Holly Muñoz Explained

Holly Muñoz
Birth Date:5 January 1981
Birth Place:El Paso, Texas, US
Instrument:Guitar, vocals
Genre:Alternative rock, indie rock, country music
Years Active:2005–present
Associated Acts:John Vanderslice, Ken Stringfellow, Alan Sparhawk, Vicki Peterson, Matthew Caws, Martin Dosh

Holly Muñoz (born January 5, 1981) is an American rock and country musician and songwriter based in Austin, Texas.

Early life

Muñoz was raised in El Paso, Texas, and attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she double-majored in anthropology and history.

Aviette

From 2005 to 2009, Muñoz was the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Minneapolis-based alternative rock band Aviette. The band released two albums and received national radio airplay. Notable achievements included having two songs featured on the MTV show The Real World[1], being selected as official showcase artists at the CMJ Music Marathon[2] [3], and performing live on Minnesota public radio station KCMP 89.3 The Current[4] .

HOLLY

After leaving Aviette, Muñoz was commissioned by the Jerome Foundation to compose and perform an improvisational music piece at The Cedar Cultural Center[5] and later relocated from Minneapolis to San Francisco.

A year after arriving in California, she left her career as a fundraiser with the San Francisco Symphony, with only $2,000 in savings, to focus on being a full-time musician.[6] Over the course of 20 days, she raised a record-breaking $50,000 on Tilt to work on a solo album produced by John Vanderslice.[7] The campaign was the largest successful musical campaign on the platform and the seventh largest campaign overall for 2013.[8]

Her album, Maps and Lists, was released on September 16, 2014, under the moniker HOLLY and features original album artwork by graphic novelist Anders Nilsen.[9] [10] After releasing the album, she embarked on a 45-city tour, preceded by album release parties in Minneapolis, San Francisco, and New York City, featuring Ken Stringfellow from The Posies, Big Star, and R.E.M..[11] [12] She also performed a live set on KEXP-FM in Seattle.[13]

In January 2015, Muñoz successfully completed another $50,000 crowdfunding campaign to record and release "#2 Record," a double concept album featuring two versions of each song.[14] One version featured Muñoz on vocals, while the other featured collaborating artists, including Vanderslice, Stringfellow, Alan Sparhawk (of Low), John Hermanson (of Storyhill and Alva Star), and Brian Tighe (of The Hang Ups).

In March 2015, Muñoz and Stringfellow announced they would be recording a country album together. The album was a concept record inspired by Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger and featured Vicki Peterson from The Bangles and Matthew Caws of Nada Surf. It received positive reviews.[15] [16] The Boston Globe commented that it was a "fascinating left-field listen," noting "the gorgeous back-and-forth dueting of Stringfellow and Muñoz."[17] Willie Nelson's daughter, Amy Nelson, also called the album "amazing" on her Instagram feed and thanked them on behalf of the Nelson family.[18]

More recently, Muñoz has been involved in creating an Afro-pop group called "Ambassadors," alongside Dalmar Yare from the group Waayaha Cusub, Martin Dosh, and others.[19]

Work with non-profits

Holly Muñoz co-founded and served on the board of the Mid-Continent Oceanographic Institute (formerly known as the Rock Star Supply Company), a non-profit creative writing and tutoring center in the Twin Cities.[20] [21] She also served on the board of Voice of Witness,[22] an organization that uses oral history and education programs to illuminate contemporary human rights crises both domestically and internationally.

Selected discography

Solo

with Maelee Whitman

with Aviette

with Holly & Ken

Appearances

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Real World XXIII: Washington DC | Ep. 2307 | Songs from the Show | MTV. https://web.archive.org/web/20100213200506/http://www.mtv.com/shows/real_world/Washingtondc/episode_music.jhtml?episodeID=164210. dead. February 13, 2010. MTV. August 29, 2022.
  2. Web site: CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival 2008: Aviette. CMJ. August 29, 2022.
  3. Web site: Kid Dakota, Aviette, the Glad Version, and others travel to CMJ. City Pages. May 26, 2014. https://archive.today/20140613203806/http://www.citypages.com/2008-11-05/music/kid-dakota-aviette-the-glad-version-and-others-travel-to-cmj/full/. June 13, 2014. dead.
  4. Web site: Aviette performs in The Current studios. The Current. August 29, 2022.
  5. Web site: Holly Muñoz: 416 Club Commissions . May 26, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140812205425/http://www.thecedar.org/events/416-club/2011/02/13/holly-mu%C3%B1oz-416-club-commissions . August 12, 2014 . dead .
  6. Web site: Ex-Aviette singer Holly Muñoz returns with Vanderslice-produced album. Star Tribune.
  7. Web site: Swimmingly — 2013 in Food & Music – Holly Muñoz . May 26, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140808051845/http://swimming.ly/post/72131318457/2013-in-food-music-holly-munoz-holly-munoz . August 8, 2014 . dead .
  8. Web site: Top Ten Crowdfunding Campaigns Built With CrowdtiltOpen . May 26, 2014 . June 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140607001416/http://blog.crowdtilt.com/top-10-crowdhoster-campaigns/ . dead .
  9. Web site: The Monologuist: Holly Muñoz is making a record. Anders. Nilsen. The Monologuist. December 27, 2013. August 29, 2022.
  10. Web site: Burnside Distribution Corporation . September 17, 2014 . https://archive.today/20140917044801/http://www.burnsidedistribution.com/album.cfm?a=6002 . September 17, 2014 . dead .
  11. Web site: It's here! Holly Muñoz debut album 'Maps and Lists' drops today. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141221015353/http://www.axs.com/news/it-s-here-holly-mu-oz-debut-album-maps-and-lists-drops-today-19882. 2014-12-21. AXS.
  12. Web site: I Am On Team Holly . September 19, 2014 . October 27, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141027003536/http://www.iamonteamholly.com/#!shows/c1t44 . dead .
  13. Archived at Ghostarchive and the HOLLY - Full Performance (Live on KEXP). YouTube. December 9, 2021. December 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141222123953/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYbzIGa3hSM&gl=US&hl=en. bot: unknown. : HOLLY - Full Performance (Live on KEXP). YouTube.
  14. Web site: I Am On Team Holly . March 27, 2015 . April 2, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402133057/https://iamonteamholly.tilt.com/2-record-with-ken-stringfellow-alan-sparhawk-andy-stochansky-john-hermanson-brian-tighe-jason-slota-and-justin-hartke-produced-by-john-vanderslice . dead .
  15. Web site: Holly & Ken Show That They Can Be One Dreamy Duo . No Depression . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075618/http://nodepression.com/album-review/holly-ken-show-they-can-be-one-dreamy-duo . March 4, 2016.
  16. Web site: Album Review: Holly & Ken, 'The Record' - The Boston Globe. The Boston Globe.
  17. Web site: Album review: Holly & Ken, 'The Record' - the Boston Globe. The Boston Globe.
  18. Web site: Folk Uke (@folkuke) on Instagram. Ghostarchive.org. August 29, 2022.
  19. Web site: Review and Photos: Low and Friends Spread Peace, Positivity at First Avenue. The Current.
  20. Web site: Education Rock Stars - News. Macalester.edu. April 29, 2014. August 29, 2022.
  21. Web site: Rock Star Supply Co. in Chapter Development with 826 National. The Line Media. August 29, 2022.
  22. Web site: Our Community — VOW's Staff, Board, and Education Advisory. Voice of Witness. August 29, 2022.

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