A conversation with 723.
Transcript from episode ten of the Good Folk podcast.
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SPENCER GEORGE: Hello folks, my name is Spencer George and you’re listening to the Good Folk podcast. Today I am thrilled to be joined by the very talented and passionate humans of 723, a genre-bending music collective rooted in collaborative practice. The group was founded by “Space Sam” Gabriel Alvarez (the groups multi-instrumentalist producer), Tramaine Bowman (poet and guitarist), and former theater kid and vocalist Maxx Alvarez.
The group’s genesis was cemented in early 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic under the name “DISSOLVCOLLECTIVE”. Lending their talents and pooling their RECORDING equipment, the trio would release 4 singles amongst the three artists before taking a hiatus for the remainder of the year.
The group would return stronger than ever with fan favorite single “Almost Meant to Be”. A clear departure from their early efforts, the collective had come to fruition after inducting the brotherly duo Brandon and Brian Finch, the group’s bassist and drummer respectively. With the band complete, the group had found new direction and set out to record their debut project “BRIGHT LIGHTS” a nearly year long effort that would prove to be ambitious for the budding musicians.
Splitting time between performing their first few shows and recording songs from Tramaine’s kitchen in Hillsborough, the band’s efforts came to a head in early August of 2022 with the release of “BRIGHT LIGHTS” followed by a near sold out headlining show at Chapel Hill’s Local 506 just days later. The EP was a truly ambitious feat of DIY audio engineering.
Recorded on a shoe string budget and led in creative direction by the group’s in house producer and lead guitarist Sam, it’s a considerable step into new territory for the band. It features textures and sound scapes of all kinds. From the mangled and fuzzed out psychedelia of “WILLOW CREEK”, or the vulnerable and hauntingly cathartic cello movements of “LYFE” or the danceable funky rhythms and trombone featured on Latin inspired song “EYES” the project is truly genre defying, it’s tracks perfectly encapsulating the spirit of 723.
Today the band is back in the kitchen recording their sophomore EP and debut project for the group’s star vocalist and songwriter prodigy Maxx.
We often speak on this podcast of how much more powerful art is when made in collaboration, and 723 is proof of that. Each artist brings a unique sound, that, when they come together, is pure magic. I mean, who wouldn’t love a band whose guitarist plays with his teeth? And yes, we have video proof of that.
723 is defining what music in collaboration looks like, as well as how community success leads to individual success, and vice versa. I can’t wait to see where they go from here, and I hope you enjoy this conversation.
SG: We can just go ahead and jump in. I'm so excited to have you all here. We're huge fans of everything you do. For anybody who doesn't know about 723, maybe the best place to start is for you all to individually introduce yourselves and one of you to introduce the band and collective, if that sounds good.
TRAMAINE BOWMAN: Sounds good. Gabriel, I'll let you go first.
GABRIEL ALVAREZ: Hi. My name is Gabriel. My artist name is Space Sam. Yeah, I sing and play guitar and I write music. I'm a producer, so I do all the audio engineering and mixing and like figuring out what the songs are going to sound like and figuring out how to get them to sound that way and creating all the tones and textures and all the little sounds you hear in the music and stuff, you know. Like sometimes I play drums or like omnichord or like little synthesizers and stuff, but I mostly play guitar, like on stage, like with the band and everything, but yeah.
TB: Cool. Maxx?
MAXX ALVAREZ: Why you gotta put me on the spot, brother? My name is Maxx, I’m Gabriel’s younger sister. I'm mainly on vocals. I play a little bit of guitar on some of my songs, but I would say I'm mainly a singer-songwriter.
TB: Cool. Brando, Brian.
BRIAN FINCH: Brandon, go ahead.
BRANDON FINCH: I play bass and a little bit of guitar, but mainly bass in this band. And that's pretty much it. Yeah, I've been playing music my whole life. This is my biggest project I've been a part of so far, so it's gone pretty well.
BRIANF: I've also played music my entire life. I'm the drummer for 723. And I’m also Brandon's brother.
MA: Let’s go Finch bros.
TB: I'm Tramaine and my artist name is just Tramaine. I play guitar, I write songs, and I am also one of the three singers in the band. I've been playing since I was like 13.
SG: Tramaine, I'm going to put this back to you since you were the last one to talk. Could you tell us a little bit more about 723, what the project and band is, how you got started. It's really amazing. You guys are all individual musicians, and then you've got this whole project you're doing and half of you are related. There's so many interconnections here.
TB: Yeah, it’s really cool. OK, so, 723, how did we get started? I'm just going to start with how the whole thing started. So I came to the school called Eno River Academy, in, I think, it was like 2019 or something. And that's where I met Gabriel. We became friends, and I really liked him a lot, and then we would jam and stuff like that. I met Maxx through Gabriel. We all wrote songs and stuff. And so I remember I came over one day, and we were in the garage. I had just written a song called Lilac, and Gabriel was like, hey, let's record it. And I was like, oh, okay. So we went ahead and recorded it, and that started our little thing.
For the next couple of months, it was just me, Gabriel, and Maxx kind of just like, okay, we keep writing these songs, but we don't have anybody to playing with. We're recording music. We're putting stuff out. And so then, like, let's see around last year, around August, I think, I hit up Brandon and Brian, and I was like, yo, y’all, want to get together and play some tunes? So we all went over to their house, and we jammed and stuff, and after a couple of times, we were like, okay, we have something here.
So we kept doing it and kept doing it and kept doing it. Next thing I know, somebody takes me, like, hey, you want to come play in this barn? And it was like, yeah. We did that, and that was our first gig. That's how we kind of came together and stuff like that. But it all started with just the three of us, me, Gabriel, Maxx, like, writing our songs individually and stuff, but we come together as 723 to perform them.
