Brown, a fan of a wide range of genres, understands the storyline of what Roland has helped create from hip-hop to house and beyond. With the Roland Lifestyle brand, that culture will further extend to fashion and other products.
With a few decade in the business, Kerry Brown is a respected producer, manager, and musician. His resume includes working with hundreds of music partners and collaborations including Miley Cyrus, Ziggy Marley, Jessica Simpson, The Smashing Pumpkins, Courtney Love, Nine Inch Nails, Filter, Paul McCartney, Foster the People, Foo Fighters, AFI, Depeche Mode and Jason Mraz, amongst many others.
Continuing this journey, Brown created the Hear We Are store, connected to his Rolling Live Studios in Studio City California. It’s a place dedicated to the neighboring community of creatives and music aficionados. “I want to give a space where families, friends, and strangers can connect through the world of music,” explains Brown. “I believe in giving back to the community that helped shape me. I need to provide a space for younger generations to create. This is what music culture is all about.”
Looking ahead to a pandemic-free world, Brown has a vision for the Rolling Live Studios. He imagines a place where bands create and artists fall in love with new instruments. It's an environment to discover and create new genres: a center for musicians and music aficionados.
Deeply involved in music, Brown has a long-standing relationship with Roland. “It’s been part of my studio journey since the beginning,” he says. “Since the beginning, I’ve always worked on Roland equipment. I still have the same equipment I used years ago in the studio with me today.” Today, Brown continues to use Roland equipment. Here We Are is also an authorized reseller of Roland gear.
How did Hear We Are become the first retailer to carry the new Roland Lifestyle apparel?
As chance would have it, Mar Keith Meloncon, a Roland Artist Relations Rep, was assisting at Rolling Live Studios. He happened to be wearing a prototype of the Roland Lifestyle EST 1972 Hat. This caught the attention of Alyssa Lopez, a buyer at Hear We Are. One thing led to another and soon Brown “had to have Roland Lifestyle” in his store.
“Kerry Brown is a long-time supporter of Roland. We couldn't say no when he asked to carry our products," explains Nathan Chandra, head of Roland Lifestyle. “We weren't planning to go to retail for another 12 months. It’s safe to say Mr. Brown pulled us into the retail store market. What better store to be in as it represents the essence of the music culture?”
Brown, a fan of a wide range of genres, understands the storyline of what Roland has helped create from hip-hop hop to house and beyond. With the Roland Lifestyle brand, that culture will further extend to fashion and other products. Being around high-profile musicians, Brown understands how fashion plays into their lives. “Even grunge stars who looked like they didn’t care about their clothing, ultimately cared,” Brown explains.
Hear We Are encompasses his love, not only for the music but for the culture and everything music gives. When customers first walk in, they're greeted by musical equipment, vinyl, and clothing. They experience strangers and friends bonding over favorite sounds. Nostalgic parents can teach their kids about music that defined their generation. In turn, kids help their parents discover the music that defines their generation. The Here We Are experience is the very definition of music culture.
