehouse in Minneapolis! Doors are at 6 and music starts at 8.
Listen to “Kansas City Lightning”
Sometimes, Not Always Album Credits
Mike Munson - Guitar, vocals
Nick Salisbury - Fender bass
Lars-Erik Larson - Drums
All songs written by Mike Munson
Recorded at Carpet Booth Studios on November 2, 2024, and September 22, 2025
Engineered by Zach Zurn at Carpet Booth Studios
Assistant engineered by Jack Liedel
Mixed by Zach Zurn
Assistant mix engineered by Jack Liedel
Mastered by Alec Ness
Artwork by Matt Friesen, used with permission
Cover “Black Cat”, Centerfold “Rasmussen”, Back “Too Tall”
Layout and Design by Kelly Munson
Photo by Nate Nelson (Treedome Productions)
Fisherpapersongs/ ascap
Liatris Records 2601
©℗Liatris Records 2026
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
