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Senior has career dreams within sight

August 14, 2002
Advertising senior Rick Van House has started his own business out of his two bedroom Haslett apartment called SmoothFamily Technologies. Ever since eighth grade Van House has been perfecting his hip hop sound. Now the master bedroom houses his growing recording studio. —

After fours years of working numerous jobs, attending classes and parenting, balancing life’s curveballs with career goals is something MSU advertising senior Rick VanHouse has found ways to do. He’s learned to maintain the needs and wants of his life and creativity.

The answer for VanHouse, 22, and his son, 3-year-old Trevor, was to create his own home-based business. So, VanHouse turned his two-room apartment in Haslett into a recording studio and started SmoothFamily Technologies.

VanHouse started putting together the studio when he first arrived at MSU, but only took on the name and launched his Web site (www.smoothfamily.com) this past year.

On top of producing urban music for local artists, VanHouse recently completed his first demo, “Napoleon’s Theory.” VanHouse uses the name Earlgray within the industry.

“My studio is set up to handle all the multimedia needs of musicians,” he said. “But I mainly produce urban music for myself and a few other people. So now my studio is paying for itself.”

With a schedule that never seems to end, VanHouse said his son helps keep him grounded.

“He’s the motivation for everything I do,” he said. “I want to provide him with the proper support-system, so I make all my decisions with him in mind.”

Things are falling into place now, but it wasn’t always so easy for VanHouse. Getting the studio started was a struggle.

“I would buy equipment piece-by-piece over the last few years,” he said. “I’ve worked a million different jobs to get my studio to the level it is now.”

VanHouse’s love for hip-hop started back in the eighth grade, growing up in Ann Arbor. He first started performing in high school talent shows with the group Pope P - which stood for putting out the proper effect.

“I started rapping by leaving funky messages on my answering machine,” VanHouse said. “That’s how I got involved in the group, and then I began putting live sounds behind other groups during their performances.”

But the seeds were first planted when VanHouse grew up training with a professional jazz pianist. VanHouse doesn’t remember much about the experience, but considers it the beginning of his career.

“I trained a little, but not extensively with a pianist,” he said. “But it was enough to get going in the right direction.”

Acrobatics guitarist Tim O’Boyle, a fellow Ann Arbor native, has helped VanHouse produce music for the past six years. The Acrobatics also provide the live music on VanHouse’s demo.

“Rick’s a perfectionist when it comes to music,” O’Boyle said. “Lately, I have been feeling all the stuff he has been producing. His stuff always is funky and on point with beats and rhythms.”

VanHouse said he knows he stands out as a hip-hop artist because he’s white, but he said it’s his ability as a musician that really puts him in his own category.

“I think that I’m the best,” he said. “Some people are born with natural talent but little drive. I think that I had the drive to get better, and I did.”

VanHouse said he is looking for a record deal, but he does feel comfortable about the progress of his music. He said the next step is to get radio play.

Amber Shinn, a DJ at WDBM (88.9-FM) and promotion representative for Elektra Entertainment Group, said someone looking to get into the music business like VanHouse must be persistent.

“He should start with college radio,” she said. “Because what people don’t know is college radio will give them a chance before other stations and if it’s good stuff they’ll play it.”

VanHouse said a career in music is his dream, but he knows he has more to worry about than just his dreams.

“I have a child, so I have no choice but to balance the life I have now,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if I become famous or get a deal because music will always be in my life, but if the right opportunity comes along I won’t turn it down.”

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