Nick Folwarczny performing. Credit: Courtesy of Hannah Wilson
Nick Folwarczny, an Ohio State alum who graduated in Dec. 2025, will make his headliner debut at A&R Music Bar, located at 391 Neil Ave., alongside opener Harrison Goodell, at 7 p.m. Friday.
Blending the folk and alternative genres into a distinct sound, Folwarczny evolved from producing music in his King Avenue campus house to recording out of a home studio. Friday’s show marks a bold step forward as Folwarczny will depart from his traditional solo setup, and will be joined by a full band backed with production tracks.
“I’ve played A&R [Music Bar] a handful of times and every time I’m just like ‘It would be so cool to headline this,’” Folwarczny said. “Now, finally being able to, is something I didn’t think would have ever happened.”
Folwarczny said he got an early start in music, taking guitar, piano and voice lessons at Music Royale in Powell, Ohio. It wasn’t until after high school, however, that he began writing his own material. He debuted with an EP featuring “Sugarcoat” on Sept. 15, 2022 — the only track from the release still remaining in his discography today.
Folwarczny’s relationship with his manager, Perry Avgerinos, began in 2023. At the time, Avgerinos and his partner, Noah Schwartz, were running the music blog Sheesh. After reading one of Avgerinos’ articles, Folwarczny followed him on social media, just as Avgerinos happened to be searching for upcoming talent to manage.?
“I asked him for any demos that he had — one of them was “Long, Long While,” which is his current biggest song, and that was the one that I was like, ‘I definitely hear something in his vocals,’” Avgerinos said. “I then found out that he was producing everything himself, so that was what really helped solidify it — the fact that he was doing everything.”?
After his 2023 single “The Weatherman” gained traction on TikTok, Avgerinos and Schwartz officially signed Folwarczny to Sheesh Management.?
Folwarczny first expanded his fan base by opening for other touring artists — a step Avgerinos said helped him get his feet wet and provided him with necessary practice.?
Folwarczny released his debut EP, “Who Was I,” Aug. 28 — setting the stage for his Friday headline performance.
“Everything up until this show has just been solo, so I’ll get on the stage with just me and a guitar,” Folwarczny said. “With this show and the band, we’re doing weekly rehearsals, so we just meet up in my drummer’s basement and then run through the set and hang out.”
Folwarczny started off studying psychiatry at Ohio State before switching to psychology. Facing the drop deadline, he left a General Chemistry 2 recitation and called his father, asking him to let him quit medicine to pursue music full-time.
“I stayed in school [and] ended up getting my Bachelor of Science in Psychology, which was fun,” Folwarczny said. “I had a lot more fun with that than I did with the medicine.”
Folwarczny credits his time at Ohio State with providing invaluable lessons that helped shape his career as a musician. In his off-campus King Avenue house, he frequently recorded music, including songs he will be performing Friday.?
Folwarczny said the support he received from many of his friends throughout his first year boosted his confidence and made him feel comfortable pursuing music.?
“[Ohio State] definitely showed me that people won’t make fun of the fact that I’m doing music, which was a big reason I didn’t write in high school,” Folwarczny said. “A lot of the judgment I think I feel is probably made up, and I can credit that to Ohio State.”
Folwarczny often used the Timashev Family Music Building as a space for recording demos, which, he said, acted as a dedicated space for uninterrupted practice.
“Having the space for people to sit in a room where no one can really hear them and practice was huge for me,” Folwarczny said.
Avgerinos said he is proud of how far Folwarczny has come in his music career.
“[Folwarczny is] the most easygoing person and go-with-the-flow guy I’ve probably ever met, but he’s very receptive to feedback, which is actually really important with a working manager-client relationship,” Avgerinos said. “He’s also one of the hardest working people I’ve met. You can tell he loves this, and he’s dedicated to it, and he puts in the time that is necessary to really make it in today’s industry.”
Tickets for Folwarczny and Goodell’s Friday performance can be purchased for $25.80 on the website, and doors open at 7 p.m.
