I participated in this workshop in years past and can’t begin to tell you all I gained as a result. It is put on by a local writing group, of which I’m now a member. If you live in mid-Michigan and are interested in writing, check it out. I always come away learning something. I will be there!
Saturday, September 28th
Northeast Arts Council Building, 3233 Grove Street Rd., Standish, MI 48658
9:00 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Cost — $25.00 (lunch and materials included)
Keynote Speaker: Marla Kay Houghteling
Keynote Address: Writing Close to the Bone:
Transforming Personal Experiences into Written Language
Workshop Session with Marla Kay Houghteling:
Rules of Writing That Can Be Broken
Workshop Session with Angela Cook-Hoekwater: Flash Fiction: The Essence of the Short, Short Story
Roundtable Discussion – Come with ideas on writing process,
groups, contacts, publishing outlets, reading suggestions
Sponsored by Mid-Michigan Writers, Inc., and Northeast Michigan Arts Council
For more information call: 989.846.8211 or 989.846.6546 or 989.482.9005
I couldn’t resist. As it appears Hockey Town will have to wait until next year (at least it appears that way now), I’m really hoping the Tigers can pull off what they couldn’t in 2006. I’m hoping they have a rematch with the Yankees later on in the playoffs. I’d love for the Tigers to take the Yankees out of contention! Sweet revenge.
The essence of this article is great, but I can’t help but feel there is something missing. Why should it only be a handful? Why aren’t we doing more to encourage entrepreneurship? No, instead we punish those who wish to create anything at all levels of government – local, state, and federal. I have to admit, Michigan as a state is striving to do better, but the inept government of Bay City is doing absolutely nothing to help.
Anyway, I hope some good can come out of this get-together. I might just go. I’d love to better understand how those entrepreneurs got started. That has always been my dream.
Sometimes fragments and germs of ideas are bounced around in several different ways before they truly come together. When they do finally come together, it can be downright magical. It all started with the simple notion that I am a writer and I love genealogy. Once those two things became known, a cousin suggested I write about the history of the family business on my Mom’s side of the family. That idea has been kicking around for a while, I am far from ready to go there for a whole host of reasons, but it was something important, an idea. By the way, if you are reading this L., I haven’t completely given up on that idea.
Fast forward a couple of years and all of a sudden my parents and siblings are aware of my blog. Not only are they aware of my writing, they actually think I am a good writer. No bias there, right? Here’s the thing: I think the biggest praise was from my Dad. He is not the type to give praise for just anything, whether or not you are his child. The fact that he is even aware of my writing is huge. But I digress.
So, as my Mom is boosting my ego by telling me my entire nuclear family is at least somewhat impressed by my writing, she completes the idea. She thinks I should write the history of our family business, the history of Russell Canoe Livery. I like to think of it as The Story of Us. The thing is that Russell Canoe Livery is such a family oriented business, and I hope it always will be, that it will be impossible to write about the livery without writing extensively about the history of my Dad’s family, as well as our own. The entire idea gets at the very heart of our family, the reason I decided to study business in the first place, and even who I am as a person. I want to make this clear: I can’t imagine my family not owning the canoe livery. I can’t imagine growing up not working for my parents. It will always be very near and dear to my heart.
Aside from all of that, it is a compelling story. It is a story of entrepreneurship. It is the story of a mother and son working together to keep a business running under less than ideal circumstances. It is the story of two baby-boomers raising a family of three kids. It is also the story of the love between grandparents and grandkids. It is also the story of an extremely small town that likes to keep to itself. It is also the story of friendly competition and a changing society.
I have to do this. If nothing else I have to do this for my nephew and any future nieces and nephews. They all deserve to know the story.
Oh, and not to get political, but: Yes, my family did build this. We did it DESPITE government actions.
By the way, if you’ve never had the pleasure of watching America The Story of Us on The History Channel, it is wonderful, even if long. It is a unique look at what makes the US what we are today.
English: Photo of Bonnie Jo Campbell (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
As usual, I’m not sure where to begin. This summer has personally held some nasty surprises for what passes for my life. Then again, I suppose I have to start somewhere if I am going to achieve anything at all. I’ll spare everyone the details for now, so I’ll get right to the point.
Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde has unfortunately suffered as a result. I’m trying to get things back on track. It just may take a while. I’ve sorely neglected the feature that inspired so much this year: My Life In Pop Culture. I’ve also neglected to do my part for two new blogging award nominations I received as of late. Blogging awards are a wonderful way to show appreciation to those bloggers nearest and dearest to your heart. I’m honored to have received them. Thank you for the nominations! I’m looking forward to correcting this error on my part as soon as possible. Also, I’ve been haphazard in sharing some of my favorite bloggers here. I’m finding it difficult to balance my own blog posts with reblogging wonderful posts from the likes of Childhood Relived. I somehow have to strike a balance. I love creating my own content, of course; at the same time, I come across so many wonderful/funny/inspiring posts, I instinctively want to share it with the most wonderful audience of all: my readers. When I reblog, I do it out of sheer admiration. I just want everyone, readers and bloggers alike, to realize that fact.
And then there are books. I’m not sure if many of you’ve paid attention to my running reading list stuck to the top of my blog, but I’ve had my nose stuck in various books for the last two months. It can be blamed on learning how to borrow e-books for my Nook Color from the Bay County Library System. I’m getting a lot of mileage out of my Nook Color. I love it to the point where I’m seriously considering asking for a Kindle Fire for Christmas and/or my birthday. I love to compare/contrast. It isn’t that I favor e-books over hardcovers or well-loved paperbacks – nothing will ever replace the feel and heft of a physical book – I just read that much more with an e-reader. My next experiment: Audio books on my laptop and/or Nook Color. This may sound stupid, but at times I wish I could commute via Metro instead of having to personally drive 40 minutes each way to work every day. Think of the reading time I could get in if I lived in a large city! Ah well.
The books I’ve read so far this summer will have a lasting impact on me, my writing, everything. I love them that much! Each one deserves its own post and review. The problem is that I never feel I do a book justice when I review it. I always seem to leave something important unsaid – and that infuriates me. Just don’t be surprised if I finally establish a series of book reviews here.
I hope to soon create a flexible schedule/outline for content. Stay tuned, as always. I still plan a series on Linda McCartney’s photography, Paul McCartney himself, and more. That, of course, doesn’t even begin to cover politics. I also, regrettably, haven’t written a personal post about Turner Syndrome, outlined my thoughts on reproductive rights, and so much more. I just need to get organized and go for it. What saddens me is that people are clicking on those links to Turner Syndrome and Reproductive Rights only to find nothing there.
By the way, I’m well on the way to achieving my reading goals for the year. I’ve read 17 of the 25+ e-books I pledged to read in 2012. I’ve read a total of 28 books, both traditional and e-books, out of the 60 I hope to read in 2012. With five months to go, my goals are in sight! That is a wonderful feeling after coming so close to my goal of 48 in 2011. Oh, and congrats to Bonnie Jo Campbell, one my favorite Michigan authors and the author of one of my favorite books, Once Upon A River. Once Upon A River was selected as a 2012 Michigan Notable Book! Well deserved. I discuss Once Upon A Riverhere.
I hope you enjoy one of my favorite Beach Boy’s songs. I also included one of my favorite “Pure Michigan” videos. Despite the rainy, cool weather, it makes me want to jump in the lake!
Ok, my adopted hometown of Bay City is highlighted on this recent episode of Under The Radar. Check it out. Pretty interesting stuff, especially if you don’t know a whole lot about Michigan.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. Bay City has so much damn potential. It all comes down to one thing: JOBS. Anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox now. Enjoy the episode! Oh, and this is pretty sweet too.
Bob, I thank you for taking the time for this interview today. I greatly appreciate it. I’m going to start off by giving people a little background. You and I go way back. I honestly do not remember a time when I did not know you. For the record, as a teenager, Bob worked for Russell Canoe Livery during the summer. While I spent my childhood summers swimming in the Rifle River near the Russell Canoe Livery dock, Bob spent his time hauling canoes. Due to a bit of nostalgia on my part, and mutual Facebook friends, Bob and I reconnected via Facebook. It’s been a fun trip down memory lane. The canoe livery was a huge part of my childhood.
While I knew Bob worked as a local musician, I really didn’t know any of the particulars until we became Facebook friends. The more I learned about his career, as a musician and otherwise, the more I wanted to know. He appears to be one busy man!
Thank you, for taking the time to put this together. I definitely go back, and like you say, can’t remember a time when I didn’t come around at least once in a while to say “Hi” to everyone and make sure you and your family were all doing well. It was always a good feeling, that’s for sure, to see you guys.
Bob, I want to start at the beginning. When and how did your passion for music and radio begin? When did you first begin performing?
