Gathered on the porch of their yellow house on North Street, a few members of Chapel Hill band Braless reminisced about what brought them together and how their group of friends is bringing music to a college town — in their own way.
As Chloe Winchester, guitarist for Braless, picked at her acoustic guitar, the bandmates thought back to the fall of 2021 when discussions of creating the band started.
Deana "Dee" Garst, the band's saxophonist, was Winchester's suitemate during their first year at UNC. They said they bonded over their love of music before moving in.
Sarah Lorenzi, now lead vocalist for the band, was friends with Winchester from home. They all shared the same dream of being in a band, so the three slowly started to recruit more people.
“We want a space to do art that works for people,” she said. “We want to create a community that isn’t so exclusive of people’s time and energy and also a space where people can feel comfortable to make art and also build friendship because it’s a way to connect with people.”
It wasn’t until September of 2022 – after only a few small gigs – that the entire seven-member band was solidified, Garst said, and the "energy shifted."
An aspect of the band that makes it unique is the open door that the group provides for all listeners – whether that be inviting new people into rehearsals or encouraging each other to try out various solos or new instruments, Garst said.
