Arden, North Carolina (August 20, 2020) — Fireside Collective is known for its distinctive blend of bluegrass, roots rock and funk-influenced, danceable rhythms, but the Asheville, North Carolina-based quintet can lay down a convincing straight-ahead slice of contemporary bluegrass when it chooses, and their latest single,“Back To Caroline,” makes the point with equal measures of heartfelt sincerity and instrumental skill.
The song, written by singer and resonator guitarist Tommy Maher, reflects personal experience, yet speaks to feelings for home and loved ones that can beset all who find themselves separated from them as a result of work life’s demands. “Everyone at some point will miss someone while they’re away, and that’s just what this tune is about,” Maher says. “I tried to incorporate the storytelling aspect of some of my favorite bluegrass songs and put an old-time mountain bounce around it, which the banjo and mandolin captured very well on the recording. It’s supposed to leave you feeling upbeat about a sad feeling we all know; loneliness and longing for home.”
Driven by Alex Genova’s stout yet inventive banjo and Jesse Iaquinto’s sparkling mandolin,
“Back To Caroline” reveals how tenacious the bluegrass roots of Fireside Collective’s music continue to be — and marks one end of the spectrum of music they offer on Elements, the full-length project they released just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to shut down the live performances that were earning the band a growing number of fans across the country.
With one foot in the past and the other planted firmly in today’s world, Fireside Collective’s “Back To Caroline” is a late summer offering that speaks eloquently of returning home to what matters.
Listen to “Back To Caroline” HERE.
About Fireside Collective
A quintet who cheerfully disregard every kind of one-dimensional label that might be attached to their music, Fireside Collective has been on a roll since emerging five years ago from the fertile roots music scene of Asheville, North Carolina. In quick order, the progressive bluegrass group released its debut, won the 2016 Band Contest at MerleFest, earned an International Bluegrass Music Association Momentum Band of the Year nomination and embarked on an ambitious touring schedule that’s earned an enthusiastic reception from traditional bluegrass to wide-ranging, eclectic music festival audiences alike.
Blending the characteristic interplay of bluegrass instrumentation and harmonies with strong original material and exuberant energy, Fireside Collective has drawn on folk, blues, funk and a wide variety of bluegrass sounds to create a distinctive body of work that’s all their own.
Each member—Joe Cicero (guitar); Alex Genova (banjo); Jesse Iaquinto (mandolin); Tommy Maher (resonator guitar) and Carson White (upright bass)—brings a strong, original voice to his instrument, and the unique contributions of different lead and harmony vocalists complement the variety in the group’s many original songs.
“Depending on where you come from and your experience with folk music, you may think we’re very traditional, or on the other hand, consider us a progressive act,” says Iaquinto. “We appreciate both ends of the spectrum and may lie on a different end on any given night.” But whether they’re bringing the classic sound of bluegrass or exploring new musical territory, Fireside Collective delivers a fresh, energetic approach and a blast of enthusiastic creativity that’s electrifying audiences across the country.