SG: It's kind of amazing. We were talking about this a little bit before we actually officially started recording, but the idea that sometimes you just have to start and just find people that you like and you feel like you get along with and be like, let's create something together and see where it goes. Because the way you describe it almost sounds like you created this band, and you never even really set out to make a band. It's such a cool way to do it.
One thing I think is really interesting is because you are all individual musicians and I listened to some of your individual projects, you have similar but different styles.
TB: Yeah.
SG: Could you talk about how that influences your work as a band? Because there's a lot of you.
TB: It’s so inspiring. I'll say something really quick. I think it's very inspiring because the way I write, compared to the way Maxx and Gabriel write, is different. It's like we all sound different, but hearing their music, I really think their music is amazing. So hearing what they come up with really inspires me to try something a little bit different and step out of my comfort zone for the next time I write. I feel like having that dynamic of three songwriters in the band has helped me become a better songwriter. You know what I'm saying?
GA: Yeah. I think our dynamic as a band is super interesting because we're all coming from very different places stylistically. We all just come from very different backgrounds. We listen to different kinds of music, grew up hearing different kinds of music. And, you know, writing for me, Maxx, and Tramaine is pretty solitary. Like, we kind of do that on our own. But then, you know, when one of us writes a new song, we take it to band practice and at that stage, it's just like it's in its infancy. The song is in its infancy. It's just chords and some lyrics and stuff. And when it's in that stage, the possibilities for what that song can become are almost limitless. There's no way of predicting where it's going to go because everybody's going to interpret that so differently.
You know, Brandon will have a crazy baseline and it'll be so out of left field and it won't be anything like what you would have expected. And then that informs what I'm going to play on the guitar. And then maybe what I'm doing on guitar is influencing what Brian is going to do. So it's like we're all, like, ping-ponging off of each other. Yeah, I just think it makes our music so much more interesting and dynamic because it's like we're all coming from very different places, we've all got very different ideas, and we're all trying to pull the song in a different direction. You wouldn't think it would work, but it really does harmonize when we come together that way. And it's really fascinating. I love it.
And then two, we're all friends, so it's like we have a very intimate understanding of who we are as people. So it's like that's also informing our contributions to the song. I understand who Tramaine is as a person, because I'm his friend. I just feel like I'm better able to contribute my guitar playing because I understand who he is as a person. You know, it's not just like, oh, yeah, I'm just going to write this guitar part for this song because it sounds cool. It's like no, it sounds cool, but I'm also, like, trying to highlight how he's feeling and I'm trying to, like, get inside his head and live in that world that this song is living in. It's really interesting.
MA: Yeah, I'd say, honestly, I think it's really nice that we all come from extremely different backgrounds musically, just because if I can't appreciate something about my writing or song or whatever, or if I can't have a vision for something, there's like a billion other ideas that the rest of the band will have. I'm not super experienced with guitar, but being able to write like I do is really nice because if I can't hear the rest of the song, I have a bunch of other musicians around me to help fill in those pieces. And so many of my songs, I had no idea what I wanted them to sound like. But Brandon and Brian do such a good job at just filling in what's needed or executing an idea off of some weird noise I make. I'm like, yo, like, Brian, can you do, like, a da-da-duh? He gets it.
It's super nice just being able to have onstage the chemistry we have— just being able to look at each other and communicate so well what needs to happen. I feel like it's like a friendly competition. It's like, oh, Tramaine’s written two songs this month, I got to get it together. It’s one of my favorite things about working with some of my best friends and people I get along with so well is just how easy everything comes to us as a band.
SG: I really love what you touched on with the idea of interpretation, which is this idea that so often artists will say, oh, it's really bad if people interpret your work differently than the way you meant it to. I'm a writer, and this comes up all the time of, when you're writing something, you know you can't handle your audience interpretation, and that's so difficult and so bad, and you want to always have control over it. And one thing you all are bringing up is the idea that, actually, that's kind of a good thing. Like, it's really cool when my interpretation is totally different than your interpretation, and you might make a totally different song than I would. Even if it's the same lyrics, the same kind of tune, just changing the style can make a completely different thing. This came up a little bit in our conversation with Sol, and it comes up with all of our conversations, which is really this idea that good art actually requires that community.
MA: For sure.
SG: Because it is in so many ways, getting out of your head. And there's this idea that any artistic pursuit is such a solo endeavor, and you're sitting at home alone, and that's your genius. But I really am becoming someone who fundamentally believes that the best art comes out of working with other people and getting that multitude of work and that multitude of interpretations.
TB: Yeah, that is the truest thing ever, because I can only imagine how all of our songs would sound if we did not collaborate on creating them.
MA: My stuff would be lame. Because I can write. Admittedly, sometimes I write stuff and I'm like, wow, that was good. But it’s the way that they all just add such irreplaceable touches to my music. Like, I could teach another band everything that my band is doing, and it just wouldn't be right. It just wouldn't be my band.
TB: Yes. It's something about it that gives a lot of character when you collaborate.
MA: For sure.
SG: I love that so much. I'm working on a project right now, where I'm looking at like street art and this wall in downtown Durham and this idea that so much of art is tied to the desire to be known and that we want to put ourselves in our art and our music and our photography and our deepest truth out there to the world so that the world can see us. But really what it is is that you have to see each other before you can be seen by the world. Right. It's like you have to have that community and that's what you're saying. We can help Tramaine be seen by the world because we can see Tramaine first and understand this kind of music before it goes out. And I think for me, especially as an artist, it's probably been one of my largest motivations, feeling like the world doesn't know me or get me and I want to be known and understood by the world, and then I’m like, you can't just do that in your art. You have to do it first individually and then with a group of trusted people before you can really put it out in the world. I don't know, I think it's lifelong journey, but the way you describe it is so beautiful of like, we know each other and that's what allows our art to be really amazing.
