Cindy Pinion introduces the New Dismembered Tennesseans at the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival. Photo by Mia Liu (Friday, October 4, 2024)
Street lights glow along the dark path of the St. Elmo Historic District when the twang of a banjo breaks the night’s silence; coming from The Woodshop Listening Room, bluegrass is in the air tonight.
Cindy Pinion and Laura Walker are the folks fighting to preserve, in their different ways, an art form that has been at the center of their lives for decades.
Pinion, the daughter of the iconic bassist Thomas “Boxcar” Pinion, has made it her mission to preserve traditional bluegrass through her organization Forever Bluegrass and its festivals. Walker is a singer and multipurpose musician who has been performing with the famous New Dismembered Tennesseans—as well as a few other bands she performs in—for the last 30 years.
Dan Pinson performs as a headliner at Snap Fest 420 on April, 20, 2024 with a group of local Chattanooga musicians. (Photo by Maleah Holder).
The low hum of a bass guitar and drums echoes from behind the walls of the Comedy Catch in downtown Chattanooga. A small audience looks on at Dan Pinson—better known as Danimal—as he strums away, crafting a relaxing evening for his listeners.
Pinson’s music provides a one-of-a-kind experience for those downtown as he performs live, keeping local rather than seeking bigger opportunities. As a singer and bass guitarist for several local bands, he says he owes his experience and growth to the music scene in Chattanooga. When Pinson began developing his passion for music, he noted that the typical genre was rock, very different from his psychedelic tune.
Daniel Sneed poses in between different song solos he performed for his twelve minute set. Other artists attended the Chattanooga Brewing Company’s Open Microphone Night cheered each time he struck a pose. Thursday, 23 Nov. 2023. (Photo by Mason Edwards).
Goodbye Detroit! With a little help from a custom guitar, a lot of makeup and a costume, one man is moving Rock City to Chattanooga. Across Hamilton County, supposed sightings of Ace Frehley, the famous KISS guitarist, take center stage on social media.
Curious people soon learn the tall, costumed man is not the “Spaceman” of KISS. Rather, he’s actually local rockstar Daniel Sneed, 21: a KISS tribute guitarist with Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism. Despite his challenging condition, Sneed loves sharing his passion with others, and leaves a mark on everyone.
“I watch what my son does, and I’m just so proud,” his mother, Beth Staten, said. “Everybody that meets my son… they just love him.”
After developing a special interest in KISS, Sneed taught himself how to dress, perform and play just like Ace Frehley. As he explains it, Sneed’s come a long way in understanding how his autism functions. Despite feeling uncomfortable around large, public crowds, Sneed always feels at home when he’s dressed up.
“What helps calm me down is dressing up like Ace Frehley, going to events like that and getting pictures taken with the rest of the crowd,” he said. “And, also, of course, whenever I start playing guitar… I’m self-taught and everything because, you know, I learned guitar by ear.”
Caleb Timmerman stands at St. Elmo Boulders. Wednesday, April 6, 2022. (Photo by David Whalen)
The Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC) is a grassroots non-profit coalition with only three employees. Although, throughout the past 29 years they have had hundreds of helping hands working to conserve and preserve publicly accessible climbing areas in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.
Caleb Timmerman recently became that third employee in the form of marketing director for the SCC. Here he helps tell the story of climbers and conservationists who have fought to keep public land accessible to all.
“Access to outdoor rock climbing in the southeast is never guaranteed,” Timmerman says. “It takes a community of people who care deeply about this outdoor resource to come together and form a coalition to protect that access.”
