Northern Express co-founder and prolific author Robert Downes will unfurl his multi-media “Stories & Songs” show at City Opera House on Thursday. The back story at Local Spins.
Robert Downes: An author who’s written more than 100 songs. (Courtesy Photo)
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When Robert Downes takes the stage at the City Opera House in Traverse City on Thursday (Nov. 20), he’ll take the audience on trips through Michigan, India, Tasmania and more — part storytelling, part music, and all adventure.
That’s par for the course for the singer-songwriter and author. Downes will regale attendees with stories from his eight books and music to accompany them from the more than 100 songs he’s written.
“I’ve been playing my original songs around town for 20-plus years. I also do a lot of slide shows at historical societies, libraries and book stores,” Downes says.
So, he decided to put them together, showcasing all sides of his creative efforts.
Besides his songs and stories, the show will include films and slides on the big screen behind him which relate to his stories. “It’s more a theater piece than lecture,” says Downes. Indeed, it all adds up to a multi-media show he hopes will engage the audience. “I think it’s gonna be a heck of a show.”
Downes (Courtesy Photo)
“Stories & Songs” takes place at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Admission is a free-will offering. Details here.
Downes believes his audience will be split between those who enjoy his books on the one side and those who are familiar with his music on the other, though he says it’s more likely the latter will know of his literary adventures than his literary fans will be familiar with his musical persona.
“I don’t think readers (of his books) know of my music,” he says. “I want to catch them by surprise.”
Downes’s books run the gamut, from memoirs and how-tos about biking in Michigan and abroad to histories, even imagined histories of Native Americans. His show will include a story about Murthy, the rogue elephant of India, whose rampages killed at least 28 people before he was captured and rehabilitated; cannibals in Tasmania, a true story; accounts of his biking adventures and more. He’s comfortable writing fiction and non-fiction, memoirs and historical stories based in truth, all enlivened with his sense of wonder and drama.
The real fun will come when he delves into his original music to illustrate and illuminate his stories. For example, he uses his song “Michigan Moon” to complement the story about Michigan’s Hell-Bound Train, where railroad tracks were turned into a bike path.
Musically, Downes is a child of the ’60s and ’70s, influenced by a number of the usual suspects, from Bob Dylan and the Beatles to Iggy Pop, MC5 and various folk, blues and rock icons. His one-man show won’t be quite that, as he will be joined by Mark Cantrell on percussion.
“It’ll be me on 6-string and 12-string acoustic guitar with percussion on the side,” he says.
He believes marrying the spoken word and song will provide those watching and listening a deeper experience. “The audience can put themselves in the story,” Downes says. “It brings the stories home to listeners.”
TRAVELER, BIKER, WRITER OF NON-FICTION AND FICTION
Downes was co-founder of Northern Express, the popular Traverse City-based cultural and news weekly. He and his partner George Foster started the paper in 1991. They sold the publication in 2013.
An inveterate traveler and biker, his first book, “Planet Backpacker,” came out while he was still publishing the Express. It was followed by two more non-fiction books, “Travels With My Wife” and “Biking Northern Michigan.” He turned to historical fiction in 2017 with “Windigo Moon – A Novel of Native America,” with settings in the Upper Great Lakes, including the Sleeping Bear dunes — a book which won multiple awards.
His latest book, “Raw Deal,” explores “the theft of Native lands by squatters, speculators, unfair treaties and blatant swindles,” focused on the Indian tribes of the Midwest and the Great Lakes.
One of Downes’ Many Books: ‘Biking Northern Michigan’
Next year will see publication of “The Sun Dog,” the second book in his trilogy that began with his 2021 book “The Wolf and the Willow.” “Windigo Moon” is actually the third book in the trilogy, though it was the first one published.
He says becoming a novelist was always his dream, but he saw journalism to be a more solid bet financially. Downes was a reporter in the Detroit area before moving to Traverse City and working in public relations at Munson Medical Center while starting Northern Express.
After selling his paper, he took the plunge, turning to writing full time — all while remaining devoted to his twin passions of traveling and bicycling. He recently returned from 18 days abroad spent biking across Germany.
He’s hopeful his show at the landmark Traverse City venue will be well received. “It’s a roll of the dice,” Downes admits. “We’ll see how it goes. There’s a lot going into it.
“It should be interesting. If it goes over well, I’ll offer it at other venues.”
Learn more about Downes and his books at RobertDownes.com.
VIDEO: Robert Downes, “I’ll Be Around”
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