Alek and Doug attempt to recap the magic that was the third annual Watershed Voice Artist Showcase, while Alek grapples with the authenticity of certain pop culture references and idioms used by characters in Ginny & Georgia. Would a teen in the 2020s reference Ghost (1990)? How often does Pinky & the Brain (1995) come up? Is Casper the Friendly Ghost on the typical Gen Z-er’s radar? We ponder.
Doug Sears Jr
Those in attendance at the third annual Watershed Voice Artist Showcase were treated to three-and-a-half hours of poetry and spoken word, rap, hip hop, gospel and folk/Americana music to raise money for local, independent journalism. See photos from Saturday’s festivities here.
The third annual Watershed Voice Artist Showcase returns this Saturday, July 15 at 6 p.m. at The Huss Project (1008 8th St.) in Three Rivers. Eleven artists from across the midwest will captivate audiences with live music, poetry, and stand-up comedy. Here is a closer look at the performances and acts set to take the stage Saturday night.
Doug and Alek are, in fact, alive. After a lengthy hiatus the duo return to preview the third annual Watershed Voice Artist Showcase (Saturday, July 15, 6 p.m., The Huss Project, Three Rivers), recap all that has happened between the last KYVD episode and this one, including Three Rivers Pride, Alek’s first tattoo(shout out to Portfolio Ink and Amber Ward), and how Alek’s wife Deborah is the Tom Hagen of Watershed Voice.
The third annual Watershed Voice Artist Showcase returns this summer on July 15 and will feature a wide range of music, poetry, and standup comedy. Watershed Voice is proud to officially announce the 12 acts performing in the 2023 Artist Showcase.
Andrew George of Three Rivers Pride stops by Keep Your Voice Down to chat about the upcoming and first ever Pride Festival in the City of Three Rivers on Saturday, June 24. Andrew, Alek, and Doug talk about how a Pride flag ban protest and the community support it garnered spurred on the creation of Three Rivers Pride Festival, how it all came together in under six months, and details on what to expect at the event.
Kim Moffat, executive director of We Are Voters and prolific podcaster (Here’s What’s Happening, Dawson’s Darlings, My America), joins Alek and Doug on Keep Your Voice Down this week to discuss all things voting. We Are Voters is a nonpartisan nonprofit that aims to reimagine civics education, reestablish a healthy dialogue concerning government and politics, and build stronger, more informed voters regardless of political affiliation.
With the recent passing of Dr. John K. Hartman, a professor who impacted Alek and Doug‘s lives and a great many others, the Keep Your Voice Down hosts decided to honor Hartman with a special episode. Fellow Central Michigan University alums Chad Livengood (Detroit News Politics Editor) and Steve Coon (CMU instructor, Grand Central Magazine advisor) join Alek and Doug to reflect on the life and impact of a truly great journalistic mind, and a loving friend, mentor, husband, and father.
Alek’s childhood friend and standup comedian Rio Riojas stops by Keep Your Voice Down to discuss his recent foray into the world of standup comedy and his upcoming show in Kalamazoo (Wednesday, March 22 at Final Gravity Brewing Company, 8 p.m.). The Bay City native and East Lansing resident tells Doug and Alek about how he got started, how his act has evolved over the last year, his comedic style, how becoming a father has influenced the way he performs onstage, and why you shouldn’t bring your kids to see his act.
Three Rivers Public Library Director Bobbi Schoon returns to Keep Your Voice Down to discuss the library’s involvement with the Smithsonian’s Spark! Places of Innovation program. Spark! explores the unique combination of places, people, and circumstances that sparks innovation and invention in rural communities. The Three Rivers Library will be hosting its very own exhibit alongside a traveling Smithsonian exhibit that will make its way to the library this summer.
Alek, Doug, and Bobbi also discuss Women’s History Month, National Reading Month, and the myriad of ways citizens of Three Rivers can engage with the library.
Alek and Doug welcome poet, community activist, voice actor, author, and Watershed Voice columnist and board member Aundrea Sayrie. The long awaited interview with one of Watershed’s founding members doesn’t disappoint as Aundrea talks the origin story of Three Rivers Open Mic, her Black History Month series on WSV and why she decided to change the format this year, her ongoing health concerns and how they have changed her outlook on life, and an upcoming book she’s written about professional voice acting.
This week on Keep Your Voice Down, Doug and Alek are joined by Jackie Koney, chief operating officer of The Mill at Vicksburg, and friend of the show, Dan Moyle. The quartet discuss the progress of The Mill project and its 110-acre campus being developed for craft brewing, entertainment, tourism and more, right here in Southwest Michigan.
Alek and Doug are joined by Watershed Voice’s new staff writer and longtime food columnist Beca Welty to discuss her new role, her journey from “Judge Welty’s kid” to super mom and super baker to community journalist, and her thoughts on the maddening, yet highly entertaining third season of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime.
Alek and Doug discuss the week that was in Three Rivers, the resurrection of the Three Rivers Commercial-News, the news landscape in St. Joseph County, and what the future may hold for Watershed Voice as a daily news source in this new era of community journalism.
This week’s episode of Keep Your Voice Down includes the harrowing tale of a vet visit with three cats, thoughts on Doug and Alek’s respective and very different Thanksgiving dinners, an award-winning trip to Austin, #GivingTuesday, and future plans for Watershed Voice.
Alek and Doug discuss all things Austin, as Alek heads to Texas for the Independent News Sustainability Summit and 2022 LION Local Journalism Awards. The pair go over which categories Watershed Voice nominated for, Doug decides which sessions Alek and Deborah will attend at the summit, and Alek talks about being a writing mentor for the Voices of Youth program in Kalamazoo.
Alek and Doug are joined by #MomLife columnist Steph Hightree, and Mark Quinn of Heart 2 Heart Autism Center to discuss the Three Rivers-based center and the services it provides. The quartet also talks about the importance of respite care, the stigma and misconceptions surrounding autism, and coping mechanisms for parents/caregivers of children who have autism and/or other cognitive disorders.
Alek and Doug are joined by “My America” co-hosts Kim Moffat and Dan Moyle to discuss federal student loan debt forgiveness on the heels of President Joe Biden’s unveiling of a three-part plan “to address the burden of growing college costs,” and “to make the student loan system more manageable for working families.”