Header photo credit: @j0yb0i
New Bern isn’t exactly a town known for its indie rock scene, but that hasn’t stopped Purple Cabbage from finding their way regardless. Maybe that makes it even more fitting that the four-piece came together through coincidences. Tim Reepy was Allen Booz’s barber, and the duo first started talking about music whenever the latter came in for a cut. Add a high school jazz band reunion with drummer Tre Harrison, a well-timed Instagram post that brought in vocalist and guitarist Lexi Bridgers, and suddenly, a band emerges.
The four of them have only played together in earnest last year, but they’ve already stockpiled nearly 20 originals and are starting to get more live shows under their belt. Despite being one of the few acts of their ilk in town, they are already drawing eager crowds with their sharp musicianship and satisfying blend of country and psychedelic sensibilities.
What have y’all been listening to lately?
Tim (vocals/guitar/piano): I’ve been really getting into this album by Jellyfish called Bellybutton. I heard about the band because I really love 60s pop music, and I also like really ridiculous 80s productions sometimes, and they mix the two together. They have some really cool song structures and harmonies. I’ve been getting really into that record, and I want to cop some sounds from it.
Tre (drums): I kind of float around between new and old favorites depending on the mood. Recently, I’ve been really into Kali Uchis. Her music is phenomenal. I also have Steve Lacy, Tyler, the Creator, and Crumb in the rotation, so lately, for me, it’s been a mix of soul, alternative hip-hop, and dreamy indie stuff.
Lexi (vocals/guitar): I also feel like I haven’t been listening to a lot of music lately. I’ve been doing more thinking than anything. But when I’ve been listening to music, I’ve been going through my Spotify 2025 playlist; last year, I had the same 50 songs on repeat, and they still haven’t gotten old. It’s a little bit of everything, ranging from Bon Iver to Modest Mouse, a lot of Mac Miller. Just good feels. I also spent a lot of time binging Bon Iver’s most recent album, SABLE, fABLE.
Allen (bass/vocals): I’ve been all over the place. Tim always sends me stuff he’s listening to, so I’ve listened to that Jellyfish album as well. But lately I’ve been on a Lamb of God kick. Also listening to Queen‘s News of the World, which is one of my favorites.
Who’s the first artist or band you remember discovering on your own and really obsessing over?
Tim: I lived with both my grandparents and my parents in one house, and we were all really into music. We listened to music more than we watched TV. People were always playing music loudly and competing with each other. I was introduced to a lot of stuff by them, but I think I discovered 80s punk on my own — the Minutemen, Gang of Four, a lot of post-punk — because no one in my family was into that. And then Captain Beefheart and stuff like that.
Tre: Probably Neil Peart. Tim and I actually saw Rush a long time ago during their Time Machine tour, which was really cool. And, yeah, he was very influential to me in that he made me want to be more musical with drums instead of just keeping time. The way he played melodically showed how much fun drumming can be when it’s taken seriously as a craft, rather than just being the drummer. Plus, come on, he only had the coolest drum set ever.
Lexi: I grew up constantly around happy music. It was the 2000s, pop was huge, and if pop wasn’t on the radio, my family was always playing country music or beach music. I remember when I was in the fourth grade, I got on YouTube and found Bon Iver‘s album For Emma, Forever Ago, and I just loved how sad it was. It made me feel things; that was the first time music really did that for me. It was definitely a catalyst for me to delve deeper into music that really made me feel things.
Allen: For me, it’s kind of weird, but I don’t think I ever really found and obsessed over an artist the way I did when I got into The Beatles. And that was only about three years ago, in 2023. I’m going on 32 now, and growing up, I wasn’t exposed to them at all. My family was kind of anti-Beatles for some reason.
But getting into them really opened up my musical mind in a way nothing else ever did. They covered so many different genres. And for a long time, I felt like I had to find a lane, but when I really got into The Beatles, it was like, “I can do it all.” I feel like that’s something we do as a band; we’re very broad in the styles we play.
How did y’all come together, and what inspired the start of this project?
Allen: Tim is actually my barber. Tim, Tre, and I all went to the same high school; Tre’s the oldest, I’m a year younger, and Tim’s about two years younger than me. We never really ran in the same circles back then, but around 2020, I started going to Tim for haircuts, and, obviously, as a barber, you talk a lot. We started talking about music and eventually started playing together.
That was back in December 2022, and we didn’t really have much direction other than wanting to make music. Nothing really solidified into a full song at first. But early last year, Tim got a bug up his ass and started writing songs, and it just organically started rolling from there.
Tim: We then got back up with Tre, who I hadn’t really talked to in quite a few years. We met fifteen years ago in high school jazz band. He was a senior, I was a freshman, and he was a much better drummer than me so I looked up to him.
I don’t know if this happened at your school, but there was this thing where the carpool kids were cool, and the bus kids were lame. I was a bus kid, but I would go hang out with Tre under the carpool awning. We’d just sit on the wall and talk about music. I knew I had to reconnect with him.
