Carrying the tradition over into 2020 from 2019, the Mahogany Hall venue located near the sculpture fields in Chattanooga, TN threw yet again another kick-ass party, but even better than before. Walking into the entrance of the venue I casually strolled past multiple high-end neon and jet-black colored cars, which put everyone entering in the know of exactly just the kind of place they were going in to. Going through the garage of cars lead me to a steep dark staircase and the increasing sound of lingering music which I know was above waiting on me.

As soon as I rounded the corner of the top of the steps my expectations succeeded. There was an open bar towards the back of the main space bartended by cocktail waitresses dressed in Charlie’s Angels themed attire while others carried around trays of catered delicious gourmet food coming out of the kitchen. The entirety of the main space looked like one giant VIP section in a club. White couches that lined the walls of the side of the main room and reflected the transitioning neon colors from the lights on the ceiling lighting up the entire venue while a large space in front of the stage began to fill with dancing people coming in from all directions. To the left behind the stage was a smaller room with another bar set up for specialty cocktails that had an immaculate liquor selection as well as bartender who invented drinks on the fly, special to each guest. Towards the back of the main space was another separate room where local incredibly talented Chattanooga artist, Genesis the Greykid, was zoned in on painting a massive mural. While people were pouring into the venue DJ Benlee was at near the front of the stage cutting up some kick-ass tunes to get the people groovin’.

To start off the live music for the evening, Chattanooga-bred band Behold the Brave strolled onto the stage. The band came on strong, not holding back with their gritty southern rock charm and sound. Playing hit songs of their own and also soulful covers of hits that came before them, the crowd’s heads hung low moving in sync with bass and sound that was being emitted from their guitars. While the band played, fire dancers moved with spinning, flaming batons and hula hoops off to the side mesmerizing all who watched. The combination of the fire with soulful and semi-psychedelic/semi-heavy southern rock created an intense yet enjoyable atmosphere that personally, made me feel like a bad ass in the moment.

Next to take the stage was Emma Dime and LVNDR accompanied by an extremely talented group on individuals playing various instruments. The set was a very different change of pace from the one that came before it. The band consisted of a guitar, drums, a keyboard, and a saxophone creating a nice, soothing jazz sound paired with the melodious harmonizing vocals of LVNDR was sweet, sweet music to my ears. A nice a additional touch was added by the lyricism of Emma Dime. And what made the set all the better was the fact that everyone on the stage was laughing and smiling, looking like they were having so much fun. When it’s evident that artists are truly enjoying performing the music they create, it makes the show all of the more enjoyable and fun for the crowd too.

The artist to take the stage and end the night on a truly fun note was none of than the King of Krunk himself, Duke Duce. Almost immediately when him and the rest of crew hopped up onto the stage the bass dropped, the lights started flashing, and the crowd started jumping. Duke started rapping and the hype didn’t stop until he was done, both for his crew and his crowd alike. At one point he came to the edge of the stage to engage with the crowd and show off a lil bit of footwork, and the crowd ate up.

Other artists who performed throughout the night were DJ Benlee, Big Ticket 1k, and YEAT. The entirety of the night was filled with such an eclectic variety of different genres and everyone who attended absolutely loved every bit of it, and if that doesn’t attest to the wonderful type of people who inhabit Chattanooga, then I don’t know what does. The music, the food, the art, the design, the people, and everything else about that party reached such a wide range of taste that it was truly unmatched. For all photos from the evening check our photo album here on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/pg/glassefactory/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2505326853049791

Coverage by Gabrielle Lasater

Photography by Ana Leonard