Somewhere along the trail, the Country genre dropped “& Western” and didn’t look back. But a proud son of Wyoming has picked it up and dusted it off with something new in mind. Born and raised on his family’s Rocky Mountain ranch, Ian Munsick isn’t your typical cowboy. Instead, he’s a true character in the Western spirit, both an old soul and progressive artist with his finger on the trigger of modern pop. With a wild mane of hai r and mischievous smile to match, his talent runs as pure and playful as a high country stream. And on his debut album, Coyote Cry, Western Country is reborn.

Munsick’s proudly creative, independent way of life was once celebrated by Country music. And he figures it should be again. “ The Rocky Mountain region is the least represented area in Country music,” he says, clearly relishing the wide open potential of the current landscape. Luckily, the timing is perfect for Munsick. Country is now accepting applications from all over the musical spectrum, and Munsick grew up using its history to capture a crowd’s attention. Train ed by his fiddle sawing father in the Country & Western classics, bluegrass ballads and The Beatles, Munsick’s first gig was so early he doesn’t even remember it, sharing the stage with his two older brothers.

By high school The Munsick Boys were already multi instrumentalists , practiced in the stratospheric art of high lonesome harmony with an international footprint. But they also loved pop and rock acts like Sublime , Blink 182 and Eminem, and after moving to Nashville for Belmont University’s prestigious music program, Munsick was captivated by hip hop and rap. He wasted no time putting that education to use. Citing western songwriters like Guy Clark and Tom Russell as lyrical heroes, Munsick’s colorful wordplay and ability to “take you there” are evident in his writing. In 2017 he released a self titled EP, winning iHeartRadio’s Rocky Mountain Song of the Year for the rootsy “Horses Are Faster” and becoming the only artist with two tracks in the NS A I/CMT songwriting competition simultaneously.

“I’m always doing funny things to keep people happy, just because this world is so messed up,” he says, describing tunes that are often fun, but never novelty. “Everything is so negative out there, but if people can feel happy through a three minute track for the rest of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”