Tre: Yeah, even though we hadn’t talked in years, I had always kept playing drums. I practice a little bit every day when I can, so when Tim got in contact with me and mentioned what him and Allen were working on, I was all in. And it’s also cool to reconnect but like in a band, which is really awesome.
Lexi: I’d always wanted to start a band, for a really long time. I used to do music solo, but I always knew I wanted more. A friend of mine shared a post on Instagram that Tim had put up about starting a band. I vaguely knew both Tim and Allen already, so I slid up on it, and here we are! It’s a small town, but it’s cool to see how things interweave.
Y’all just played your first show. What has the experience been like going from writing original songs to actually performing them in front of people?
Tim: It was crazy. I was in the afterglow all week, honestly. There were so many people there, and the reception was overwhelmingly positive. I was a little surprised by that. Not because I don’t think we’re good or that the songs are good, but putting original songs out at a small-town bar is a gamble as far as whether people are going to care. But it worked out.
Allen: Yeah, it came together really fast. All three of us — me, Tim, and Lexi — have written songs that we’ve played. Most of the songs we’re doing right now were originally written by Tim, and we’ve all added a lot of great stuff to make them better. But whenever we come to each other with an idea, it just kind of happens. We just click — like we know where to fit the pieces.
Tre: It’s been really cool watching the songs go from quick ideas to something we’re actually playing in front of people. A lot of it is spontaneous, and I really appreciate the way we work together as a group. Everyone is always willing to jump on an idea and add their own thing to it. I really like how we share our favorite artists, or whoever we’re listening to with one another. So yeah, it’s been really rewarding to explore music together, create something from it, and then play it in front of people.
Tim: I’ll send endless voice memos of ideas as they develop — they’re a little more sane than me about it. But when we actually get together, we just figure stuff out organically. And I have to give praise to Tre, because he’s always able to follow along with the weird stuff we’re doing and make it interesting and still really groovy.
Allen: One of the most recent songs we put together was called “Time Is All We’re Missing Written”. Tim had a riff idea, and Lexi wasn’t able to be there when we started it, so me, him, and Tre just kind of jammed it. Then we sent the demo to Lexi, and she wrote the lyrics and did the vocals. It all came together so quickly. I feel like the longer we play together, the more things just come together even more organically.
Image credit: @crystalcoastlens
What’s your read on the local music scene for people who might not be from the area?
Allen: Most of the music scene in New Bern is cover bands, which has its place. There’s not a ton of original music going on, and the original bands there are mostly metal or very niche. There are certain bands with devoted crowds, but it might be just one or two. I’d say New Bern has a lot of potential, but we’re definitely going to have to build a fan base. I think our fan base may extend beyond New Bern, and that many people will find in our music something distinct from what this area typically offers.
Tim: I want to go on tour, man. Do some weekenders. I think Eastern North Carolina isn’t represented much at all, especially in the indie/alternative rock space. Western NC has more of a scene in Asheville, Boone, and little mountain towns where artists congregate. But down East it’s more spread out. We’re two hours from Wilmington, two hours from Raleigh. So you have to be a lot more methodical. If you’re going to play in Wilmington or Raleigh, how do you make sure it gets a real draw?
Beyond what’s already been mentioned — playing out more, different cities, working on new music — do y’all have any other goals for the rest of the year?
Tim: We already have roughly 18 or 19 songs. Funny enough, at our first show last week, we played 19 songs, and we only played one cover from the Pixies. All these songs just come together so quickly. We definitely want to record an album. I’m so stoked to actually have something out there, because right now, people are only getting little snippets and clips. We’re also thinking about recording a single first to start building some momentum.
Allen: We’re working on potentially doing a little live EP from the first show as well.
Lexi: We mentioned traveling a bit with gigs; doing some here and there, reaching out to different bars. If we’re in DC for any reason, seeing if we can get a gig there. Just doing more, getting more experience, putting ourselves out there, keeping the creativity going.
Tim: Yeah, it’s just really fun. And I also wanted to mention that we are playing a show in Apex with this guy named Taylor Sharp, who I connected with. We share a lot of the same music tastes, and he has some really cool stuff. I don’t know if it’s officially been announced yet, but it’ll be fun.
Who are some of your favorite local or North Carolina-specific musicians you’d want to shout out?
Allen: In the metal zone, I would say Corrosion of Conformity. They’re a legendary band. And in another direction, there’s this band called Yarn. They’re originally from New York, but they’ve influenced me, especially their DIY attitude of just making music, touring, and doing it on your own without a label. I feel like we can claim them at this point.
Tim: I’m going to shout out Taylor Sharp. He has some cool stuff, influenced by a lot of the power pop, 60s psychedelia, and punk rock that I’m into. And I guess it’s kind of assumed at this point, but I dig MJ Lenderman and Wednesday, too.
Lexi: One of my favorite bands is Rainbow Kitten Surprise. I’ve followed them for a very long time. They got started out of Boone, North Carolina. They’re huge now, but they were a huge inspiration to me all through high school, and even as early as middle school. They’re awesome.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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