This holiday season, Warner Music Nashville’s Ian Munsick is offering a slinky, banjo-driven version of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” (listen HERE). Wyoming-born singer / songwriter Munsick turns the campy holiday favorite, originally penned for a 1966 cartoon special, into a bewitching appraisal of Dr. Seuss’ most notorious Christmas villain.
“Christmas songs have always been tough for me,” Munsick said. “I love the classics done by the classics… Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Burl Ives, Dolly Parton. But I’ve never been able to imagine myself releasing a rendition of a song that has already been mastered by one of the greats. That’s why I chose ‘You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch.’ I knew I could insert myself into that Seuss-created world and put my own spin on an elusive tune. Banjos, mandolins, fiddles and subtle hints of Grinch-y flavor made this song so much fun to capture in the studio. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed creating it!”
With Christmas on the horizon, the up-and-coming recording artist has already started to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year: on Saturday (10/23), he made his Grand Ole Opry debut. With his dad on fiddle, Munsick performed “Long Haul” and his award-winning hit, “Horses Are Faster.” The crowd welcomed his Rocky Mountain sound with a standing ovation. He is also hitting venues across the nation through the end of the year alongside acclaimed entertainer Cody Johnson.
Munsick introduced himself as an independent artist in 2017 with a self-titled EP and released his full-length debut, Coyote Cry, in February after signing with Warner Music Nashville last year (listen HERE). Flagship track “Long Haul” served as a thesis for the project, with People calling it “a delicious look into his adoration for the West” that showcased his “heart-tugging tenor voice and… marvelous sense of melody” (MusicRow). It also resonated with fans, twice entering Spotify’s all-genre US Viral 50 chart.
The singer / songwriter describes Coyote Cry as a firm handshake of the cowboy and the hippy, the traditional and the contemporary… and everything in between. Born an audiophile and bred a multi-instrumentalist, Munsick co-produced each of the album’s 10 “self-penned songs that conjure equal parts epic adventure and down-to-earth wisdom” (American Songwriter). Opry attendees and radio listeners can expect to experience his “riveting” tenor (Rolling Stone) and western-influenced, pop-laced country “rooted in the rugged landscape of his home” (Sounds Like Nashville).