MA: Absolutely.
SG: Yeah. Brandon and Brian, I want to give you a chance to jump in. Is there anything you would like to add here?
BRIANF: Yeah, I'm not really a songwriter myself, but I just want to say I'm pretty constantly amazed by how Tramaine, Maxx, and Gabriel can come up with these lyrics and songs. I'm just happy I can contribute to it as a drummer. I don't know if you should really write music as a drummer. I'm just there to compliment.
SG: But you're a necessary part of the whole operation. And that's what's so great about it, is, like, no band— I think this is something that's so cool about music and, like, my god, I wish I was musically talented, I would be in a totally different art form, but I have zero musical talent— but it's like you can't do any of the whole without the individual pieces. Right. You might be the best songwriters in the world, but without somebody to play the instruments, that's not going to get you anywhere. I know Vic is a photographer, and then we talk about this a lot of, like, our two art forms have this very individualistic pursuit and so much of what we're doing is like, what would that look like if you wrote a collaborative novel in the way that a band writes an album? It's, like, unimaginable to think about a band in an individual— and I mean, there are individual singers, songwriters, I don't want to overlook that— but the concept of a band is really unique and it's something that doesn't often spread to other art forms the same way. I think it's really interesting to imagine what would it look like? Because, Brian, you're like, oh, yeah, I shouldn't write songs, but 723 wouldn't be 723 without you playing the drums.
MA: One hundred percent.
TB: Dude, literally.
BRIANF: That's a good point, yeah.
SG: In so many of the conversations that we have, there are two things that come up a lot, which is, number one, good art comes out of good community, what we've been talking about. But number two is this problem that people have in finding that community. And I think that's so often, the biggest challenge that we have as artists. We all can understand, or at least I think we're coming to understand that it helps me and benefits me to have a group of artists around me, whether they're my art form or not. I think you can benefit just as much from people that don't have any connection to your art— my core group of friends, I don't think any of them are also writers, but we are all artists. But it's really hard to find that community, and a lot of the conversations we have with these groups and bands or collectives that all come in is like, yeah, we met each other, and it just happened, and it's been so great, and I'm so lucky.
What advice do you have for people who are looking for that community and just don't know where to find it or don't know kind of how to get involved in some of these movements or processes or just ways to meet other artists?
And then I want to touch a little bit, too, on, you know, we're all in North Carolina. We talked about this a little bit before we officially started recording, but it's a different process here to try to connect with other people, you know, somebody said it in one of our podcasts, as other people like me, and how that was hard to find here. Do you have any advice for people who might be looking for that or a little bit of how that works in your own experience?
I met a bunch of people, got a bunch of Instagrams, and formed new connections, and that wouldn't have happened if I didn't step towards someone. I can't just sit there and wait for someone to approach me. I really have to fight for that and get that for myself.
— Maxx Alvarez
MA: A thing that I realized really recently within stage presence and just building a community is it really starts with you. A really big thing that I admire about Tramaine is that we'll get off stage and he immediately finds a crowd of people to talk to. And that's how a lot of times, we get the venues we do or we get the connections we have. Especially the show out, especially for our Local 506 gig, that was incredible for all of us. Just kind of opening up yourself, as scary as it can be, is really the best way to go about building that community. Our last gig at Warren Wilson, I don't know what kind of happened, but I didn't feel that anxiety or that like— I wouldn't say I'm super introverted, but I do get kind of timid approaching newer people, and that all kind of went away the last gig we had. I got three different venues, I was talking to people about shows they wanted us to play. I met a bunch of people, got a bunch of Instagrams, and formed new connections, and that wouldn't have happened if I didn't step towards someone. I can't just sit there and wait for someone to approach me. I really have to fight for that and get that for myself.
TB: That is really true. I think that would pretty much be my advice, too. One thing I've definitely realized— you know, music is something I’ve wanted do since I was in, like, eighth grade, but it's like, you just got to do it, you know what I'm saying? If there's somebody you think is cool, like Gabriel, for example, I really like his personality. I love his guitar playing. So we would come over and play for like eight hours straight and just be tired, sweaty, and just be crazy. And from there, I see somebody else, and it goes on. It’s being willing to reach out to people. Because art, I feel like it's so much easier to do when it is collaborative and stuff like that. The stuff that I do or the stuff that Maxx and Gabriel do, I don't think any of us would be able to do this by ourselves. It's hard to find community, but if you just stick to it, feel like you can find people because you'll be able to spot out who looks like they will work good with you. Brandon and Brian, I'm like, oh, they're really cool. They're really good. Let's hang out. Now we're 723. But yeah, I feel like definitely putting yourself out there is like a big thing, and stepping outside of your comfort zone.
BRANDONF: Yeah, I agree. I completely agree. All you’ve got to do is go out of your comfort zone. For example, when I met Tramaine the first time, we were just jamming at my friend's house, and I was like, wow, this dude's good at guitar. And the second time I ever met him, he was playing live in this downtown, and I was like, I just had to go over and talk to him because I knew something could happen. Me and Brian, I was like, we're definitely a solid rhythm section. I guess we could definitely put something together. All you’ve got to do is put yourself out there and talk to people who have similar interests. And something, a lot of times, will happen. Most of the time, if you're doing the same things, it will happen. Like, he's already gigging, and I'm trying to get into that kind of stuff. So just talking to people who are already doing what you're trying to do can really help and help you get experience and get into what you want to get into easier, if that makes sense.
