As a musician who moved back to the Chattanooga area in 2018, Nate McDaniel said he saw a "massive void" in the local music scene that needed to be filled.
Chattanooga has a strong music scene, McDaniel said in a phone interview, but there are not enough festival opportunities for local bands. Most Chattanooga music festivals book out-of-town bands, and only a few of the same three or four local bands get the chance to participate, he said.
"What if we created an incubator event, and the whole premise behind it is to boost the local music in our community?" said McDaniel, co-founder and CEO of the Valley Vibes Music & Arts Festival. "We're just hyper-focused on boosting creative content and development and seeing people spread their wings."
McDaniel, who lives in Orchard Knob, said he and a small group of friends -- all from Trenton, Georgia, originally -- held the first Valley Vibes in 2019 in a city park in Trenton. It was a day-long event featuring the organizers' friends' bands and attracted 100 to 150 people.
This year, the Valley Vibes Music & Arts Festival is featuring about 40 bands, and 1,500 music fans are expected to attend, he said. Now located at Cherokee Farms in Walker County, the three-day festival kicked off Friday afternoon and runs through Sunday afternoon.
One of the festival's biggest selling points, McDaniel said, is the wide variety of music. There are tons of different music scenes in Chattanooga, he said, from hardcore punk music that attracts 200 to 300 people to a weekday show, to indie music, country, folk and hip-hop.
"There's a lot of different pockets (of music), and we're basically trying to bring all those together," McDaniel said. "And it's been very successful because they've (other music festivals) never done that before."
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McDaniel said he wanted to branch out from the all-local format this year and invited an indie pop band called Cannibal Kids, from Miami, and Them Dirty Roses, a Southern rock band from Nashville.
As Chattanooga-based Moon Juice, the second band of the day played, Diana Cordova was one of the festival's early attendees Friday afternoon under a clear blue sky. Wearing colorful butterfly wings, a lot of pink and gray alien sunglasses, she was making friends by passing out painter Bob Ross playing cards and rainbow ribbons on a stick.
"I came out because I love the music scene here in Chattanooga and Georgia, and these guys (festival organizers) are here to support the local arts," Cordova said.
The Chattanooga resident said she looking forward to seeing local bands Field Hockey, Eleusis and Good Grief -- McDaniel's band.
Chattanooga's music scene has something everyone can enjoy, she said. New to appreciating local music, Cordova said that before she would only go to big touring concerts when they came to town.
"Now, I can go pay $10 or $15, and you have three or four options (of local shows) every night, almost, of places you can go see live music," Cordova said.
Her favorite venues for local live music in Chattanooga are Cherry Street Tavern, JJ's Bohemia and Hi-Fi Clyde's, she said.
One of many vendors, Ivy Nakhleh was at the festival to decorate festivalgoers with henna, a natural temporary tattoo. This was the Trenton resident's first year at Valley Vibes, though Nakhleh has done henna at other local festivals.
She said she has liked the music so far and was glad to be close to the music without it being overwhelmingly loud.
McDaniel said the festival has three stages, and though the grounds are contained to a football-field sized area, attendees are welcome to camp in the woods and enjoy the land's hiking trails. Pro wrestling, yoga and an open mic jam on Sunday will also be part of the event.
The grounds can hold up to 4,000, so McDaniel said there's no concern about running out of space, and there's no cap on attendance. Tickets are $50 for a one-day pass and $90 for the whole weekend. There are also options for recreational vehicle camping, according to the festival website.
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Also new, McDaniel said, is having an official beer sponsor: Cherry Street Brewing, a Cumming, Georgia-based brewery that has recently opened a location in Chattanooga.
McDaniel invited the community to come out this weekend, as an opportunity to network or just hang out.
"This place is beautiful. You can see rolling ridges of mountains. It's right at the base of Lookout (Mountain), near Pigeon Mountain," McDaniel said. "When you drive through, it's very beautiful, and we picked a great time of year because the leaves are starting to change up here."
With temperatures forecast for the mid-70s this weekend, McDaniel said everything is coming together well for the festival.
Working with the Walker County's Sheriff's Office, Health Department and Board of Commissioners to organize the festival has been seamless, McDaniel said.
"I can't sing enough praises about them, so I'm pretty sure this will be the permanent home after bouncing around for a few years."
IF YOU GO
• What: Valley Vibes Music & Arts Festival
• When: Music begins at noon Saturday, with the last band starting its set at 10 p.m. Yoga begins at 11 am. Sunday, with an open mic jam session scheduled from noon to until the closing ceremonies at 3 p.m.
• Where: Cherokee Farms, 2035 Old Mineral Springs Road, LaFayette, Ga., 30728.
• Tickets: Available only at gate.
• Cost: $50 for a one-day pass, $90 for the whole weekend.
• Bands: Saturday night’s schedule features Them Dirty Roses, Coletta, Sevenstones and Killa Keyz.
Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @tweetatwilkins.