Banding Together
Local musicians are bringing talent and a sense of community to the Chattanooga music scene
The Chattanooga music scene resounds with original talent, says Cody Ray, speaker and artist relations lead for TEDxChattanooga and guitarist and vocalist of local folk band New Quintet.
Often, the difference between a local band and a national act is marketing and money, he says.
Last August, TEDxChattanooga, which brings speakers together to share “ideas worth spreading,” hosted its first music-centered “Sessions” event at Barking Legs Theater, showcasing local musicians.
“It was an opportunity to pull back the curtain and hear what drives them,”
Ray says. “I’m a believer that we don’t highlight the unique perspectives of this region enough.”
Artists’ life experiences can influence their music in a myriad of ways, sometimes overtly through song lyrics or genre.
“Music is like language; there are different dialects depending on where you live,” says Mike Walker, bass player of Chattanooga indie rock band Behold the Brave. “If you’re from the East Coast, you’re exposed to different sounds than you are on the West Coast.”
But other times, the influence is more nuanced.
Fourteen years ago, when Iowa native Ben VanderHart moved to Chattanooga and formed pop rock band Telemonster, he says he felt like an outsider.
“I didn’t grow up with Southern music culture like soul, rock or blues. I listened to a lot of classical and church music,” he says.
His band mates, also not from Tennessee, brought their own eclectic tastes — jazz, folk and musical theater, VanderHart says.
Cody Ray’s top venue picks for discovering original bands in Chattanooga: ➥ The Woodshop, 5500 St. Elmo Ave.
➥ Cherry Street Tavern, 719 Cherry St.
The Boneyard,
➥
26 Station St.
“Don’t take local music for granted. Explore new bands; support the ones you love ... I think Chattanooga could be on the cusp of something incredible.”
“We were pushing our limits to see what we could get away with. Sometimes we were successful. Oftentimes, it fell flat.”
In those early days, he says, the band was still finding itself. And so was Chattanooga. But over time, VanderHart says, the city became a reflection of his own experience, “a diverse expression of art and culture, and a hodgepodge assembly of transplants from far and wide.”
As VanderHart and his band mates became parents, Telemonster’s sound changed, becoming more mellow, earnest and hopeful, he says — feelings that seemed to resonate with their growing audience. In 2020, VanderHart opened Yellow Racket Records, both a record store and a space for shows, with weekly performances by regional artists.
He feels that art is a form of communication, with the ability to capture the zeitgeist of a community and make a person feel less alone. But in order for Chattanooga’s original music scene to flourish, VanderHart believes locals need to become active listeners.
“The most convenient way to listen to music is to stream it on your phone. Don’t take local music for granted,” he says. “Explore new bands; support the ones you love. Buy their albums, their merch, their tickets. I think Chattanooga could be on the cusp of something incredible.”