Dear Diary...

In the summer of 96 my friend handed me a cd that would forever change the trajectory of lifes path. Unfortunately for you, it wasn't one that would make me a good writer and for that, I am sorry. But bare with me because I do believe its worth it. And yes, I know our lives are made up of moments that change things, but you know what I mean. The ones that really twist it up.

A little over a year ago, I had a conversation that would once again change everything.

David and I met for coffee and discussed the gap in Chattanooga. We have a vibrant music scene, but no one is writing about it. When there is some coverage, its from the outside in.
That sat with me, and a desire that had grown dim and dormant began to come back to life.

Over the next few months, and conversations here and there that light burst and was the only thing I could focus on.
I began having side conversation after side conversation with friends I've made in my time living here.
And then one day I realized I needed to get all of these people into the same room. (Mainly so they wouldn't think I was crazy, and only telling them about this hairbrained idea)

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As we ate pizza and talked, I shared this vision. This heart, and passion I had to see something exist. For the city, for each other, for us, and for myself honestly. Working almost twenty years in freelance sure has its perks, but it is also extremely isolating.  Since I was a kid on the playgrounds rounding up everyone to play one gigantic game, I have always thrived in community. Its where my best work takes place. And I also feel like I've entered that next phase of life, being in my early forties, I am no longer "the young guy" in the photo-pit at concerts. The gray in my beard reminds me of that daily.

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So these friends heard me out. And once the "this guy is nuts" expressions left their faces, they saw what I saw. This big ole need staring us in the face. Our city, our bands and artists, our venues, our scene...deserve more. It is time to cover this from the inside...out.  We are the ones who grew up at basement shows, waiting hours in line to buy tickets, and have dedicated our lives to music in some odd way or another. Some of us are tattoo artists, or graphic designers that find ways to infuse aesthetics from the show fliers we xeroxed hundreds of times into the art we make for others.

Some of us are still shooting bands we grew up listening too, or printing merch for bands we'll go see live this weekend. This scene isn't something passive to us, its in our veins for better or worse.

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So welcome to Hearsay Press, a community that celebrates the growing Chattanooga scene.
We are a bunch of people figuring this out day by day. We will get things wrong. We will make missteps. But we will keep showing up. We will keep trying to bring you the best stories, the best photos, the best curated content, because we owe that to the scene. The caliber of artist here deserves it. They are amazing, and they are ready. There's just too many people around here that aren't aware what exists. Let's change it together.

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— Jered Scott— Photographer by trade, Founder by accident.

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