Conversations with Frank Munafo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Munafo.

Frank, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Where I’m at today is the culmination of 40 years of pursuing passions and chasing muses. I am fortunate that I have a wide array of things that interest, intrigue, and attract me. However, music and trail running are hands down, the two things I am most passionate about. I began playing guitar around the age of 13, which was probably 4 or 5 years after I started bugging my parents to buy me one. I don’t think they thought I would stick with it, as I was a terrible athlete and couldn’t wait to retire from playing youth sports.

I spent the following decade of my life playing in various bands throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, but never really getting anywhere past the local bars and clubs. I was the quintessential underachiever – full of talent and potential but never fully realizing it. I moved to Denver in the mid-2000s to reset and restart my life, and that provided the giant kick in the reared I needed to get my life moving in the right direction. I didn’t want to move back to Pennsylvania and did everything I could to make enough money to ensure I didn’t have to. I worked two jobs, played cover songs in bars, taught guitar lessons, promoted local and national bands that would come through Denver while on tour, etc.

There were two life-changing moments that happened to me while living in Denver. One, a co-worker who has since become a great friend, introduced me to the art of trail running. And two, I reconnected with an old high school friend that moved to Denver and we started playing in a band again. It’s impossible for me to quantify how much these two encounters have changed my life. My newfound love of trail running pushed me all the way to competing in ultramarathons, which to this day, are some of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. I always tell people that if you can run a 50-mile ultramarathon, you can do anything. ANYTHING. You learn a lot about what you are made of when you are stuck running on a mountain for 14 hours.

The tenacity required to run an ultramarathon has absolutely translated to my tenacity in business and my professional life while playing in a band with an old friend re-kindled my passion for writing and performing original music once again. My professional life took me to San Diego in the mid-2010s and while I was in California, I was able to reconnect with another old friend that works as a studio musician. Spending time with him allowed me to understand how a recording studio works, from recording to mixing, engineering, and mastering.

This inspired me to create my own studio where I could write, record, produce, mix and master my own songs, as well as help up-and-coming musicians, work on the songwriting process and record their own demos. For a few years, I also hosted a songwriter’s roundtable and open mic at a local coffee shop that brought in musicians from throughout the San Diego community.

My efforts in San Diego allowed me to realize my lifelong dream of moving to the Arizona mountains, where I could set up a proper recording studio in my home without annoying the neighbors and also spend my free time trail running!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It certainly has not been smooth. The first couple of years in Denver were rough. I didn’t have much money, didn’t really know how to manage my money, and worked a job I hated just to get by. I worked multiple jobs, played cover songs in bars (which I hate doing, for the record), and just wasn’t very happy, in general.

There were a lot of people who stood by me during this time and it pains me to say that I wasn’t a particularly good friend to them at this point in my life. I was in survival mode and I think I was more interested in what people thought of me than I was in the actual results of my efforts. When things started going well for me, I also didn’t handle that situation with any sort of grace. My ego burned many bridges and ended some important relationships that I really needed at that point in my life.

That being said, the cumulative effect of those experiences provided immeasurable opportunities for learning and has made me the person I am today. Tackling difficult challenges like running ultramarathons and scaling mountain peaks has provided some amazing perspectives, both figuratively and literally. Hard times build character, so I’m told.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a musician and songwriter, first and foremost. I started off as a guitar player, but over the years have taught myself how to play the bass guitar, drums, piano, banjo, mandolin, etc. Becoming a multi-instrumentalist has allowed me to not necessarily depend on being in a band to get my music out there. I’m vertically integrated, so to speak.

I write the songs, play all of the instruments, record the songs myself in my studio, mix, engineer, master, and then release the finished product on my own record label. I can also fully support other singer-songwriters that maybe are not as skilled or proficient on other instruments outside of their main one. Technology has made it so that just about everyone can make an album in the bedroom these days, however, there is no replacement for an actual drum set or violin on a track. I also have the uncanny ability to emotionally disconnect myself from the work.

Musicians are an incredibly passionate group of people, and it is oftentimes hard for them to be objective. They believe in their work. However, a “good” song is not subjective, it’s a very objective thing. And I’m not talking about hit songs, I’m talking about a well-crafted song, in general. There are certain elements that successful songwriters add to their work that sets them apart from mediocre songwriters, whether it’s the chord progression, song structure, phrasing, building and releasing the tension, etc.

Not every musician or songwriter understands that or has that skill set. I mean, most songwriters will tell you “Wonderwall” is one of the best songs ever written, but can they tell you exactly why?

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
If you are a musician or songwriter, Rick Beato’s and Tim Pierce’s YouTube channels are invaluable. I have learned more from one of their 30-minute videos than I ever did from playing a 3-hour gig in a bar.

I’d also be totally lost without Logic and GarageBand. I’m a visual person, and when I’m working on a song, I absolutely have to do scratch demos in Logic or GarageBand so I can “visualize” the song and where I want it to go. If I’m working with another songwriter, the first thing I have them do is record a scratch demo with a vocal track and an acoustic guitar, and then we “furnish” the song much like we’re moving into a new house.

I have two 2TB hard drives with nothing but Logic and GarageBand demos on them! Also, listen to Tim Dillon’s podcast and stop taking yourself so seriously.

Contact Info:

• Email: frank.a.munafo@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.3rdmofo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/munafoiii/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/munafo13
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/munafoiii