Ian Munsick is making an effort to give back to Yellowstone National Park, which stretches across parts of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, after a devastating flood barreled through the area last spring.
Seeing all the damage hit close to home for Munsick because he grew up in Wyoming. Ranchers lost their houses, their cattle and their horses, while some even lost their lives in the horrific event. Roadways and bridges of the national park disappeared in the flood eliminating the tourist route that many communities rely on. More than 10,000 visitors were forced to evacuate Yellowstone and several areas of the park have yet to be reopened.
“When we heard about that, Caroline and I, we really wanted to try and organize an event to help bring relief to that area because we got married there two years ago and we’ve spent a lot of time there,” Munsick told Music Mayhem. “One of our favorite places on earth is, Pray, MT or Emigrant, which is right in the Paradise Valley area. So it’s definitely a special place.”
The “Long Haul” singer and his other half, Caroline, tied the knot two years ago in a small white church and their celebrations carried over into the parking lot of the only gas station in town. Right across the street sits The Old Saloon, an “old western cowboy bar” that will serve as the venue for their benefit show in Emigrant, MT.
“It just kind of all tied in where we’re like, man, we gotta do something. And how cool would it be to play across the street from where we got Married?”
Once the venue was locked down, Munsick needed to find a few friends to join him on stage at The Old Saloon. First, he called up his two older brothers and his dad to ask if they would be interested in helping out. Of course, the happily agreed to lend their talents for a good cause. Chancey Williams, an artist who is well known and respected by Munsick, will also join the lineup for the night.
“Chancey Williams is another Wyoming artist who has really hit it hard the last 10 years on the road. He was really the first Wyoming artist that I saw as a kid really ‘make it.’ He’s always been a hero of a lot of Wyoming artists to pursue the dream because he’s been able to do it for a long time. So he was a call and he said, ‘yeah, man, absolutely. You don’t have to pay me anything. I’ll cover my flights and do it all.’”
Lastly, one of Wyoming’s up-and-coming rappers, Ryan Charles, will be closing out the show.
“His energy is unreal, so nobody wants to go on stage after Ryan because when he ends, the party’s over. It’s just a group of Wyoming artists trying to help out Montana because Wyoming did get a ton of rain from those storms. Just trying to give back to our Northern neighbors because they need it right now.”
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CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS TO IAN MUNSICK’S MONTANA BENEFIT CONCERT
All ticket proceeds will be donated to Southwest Montana Flood Relief Fund through United Way. So far, they have raised over $50,000 that will go back towards helping those ranchers who were affected and get Yellowstone opened back up as soon as possible.
“We’re just happy to be able to do it. And all the artists are dedicating their time, they’re playing for free, the Old Saloon donated all the production for the event, musically head is involved. There’s just a ton of good humans trying to help that area because in my opinion, ranchers don’t like asking for help, just because they’re the most humble, driven, self-sufficient people on Earth. So we just want to be able to say, ‘Hey, we got you, we’re thinking about you.’”
Munsick now resides in Nashville with his wife and son, Crawford, but his Wyoming roots run deep. In fact, he’s moving mountains with his music as he creates a unique sound that blends the essence of the two states that have greatly impacted his life. In addition to bringing the Wyoming charm to music city, Munsick also finds inspiration in his close-knit family.
Co-penned by Munsick, Carlton Anderson, Casey Boatyard and Phil O’Donnell, the inspiration behind his latest release, “More Than Me” came to him at a friend’s wedding when he heard a line in the groom’s vows that piqued his interest. When speaking about his soon-to-be wife, the groom said, “I love her because she loves Jesus more than me.”
“That’s kind of what initiated it, thinking about that saying, ‘you love her because she loves somebody else.’ It is kind of an interesting thought,” he explained.
In true country music fashion, Munsick put his own take on the storyline, creating a few different perspectives as the song progresses.
“I really wanted to, to make it as true of a story as I could. So the first verse is all about the bride and the groom. The next verse is all about me thinking about what he had told the bride and then the third verse, I really tried to apply it to me and my life. My wife and I had our first child two and a half years ago and she loves him more than me. So that was the bow on top and how to spin it in three ways.”
The music video for this heartwarming song is out now and features his wife and son. The footage was shot in beautiful paradise Valley, MT, near the same location as his upcoming event.
Ian Munsick will take the stage of The Old Saloon in Emigrant, MT on August 21 for the Flood Benefit Show. Tickets for Munsick’s benefit concert in Montana are available now HERE.