TB: Yeah, that is super true. And when you're talking to people, being enthusiastic with it and showing that it's something you really want to do. Because I remember when Brandon would come up to me and talk to me about it, like, he was really into it. We ended up at Mebane's Park watching fireworks, like, on the 4th July or something like that. At one point, I think it was a little bit before we ended up getting together and jamming and stuff, and we were talking about, like, music and how he would be down to jam. Seeing that he was really into it put that seed in my head. And so when me, Gabriel, and Maxx are sitting around talking, I’m like, I do know a bass player and a drummer who are really cool and who are really into music, so let me hit them up, you know what I'm saying? But his willingness to step outside of his comfort zone and actually talk and be interested in the music definitely stuck with me.
SG: I saw a study recently that was looking at the loneliness crisis for adults and young adults and what a problem that it is. And somebody said there's statistical research in that you're more inclined to like somebody if you think they like you. So even if you think someone's really cool and you're intimidated by them, if you show that enthusiasm, they're more likely to want to talk to you rather than thinking, oh, this person hates me, I never want to interact with them. And it can feel weird to do that, or just to tell somebody, I think your music is so cool, and I love what you do and would love to connect. I think all of us could say as artists, we love to hear feedback and praise. There's, like, literally nothing better in the world. Don't be afraid to just, like, tell people you like what they do, you know?
MA: Yes. Honestly, that's kind of how we built our band. It's just kind of like, hey, you trying to play, you’re kind of good, and then we're all like, sure. And now here we are, playing gigs and making so many memories and building hopefully what is a lifelong career. I'd say friendship is where you least expect it. Like, as corny as that is, I'd say Brian and Brandson are so incredibly different than I am or Gabe is, and we complement each other so well. I feel like Brian and Brandon are definitely on the quieter side, but when they do speak, it's so mind blowing. It's like, whoa.
Through that difference is something super incredible. I can talk for hours about how great I think my band is, but I'll spare I'll spare you all. I just think I never would have gotten here without Gabe. Like, Gabe built the friendship with Tramaine, and Tramaine built a friendship with Brandon, and Brandan and Brian are siblings, and Brandon brought Brian into this, and now we have what we do. I never would have looked towards my older brother or my older brother's best friend for now what is my best friend group, too.
BRANDONF: I think it also comes down to actually being passionate about what you're doing. Because I played music with a lot of other groups, too, but nobody was as passionate about it as this group. In this group, we put music first. We're trying to really get out there and do gigs and everything, and everyone really helps push things forward and helps the band overall. Everybody's putting their all into the music.
But when you're really passionate about what you're doing, and you're really doing what you feel in your heart is what you're meant to be doing, it's like things just kind of fall into place… Go out and support other people, and if you're really passionate and you're really about what you do, people will find you, too. You'll find each other.
— Gabriel Alvarez
GA: Yeah. First of all, I love what Maxxx said about friendship being where you least expect it, and then, like, what Brando was saying about passion and drive and how people can really sense that in you. And it's, like, almost contagious in a way. I feel like that's, like, so, so true. And I know this sounds corny, like, this is really corny. Like, really corny. But it's been true for me, it's been true for Tramaine, but when you're really passionate about what you're doing, and you're really doing what you feel in your heart is what you're meant to be doing, it's like things just kind of fall into place. Like, you meet the right people at the right time, you get the right opportunities at the right time. Things just have a funny way of working out. At least for us, in my experience and Tramaine’s experience, and just like, the band as a whole. Just going out and doing, like, musician things has really helped to get me out of my shell and get me out of my comfort zone, because I'm very introverted, I'm very shy. I've met so many wonderful, amazing people, supportive people, just being a musician, and it's just really great. Go out and support other people, and if you're really passionate and you're really about what you do, people will find you, too. You'll find each other.
VL: I love all that. I just want to touch on what Brandon said because I saw you guys play live a couple of weeks ago and when he was talking about passion, that is so clear to see on a stage as someone who is a fan and saw you guys playing. You each have such passion and it shows when you play, but you also have different aesthetics in style and you're each so individual but yet mesh so well. It just makes sense. I saw you guys changing into your outfits beforehand and I was like, are they together? What's going on? Like, one guy's in a blue silk suit, another guy is in overalls. I'm like, what's happening? And then you all got on the stage together and I was like, oh, they're together. That's so interesting. And then you played and I was like, oh, it makes sense. That's something that's just always amazed me. Like, people from different backgrounds and different aesthetics and different styles coming together and cohesively doing the thing is very exciting.
And then, Tramaine, I also want to touch on because as you were playing— you flipped the guitar and you played with your teeth?
TB: [laughs] Yeah, I played with my left tooth. Yeah, my left front tooth.
VL: That’s way more specific than I thought it was going to be. How did you... were you one day, just like, I want to see if I can play with my tooth? How does that work?
MA: He just got hungry. [laughs]
SG: He loves music so much. It's very symbolic. You've got to, like, physically eat it.
TB: When I first started playing guitar, my biggest inspiration was Jimi Hendrix. It's a trick that I saw him doing. I was like, you know what? That is really cool. I want to be able to do that. And so I just started, like, I just kept trying and trying. Then I got really good at it. Now I'll be feeling it on stage. I'm like, oh, yeah, this song is going good. I'm about to eat this thing.
SG: Tramaine, I'm glad you brought up Jimi Hendrix because you're kind of answering one of my next questions, which is both individually for you all as artists and also as a band, who are some of your influences and the people you look up to? We're talking about artistic community, but a lot of that is also looking back to the communities that came before us and the people we admire and respect. So who are some of those people for you all?
