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Holly Muñoz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Holly Muñoz
Born (1981-01-05) January 5, 1981 (age 43)
El Paso, Texas, US
GenresAlternative rock, indie rock, country music
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals
Years active2005–present

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

Early life and education

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

Aviette

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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

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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

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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

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Solo

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  • Maps and Lists (2014)
  • #2 Record (2015)
  • #2 Record B-Sides (2015)

with Maelee Whitman

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  • Apt. 3E (2003)
  • West of Pleasant (2004)

with Aviette

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  • Until We Hear From Dave (2006)
  • The Way We Met (2008)

with Holly & Ken

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  • The Record: A Country Concept Album (2015)

Appearances

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  • Adam Svec “Somewhere Under The Rainbow" Enemy Swimmer (2008)
  • Al Church “You Came Into My Life” Next Summer (2015)
  • The Posies “Titanic" Solid States (2016)

References

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  1. ^ "Real World XXIII: Washington DC | Ep. 2307 | Songs from the Show | MTV". MTV. Archived from the original on February 13, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  2. ^ "CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival 2008: Aviette". CMJ. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  3. ^ "Kid Dakota, Aviette, the Glad Version, and others travel to CMJ". City Pages. Archived from the original on June 13, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  4. ^ "Aviette performs in The Current studios". The Current. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  5. ^ "Holly Muñoz: 416 Club Commissions". Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  6. ^ "Ex-Aviette singer Holly Muñoz returns with Vanderslice-produced album". Star Tribune.
  7. ^ "Swimmingly — 2013 in Food & Music – Holly Muñoz". Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  8. ^ "Top Ten Crowdfunding Campaigns Built With CrowdtiltOpen". Archived from the original on June 7, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  9. ^ Nilsen, Anders (December 27, 2013). "The Monologuist: Holly Muñoz is making a record". The Monologuist. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  10. ^ "Burnside Distribution Corporation". Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  11. ^ "It's here! Holly Muñoz debut album 'Maps and Lists' drops today". AXS. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014.
  12. ^ "I Am On Team Holly". Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  13. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the HOLLY - Full Performance (Live on KEXP). YouTube. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2021.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link): HOLLY - Full Performance (Live on KEXP). YouTube.
  14. ^ "I Am On Team Holly". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  15. ^ "Holly & Ken Show That They Can Be One Dreamy Duo". No Depression. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  16. ^ "Album Review: Holly & Ken, 'The Record' - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
  17. ^ "Album review: Holly & Ken, 'The Record' - the Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
  18. ^ "Folk Uke (@folkuke) on Instagram". Ghostarchive.org. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  19. ^ "Review and Photos: Low and Friends Spread Peace, Positivity at First Avenue". The Current.
  20. ^ "Education Rock Stars - News". Macalester.edu. April 29, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  21. ^ "Rock Star Supply Co. in Chapter Development with 826 National". The Line Media. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "Our Community — VOW's Staff, Board, and Education Advisory". Voice of Witness. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
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