Honestly, for as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed music and been fascinated by radio as a medium. I can remember my brother and I lip syncing and playing air guitar as little kids. I did the high school band thing and played drums, tuba, trumpet, baritone and bass guitar, probably due to an A.D.D. thing, but it was a solid footing for learning the basic workings of music. From that, I played with a couple of garage bands in high school and had fun doing it. We played some small shows, so I guess that when I really began performing in front of people. I also started working with some friends developing basic DJ skills and knowledge. However, I didn’t realize at the time that I was missing some key components of a musical education which led to a period of 15 years of really doing nothing with music or in radio as I made my way through corporate America. It wasn’t until after I became disenchanted with a career outside of music that I realized how much I actually missed the world of music.
How did you land your first gig? Would you mind telling us a little about it?
Yeah, that’s kind of a funny little story that involves a little background info. Around 2000 – 2001, I saw a guy playing guitar and singing at a party and I thought to myself, “Gosh, he’s not very good. I could be that bad and have fun doing that.”, and I also saw a dude from Northern Michigan, Pete Kehoe, who was playing at Bay Harbor. Pete was, and still is, AWESOME. And, my goal changed…I told myself, I wanna do what that guy does. So, I got a hold of Pete and asked him what gear he had and I went out and bought as much of the same stuff as I could find. I then started practicing in the basement and, after I lost my job in 2003, my living room. Very popular with the wife! When we moved back to Michigan in 2004, I was continuing to practice and got a chance to play at a “Relay for Life” event in Tawas or Oscoda, I can’t remember. From there, I literally started playing at a restaurant/bar about a mile from my house for dinner, and things got better from there. Pretty soon, I was playing anywhere from 3 to 5 nights per week.
Speaking of your musical career, I noticed on your website that you state a second solo album is in the works. Is that still the case? What led to your first album?
Time is the biggest thief and he’s got a great disguise. I do have a second album in the works. It’s difficult to work on, due to the time I spend in the studio on everyone else’s PAYING work. It’s coming along, though…just at a slower pace than I’d ever like. I have 6 songs in preproduction stage. I’m mostly trying to figure out how produced I’d like it to sound, or how much instrumentation I’d like to put on the tracks. I want to do as much as I can on this by myself. I think my first album…I like that we say “album”, we’re old….was a necessity for my head, just to see if I could do it. I had some great help from fellow songwriters, musicians and an incredible producer in Allen Bondar, from Dharma Records in Grayling. He offered me the opportunity to work with him and I jumped at it.
Bob, you currently play with a reunited THE POOL BOYS. I was wondering if you could tell us a little history of the band, past and present.
Well, The Pool Boys are kind of one of those love-hate bands. I love what we do, but I hate what it does to me! We have WAY too much fun and it’s a lot of strain on my body and voice. Anyway, Sal Agnello, a talented musician from Tawas was playing with an outfit and had caught my acoustic act. Him and I sat down and started fiddling around with some acoustic stuff. He then suggested that we try some “sequenced” tracks, which are pre-produced tracks that lack vocals and, in our case, guitars. So, basically, we’re playing along with a computer directed keyboard producing all of the drums, horns, pianos, bass, etc., whatever we wanted. The practice has been around since the mid to late 80’s, but a lot of musicians kind of shy away from it. However, it’s really cool, because the songs you can play are only limited by your imagination and ability.
So, right out of the gate we got the house gig at the old Holiday Inn in East Tawas, and had that for a couple of years. Then, did the casino circuit for a bit and due to my throat problems and extra children, we had to take a hiatus for a bit… which was good, because Sal really perfected the sequencing of the tracks. Last year, we started talking about the market for sequencing and we picked up a drummer, which really adds to the sound, and viola….The Pool Boys are back running around, again. We’re focusing more on resorts, casinos, private parties and festivals, for purely selfish reasons!
As a musician, what are your favorite bands and artists? Which is your favorite genre?
Oh, man…mostly people I don’t play! Um, Led Zeppelin’s always been huge for me, the Doors, Pearl Jam, Bob Seger, almost anything from the 80’s, because it was when music was fun. But, from a creation stand point, I look to The Thorns or Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. The great harmonizers! As far as my favorite genre, folk based rock.
Copyright 2009-2012 Bob Hughes
Let’s switch gears for a second. I know that you also host a local radio morning show called “The Drive By” on Mix 92.1 | Caro, MI. What led to your radio/announcing career? I also read that you announce for the local minor league baseball team, The Great Lakes Loons. How did that come about? As both an avid fan of radio and baseball, I find it all fascinating.
