The Wandering Kurt Prond Makes a Stop Locally
By: Abrahm Neuser
From rainy Oregon Kurt Prond has wandered, through the Northwest he has trekked, playing show after show; along the way he has seen some amazing little town venues, picked up a fellow musician, and almost lost a tire. Through everything Kurt has retained what it is that keeps his dedication to his music so strong, and that is to remain true and write from the heart.
Kurt stopped at the New Moon Café on the 15th and is making his way back to the Upper Peninsula, where he grew up, on a Northwest tour that happens to be his very first. Starting out in Portland, where He now resides, Kurt headed across the Northern States including Montana, where Matt Tires joined the excursion. Kurt and Matt have known each other for a while and initially met while working for the Forest service in the Big Sky state. The two of them pooled their talent on the café stage for a few songs that gave the audience a little more depth with a variety of sound. Kurt Laughed as he told me how Matt’s music has morphed; “This is some of his older stuff…” Kurt continues on to tell me how Matt has come from playing folk-rock, much like that of Kurt who plays acoustic folk, to a more hardcore genre that borderlines metal. From Montana the two of them made stops in South Dakota, Minnesota and our very own town, here in the dairy capital. “It’s been pretty smooth” says Kurt when commenting on where the trip has taken him. It’s hard to tell that Kurt has only embarked on a single tour; he plays exceedingly well and is clearly comfortable on a foreign stage. Luck has been on Kurt’s side not only in the sense that the trip has been unimpeded, but also for the fact that he tells me that he is presumably going to make money on this trip, something that is rare for a starting musician.
Kurt, as is perceived quickly when listening to his performance, is very serious about what he does and he has an honorable message that reoccurs in many of his songs. Kurt does not follow the beaten path; he does not share in the “American Dream.” “You go to college and then you get a degree and you get a good job to pay off your loans, and you get a mortgage and a family with three kids… I want to do some other things.” Rooting his music in the theme of living a truly personal life, with personal goals and ambitions; Kurt accomplishes not only some well crafted lyricism but a melody that accompanies his words like a glove. The attitude Kurt carries can be traced back to his college years at Saint Olaf outside the Twin Cities. Kurt was pressured to switch his music major to musical education on the basis that occupations in music are too scarce aside from education. After heeding to the words of his peers for a few years it became increasingly evident that His future did not lay in teaching, but rather general music. Trying to make Music his vocation “I guess I’m doing it,” Kurt states.
He is doing it and doing it well. Do not be surprised to hear of Kurt again, more than likely in an article or on the cover of some major music magazine. If he can continue the course he has set out upon Kurt definitely has the talent to become a major player in Folk music. His new Album Prone to Wander is testament to that. My hopes are high that not only will Kurt Prond continue his blossoming career as a musician but that he will again return to Oshkosh or in the very least, Wisconsin. I also anticipate a larger audience in the future and encourage anyone who has taken the time to read through this article to explore their own scene of music on a local level. Kurt Prond earns a solid 9 for his acoustic compositions.