As the cold winds converge with the crisp mountain air, we find ourselves reflecting on a year of extraordinary experiences. From performing at legendary festivals such as Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival and Floydfest, to unforgettable evenings sharing the stage with the great Jerry Douglas and our friends the Steep Canyon Rangers. We are so thankful for all of the awesome fans who have opened their hearts and driven many miles to support us!!

As many of you know, last year we embarked on a journey to the mountains of Mexico to share songs, stories, and good times with the good people of Michoacan. We ate amazing food, met kind folks, and were treated with nothing but love. With the mezcal flowing and the banjo ringing, we created lifelong memories and felt at home thousands of miles from the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

We are so excited to be heading back across the border this year and look forward to furthering our understanding of our neighbors to the south. Thanks to the hard work of Doug Beatty and his team, we are stoked to be a part of the Hummingbird Music Project. For more info or to donate to this wonderful cause, head to the Hummingbird website or click HERE!

We're fast approaching our 5 year mark as a band, and we can't believe how many amazing experiences we've shared with so many fabulous people. The Collective has been evolving along with our sound since day 1. Since signing with our booking agency Midwood Entertainment, we've had the pleasure of playing bigger and better shows all over the US and Canada. 

With that being said, we are proud to announce that we have also signed with Mountain Song Productions out of Brevard, NC!!! Mountain Song will be managing the band and helping us build on the vision we set out to pursue half a decade ago. John Felty and his team have already begun helping us move forward and focus our abilities. With the help of Mountain Song Productions and Midwood Entertainment, we couldn't be more excited about what 2019 holds for the band!

But let's not get ahead of ourselves... we still have some wonderful shows to close out the year. Here's a look at where we'll be for the rest of 2018:

Nov. 16th - 185 King Street in Brevard, NC
Nov. 17th - Tanglewood Pizza Anniversary Party in Bermuda Run, NC
Nov. 18th through 27th - Hummingbird Music Festival in Michoacan, Mexico
Dec. 13th - Rives Theater in Martinsville, VA with Billy Strings
Dec. 28th - Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC with Dangermuffin
Dec. 29th - Roasting Room in Bluffton, SC

Though the woodsmoke still rises from the chimney across the road, signs of spring sound from every corner. The birds outside the window sing a subtle symphony. The mountains in the distance start to turn from brown to green. Winter slowly fades into a distant memory, and a yearning for the open road begins to grow.

In the morning, we'll be hopping in the van and heading 596 miles south for our first show in the state of Florida! Our next weekend off lies months down the road, and we couldn't be more excited to be back between the lines, doing what we love. Here's a little rundown of where we'll be for the next few months:

For more details, head on over to our TOUR page or click HERE.

After that, we'll be returning to the infamous Albino Skunk Festival for their Spring extravaganza!

Later in April, we are head over heels excited about returning to Wilkesboro, NC for our first official slot at the world renowned Merlefest!!

We have an additional exciting announcement... 
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Four years ago, Fireside Collective was formed and what an adventure it has been! One of the best things that ever happened to this band was meeting our magnificent guitar player and all around entertainer, Mr. Joe Cicero. We first met Joe in the hallways of the Marriott during the International Bluegrass Music Association's annual conference in Raleigh, NC. His hot guitar licks and smooth dance moves fit into the band like a well placed G run on an old Martin Guitar. Since joining the band, Joe has performed over 300 shows and traveled countless miles with the band, all the while attending college full time at East Tennessee State University!

Well folks, we are proud to announce that on May 5th, a year from our release of Life Between the Lines, Joe will walk across the stage and accept his diploma. That's right, our very own Joe Cicero will earn his degree in Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies on Cinco de Mayo!! Let's all join together in congratulating our scholar for his hard work and dedication to the great American art form we call bluegrass music. Cheers!

Joe will literally be walking across the stage, accepting his diploma, hopping in his car, driving an hour, and jumping on stage just in time for our show. Come help us celebrate this momentous occasion at the French Broad River Festival in Hot Springs!

Bright pinks and lime greens blossom all across the ever changing landscape. We pause for a moment to look back on the roads we’ve crossed and the pleasures we’ve shared. We are humbled and inspired by the love and support we’ve received on our journey thus far. We look forward to a year full of festivals and can't wait to cross paths with the many kind folks who we’ve met along the way.

Much love to you all from the Fireside Collective, see you down the road!!

As the year comes to a close, we find ourselves looking back at the many memories of 2017. The great experience at IBMA week in Raleigh, the release of our album "Life Between the Lines", the many fun festivals we were a part of, the multitude of familiar faces and new friends we hung out with. They all help paint the picture of an exhilarating and exceptional year for Fireside Collective. Of all the fine memories that come to mind, none shine brighter than our recent trip to Mexico. Since we've been home, people have asked what we were up to down there. Well, since you asked, we'd like to invite you along on a little photo tour of our travels... come on!!

