He is known for his role in the development of the Denver Sound, which is music that mixes elements of country, gothic, folk and gospel native to that city.

[11] While recuperating from said injury, Munly taught himself how to play his father's 19th century-era banjo, which was technically off-limits to handle,[9] although his mother knew what was going on.

[13] In the late 1990s, he attended Columbia University in Manhattan, New York,[14] where he earned a Master's degree in Modern English Literature.

He performed a spoken-word piece on Side 2, Track 11: "Bohemia Blues/ Poetic Hwy Vision #63/ Starry Eyed Blues".

[4] However, he makes a point of not listing the exact musical contributions of each member in liner notes, preferring the simplicity of the 'Modern Library book' aesthetic.

[11] Although Munly is the primary vocalist and lyricist on each of his albums, he hesitated to call himself a "singer-songwriter": "It's kind of rough being a solo artist.

[23] The second track, "Baptists & Barbiturates", was featured on a 1996 compilation album titled More Than Mountains: A Benefit For Colorado Conservation, released by W.A.R.

A variety of instruments are used: strings such as the banjo, cello, and violin, horns such as the tuba and trumpet, as well as others, such as the accordion and various forms of percussion.

[27] Munly collaborated with musicians Nick Urata (of later DeVotchKa fame), Matthew Brown, Michael Crow, Tom Echols, and Channing Lewis to form the 'de Dar He' band.

But Munly's unhinged vocals and lyrics epitomized by song titles such as 'Seven Warts on Pa's Belly' give it personality.

[33] In fact, the album title "Galvanized Yankee" is a historical term that dates to the American Civil War era.

)[11] Many of the songs deal with life, death, and religion and are laden with images of "desolate farmlands, of Hollywood ghost towns, of deserted battlefields, filled with corpses and the detritus of war.

Auden, William Bowen, Monica Dreidemie, Dan Joeright, Joseph Lesage, M. Outland, Patrick Stewart, and Rob Wilson.

[12][41] Munly and Slim Cessna were featured in a segment of "Seven Signs: Music, Myth, and the American South" (2008), a film by JD Wilkes of Th' Legendary Shack Shakers.

According to the band's former MySpace page, Munly and Vera met Palmer in 2000, on the set of the "Clogger" music video by 16 Horsepower.

The work is loosely based on the Peter and the Wolf composition by Sergei Prokofiev, and is said to be a prequel to the stories of Lupercalia told over a span of four albums.

On March 24, 2022, the band posted the vinyl album cover art for Kinnery of Lupercalia: Undelivered Legion and announced that it would be available to pre-order until the official release date of May 13, 2022.

[62] The band formed in 2006 with just Munly, Lord Dwight Pentacost, and Slim Cessna; Rebecca Vera joined later on.

[64] Their cover of "Top Yourself" by The Raconteurs is included on the album Rockin' Legends Pay Tribute to Jack White, released in November 2013.

[71] He performed a small number of shows in the west and southwest parts of the United States in January and February 2015, which included California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.

One of his first songs, "tY" appeared on a compilation album of Colorado artists in 1995, titled Shmowballs, released through the record label Sh-mow.

Records released the album More Than Mountains: A Benefit For Colorado Conservation in September 1996, where Munly made two appearances – one as a member of Slim Cessna's Auto Club, and the other with The Winebottles, on the track "Sasquatch".

[75] It was also on Crossbreeding Begins at Home, another Smooch Records compilation album, which received a limited release of 200 copies in January 2004.

The first edition, limited to 200 printed copies and only released in the United States, was published by Devil's Jump Press in August 2021.

[81] One of those stories, "Cattle, I Will Hang" was made into a short black-and-white film, directed and produced by Munly with Rebecca Vera.

[82][non-primary source needed] According to one fan on the website guestbook of Slim Cessna's Auto Club, another one of Munly's books may be titled "Life on a Limb".

[83] The comment was made in 2004, and although no other information can be found regarding the title, Munly confirmed that he was in the midst of writing a second book in an interview with Kaffeine Buzz in 2005.

[87] In 2012, Munly was personally contacted by Shooter Jennings to participate in his short film, The Other Life, directed by Blake Judd in Kentucky.

It is a role that he is happy to take on by himself, believing that a band's success is dependent on playing to individual strengths rather than collaboration with members on each part of an album's creation.

His increasingly narrative songs often feature banjo and, since the recording of his fourth album, Jimmy Carter Syndrome, strings.