The Genuine brings fresh sounds to Boone

The folk music genre has gone through a metamorphosis a time or two throughout its existence.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s Folk Boom, the sing-along sounds of Peter, Paul and Mary and Joan Baez soon morphed into Bob Dylan plugging in and the creation of folk rock, madrigal folk, progressive folk and other roots and branches.

Folk music has seen an impressive resurgence in these modern times, with the advent of the U.K./Celtic folk of Mumford and Sons, the travel-worn old school country folk of Otis Gibbs, the atmospheric and personal folk music of Amy Speace and the alt-folk of groups like The Avett Brothers.

The Genuine is a new group out of Winston-Salem, a trio just starting out that is bringing fresh and impressive songwriting to the table. A quick listen to The Genuine’s first-ever EP, called “Our Woodgrain Hearts,” and one can see the potential of this band.

On Saturday night, March 9, The Genuine will perform at Black Cat Burrito in Boone, and it will be a good chance to get onboard with this group from the ground floor. The members of The Genuine include Matthew Allivato, Katelyn Brouwer and Devin Forkel.

“It’s really been hard for us to try and put our finger on a specific genre,” Allivato said. “I definitely think we fit into the folk category, especially being from North Carolina and being near The Avett Brothers, who are an influence on me personally. I would say the words, ‘infinite,’ ‘folk’ and ‘epic’ are the three things that we fall into. Because we do write those epic ballads, sometimes, and then we also have the quiet, very close things we sing softly that cuts right to the heart with a lyric.”

Recently, The Genuine hired an additional guitarist in Gunner Nagle.

“Gunner is a singer-songwriter from the area, and I love his writing style and wordplay and everything, but the man is unbelievable on his guitar for being only 18 years old,” Allivato said.

Allivato was accepted into ASU’s Hayes School of Music a few years ago, but left Boone after two weeks to seek a freer musical path. He is also known for building a tiny house by hand, which you can see and read about at the band’s website, http://www.thegenuinemusic.com.

Allivato was a contestant on the TV program, “The X Factor,” making it to the top 40 of that talent show before getting the axe. While Allivato considers “The X Factor” a good learning experience, there was also the manufactured and manipulated side to the production that rubbed him the wrong way.

“We win fans over hand by hand,” Allivato said. “We may play in a bar where there are only 10 people there, but I’ll be darned if I probably won’t make nine of those 10 people brand new fans. I just get more out of it that way. I feel it is exactly what the band’s name is about, as it is a genuine, honest thing. I’d rather have all of the people in a small place listening to me than a sold-out arena where just a few are listening.”

The Genuine performs at 10 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at Black Cat Burrito, located at 127 N. Depot St. in downtown Boone. Cover costs $5. For more information, visit http://www.thegenuinemusic.com.