Posted on January 31st, 2023

Teahouse is not an exception to the rule that every band has its own interesting backstory. This alternative-indie band hailing from Fort Myers, Florida, has a story that is packed with passion, chance encounters, and a common vision for creating music that resonates with listeners. The band was founded by Brian Hartman and Jason Marhenke. In this post, we are going to take you on a journey through the founding of Teahouse, the various routes that brought its members together, as well as the amazing milestones that they have reached along the way. Get ready to delve into the enthralling tale that is Teahouse and uncover the mystery that drives their music.

A Chance Encounter and a Musical Connection

We are Brian Hartman (20) and Jason Marhenke (27), founders of an Alternative-Indie band called Teahouse™ coming out of Fort Myers, Florida. We met a few years back when Brian came into the Kava bar that I (Jason) was working at, at the time. Brian came into an empty bar with just me on my laptop and the kavatender on shift. He came in with a guitar and a friend that day. He asked me if he was allowed to play his guitar in the bar, and me being a music lover myself, of course, I said yes. We got to talking and the rest is history. We frequented his attic space to jam, practice, and get to know each other, and we became great friends.

The Beginning of Teahouse and Brian's Musical Journey

I (Brian) was previously a mildly successful solo acoustic artist playing a mix of bars/restaurants around Fort Myers. I was making good money for a high school teenager, but the reason I say “mildly successful” is because of what I wasn’t able to do at a lot of these gigs. I’ve always been a very passionate songwriter, waiting for the opportunity to share my music with the world. The only problem? The world I had built my business around didn’t want to hear it. After about a year and a half, I decided to put my solo cover show to rest and get back to the drawing board. I realized that in order to even get close to where I wanted to be as a musician and as a business, I had to completely change the model. One night in a moment of “right place, right time”, I bumped into a local producer at an open mic. He told me his name was Connor Blair and he loved my original music. Connor handed me his card and said

“I’ll be at work in Studio A tommorow. Come by and I’ll give you a tour.”

I shook his hand, and out of pure curiosity, I actually showed up for the tour. After the initial shock and awe, the “tour” ended up turning into the first recording session of our first single “Rainy Days.” I finally felt like I was just where I needed to be. This was the moment my dream turned into a vision. This was the moment “Teahouse” was born.

Embracing Teahouse's Vision and Jason's Drumming Dreams.

I (Jason) was in a handful of bands and groups in the previous years as a now 14-year drummer, playing shows downtown Fort Myers, FL practicing in garages and hot bedrooms. I always dreamed of playing bigger, better shows for loads of people. I’ve just never played with anyone that wanted to take it further. Now, after performing in 7 bands and only ever playing for a maximum of 200 people, I had finally found Brian, who was the most enthusiastic and passionate person I have ever met when it comes to music. It was he who also wanted to take it to the highest level possible. Albeit surreal, I jumped on the bandwagon for the ride, and it’s been a wild experience ever since. One day, Brian eventually told me about a local studio in town, where he wanted to record some originals. He pushed and pushed me to come join him to start recording for a couple weeks. It took me a while to say yes to joining him in the studio, but once I did, I fell in love with the scene. It felt so empowering to just be in the studio.

Expanding the Band and the Introduction of Sebastian and Daniel

Along the line, we realized we would probably need to expand Teahouse and its members. Brian told me he spoke with a guy named Sebastian, who had apparently played music at the bar I managed. I didn’t remember him, but more importantly he told me that he played guitar. And man o’ man does he play a mean guitar. So, we (Brian and Jason) organized a meeting with him at a restaurant downtown Fort Myers. We discussed having him become a possible member of Teahouse, along with his brother, Daniel who plays a mean bass guitar. After all, was said and done, we agreed to do a test run practice with us in Brian’s attic space. That first jam we ever played as a quartet ended up becoming amongst my favorite jam sessions I had personally ever had in my 14 years as a percussionist. The two brothers still play with us to this day and beyond. We’ve been incredibly happy to have them on board ever since.

Fast forward to the present day, we have a full studio EP released, our first studio Single, and are currently working on our next full-length concept album, practicing in the very studio we record in today (Just Velocity Records), playing numerous sold out local shows each month.

A Journey of Success, Hardship, and Musical Development

The “road” of any sort of artist is one paved with struggle and adversity. Has it been easy for us? Absolutely not. One of the biggest obstacles we encountered at first was, of course, money. Jason and I (Brian) are very proud of the fact that we have remained 100% self-funded in everything we’ve done so far. The initial investment that it took from both of us in order to get here was, at the very least, substantial. It’s all the little things that we don’t think about as musicians. All sorts of huge expenses that we never even thought were necessary. Maxing out our cards, taking as many shifts as we could at our day jobs, and overall putting ourselves into challenging financial positions for the benefit of the business. It was and still is a challenging time, but one that we’ve accepted as necessary to our ambition.

I’ll admit, at the start of all this it was very apparent neither of us really knew what we were doing. That’s the beauty of the music industry; there’s no clear road map to success. You have to draw it yourself. There’s no one right way to do it. In other industries, there are clear milestones one must complete in order to reach their occupation. Every step, every path, written out for others to follow. As musicians, our map looks like an endless maze filled with dead ends. Learning to navigate a road like that changes you. It definitely changed us. Transitioning from the mindset of imaginative musicians to that of cutthroat businessmen was a monstrous struggle for the both of us. The music is the easy part. It comes effortlessly. Lawyers, accounting, negotiating, marketing, etc. did not come so easily. It felt like learning how to ride a bike for the first time. After all those sleepless nights and long days spent researching just about everything we could about running a small business, I can confidently say that it might be our biggest strength. Learning from the ground up how to run a business the right way and integrating that with our artistic personalities has served us better than anything. Though an arduous journey, it has led the way for every success we’ve had as a band and as a business.

For me (Jason) I believe I’ve had a good number of personal obstacles I have been facing, as most people may encounter in their daily lives. One big one was stage fright. In all of my 10 years playing small shows, 14 years total of being a drummer, I never was able to get over my stage fright. It had always been a challenge for me, as you would think it would get easier over time. For me, it was always there. I only saw an improvement with it when I started playing with Brian, Sebastian, and Daniel. For whatever reason it felt right; I felt comfortable playing with them by my side. Their energy is amazing and their relaxed and groovy nature made it easier for me to become more relaxed as well. Then, slowly, it started getting easier for me to hop on stage in front of loads of people. A more recent show being in front of a crowd of 700+ people. That was easily our biggest show yet, and yet, I was humble and content. We played a killer show, and it turned out to be one of our best performances yet.

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