Fort Jammies: Music series showcasing local bands in blanket forts films in Chattanooga (with video)

Behold the Brave performs a song for the online series "Fort Jammies." The episodes are shot at different locations around town, each with a custom-made blanket fort created by Savannah Thomas. Bands come dressed in pajamas.

Director Ben Chase gives instructions to Behold the Brave between takes for an episode of "Fort Jammies," which is produced by Chase and Savannah Thomas.

Jeremiah Thompson, left and Clayton Davis of Behold the Brave perform for "Fort Jammies."

Do you remember how much fun it was to rip all the blankets off the bed and turn them into a fort? A couple of flashlights and some pillows and you had a cool little space.

Can you imagine how much cooler it would be to have a band join you in your fort?

While a student at Savannah College of Art and Design, finishing up her degree in photography last year, local artist and Chattanooga native Savannah Thomas conceived of doing just that while filming the experience for the Web. So, earlier this year, the "Fort Jammies Jam Sessions" series was born.

Thomas, 23, says the series is designed to show off not only the many good lesser-known bands in this area but also some of the nicer locations. To date, four videos have been shot; the one for the band Shark Week was shot at Sewanee: University of the South in the Tennessee Williams Theatre, while Behold the Brave shot its video at Chattanooga WorkSpace last week.

"I have been thinking about this idea in some form or fashion for two years," Thomas says. "Before I graduated, I had this party and built this massive blanket fort. It was cool and fun, and it's just something we don't do as adults. I love the simplicity and the beauty."

After moving back here, she says she didn't have a lot of friends, and she was "looking for something to plug me into Chattanooga." She pitched the idea to Ben Chase, a 2010 Southern Adventist University film production graduate, and he liked the idea.

"I thought it was funny, first of all," he says. "I supplied the title immediately. It's clever, like NPR's 'Tiny Desk Concerts.'"

Thomas was initially worried that the bands she approached and asked to perform in a blanket tent in their pajamas would dismiss the idea as silly, but everyone she's asked has loved the idea.

"At first I was skeptical, of course," says Clayton Davis, lead singer and rhythm guitarist for Behold the Brave. "I'd never heard of the project and had never met them before. I thought it could be cool if it was done right."

For each episode, Thomas builds a unique blanket fort with found pieces. Some pieces might have a deeper meaning and some are just there because they look good. Thomas has been funding the project herself, relying on volunteers to help run cameras and sound. Her budget for each episode is around $75.

"People get excited and start cleaning out their closets," Thomas says. "We try to do a whole new vibe with each fort with lots of details inside. I'm an artist, so the details are important. There are definitely some hidden things, though they are not maybe super though out."

The bands come dressed in their jammies and - ahem - jam on two acoustic numbers. They do one original song and one cover. Thomas says the formula is designed to introduce people to the band.

This week, Behold the Brave performed its own "Band Meeting" and Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia."

"We don't normally play acoustic, so this is a good opportunity for that, and to get us out there," Davis says. "The jammie fort was awesome. It was huge. Everything was pretty professional, and I'm stoked we got to do it. "

Thomas says she and Chase have talked about adding a "Pillow Talk" segment to the episodes with band interviews, but they haven't found the right mix of host and tone.

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6354.