TB: Honestly, I would say, like, five big main people. I would say Jimi Hendrix, Tupac. I want to say Rex Orange County, and then it's this rapper dude named Rod Wave. The thing about all of them is not only are they great musicians, but the lyricism. Lyrics are something I'm really drawn to. In my hardest times in life, it's always been music that's picked me up. Lyrics that are really relatable, really draw me in and inspire me with the whole music thing. And that's kind of what I aim to do in my songs. I try to make my songs that I write easy to listen to, but if you really listen to the lyrics, it's like, hey, he's spinning, he's actually talking about something. So, yeah, I would say those are my big main inspirations.
MA: I think there are a lot of musicians that really inspire me, but more specifically, and especially recently, Indigo De Souza. Especially my song, Pick Me Up, which isn't out, but I play pretty much every single gig. Gabe got really into her and her band, and then we went and saw them twice in one week, and then I just fell in love. Like, for the longest time, I just had, like, Indigo De Souza on shuffle every single day. Every time I listen to music, that's all I listen to.
SG: I love Indigo De Souza. And I'm going to do a plug here for the Psychic Hotline Block Party, which Indigo De Souza will be at. [and which, by the time this episode aired, had already taken place] We love Indigo. Big fan. She’s amazing. Oh look, Gabriel’s got the Durham Bulls shirt. They played at the Durham Bulls with Sylvan Esso.
TB: Yeah! I was standing outside the fence watching.
SG: Did you get to go? I had to work all weekend, and I missed the whole thing. I was so upset.
TB: I was broke as a joke, so I couldn't afford a ticket. But I stood outside of the fence and I watched, and then we saw her, like, twice more after that. Yes. Indigo is awesome. We love Indigo.
MA: I think her writing and her performing is so incredible, and I get a lot of the feel for my writing from her, because some of her stuff is just so gut wrenching. And especially the way that she performs it. The first time I saw her, it was an outside venue kind of thing, and there was, like a storm rolling in, and she does this thing where she, like, flails her arms when she sings, and the wind would blow as she did it. And I was just in awe. I have this five minute video of her just performing and so much of the spirit she puts into her music, I took so much inspiration from. Right after that, I went home and wrote the beginning of my song, Pick Me Up. I pull a lot of inspiration, like, performer wise from Alex Turner, but not Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys, Alex Turner from The Last Shadow Puppets, more specifically. I wish I could just, like, mix so many different musicians and just become them. I feel like my music bounces all around. Like, we have a song, the file name is emo shit, but I guess more publicly, it's called Want It, and that song has pulled the style a lot from Paramore, which I grew up listening to. I don’t know, I feel like I kind of bounce everywhere, but, yeah, I'll have to say, Indigo De Souza is definitely my biggest inspiration for music right now.
GA: Oh, my god, Indigo De Souza. I'm literally so obsessed. She's definitely one of my favorite artists as well. Her songwriting, her energy, just everything is incredible. Her band is amazing. She's an incredible performer. Just her writing. I could go on and on about her songwriting, but, yeah, one of my favorite artists. Just the gem of North Carolina. Like, I stan Indigo so much. She slays. We love her.
MA: For real.
SG: And from North Carolina! Part of what we initiate with Good Folk and this podcast is, like, there are very cool things in the South and in North Carolina, and we don't tend to get as much attention. Indigo De Souza is from Asheville and is amazing. And anyone who doesn't know who's listening, the triangle region of North Carolina, we have some of the most historic, incredible music venues and biggest music scene, like, anywhere ever. It's so incredible to just be surrounded by here.
GA: Yeah, no, North Carolina is amazing. Another Asheville, North Carolina band, Wednesday, they're incredible, too. I just went to see them recently at Motorco in Durham and they were incredible. So, so incredible. I love Wednesday. Love Indigo. One of my favorite artists of all time, like, literally of all time. Worship the ground he walks on. Steve Lacey. I could go on and on, but, he's kind of my origin story for music, too. I had been playing guitar and everything, and I don't know, it was probably, like, 2017 or something like that, and I came across a video of him talking about how he made music on his iPhone, and that was just so eye opening for me. I was like, he made music on his iPhone? Like, what?
I don't know, it just inspired me to do the same thing. I'd been playing guitar for a little while. I was trying to start to write and everything. And, yeah, I would use GarageBand on my iPhone. I would just, like, plug my headphones up and, like, try to record songs and stuff. And, yeah, that was kind of where I got my start with songwriting and producing and everything. Another big one is Jimi Hendrix. Like, love Jimi so much, very influential for my guitar playing. I'm a huge Prince fan. I love Prince. I'm also into A Tribe Called Quest. I'm really into the Soulquarian stuff. You know, like Erykah Badu, Common, D’Angelo. Like, that neo soul stuff. I'm into jazz. Yeah, just a bunch of stuff. Bunch of stuff.
BRIANF: For me, personally, it's kind of difficult to single out artists, but I'm very inspired by Jimi Hendrix as well, and Indigo, I listen to her a little bit. I’d say for me, right now, I'm listening to some Foo Fighters because Taylor Hawkins’ drumming is pretty amazing and very inspiring. I listen to the drummers when I listen to music. The drummers who are in the pocket, and I'm always trying to figure out how they're playing, and how I can improve my music based on listening to other music. What about you, Brandon?
