By RENEE PRUSI
Journal Staff Writer
MARQUETTE -?Ishpeming native Kurt Prond's songwriting talents have brought him to widespread attention.
That attention includes being one of 10 Midwest finalists in the nationally recognized Mountain Stage NewSong Contest. It's another step Prond, a 2001 Westwood High School graduate, has made in his music career.
"I applied to a bunch of songwriting competitions this year, and this was one of them," Prond said in an email interview. He is currently living in the Bozeman, Mont., area.
"Mountain Stage is a pretty well known (National Public Radio) program, so I thought I had a slim chance. I'm sure there were hundreds of people who submitted to it," he said. "So I submitted a new song that I had written that I thought it was pretty good, and they actually selected me as one of 10 finalists for the Midwest. There are six regions and 10 chosen for each, so I was one of 60 in North America, which is really quite good."
Six finalists from across the country will be headed to the national finals, but this year, Prond isn't one of them.
"Unfortunately, they chose only one from each region to actually go to West Virginia, and I didn't make that cut, but to make it as far as I did and get that recognition was really encouraging and motivating," he said.
Prond grew up in the Ishpeming area, but his parents, Kurt and Linda Prond, now reside south of Munising. His family is a musical bunch... and then some.
"I come from the Veale family, which has been pretty well known in the area for our music," he said. "Ada and Bob Veale (who passed away a few years ago) are my grandparents. They had five kids; Rob, Russ, Linda (my mother), Brian and Randy. Rob works at the Tilden, Russ was the Houghton band and choral director for many years (he retired just a couple years ago).
"My mother was the Aspen Ridge sixth, seventh and eighth grade art teacher until last year, Brian was the Gwinn Middle School band director (now the principal at Birchview Elementary in Ishpeming) and Randy currently teaches Band in Spencer, Wis.
"Overall, (we're) a very artistic family," Prond said. "I have very deep musical roots."
Outside of his family, Prond has other musical influences from this area.
"Tony Beacco at Westwood was an excellent music teacher. He made it fun and really believed in us. We went to quite a few state competitions and did really well," he said.
And another local musician had an effect on Prond's interest in music.
"I also remember when I started playing guitar, me and some friends would go to what used to be Emma Joe's and perform at the open mic. Mike Waite used to play there and he was a bit of inspiration, doing what we wanted to be doing," Prond said. "He still is. I love Mike Waite."
Prond was still in high school when he started to write songs. He vividly remembers the first song he composed.
"I wrote my first song in January of 2000 after the death of my grandfather (Bob Veale). I titled it 'Grandpa's Song' and it is actually on the 'Prone to Wander' album," he said. "For being my first song, I am still very pleased with it. I had a lot of bad songs in between, but that one still stands out to me."
"Prone to Wander" is Prond's second CD and was released in 2008. His first, titled "Away with the Stone," was released in 2006. Both are available on iTunes.
In support of his musical releases, Prond has done several tours, including one last spring that took him from Portland, Ore., where he was living at the time, to Boston.
Since graduating from Westwood, Prond has resided in a number of locations around America. He earned a vocal music degree from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, living in the Minneapolis area for several years after. He took a job with the U.S. Forest Service and went to Montana next, then spent several winters in Oregon.
"The past two winters I have lived in Portland, Ore., and decided that I owed it to myself to try and make a full-time career as a songwriter there last winter," Prond said. "So, I have been doing it mostly full time since last September. I recorded and album last fall ... and have done a couple tours since."
He's hoping to play a few shows in the Marquette area in November when he makes a swing through the area.
What are his musical aspirations?
"I don't care if I'm famous," he said. "I just want to make a living doing what I love, and that is making music."
