Tad Dreis
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Music
Press
"Like a stateside Ben Lee who has swapped irritating idealism for more plausible pragmatism and a heightened sense of storytelling, Chapel Hill's Tad Dreis bases his guy-with-guitar presentation more on pop melodics than folk didactics.
He's got a careful eye for detail and a witty, charming disposition, his musings about using too much soap while cleaning his new lover's apartment reading like a ready-made score for a forthcoming romantic comedy." - Music Worth Leaving The House For
"Dreis, a Carrboro resident and UNC graduate, went on to sing other poppy folk tunes, some covers but mostly originals.
He infused quite a bit of spoken word into his songs, along with an astoundingly crisp falsetto.
Dreis struck his best Joni Mitchell pose with a song about clearing land to make room for a Best Buy." - Arts and Entertainment
"...a jangly marvel with a bittersweet story to tell and one of the catchiest tunes you'll hear coming out of North Carolina this year." - Notes From Home
Discography
The Reluctant Hook (and the Day That Caught It) (2009)
Play To Remember (2005)
Solitaire For Two (2003)
Yours Asleep (2001)
Photos
Bio
Tad Dreis plays indie-folk-pop music with heart and a sense of humor, plus a rocking harmonica.
His 2009 storytelling CD, "The Reluctant Hook (and the day that caught it)," shares tales of love, haunted telemarketers, and technology-assisted high school mall hookups.
Since graduating from UNC, he has released four original CDs and become a regular performer at colleges, festivals, and clubs throughout the US. In 2007 alone, he has performed over sixty shows from New York to Texas.
Back in 2003, Tad was honored to be featured on the NC-PBS folk music show "Carolina Calling," hosted by the legendary bluegrass musician Arthur Smith. Over the next two years he won second place against international competition in the SongLounge song contest in Los Angeles, and made the final round of both the North Carolina Songwriting Contest and the Eddie's Attic Songwriters' Shootout.
Recently, Tad received another honor when he was selected by member schools of the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities as one of the top five "Best Solo Performers" for 2006.
Discography:
The Reluctant Hook (and the day that caught it) (2009)
Play To Remember (2005)
Solitaire For Two (2003)
Yours Asleep (2001)
College Performances:
Peace College
NICC Peosta
Kirkwood CC Cedar Rapids
NICC Calmar
Kirkwood CC Iowa City
UNC - Hanes Art Center
Penn State Erie Behrend
Penn State Hazleton
Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Seton Hill University
Cayuga Community College
Juniata College
SUNY Delhi
Dana College
University of Maryland
Jefferson CC
Finger Lakes CC
Penn State Greater Allegheny
Lees-McRae College
Limestone College
California U of PA
Penn State Shenango
MSU Moorhead
Edinboro University of PA
Monroe CC
Finger Lakes CC
UVA College at Wise
St. Andrews Presbyterian College
NC State University
Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte NC
Winthrop University, Rock Hill SC
Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter FL
Mercer University, Macon GA
Lees-McRae College, Banner Elk NC
Concord University, Athens WV
Duke University, Durham NC
Wells College, Syracuse NY
Cisco Junior College, Cisco TX
Tarrant Cty Comm. Coll., Hurst TX
Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar VA
Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford GA
Abraham Baldwin Technical College, Tifton GA
Georgia Southern University, Statesboro GA
Bucknell University, Lewisburg PA
College Misericordia, Dallas PA
Nazareth College, Rochester NY
Cazenovia College, Cazenovia NY
Le Moyne College, Syracuse NY
Mohawk Valley Community College, Utica NY
East Carolina University, Greenville NC
Carnegie-Melon University, Pittsburgh PA
Limestone College, Gaffney SC
Washington College, Chestertown MD
PSU Beaver Campus, Monaca PA
PSU Harrisburg, Harrisburg PA
PSU Delaware County, Media PA
PSU York, York PA
PSU McKeesport, McKeesport PA
Bridgewater College, Brigewater VA
Randolph-Macon Womens College, Lynchburg VA
Randolph-Macon College, Ashland VA
PSU Erie Behrend, Erie PA
NC School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, NC
University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa
Horry Georgetown Technical College, Conway SC
Horry Georgetown Technical College, Georgetown SC
Elon University, Elon NC
SUNY Cobleskill
Germana Community College, Locust Grove VA
Rollins College, Winter Park FL
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee NC
Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville MO
Pensacola Junior College, Pensacola FL
Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah GA
UNC Pembroke, Pembroke NC
Ole Miss University, Oxford MS
High Point University, High Point NC
Contests:
Finalist - Eddie's Attic Songwriters Shootout, 2004
Finalist - North Carolina Songwriting Contest, 2004
2nd Place - Songlounge.com Songwriting Contest, 2003
Other Honors:
Performer, PBS folk music program "Carolina Calling," 2004
Voted weekly favorite, NPR.com "All Songs Considered - Open Mic"
Links
