American musician John Munson has been a key figure in some of the most popular and influential rock bands in Twin Cities music history. Munson shares his immersion into ancient Chinese music, including a folk song titled “Meng Jiang Nü.”

MPR’s Chris Roberts presents Open Ears, an ongoing series of audio features that explores how contemporary musicians' listening habits shape their music-making. Each installment features a Twin Cities musician talking about a favorite piece of music from a genre outside his or her own. The series taps musicians' wide-ranging tastes and deep musical knowledge as it explores the surprising and revealing influences that affect today's sounds.