Going back to always being interested in radio and music, I worked as a mobile DJ from the time I was 14 until the time I was 23, which kept my interest and built some skills. Also, I got an opportunity to work in radio right out of high school, when I was way too young to handle it and realized there was NO money in it, and I was fine with that, back then. So, I went on my merry way. Fast forward to 2010, when my wife and I bought a house in the Caro area, I saw a radio station on the way home from the closing and stopped to see if they needed someone, well TA-DA, I had a job in radio. Some personnel changes were made to move me into a morning show co-hosting slot and that’s where I find myself today. With the Great Lakes Loons, I responded to an open tryout and got the job as their on-field host. I’m really pretty fortunate, I have very fun jobs and both Mix 92.1 and the Loons are great organizations with great people.
Ok. It is time to discuss the inevitable. There is a local well-known radio personality on WHNN-FM that happens to share your name. What confusion has that created over the years? I know you had fun with the situation when you were younger.
Really? No kidding? I hadn’t heard of this fellow….Yeah, Bob is a great guy and we have a lot of fun together, especially with the name thing. We only live like 7 miles apart, which again is interesting. It’s a two way street for the confusion, though. He gets questions about his name being on a marquee for a performance and I get people trying to tell me they’ve listening to me for years. I’m not sure if there is any other radio market in America that has this problem. I know when I first worked in radio in the area, the station had me use a different name. This time around, I was like, who cares.
And, yes, there were times in the past when Bob’s name was thrown around a bit liberally for shameless acts that shalln’t be mentioned! Good times.
In addition to performing on-air and off, you also own Bob Hughes Studios. How did you first become involved in voice-over work? What made you decide you to go into business for yourself on the production side of things? What projects do you have coming up?
Once again, back to my disenchantment with corporate life, I had an opportunity to get back into media productions in 2004. I started working with some outdoor television producers, including Mike Avery, which led to videography, video editing, commercial production and lending my voice to show intros and spots. So, I found myself buying a bunch of gear and figured I better make some money to support the purchases and Bob Hughes Studios was born. I work mostly online with a couple of ad houses and contract sites, and it keeps me pretty busy. One thing I have found is that with my name on the door, I definitely care more about what leaves the editing bay. I take great pride in having won industry awards for quality and creation, having my voice on 6 of 7 continents, as well as watching my business grow over the past 8 years.
Developing projects are kind of hard to nail down. Currently in the hopper are a couple of product videos for the web, a steady stream of eBooks and other voice over projects. I don’t like getting too far out in the calendar, though because it slows down turnaround time for customers and I like getting them their products as quickly as possible.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a creative career and go into business for his or her self?
Find your passion and do it early in life! Don’t be afraid to ask for help and take the chance while you have nothing to lose. Get the education for the creative career you are interested in and be aggressive in your pursuit!
The one regret I have is not pursuing music creation more aggressively when I was 20 or 21. I didn’t know I had a gift and I never took the time to really look into myself and find out what was in there. But, had I just listened to my heart and looked to others to help me find this out, who knows what could have happened, good or bad.
Thank you again for taking the time to answer my questions! It was fun catching up. I know you are a vet of Operation Desert Storm. I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for your service to our country.
Well, thank you for thanking me. I’m glad I was able to serve, because so many are not able. It’s always great chatting with you, that’s for sure. Thank you for considering me an interesting topic! I hope your readers find something interesting, as well!
Copyright 2009-2012 Bob Hughes
You can find more information on Bob Hughes and all his endeavors as the links below.
I’ve been working on this feature for Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde for a while now. Today I’m proud to announce a new series of interviews with local artists, musicians, writers, and entrepreneurs. As you may well know, Michigan, and mid-Michigan – otherwise known as the Great Lakes Bay region – especially, hasn’t fared well economically over the last decade or so. This is my small way of trying to showcase all the homegrown talent in the region. If you are interested in being featured, please contact me at lindsey.j.russell@gmail.com.
For the first installment I’m proud to feature an e-mail interview with local musician and radio personality Bob Hughes. Much more to come!
I love coming across great photo blogs. In fact I’ve been toying with the idea of heading outside with a camera myself and posting the results. For the moment I’m content to highlight photographers such as Ziiplight. Below is just a small sample of the photography I’ve highlighted here at Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde. Much more to come.
Copyright 2012 Ziiplight
Historic Standish, Michigan Train Depot ~ Copyright 2008-2012 Mark Blehm
Justin Verlander and Alex Avila ~ Copyright 2012 Glen Suszko
Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde 