APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) – Mile of Music is one week away in downtown Appleton, and a northeast Wisconsin native is preparing to take the stage at the festival for the first time.
Hannah Geller grew up in Combined Locks and is now pursuing a music career in California. She said her passion for performing started early.
“When I was in middle school, I started posting singing videos on Instagram and YouTube and they went viral and I got a lot of attention for my singing at a young age. And that kind of solidified that I want to do this for the rest of my life,” Geller said.
From Appleton Rock School to California
Geller said joining Appleton Rock School marked her first time performing in a band in front of an audience.
“So I joined Appleton Rock School and that was my first time I got to perform in a band in front of an audience and sing rock music and I instantly fell in love with the genre and since then I have been a rock artist,” Geller said.
She describes her style as a “melting pot” of rock genres, including prog rock, alt rock, psychedelic rock and the blues. Geller is also a self-produced artist.
“So I play all the instruments in my music. I record the guitar, the bass and the drums, all of which is sitting behind me in my apartment. And then I record all the vocals in my walk-in closet so every song that I have out is fully recorded and produced by me,” Geller said.
A childhood dream to reality
Geller said she attended Mile of Music several times growing up and Mile of Music sits at the top of her list of places to perform.
“I went several years growing up and it was always my dream to be playing one of those stages and I didn’t know how or when it was going to happen, but when I got the offer this year, I started crying because this is kind of my whole childhood dream finally coming true,” Geller said.
She said she learned about the offer from her best friend, who helped her secure the performance.
“He FaceTimed me and showed me his phone and it was the Hannah Geller Mile of Music offer and I was at work and I started crying at work and my coworkers didn’t care because they understood how exciting this was to me. And then I instantly FaceTimed my parents and they started crying and this is just kind of a very full circle moment for me,” Geller said.
Geller said the show carries added meaning as her first hometown performance and her first festival appearance.
“This is such a special show for me because it’s the first time that the majority of my family and my hometown friends will be able to see me perform….and this is just really special for a lot of reasons because it’s my first hometown show, and it’s my first festival and it’s a festival I grew up going to,” Geller said.
She is scheduled to perform at four different stages:
- Hilton Paper Valley Courtyard
- Riverside Bar and Grill
- Jim’s Place/Wooden Nickel Back Patio
- Gibson Community Music Hall
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