How the Valley Became Music to His Ears

V1 Staff |

Dixie transplant Ed Hudgins has put down roots in Eau Claire, a place where his family and his “pastor’s heart” have flourished.

name 

Ed Hudgins

family 

Wife, Charlotte; son, Joshua (7); “unofficial family member,” Jasmine

neighborhood

Northside (Birch Street/Starr Avenue)

background

Ed says he was “born and raised in the heart of Dixie” – the Commonwealth of Virginia – but adds that, after 11 years, Eau Claire has truly become home. “My heart beats for this town,” he explains. In particular, Ed is in love with the region’s rich musical scene, and in 2013 he launched a blog, Tomme Suab (www.tommesuab.com), “focused on the emotionality of music and highlights artists rooted in the Chippewa Valley.” An operations auditor with Harken Health, Ed says he has a “pastor’s heart” and is planning and preparing for church planting. In the meantime, you’ll find him trying to get his wife, Charlotte, to laugh at the same old joke; playing Minecraft with their 7-year-old son, Joshua; rooting for his beloved Virginia Cavaliers; and exploring the sonic possibilities of his adopted hometown.

We love the Chippewa Valley because ... it is truly our home. In the 11 years we’ve lived here, our lives have quite literally been transformed. When we came here in 2005, I was addicted and self-absorbed. It’s in this context, here in the Valley, in which all kinds of gross ways of thinking and doing life began to be broken in me. It’s here where Charlotte and I first brought our son Joshua home (from Ethiopia). These major life events combined with an incredible arts community, UW-Eau Claire, the Eau Claire Express, and so many other factors have made me fall in love with my city and become invested in its welfare and future.

I couldn’t live without ... well, to say I couldn’t live without it would be hyperbole, but the incredible music being made here has been a great source of joy for me. I continue to be amazed by the profound creativity and craftsmanship I witness here. I have been challenged and inspired by such amazing artists as Jonathan Sunde, Dave Power, Shane Leonard, Addie Strei, and Justin Vernon.

I make sure to never miss ... Eaux Claires. OK, so maybe that’s not the most authentic statement, seeing how I missed the inaugural event in 2015. However, I will say that it virtually killed me to miss it ... so much so that I made sure to get my ticket for this year’s festival back in February. And after experiencing it this year, I don’t intend to miss another one.

My family has taught me ... how to be a man. God used my marriage to Charlotte to break me out of self-absorption and he used my son to teach me how to be an adult. The Bible refers to the idea of iron sharpening iron. My family is that iron that has been sharpening this iron (me). And, I am eternally grateful for that.

I never leave the house without ... two pens. Not just any pens. They are specifically Uni-Ball Roller Pens. Why those particular pens? Because, no matter what my wife says, they are the best pens on the planet. Yes, I am a pen snob. I struggle greatly with even the notion of using inferior pens. Why two pens? Because what if one of them runs out of ink?! I don’t want to be stuck using one of said inferior pens!

Our typical weekend ... is spent together. It’s hard to define a “typical” weekend, but they might involve having friends over, playing Minecraft with Joshua and I snuggled up on the couch together, attending church together, or checking out various local events.

My spouse always laughs at me because ... I’m naturally and outrageously funny ALL THE TIME, no matter what Charlotte says. Actually, what happens more than her laughing at me is her rolling her eyes and/or shaking her head. Like when someone says something like “sugar cookie” and I say “that’s what they used to call me in high school.” Even though I’ve used that line somewhere close to 10 million times during our 15 years of marriage, it never gets old. I guess she just doesn’t get my genius ...

Joshua will tell you that his mom and dad ... are old (especially Dad) and that they love him.

If I could pass on one bit of advice it would be ... love God and love people. Truly, nothing else, and I mean NOTHING else, matters.