BRANDONF: For me, I'd have to also say Jimi Hendrix is a big inspiration. He was kind of my intro, too. That’s what got me into playing guitar at first. I listened to a lot of Jimi Hendrix and I learned a bunch of Jimi Henfrix songs at first. I come from more of a jam band background because a lot of my friends are into the Grateful Dead. So they're a big inspiration to me when it comes to types of soloing and stuff like that. And just nineties rock, like Dinosaur Jr., Duster. All that stuff is a big inspiration for music I make. For bass lines, I’m inspired by my dad, because he taught me how to play music. He's also a musician and he's a big inspiration to me and he really helped me develop my musical feel for things.
SG: It's really a fantastic group of artists across the board and very different, but there's a common thread through a lot of them. I listen to and love almost every artist you've mentioned, so I can see the influence.
One thing I want to touch on is you talked a little bit about gigging and getting started with playing gigs, and you all are pretty young. What has the process been like for actually making that happen and doing this around the state? We’re all spread pretty far around the Piedmont, I think we represent all of it with everyone on this screen right now. And you all have played shows in a lot of different locations. What has that process looked like for you?
TB: Are you talking about as far as getting the gigs?
SG: Getting them and then also playing them. And playing them in different spots in different locations and towns. Is there one that really jumps out that you love? But also, yeah, how do you even book a gig?
TB: Oh, definitely. Local 506 and I’d have to say the Warren Wilson one. But, yeah, I mean, it's been great. Gabriel said something the other week that I feel like is so true. It's like every time we play a gig, we level up personality wise and our lives get a lot better.
MA: One hundred percent.
TB: It’s been a very nice growing experience. And, yeah, it's all been super interesting. Our first gig was in a barn, our second gig was on a rooftop, and our third gig was in a shipping container. And then our fourth gig was, I think, at a restaurant. And then our fifth gig, I think that was Local 506. But as far as getting the gigs, a lot of them have kind of just fallen into place. That’s pretty much how all of them have happened, except for the Local 506 gig. I had walked up to the owner of the place and I was like, hey, can I book a Monday night? And then he was like, okay, yeah, sure. A Monday night? Nobody plays on a Monday night. And I was like, okay, cool. So we booked that Monday night and we brought out 150 people.
SG: I used to live in Chapel Hill before I moved to Durham. I love Local 506, and that is a small space for 150 people. That’s amazing.
MA: I think that was the first time, actually the only time out of all of our gigs that we looked out into a crowd of people and every single one of them was facing toward us. Most of the time— we used to do LOJO, Log Off Jam On, shout-out Stephen— it was just a bunch of restaurants and then they would sit and listen to music. It's just like an open mic, essentially. I think the Local 506 gig was really the first time that we had the audience's full attention. And having that many people, like, look at you and cheer for you and show you that love and give you that energy, it elevated the performance to a whole nother level. And Warren Wilson, especially, I mean, it was maybe like 50 people, but honestly, that's my favorite performance ever. For whatever reason, I was really able to come out of my shell and, like, put on the best performance of my life, honestly.
I just think the audience really feeds the performers, and as a band, the energy we give off feeds our other band members. I just felt like everyone was on an elevated level and everyone was locked in. And I hadn't been to rehearsal in forever. We hadn't rehearsed as a full band in a couple of weeks, but that, honestly, was one of my best performances ever, especially energy wise. And I met so many great people like Joshua and Tyson, and making friends immediately really made the performance feel so much better. I don’t know, it was great.
SG: I love what you talk about with every performance, you get better. Because practice is very important to art and I don't think any artist enjoys admitting that. We all just want to like, write a song and have it be incredible in the first try. Right? But there is something that's so true, about the more you do it, the easier it gets. In terms of anxiety of sharing things, but also the better you get. And you have to do that continued process of putting yourself out there and just knowing that you're never going to be an expert in anything, which is kind of freeing in a way to just be like, I'm just playing around and experimenting and seeing who life puts me in contact with and where I go.
These performances sound amazing. I actually haven't gotten to see you live, which I'm so sad about hearing about it. I'm like, I've got to get to the next show. So what is next for you all as a band, and as individual artists?
TB: So as a band, I think we're opening for some folks at Local 506 actually, like next month. You're in Durham, right?
SG: I'm in Durham, but I actually am in graduate school in Chapel Hill and I basically still live in Carrboro, so let me know on Local 506 and we will push that out and I will be there.
TB: Yes, great. And then us and our friends from Trash Tape Records, we're trying to set up a gig at the Pinhook in December. We're trying to do a show together. If we can pull it off, then it's going to be super incredible.
SG: That's just too many really cool people in one room. I'm like, I know all of you. It would be like mind-blowing.
TB: Yeah, if we can set that up. We all have been planning on doing a gig together, but we'll definitely let you know because it is going to be very fun.
SG: Yes, let us know. We will share it out for sure. If you could do anything as a band, imagine it's like 10, 15 years down the line. Where do you hope you are as a group?
MA: Rich and famous. [laughs] Honestly, I want to be like old and saggy still playing with these guys. I want to be rich and famous and still playing with them. Even if the band never takes off. Like, we don't need to be A list celebrities, like, whatever. Just being able to have it be a career. Even if we're not making hella money. If we're just living comfortably and we're doing what we love with the people we love and getting to travel because we're doing gigs or just exist as a band and continue to do that. Not to worry about working a nine to five or giving up on our dreams because of money and capitalism. Just being able to feed ourselves and take care of ourselves with something that each of us love so dearly would be more than enough in 10 or 15 years.
GA: Yeah, no, I don't see myself doing anything else. I can't imagine doing anything else. All my chips are in music. Like, I was supposed to go to college at Warren Wilson, and the day before moving day, I decided I wasn't going to go because it just didn't feel right. It felt like I was compromising on who I am as a person. Yeah, I don't want to be doing anything else.
