Before you even begin to listen to today’s podcast episode, I need you to know one thing: 723 is so talented at what they do that not only can guitarist Tramaine Bowman play with his teeth, he can absolutely shred with them.
I had the privilege of seeing 723 play live just last night, and it only confirmed for me what I knew to be true the very first time I spoke to them: this band is doing something special, and they are going places.
Hailing from the North Carolina piedmont, 723 is 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 four 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.
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.
— Gabriel Alvarez
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 incapsulating the spirit of 723.
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
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.
I’m so excited to introduce you to this group, and to see artists working together so successfully in collaboration. It’s true what they say: the best art comes out of community, and opening yourself up to a multitude of interpretations. None of us are alone. As guitarist Gabriel Alvarez says: 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. Yes.
EP 10: 723