Dead Horses - Hear Here

Dead Horses at Hear Here Studios.

Ryan Holman is a cofounder of Hear Here Presents, which is a live music-video series based in Milwaukee. Holman and his partner Jenny Vanderheiden created the series. He operates as the connector and producer behind the platform, while Vanderheiden works on the art direction, design and graphics detailing.

Since the inception of Hear Here Presents in 2015, the team has shot 48 videos and released 37. That means Milwaukee still has a lot to look forward to from this series.

Holman moved to Milwaukee almost eight years ago, initially in pursuit of becoming a comic. He joined ComedySportz and performed stand-up at local venues such as the Comedy Cafe.

After a year performing stand-up in Milwaukee, Holman asked some local bands if he could open for them or perform between sets. “Within two weeks of me thinking about asking, before I had a chance to reach out to anyone, my buddy John Phillip, who was playing with Trapper Schoepp and the Shades, invited me to open for them for at an album release show at Yield. That ended up going so well that they asked me to do the same at Cactus Club a month later — and believe it or not, that went great also.”

The day after that show, Cactus Club owner Eric Uecke called Holman and invited him to run a monthly comedy show. Holman found the venue’s setup awkward for stand-up comedy. “We did one month that was comedy only, and it felt a little weird because there weren’t chairs. We wanted to treat it like a rock club, so I started booking featured bands on the show to play up to what the venue was intended for.”

As a comedian performing in rock venues, Holman became acquainted with the local community of musicians. “I remember seeing the Fatty Acids at Art Bar or Blessed Feathers at Mad Planet, and I fell in love with the scene immediately,” he said.

Sharing space and a dream

While building relationships with musicians, Holman and Vanderheiden revisited their idea of owning their own venue someday.

Influenced by La Blogothèque’s Take Away Shows, Audiotree, KEXP and NPR’s Tiny Desk series, the couple wanted to create a platform in Milwaukee with a similar sensibility. “All of these things around the country are so inspiring. It connects you with music that you may not have heard.”

Michael Marten, lead vocalist of The Cavewives, told Holman about a new studio space in Walker’s Point where his band had been practicing. It turned out that another friend of Holman, William Gardiner, had been using the space to record and store his music equipment. On top of that, his videographer friend Brendan Jones also shared the space to work on video projects and store equipment.

Joseph Huber - Hear Here

Joseph Huber at Hear Here Studios.

Holman eventually reached out to Gardiner and Jones to see if they’d team up with him and Vanderheiden to start a live music-video project. Both of them liked the idea, and Hear Here Presents found its original location and founding members.

“We saw the place in March 2015, and by the end of August we were set up and ready to take on our first shoot,” Holman said.

That shoot was with Dream Attics with Nick Tovarek and Shane Patrick. They were planning a move to Austin within the week, and Holman wanted to capture the group for the video series before its departure. Holman notes Amanda Huff, a previous member of the group, also performed her solo project Selfish Skin that day.

While Hear Here focuses on locally based acts, the group has had a fair share of national acts enter its space for a filming session. “From the moment I started this, I knew there wouldn’t be a cap to the kind of acts we bring in. I wanted to be a platform for them all,” Holman said.

In terms of artist selection, Holman listens to everything and keeps a pulse on both national and local acts.

Giving back

Hear Here is more than just a location. The venue moved to a new space last year, and the series has also curated shows in other local venues. Maintaining their aesthetic and style, Hear Here hosts live shows throughout the Milwaukee metro area. Their studio space and live videos are still primary points of their brand, but Holman uses his influence beyond the studio’s four walls.

Last winter, Hear Here put on a show at Company Brewing for a group of about 60 homeless men staying at the Guest House shelter. Holman said he wanted to do something different for that audience.

“For most shows with this kind of focus, people who already do these things get to have fun and the proceeds go to the shelters. I wanted do that differently. Instead, we bussed in a group from a shelter. They sat down and had a nice three-course dinner while getting to see some live comedy and music. We had four comedians and four musical acts. It was the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”

Funding for the event was crowd-sourced through GoFundMe.

“We made enough money to pay for the food and buses,” Holman said. “All of the artists worked for free.”

Dependent on volunteers

The success of Hear Here is dependent on the participation of Holman’s all-volunteer team. “I need to have at least three videographers, a photographer and a sound engineer,” Holman said. For all 48 shoots, Gardiner has been the sound engineer. He’s currently touring with his group GGOOLLDD, though, and Holman has a list of backup engineers. “If a paid gig is offered to them, most of the time they have to take it.”

Sometimes for bigger shoots, such as a recent session with Strangelander, Hear Here brings in additional crewmembers to assist with capturing multiple angels and advanced sound engineering.

It’s clear that Holman’s Hear Here is inspired by his authentic passion for music and performance. “I’m a collector and appreciator. Right now, I have collected 48 videos from bands that I like and been able to help these musicians along the way. If Hear Here never amounts to more than a kick-ass collection of videos that I can look back at some day or that can help a band I like get booked on a future gig, I will consider the project a major success.

“We want to continue to expand what we are doing into more live shows, more non-live music videos, festivals, and all sorts of fun stuff, so please stay tuned. We appreciate all the support we have received so far and appreciate people sharing what we have been up to.”

In concert

Oct. 7

Hear Here Presents: Joseph Huber & Coyote

Company Brewing

735 E. Center St, Milwaukee

10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Oct. 11

Hear Here Presents: A Studio Session w/ John Andrews & Ravi/Lola

2018 S. 1st St., Milwaukee

8 p.m.

0
0
0
0
0

Load comments