EddieFest remembers local musician by raising suicide prevention awareness

Eddie Watkins was a prominent figure in the Chapel Hill music scene for over two decades. He helped form the band Polvo in 1990 while attending UNC. Polvo went on to tour North America multiple times, as well as the United Kingdom and Europe. He also played in three other local bands — Frosted Sugar Bombs, Dr. Powerful and Stranger in the Valley of the Kings. 

Watkins took his own life in April 2016, but his family found a meaningful way to keep his spirit alive. His ex-wife, Amy Overman, and their two children, Lucie and Ned Watkins, worked with Eddie’s sister, Adrienne Alden, to honor his memory and raise awareness for suicide prevention.

“Between all of us, we came up with this idea of a day-long music festival,” Overman said. “Just a day to celebrate Eddie and try to make it a place where we could all come together and acknowledge that ‘Yes, we’re in pain,’ but ‘Yes, we’re going to keep going,’ and maybe we can create something good out of this pain.”

Known as EddieFest, the third installment of this music festival will take place on Sunday, Nov. 17 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro. Thirteen musical acts from the North Carolina music scene have agreed to perform. 

“Every year, I’m amazed at the outpouring of kindness and compassion and willingness to help us with this that we get from the music and art community,” Overman said. Many of the acts have performers that worked with or knew Eddie. 

One of those acts, Oort Patrol, was created by Gordon Anderson, a former bandmate of Eddie's. Anderson played with Eddie in Dr. Powerful for about five years. 

“He was somebody that I looked up to, just musically, when I met him," Anderson said. "Over the course of the next few years, we got to be really good friends, and he was just somebody that I admired in a lot of ways. I got to see his kids grow up. It was a pretty cool thing.”

Overman has asked Anderson to perform for the past two years of the festival, but this is the first time he has been able to put together a group and prepare for a show. 

“It is really wonderful and meaningful for me that Gordon will be there,” Overman said.

Previous EddieFests were held at Kings in Raleigh, so this year’s move to Cat’s Cradle brings the event closer to Eddie’s roots in Chapel Hill.

Frank Heath, the owner of Cat’s Cradle, knew Eddie from his performances at the venue. He heard about EddieFest in 2017, loved the idea and wished it could be held at Cat's Cradle. Heath got his wish when Overman reached out to him earlier this year.

“Polvo used to play the Cradle in the 90s,” Heath said. “He was just a really nice guy and one of my favorite musicians. He never had anything bad to say about anybody.” 

Tickets to EddieFest are $10 and all proceeds go to HopeLine, a suicide prevention helpline based in Raleigh. 

The festival will also host a silent art auction. Local artists and friends of Eddie’s family will auction their work with all proceeds also going to HopeLine.

“I would hope people take away that there is a place that you can get to through the pain,” Overman said. “People are trying to be there for each other. I just hope people can feel safe and know that they’re loved.”

arts@dailytarheel.com