Melody’s Music: Bringing PorchFest to Newnan

Written by BETH NEELY

HeyDreamer band members, from left: Dustin Williams, bass and vocals; Donnie Gee, keys and vocals; Melody Kiser, guitar and lead vocals; and David Williams, drums and vocals.

With a name like Melody, it was inevitable that music would be a part of her life.

Thanks to her hard work and vision, the inaugural Newnan Porchfest will take place on May 31st in the College-Temple Historic District.

The music festival will feature art vendors, food trucks and exclusive VIP experiences, all to benefit the Newnan-Coweta History Center. 

Melody Kiser is a 2016 East Coweta High School graduate. She went on to Berklee College of Music in Boston and got a degree in music business. By the time this article is published, she’ll most likely have earned her Masters. 

She grew up listening to blues and rock – she says that’s what inspired her desire to play music. “I'm a classic rock kid,” she says. 

Her inspirations include the bands Heart, Journey and Led Zeppelin, though she really loves all styles of music.

Last May, Kiser’s high-energy rock band HeyDreamer played at the Virginia Highlands PorchFest in Atlanta. 

She had a great time playing amidst a large crowd celebrating music, community and culture. “Right after we played that I thought, man, we need to do this in Newnan,” she says.

Music is absolutely alive and well in Newnan, says Kiser. But it has definitely changed since the pandemic. 

She called her friend, local musician Kris Youmans, with her idea. “I said, ‘I think we need to bring music back to Newnan in a big way.’”

“I was like, ‘Yes!’ Let’s do it! Definitely,” says Youmans. 

Youmans is no stranger to music festivals or fundraisers. In addition to playing Newnan Unplugged and the Twang Shabang Benefit for CASA, she and her band have hosted the annual Blues Plate Special, a fundraiser that focuses on local community outreach operations such as Coweta’s Court-Appointed Special Advocates, Meals on Wheels of Coweta, and the More Music Foundation in Newnan. This September will mark the 13th annual Blues Plate Special. 

Kiser also tapped her friend Steve Quick, who, while he lived in Griffin, hosted his own South Sixth Street PorchFest for five years. Her band HeyDreamer had played at every one of his events, and she knew he would be a great partner. 

“It’s going be the biggest and best music festival Newnan has ever seen,” says Quick. 

Quick adds one thing that will make the Newnan PorchFest unique is that musicians picked the bands. “The level of talent is going to be beyond what people are expecting,” he says.

Youmans says this PorchFest is poised to be special because it’s going to include so many things: from kids, artists, food trucks and dogs to a VIP afterparty at the Alamo and breakfast at Whimzical Cafe. 

“Our goal with this is to create outlets for all the artists and musicians who live in Newnan to share their music with the community and to give them a platform and a stage to do it. We're simply supplementing something that's already doing well on the creative side,” says Kiser.

It’s not an entirely foreign concept to the area. For the last three years, Senoia has hosted a Fall PorchFest, organized and sponsored by the Senoia Downtown Development Authority. Last year’s event saw more than 2,000 attendees.

“The goal with this one is to bust it wide open again… something that's really big where we can have thousands of people out listening to music in Newnan. That's where my passion is,” Kiser says. 

“Melody is a forward thinker,” says Youmans. “She’s a step ahead. She’s spearheading this and doing a great job.”

Between the three of them, Kiser has experience with Atlanta-area PorchFests, Youmans has played in Senoia’s, and Quick has hosted them in Griffin. 

Their original goal was to host around 20 bands. So far, they’ve got over 45 lined up. Some of the big names include Sweetgrass Sally, Kris Youmans Band and the Duncan Brothers Band. “There are bands coming from all over Georgia and a few from out-of-state,” Kiser says. 

Newnan’s PorchFest will take place in the historic College-Temple District. Streets will be closed to cars from College Street at West Washington all the way to Clark Street. There will be vendors, food trucks, games, and music. Houses with music will be on Temple Avenue and Wesley Street to prevent noise interference between bands.

The area was chosen logistically due to the way the City closes the streets on Halloween. It’s a familiar closure that works well for the area. 

“It just seemed like the place to be - it’s got a very neighborly feeling. We were just drawn to the way it felt. They are precious houses,” says Youmans. 

Youmans says one of her favorite parts so far has been going door-to-door and meeting the homeowners. “I personally enjoy meeting so many people. Everybody has been very helpful and excited!”

The ChildrenConnect Museum, located at the corner of College Street and Temple Avenue, will host a children's zone full of activities that day. Special guests will include representatives from Georgia Tech demonstrating music technology. Georgia Tech’s Guthman Musical Instrument Competition was recently featured on CBS Sunday Morning. “We reached out to them and by some miracle, they said yes,” said Kiser. 

ChildrenConnect will also have performances by Grassroots Music. 

Kiser says they chose the Newnan Coweta History Center as the beneficiary because it just made sense, given the location of the festival in the historic district that almost directly abuts the History Center. 

The History Center will be having its regular garden tour at the same time, so between the two events, there should have something for everyone. 

“We are thrilled that a portion of the proceeds will benefit the museum. From our first meeting with PorchFest organizers, Melody Kiser and Kris Youmans, we were sold on the event and eager to help. As fellow music lovers we felt a certain kindred spirit,” says NCHC Executive Director Larisa Scott. 

There will also be an extra perk for VIP tourgoers: special entry to select homeowner gardens in College – Temple. Each garden will feature something unique and interesting, says Scott.

“We’re already looking to next year for how we can include more houses and more venues,” says Youmans. “I think once everyone sees how much fun it is, they’re going to look forward to seeing it again next year.”

For more information about the Newnan PorchFest, contact Melody Kiser at newnanporchfest@gmail.com. NCM