Photo by Kyle Anongdeth
The Down on Downer team
The Down on Downer team
When a group of UW-Milwaukee college students started Down on Downer at the beginning of this year, they were driven by one factor: a love of the incomparable effect of live music, and the way it brings people together. The founders of Down on Downer converted the backyard of their college house into a music venue, by designing, engineering and building a fully functional venue stage. Then, they put together bills of local, regional and national acts, hosted vendors such as artists and thrift stores, and created a community space like no other.
After an unexpected challenge forced them to pause their outdoor concerts, the group has taken on a new opportunity to continue doing what they love: bringing people together with music.
Down on Downer hosted five concerts in the outdoor space this spring. These concerts featured local acts, as well as nationally known bands, such as the final outdoor concert, which featured rock band The Thing as the headliner. The space brought in hundreds of college students, community members, and music fans from all over the city. However, after receiving noise complaints from neighbors, despite having permits and following noise laws, the venue respectfully decided to put a pause on the live outdoor shows. This obstacle wouldn’t stop them. This fall, Down on Downer is working in partnership with Radio Milwaukee to curate concerts in their venue space.
Downer on Walker’s Point
Down on Downer flyer
The Down on Downer show, presented by 88.9, is on October 17, at Radio Milwauke’s space in Walker’s Point, 220 E. Pittsburgh Ave. Doors are at 6:30 p.m., music starts at 7 p.m. For more information on the show, visit down-on-downer.com or @down_on_downer on Instagram.
“Outdoor concerts are fun, especially in our backyard, there was nothing like it. The drawback to it was that we didn’t have a concrete box surrounding us that would’ve made it not loud as hell. Even though we adhered to a lot of noise laws, it’s still loud for the neighbors. To work with them, we’ve decided to overcome and adapt,” says Benjamin Moyle, co-founder and venue manager of Down on Downer. “We’re lucky enough that Radio Milwaukee reached out to us a couple of days after we announced that our June 30 show would be our last outside. The people at Radio Milwaukee are some of the best people I’ve had a chance to work with. We’re now going to be curating concerts for their space.”
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“The lineup is headliner of Killer High Life, who have been killing it. In the year that they have existed they already have a ton of notoriety in the local scene. I’m super excited to put them on stage. We’ll also have Chapped Lips, a Milwaukee scene classic, and it will be Strange New World’s debut show,” says Moyle. “The event is Halloween-themed, everyone will be dressed up. It’s going to be really fun and festive.”
Smaller Sessions
In the meantime, Down on Downer has been hosting smaller, one-band record concert sessions in their home on Downer Ave. While fun, the owners of Down on Downer are looking forward to kicking off a new era for their venue. They are looking for sponsors and ambassadors, and they hope to see many Milwaukee music lovers at the October show.
“I’m so excited to get back to doing large-scale concerts,” says Moyle. “What drives me to do this, what makes me get out of bed and instantly start working on Downer stuff all day, is the idea of bringing people together around a shared experience. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. To unite a group of people that otherwise wouldn’t be there together around art is my reason for why I’m so invested.”
Down on Downer stands apart for the passion and care they put into the way they treat their attendees, partners, bands, other venues, and the community as a whole. The team of students wants to create a space where everyone feels mutually respected and set a precedent for how venues should function in a scene like Milwaukee.
“We have a lot of people from the community putting their hands together in this and making this work,” says Kyle Anongdeth, Down on Downer’s co-founder and social media manager. “We have people that help with posters, advice, sound. It’s a big team that isn’t fully conglomerated. We will put on a good show for you.”
Down on Downer is an example of what a group of passionate students can create for the Milwaukee community. Down on Downer is not only characterized by a love for live music but also the need to create a welcoming, safe space. The owners of Down on Downer take pride in their professionalism, in the talent of Milwaukee’s musicians, and in the vibrancy that the Milwaukee community brings when they show up.
“We want to prove that we can do this. I want to put on a great show and be able to say that we did it. That a group of college kids can put on a good show in a professional space and do it professionally,” says Moyle. “Listening to live music is next level. I think artists can come here and they can tell the care that’s been poured into this, the amount of work we put into each show. We hope you can come out and support local music.”