Even if we don't find monetary success, this is the only thing that gives my life meaning and the only reason why I want to wake up in the morning. I can't see it any other way. I'm going to be doing music either way. One way or the other, I'm living for music.
— Gabriel Alvarez
I hope within a couple of years, the scale is bigger, we're going on tour and we're playing big shows and getting really cool opportunities, but I don't care. Even if we don't find monetary success, this is the only thing that gives my life meaning and the only reason why I want to wake up in the morning. I can't see it any other way. I'm going to be doing music either way. One way or the other, I'm living for music.
TB: Yeah. Like I said, I’ve known music is something I wanted to do since I was in the 8th grade. This is exactly what I want to do for my whole life. Because another thing that's really important to me is connecting with people. Just like how my favorite artists and their lyrics hit me deeply and make me feel better. I hope within the next five years, we're not only full time recording and touring artists, but also to the point where it's not hard to get more people to hear the music. With the songs that people have heard that maybe I've written or someone else has written— when I dropped St. Valentine, there were people who texted me and were, like, crying, telling me they've been cheated on. Like, the lyrics really hit home for them. No feeling is better than knowing that I was able to touch somebody like that. You know what I'm saying?
I hope that within the next five years, the audience is big enough to where the music can get to people more. I want to be able to help people and connect with people through my music and have people feel like they have if they have nobody, they got me, you know what I'm saying? Like, they will always have somebody who understands and feels the same way they're feeling, you know what I'm saying? I hope we're, like, full time recording, touring. I hope that people can find comfort in our music and just yeah, Yeah, that's what I hope for the band.
I hope that within the next five years, the audience is big enough to where the music can get to people more. I want to be able to help people and connect with people through my music and have people feel like they have if they have nobody, they got me.
— Tramaine Bowman
BRANDONF: Yeah, I agree with Tramaine. I think the best thing would just be touring. And like Maxx said, I don't need to be rich. In my opinion, it's like being rich is just being able to just play music live in front people. Yeah, that's the goal.
TB: Yeah, for real. Like I said, connecting with people and playing the music is the biggest thing.
SG: It's just this constant, lifelong practice of making art and being fulfilled in that, and it does really suck, to your point, to make art under capitalism. This is, like, ninety-percent what I think about, and so much of the work that I want to do as an artist in the world is trying to figure out what it would look like to kind of move past these structures as best as we can and try to— if we have to, exist in this system, it's not a great system, but what can we do on an individual level to cultivate things like community and artistic practice and mutual aid and networks of care and all these things that aren't valued under the system?
It does feel kind of revolutionary, in a way, to be individuals making those your priorities when the world will tell you, no, just sell out, be rich and famous. Like, don't have integrity in your art. Just do it to make the money. Finding that motivation from something else…Yes, of course the money is part of it. I want to eat. I’ve got to have a roof over my head. Ideally, it's somewhere that's safe and nice and feels like home. But at the end of the day, I feel like the motivation, it has to come from yourself and from really loving what you do.
MA: For sure. Honestly, I'd say that music and just performing in general is one of the very few things that I can put my all into consistently and never feel burnout. I used to be a theater kid, and the worst points in my life, it would be Tech Week, and every single thing that was weighing me down was just gone just for that one week because I knew I was performing. I was locked in. I didn't have to worry about anything that was going on at home, anything that was going on inside of me. Like, it was just… I was there and I was performing. And no matter how many late nights or early mornings or blisters on my feet or anything like that that happened, I showed up every single day ready to give it 120%.
I'm not playing a character. I'm existing as myself on stage, playing with my best friends and showing off music that we all lived, and telling those stories and having so many people relate to them and relate to us and love us just for an hour-and-fifteen minutes that they saw. That is really the most rewarding thing.
—Maxx Alvarez
Especially performing, that high just never gets old. And that's what brought me into music, is my love for singing and performing. And the gift of just like, this is me and everyone being like, yeah! Just being celebrated for standing there on the stage is so rewarding. Especially when it's something personal. I'm not playing a character. I'm existing as myself on stage, playing with my best friends and showing off music that we all lived, and telling those stories and having so many people relate to them and relate to us and love us just for an hour-and-fifteen minutes that they saw. That is really the most rewarding thing.
SG: It's being seen as you are and feeling like that person is understood by the people that are around you. It's like mutual recognition. I'm showing you who I am, and you're seeing something within that that you relate to. And now we have this connection.
MA: Yes.
SG: Which is so cool because you only really get that with art.
MA: It’s oversharing, but it's appropriate. It's like, I just trauma dumped on a stage for an hour-and-fifteen minutes, and now you think we're besties. That didn't scare you off?
GA: I just wanted to backtrack really quickly to what Maxx and Spencer were getting at earlier when they were talking about being an artist within the framework of capitalism and just how icky that is. But I think the community aspect and the collaborative aspect of art making is so interesting. Like, it's something that I think about quite often, and it's something I didn't really come to realize until we started this band. When we were putting together our EP Bright Lights, not only was that a communal and collaborative process just amongst us five and the band, but also we relied so heavily on our community of friends. We brought in three of our friends to play different instruments on some of the songs. You know, we had our friend Sean playing cello. We had Sol playing percussion. We had our friend Lawson playing trombone. And then Lawson also helped me write the cello arrangement for Sean on Lyfe.
And our other friend Lawson, different Lawson, we met him at our very first show at the Piggy Bank, and he was our sound guy. He's an audio engineer, and he works at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville. And he mastered the EP for us, which was so amazing. Like, he's the sweetest person on the planet. And then not only our friends that helped us record, but also our wonderful community of friends who are always supporting what we do and showing up to the shows and streaming and like telling everybody about what we're doing. I just feel like art and community are like almost inseparable. It’s so different to what I was doing before the band because it was a very solitary process. Like, it was just me and that was it. And maybe I would share it on social media, like what I was doing, if it was like painting or the little songs I was making, but that community aspect was missing. It's so huge and it's so integral to what we do now and I just think it's really important.
