Munsicks celebrate Christmas

Sheridan – Brothers Tris, Sam and Ian Munsick grew up on a cow/calf operation south of Sheridan and were raised with a love of western culture and music. Their dad, Dave, wears many hats – his titles have included rancher, singer-songwriter, musician and fiddle player, just to name a few – and introduced Tris, Sam and Ian to music at a young age. 

                  “When we were growing up, my dad had a band called the Powder River Boys, and he always wanted my brothers and I up on stage to play with him,” Tris, the oldest brother, explains. “As we started getting older, we started to play music for other people, and our dad thought it would be a cool idea to do a Christmas-time concert.” 

                  This tradition, A Munsick Family Christmas, has been an annual event at the WYO Theater in Sheridan for about 15 years in the running. This year, A Munsick Family Christmas has grown into a two-day event: A second night was added after the event sold out within hours. The WYO Theater will host The Munsick Boys Dec. 16-17. 

Creating tradition

                  Tris shares the brothers’ first concert was a humble beginning, but one the community appreciated and enjoyed. 

                  “I think people appreciated this concert from the very beginning because it was local and we have strong ties to the community, but it was also a chance for everybody to let their hair down, get out and do something fun during the holidays,” he says. “Miraculously, they let us back into the WYO Theater the next year and we had our act together a little bit more.” 

                  Throughout the years, Tris, Sam and Ian have each gone different directions and had their own careers, both in and out of music.  The band Tris Munsick and the Innocents keeps the oldest brother on the road. Ian is a quickly growing artist in the industry, and Sam released an album full of rodeo tunes a few years ago, with another solo record on the way soon. Dave performs as a storyteller often, also. 

                  “Hopefully, we’ll work on some new stuff as a family soon,” Tris notes. “This concert has always kind of been the bedrock which brought our family back together during the holidays. It’s turned into a tradition for us – and the community – and I think it has been pretty neat to be able to come back together no matter what, at least once a year, and make music together.” 

Western ties through life and music 

                  While the concert is not a traditional Christmas feature, the Munsick family will share original songs, older songs they’ve enjoyed throughout the years, a few Christmas tunes and even debut a handful of new songs. 

                  “My brothers and dad and I all have our own styles of music, all stemming from the same kind of western roots,” Tris says. “Everybody brings their own songs, and this adds some diversity to the show.” 

                  This “Christmas card in a concert” is a special way for the Munsick family to share their love for the state of Wyoming – their forever home. 

                  “We were raised within the ag and ranching community, and I feel like music has been our avenue to give a little bit back,” Tris says. “Maybe, we can even help share the story of western life and tell the ranching story to some broader audiences in order to shed some light on our way of life, our traditions and our culture to folks who may not otherwise be able to experience it.” 

                  He adds, “We’ve gotten a lot of love from the state of Wyoming, and we’d all like to say thanks to the producers and the folks here.”

                  Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.