Join us for the first-ever Good Folk Fest, taking place this July 1st at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, North Carolina—also known to those who know me as my favorite venue of all time.
Good Folk Fest is an evening of arts, music, and culture curated by us here at Good Folk and featuring the sounds of many of our friends and collaborators here in North Carolina— Dissimilar South, Tre. Charles, Nia J, The Violet Exploit, and 723, plus a special showcase from 1,2,3 Puppetry and art from PAPR.Text, who also designed this gorgeous poster.
Join us at Haw River on July 1st to celebrate the Good Folks shaping today’s South and learn more about each artist below.
DISSIMILAR SOUTH
Based in Durham, North Carolina, Dissimilar South has been likened to both Indigo Girls and Boygenius, locating them in the abundant space between folk and indie rock. Their refreshing sound is characterized by honest lyrics, luscious harmonies and exciting instrumental ideas. Though the band is a four piece, Dissimilar South's core is the musical relationship between Carter Hodge and Maddie Fisher, now a six year affair. Following their debut EP in 2019, the band enjoyed a successful release of Tricky Things (full album) in 2022, produced by the Grammy nominated Jason Richmond. Fisher and Hodge bring their songs to life with robust support from some of the best instrumentalists in North Carolina, including Joseph Terrell (Mipso), Alex Bingham (Hiss Golden Messenger), Joe Westerlund (Sylvan Esso, Watchhouse) and Joe McPhail.
TRE. CHARLES
Tre. Charles is a Alternative/Indie Soul artist who dives into the depths of his soul and invites you into his world with an expressive blend of warm and soulful undertones, profound and powerful lyrics, and emotive crooning; all of which helps you navigate your way through the encompassing experience. Growing up along the East Coast from city to city, Tre. Charles has been exposed to a myriad of different cultures. It is from these experiences that he has cultivated a sound of his own which pays homage to his nomadic upbringing. With hints of avant-garde R&B, modern/indie rock, and ambient soul, Charles’ honest & thought provoking music has the ability to make every performance feel like a transformative experience.
Tre. Charles has been compared to musicians like Frank Ocean, Moses Sumney, Sampha, and James Blake to name a few but this artist has a sound all his own. Tre. has acquired many cosigners along his artistic journey, one of which being the world renowned guitar company D’angelico Guitars who he is now endorsed by the as an official artist. He has also been nominated for the Best R&B artist for the Carolina Music awards(2022), winner of the Virginias Favorite Award at RIFF(Richmond International Film Festival)(2022), as well as dubbed as the future of music at the 2022 NXNE music festival in Toronto.
Tre. Charles has performed in venues all across the US. From being featured on CBS and NBC programming to performing at a myriad of festival stages such as Artsplosure Carolina Jubilee, Dominion Energy Riverrock, NXNE, Blacktoberfest, D.C. National Cherry Blossom Festival, Charlotte Shout and many more. His artistry has a unique way of making any setting intimate and personal. Tre. has performed for numerous CreativeMornings sessions(international conglomerate) as well as numerous Sofar Sounds; he also made his New York debut in 2022 at the legendary Rockwood Music Hall and the renowned Pete’s Candy Store to captivated audiences. His lead single (Stressin.) music video amassed 200k+ YouTube streams and gathered major buzz, as well as his debut EP, (Currently.) (2023), from publications such as NPR, INDY Week, Wearesoul, Iggy Mag, Metal Mag, Wonderland magazine, Notion magazine, Rated R&B and many more. Already after the release of (Currently.) Charles has been on show lineups with rising talent Devon Gilfilian and world renowned Tank and the Bangas.
NIA J
Nia J is an American singer-songwriter based in North Carolina. Her career started in a friend’s college apartment, where she recorded her debut project, Rabbit Hole, in 2021. Described as “a secret diary filled with hard-won and relatable revelations about the pain, anxiety and kindness that can come from love,” the EP offered sanctuary to many who listened.
Singer-songwriter Nia J’s melodic music infuses sultry vocals and rich harmonies, producing a unique and introspective sound. She aspires to use both her pain and joy to create music that helps others. Eager to take the stage in a new way, Nia is ready to tell her story to all who will listen.
THE VIOLET EXPLOIT
The Violet Exploit is a 5-person Indie Alt-Rock band consisting of Ben Mooring as the group’s lead vocals and lyricist, Brian Wendland as guitarist and BGV, Sean Diesfeld on guitar and synth, Van Horton on bass and acoustic, and Richard Ojeda on drums. The band is local to central North Carolina with roots in the Pines, but they bring together eclectic tastes and timeless yet timely sensibilities in their original music that reach beyond place and time. Their sound pays homage to classic rock with contemporary nuances leaving the audience with a sense of nostalgia and anew. The Violet Exploit breathes new life with an old soul into the reviving rock scene.
723
723 (pronounced seven twenty three) is a genre bending music collective from the North Carolina piedmont. 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 groups 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 bands 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 lead 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 songs perfectly incapsulating 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.