The inaugural Rebels & Renegades Music Festival is a leap of faith — but it’s being built on a solid foundation.

Rebels & Renegades is a little different. The new music festival dedicated to Americana, bluegrass and alt-country, making its debut at the Monterey Fair and Event Center over the weekend of Oct. 15-16, is a little different for Monterey. It’s also a little different for local festival organizers Amy and Dan Sheehan – and that’s a big part of the appeal.

“Cali Roots we’ve been doing for so long that there’s only so many ways you can reinvent yourself every year,” Amy says of the 11-year-running California Roots Music and Arts Festival, the event this husband-and-wife team behind Good Vibez Presents is best-known for organizing.

Diving into a new musical genre, meanwhile, offers almost endless reinvention. The idea grew organically – the Sheehans tend to listen to a lot of Americana in their own time, and enjoy the way artists in this genre weave storytelling into the music.

Of course, doing something new is not without its challenges. “It takes a leap of faith,” Dan says. “We’re not as established as we are in other genres… we don’t have the full trust of the agents and managers yet.” Despite that, the festival has attracted a solid lineup – headliners include Trampled by Turtles, Cody Jinks and the mysterious Orville Peck. Many of the artists will be making their first trip to Monterey. “It’s all a grand experiment – which makes it fun and exciting,” Amy says.

Of course, as experienced festival organizers and promoters, the Sheehans are building on a solid foundation. “After 20 years of doing events we have a really good system that we can apply,” Amy says. Beyond the stages that includes local food vendors, interactive art installations with local artists and, similarly to Cali Roots, a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental awareness.

The big question now, as the festival rapidly approaches, is who will show up. “There’s nothing like this happening in Northern California,” Dan notes. The goal, of course, is that Rebels & Renegades will become like Cali Roots – a festival with a strong identity and devoted fan base who’ll travel to Monterey again and again each year.

“We feel confident that this will be something that becomes an annual event,” Dan says. “I’m looking forward to building this community.”

REBELS & RENEGADES 1-11pm Saturday, Oct. 15 and Sunday, Oct. 16. Monterey County Fair and Event Center, 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey. $74-$259. rebelsandrenegadesfest.com