SG: Yeah, you really just summed it up. Like, it is. It's the ethos of everything we do here and it's so important. I could talk about it all day, but thank you for that because that's like our new motto. We just so love what you all do and we're so excited to follow along. I can't wait to see in ten years when you're rich and famous, it's going to be amazing. Yeah, you'll get us VIP passes then, I hope.
I know we are coming up on our time, which is so sad. It goes by so fast when you're having these conversations. But we do have one final question that we ask all of our guests and you all can take it however you would like and just bounce around individually. You can answer for yourself, for 723, however you would like. But that question is what do you believe in?
BRIANF: What do you believe in? That a good question. I'd say believe in yourself. And also I believe in this band.
You walk past a million people on the street and they're just people, but being able to have those conversations that are deeper than small talk is incredible. It really helps you visualize. Like, every single person around me has a life and feelings and really cool thoughts, and being able to travel and meet those people and talk to those people and continue that relationship is probably my favorite thing.
— Maxx Alvarez
MA: Yeah. I’d say integrity, I think is a good word. I don't know, humanity. Before I started doing stuff with the band and meeting the people I have, there was such a negative outlook on humanity as a whole. And I still kind of have that with capitalism and politics and all of that stuff. But I call them the people on the ground. I've met so many beautiful people, just from, like, a single interaction. I'm just immediately, like, wow, like, you are so cute. And this band has helped so much. People like The Violet Exploit, going to do to Warren Wilson, this person named Tyson, we've been texting back and forth on Instagram. Just such amazing conversation. Because, I don't know… You walk past a million people on the street and they're just people, but being able to have those conversations that are deeper than small talk is incredible. It really helps you visualize. Like, every single person around me has a life and feelings and really cool thoughts, and being able to travel and meet those people and talk to those people and continue that relationship is probably my favorite thing. So, yeah, I believe in humanity and integrity and the love of people.
TB: I completely agree with what Maxx said. I completely agree with what Brian said. It really warmed my heart. I believe in this band. I believe in myself. I believe in everybody in this band. I believe in the power of music and the power of good music, too, that’s honest. Because we're doing this with love. That's, like, the big main thing, you know what I'm saying. To reach people and love people. Connect with people, make friends, all of that stuff. And I feel like that translates. I feel like people can feel that. I believe in the power of honesty. And believing in yourself aside from just believing in the band, too, is really important. Because I really do feel like anybody can do anything they set their mind to. You have the power to control that, but it all starts with the belief in yourself, you know what I'm saying? My belief in myself is, like, crazy. It's over the top. But because of that, it's like I'm just fully confident. It allows me to be fully confident in what I'm doing, fully confident in the conversation that I'm having, fully confident in the music that I'm making and stuff like that. I feel like me having that helps translate and people can hear that and feel that within conversation and stuff like that.
I'd say definitely belief in oneself and what the project that you're a part of and humanity and love and honesty and its ability to translate.
GA: I believe in us because we slay. Like, we slay. We are those girls. I believe in 723, first and foremost. But, yeah. I've said it so many times in this podcast, I feel like, but I believe in art and I believe in community. I believe in people. Just community. Community. It's so important. It's so important. Like, you cannot just be, like, a little, like, loner and sit alone in your room all the time. You have to go out and find your community and just be a part of something bigger than yourself. It's so important. It’s how you change the world around you.
BRANDONF: Yeah, I agree with all of what you guys said. Like, believing yourself, I think, is the most important thing. Because if you believe in yourself, it's kind of like you can manifest your own reality by achieving your goals, if that makes any sense. If you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything, I think. And I think it's working out for us because I think we all believe in each other as a band.
TB: I completely agree with that. I feel like sometimes I'll see stuff in my bandmates that they don't necessarily see in themselves yet, and I feel like that's the beauty of it all. Me and everybody else, if I see something in Gabriel, Maxx, Brandon, or Brian, it's like, I want to help them get to that point, you know what I'm saying? I want to help them become the best versions of themselves. I feel like believing in yourself is definitely the top thing. And believing in others and being able to see. It’s hard to explain, but I don't know.
SG: It's believing that there are good things if you're willing to look for them. Which actually is where Good Folk came out of— the idea that I do really believe people are good, and there are good people everywhere. And we love y’all. We love what you're doing. I want to just thank you for being here and for being part of the Good Folk. We're just in awe of the community that we get to build, and it's so much fun to do this. And thank you. We're so excited to follow what you do.
VL: What song should we play? Usually we have, like, a jingle or whatever. It's like a dumb way to put it, but what song would you like us to end with? We'll play one of your songs.
TB: I want to say Bright Lights, because that song, at the end of that song, it's me, Maxx and Gabriel singing together. I don't know, because it all kind of started with us in the garage, and then it's like, Brandon and Brian are also on that song. So it's just like I don't know. I feel like that's a nice little finish.
SG: Yes, we can definitely do that. We will play it as our outro.Thank you so much, 723, for being here and talking with us. You are such a joy and have so much presence and we just cannot wait to see everything you do and everywhere you will go. You can find 723 on Instagram. Keep an eye out there for any future shows. I definitely recommend getting a chance to see if you can. Where else are you going to find a guitarist who can play with his teeth?
Wherever you are in the world, have a good day. A good night. Good evening. Be good. Stay good. This is Bright Lights by 723.