Capturing the Magic of Live Music

MusicHub.live brings together sound, video, and opportunity

By Ross Boissoneau | Aug. 5, 2023

When guitarist Rick Kiehle and pianist David Chown met through the Northwestern Michigan College jazz program, they forged a musical connection. Chown’s friend and longtime cohort Charlie Tomlin had passed away, and he was looking for another guitarist for his variety band, The Lookout Cats. Kiehle and Tomlin had also been friends, and after playing together in the NMC band, Kiehle joined forces with Chown and the Cats. “Rick fit and we got along,” says Chown.

It wasn’t long after that another idea began to percolate. Chown was seeking a new studio, and the duo considered how they could work together off the bandstand. They weren’t sure exactly what their business would look like but knew it would be centered around music and technology. So they rented a space at the Tru Fit Trouser complex that would house Kiehle’s Garrison Digital marketing company and Chown’s Lookout Music Productions.

“It’s a great place, a creative area and little community,” says Kiehle.

A Change in Emphasis

They moved in and set up their own spaces plus a common area studio where they could collaborate with one another and other musicians. The two also formed another group with bassist John Paul and drummer Alex Wyant called East Bay Drive, a band built around the contemporary jazz and jazzy rock they favor, from Steely Dan to David Sanborn to Fourplay. The band also serves as a rhythm section for other musicians.

It seemed like things were off to a good start with their individual businesses and working on music and ideas together. Then, four months after opening their joint space, COVID hit. “We’d just moved in,” says Kiehle.

So, lemons to lemonade: Since they couldn’t go out and play live, and neither could anyone else, they took what had originally been considered as a side gig and turned it into their main collaborative focus. “We’d talked about video streaming, creating portfolios and electronic press kits for groups. I had connections in the music business, and Rick had the marketing,” says Chown.

Indeed, the pandemic presented an opportunity that wasn’t so much a change in direction, but a change in emphasis. In addition to playing and recording in the studio and creating videos for artists to showcase their talents and market themselves, they began offering their service to outside venues. “There was a great opportunity outside the studio to help other businesses,” says Kiehle.

These businesses included the Music House Museum, which, in addition to showcasing musical instruments and recording devices, also serves as a concert and movie venue. But with its close quarters, social distancing meant it wasn’t practical to host a live audience there during the early days of the pandemic. “So we started live streaming, including live-streaming a silent movie with a guest musical artist.”

Going Pro

Thus was born MusicHub.live. While many musicians turned to streaming their performances from home, Chown and Kiehle took the concept further, with professional equipment and expertise. They invested in high-end microphones, sound reinforcement, video, and lighting equipment.

They also invested in a full team. Chown is the music director, Kiehle the creative director, Ed Blackburn is lighting director, and Sam Briggs is team manager, running sound and live streams. Through his work at NMC as a music tech instructor, Chown had a ready-made roster of contract workers and paid interns.

MusicHub.live began providing live sound and streaming performances by the Jeff Haas Trio from Chateau Chantal, where his band had been a summertime fixture on Thursday nights for 25-plus years. “It was an outdoor venue with a few people. We could record the shows,” and people could find them online as well as take in the live stream, Kiehle notes.

Haas says he’s been very happy with MusicHub’s services for both his shows at Chateau Chantal and with his non-profit Building Bridges with Music for the Martin Luther King celebrations at City Opera House. Dealing with the vagaries of weather outdoors at the former and adjusting to the changing needs of an event that features speakers, video, and live music for the latter means they have to be on their toes. “They’re great guys, great musicians, and super reliable,” Haas says.

The Nuance of Performance

Now, three years in, MusicHub continues to work with venues and musicians, both live streaming and recording them to post online. They recently worked with Dance Arts Academy at the Milliken Auditorium and with the International Affairs Forum. Chown says the latter was particularly challenging, incorporating both an in-person and Zoom audience. “There was a guest onstage and a person on Zoom asking a question,” says Chown.

To make sure they can capture the nuances of the performance or presentation, they continue to invest in equipment. That includes motorized gimbals that steady the shots, Blackmagic cameras that will record up to 6K—beyond the current standard to insure that, as Kiehle says, “they won’t be outdated”—and GoPro cameras that can zero in on a keyboardist’s fingers or a drummer’s feet on the bass drum or hi-hat.

Kiehle points to the fact he and Chown are musicians, as are the bulk of the music tech student interns. He says it helps them do their jobs. For example, seeing one of the musicians stand for a solo helps them know to get ready for a closeup. “It’s musical, not just technical,” Kiehle says. “You get a feel for the way the camera and the music work. It pulls you [the online audience] into the performance.”

Haas applauds the unobtrusive manner in which they work and their ability to react to changes in circumstances, be they musical or weather-related. “Live music outdoors is a challenge,” he says. The staff on-site is constantly listening to the music and adjusting things as needed, whether that’s live sound, lighting, or shooting video.

He also lauds the mission. “Beneath the surface, it’s an educational institution and resource for one of the fastest-growing industries,” Haas says. “Sam Briggs is a really good example of what MusicHub is all about. He was a student, then an intern, [and] now he runs the show.”

Chown and Kiehle are happy with the way things are going and hope to continue expanding the business’s reach. “This is our retirement plan,” says Chown with a laugh. “I like the production aspect. I’m not teaching piano lessons anymore.”

This fall, they plan to stream weekly shows at the studio with various guests.

Kiehle says they are looking beyond the music side to corporate and other business opportunities. “We’re still in the growth phase,” he says. “There are other opportunities, like live-streaming a cooking show or live-streaming a wedding or celebration of life.”

Learn more about MusicHub’s services at musichub.live.