New photobook showcases the ‘hidden gem’ of Milwaukee’s live music scene

What does it take to capture a photo of a live band? For longtime Milwaukee photographer Samer Ghani, it’s not just a question of equipment or access — it’s a little bit of luck and a lot of patience.

“When I shoot artists, my scope becomes really narrow. I’m really focused on how they’re moving, how the song is changing. And I’m really focused on my internal intuition, anticipating something about to happen,” Ghani told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” “I’m just staring at the artist like a quarterback stares at the football.”

Ghani is out with a new photobook titled “Memories of a Street Cat.” He was born and raised in Milwaukee, and began photographing artists throughout the city in 2016.

The book includes photos of nearly two dozen artists either from Milwaukee or connected to the city — ranging from national artists like Death Cab for Cutie and Brandi Carlile to homegrown acts like SistaStrings and Buffalo Nichols.

“I spent so many years documenting live music in Milwaukee because I thought it was a really important personal mission,” Ghani said. “I think the inspirational thought was, ‘Well, if I started documenting them at the highest degree that I could, maybe people would start to take them a little more seriously and start investing in what they’re doing.”

Ghani shared about his journey through Milwaukee’s music scene and the artists he’s following right now.

The following interview was edited for clarity and brevity.

Rob Ferrett: Does Milwaukee’s music scene get enough love inside Milwaukee? Do you feel like it’s appreciated by the people in the city?

Samer Ghani: I really think it’s a hidden gem. I think even for myself — spending so much time in the arts and culture community — I feel like every season that goes by, there are new artists and bands emerging that I’ve never heard of. And it leaves me with the sense that there’s still so much to explore here. There’s so much to learn.

As we continue to invest in our arts and culture community, and primarily our music and live entertainment community, not only will that have a great economic impact on our city, but it paves the way for younger, newer artists to continue to invest in themselves and in the arts and culture space at large.

RF: Looking at these images, you’re getting angles that I wouldn’t get if I just showed up at a show. How did you start actually working with the bands and venues to capture these artists?

SG: When I first started shooting artists back in 2016, I would pay my way to go to shows at venues around the city because I realized at the time that I didn’t really have a lot of trust built up — with not only the artists, but the rest of the music community in Milwaukee at large. I thought it was really important to invest in that trust. I would email the photos to the bands. Best case scenario, they would use them. Worst case scenario, they wouldn’t. 

After years of doing that, Cactus Club owner Kelsey Kaufmann told me, “You don’t have to always pay if you’re going to be working these shows. As long as you share them with us … you’re more than welcome to shoot here for free.”

And a light bulb kind of went off in my head. I realized that I finally got to a place where I was providing value. I did build trust. I did affect some of the artists that I was working with in a positive way. 

It was really important for me to get to that point before I started asking the larger venues like the Pabst Theater Group and Summerfest. Not only did I need the portfolio, but it was really important to me that I did it the right way. I wasn’t overstepping any boundaries. I was cutting my teeth. I was learning the practice of art on the business side, as well as becoming a better shooter.

RF: You mentioned the Cactus Club. I understand you work with the nonprofit arm of the music venue. What role does it have in Milwaukee’s local music scene?

SG: Cactus Club has been an institution of live music … touring bands will graduate from Cactus Club and then go to Pabst Theater Group on their next time around, if they grow as an artist. It’s a really healthy thing for a market like Milwaukee to have. Cactus Club has positioned themselves alongside venues like The Cooperage and X-Ray Arcade into being that liaison, making a destination for artists who are on their way up to stop here. And that has a great economic impact on Milwaukee’s arts and culture scene.

RF: You’re in touch with the Milwaukee music scene and working to lift it up. Who are some of the up-and-coming or newer artists that you have your eye on, even if you don’t have your camera on them all the time?

SG: There’s an artist named El Sebas who does Latin hip-hop and R&B. In his personal work, he overlaps a lot of his work with arts education, bringing artists into afterschool programs to teach youth how to get into art and how to create. 

The band Known Moons, featured at my book release show at Cactus Club, have just released some new music. So I’m really excited to watch the hopefully national response that they get to their new music. 

There’s a band named Ladybird, who play alt country rock, and they released a new album this past fall that is amazing. 

The last one is a new two-piece — I don’t know exactly what their genre would be called, but let’s say rock — their name is In Shining Armour. They’re a very new, very exciting band, unlike something I’ve seen in a long time in Milwaukee.