We began our journey to Mexico early Sunday morning out of Greenville, South Carolina. After a few connecting flights and some sprinting through airport terminals, we found ourselves in Dallas, Texas. Next stop, Mexico!!

The view from the magnificent Villa where we stayed on the side of Lake Pátzcuaro. The lake has been inhabited by the local Purhépecha Indians for centuries. There are numerous towns around this large body of water and each town specializes in a certain type of commerce. Each morning we would watch the locals hop in their boats and paddle out into the lake for a day of fishing!

Here is a view of the 10 bedroom villa where we were staying, known as “La Gloria de la Angeles” or the Glory of the Angels. It was built on the side of a hill leading down to the water and was one of the most beautiful homes one could imagine. Each day we woke up to fresh cooked meals, a variety of beverages, and of course, a shot of Mezcal!

Here we are in the courtyard of the monastery in Tzintzuntzan. This is the location of the main concert at the end of the week and also the place where we would rehearse with the local Purépucha band throughout the week. This young Mexican boy was explaining how the Spaniards built this monastery with the stones from the local Purépucha ruins.

Here is a shot of the ruins. They overlooked the lake and present day Tzintzuntzan.

One of the 3 Purhépecha songs which we learned. They sounded difficult initially, but once we broke them down and analyzed them, they didn’t seem much different than our songs!

We didn’t fly any basses down. Instead, we borrowed some local basses. Here we have the local Purhépecha bassist, Carson from Fireside, and Karl from Bill and the Belles. Notice the size of the bass corresponded to the size of the bassist!

A flier for our first show in Mexico!

Pictured here is the band “Bill and the Belles,” an excellent American roots band out of Johnson City, TN. They were the perfect band for this trip as they brought along a deep knowledge and appreciation for folk music. We loved sharing the stage with them and if you haven’t heard of them, check them out!!

This is the local Purhépecha band that we were performing with. At first, the language barrier was clear, but before long we were learning all about one anothers music and having a blast! They were great musicians and wonderful people!

Even though we were in Mexico, we still got to celebrate Thanksgiving thanks to our fearless leader, Doug Beatty! He managed to bring 2 turkeys down to Mexico in a cooler, and despite some confusion for the TSA agents, we had a wonderful Thanskgiving!

Bill and the Belles performing during one of our six shows together. During our trip, we had various concerts around Lake Pátzcuaro, leading up to our big Sunday performance in Tzintuntzan. We met so many kind people throughout this trip and the music we shared went over very well!

Did I mention the food?? Wow!! Every where we went, the food was remarkable! The freshness of the ingredients mixed with the local flavors and spices made eating one of the most enjoyable aspects of the trip!

One of our performances led us to this beautiful island in the middle of Lake Pátzcuaro! They claimed to have the most authentic “Day of the Dead” celebration. Pictured here is the island graveyard and some of the remnants of the recent festivities.

Here is a cool shot of our shadows on the islands’ “Lagoon.” Every spring, this fills up and provides water for the inhabitants of the island.

Enjoying some cervezas before one of our performances!

Some of our “biggest” fans in Mexico!

Mmmm, more exquisite food. One of the only food pictures I got without a bite taken out of it...

The locals advised us to take a shot of Mezcal and a shot of fermented pepper juice each day in order to stay healthy. When in Mexico...

Our final concert was a big celebration in the heart of Tzintzuntzan. Tzintzuntzan means “place of the hummingbirds” and it was the center of our travels through Mexico. The mayor even bought us shirts for the big show!

Here we are enjoying some street gorditas before our performance. Notice the various band members sporting their stylish new shirts!

The big concert in Tzintzuntzan featured various Mexican bands as well as an incredible dance group. During one section of their show, the female dancers pulled random members of the crowd up to dance with. Our very own Tommy Maher was among those selected, and while the others danced in the crowd, Tommy got to showcase his moves on stage in front of the whole audience!

It’s not usually a good thing to end the night surrounded by police officers. This was certainly an exception! The Tzintzuntzan police were very friendly and we were happy knowing they were on our side!

Holy molé!! This homemade molé was some of the most amazing food we had!!

Pictured here are our amazing translators, Marcela and Isaac. Not only were they top notch translators, they were also great musicians! Isaac is an incredible mandolin player and Marcela is a beautiful singer, together they made some amazing music!!

On the left we have Hugo and Suzie, the owners of the beautiful home we stayed at. On the right, the man with the plan, Doug Beatty. Doug put the whole project together and took great care of us. Thanks for the journey of a lifetime Doug!!

The fuel that kept Fireside burning, Mezcal!!

We went straight to the source to find out how this magical elixir was created.

We figured we might as well bring some home...

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Our journey to Mexico was uplifting, inspiring, memorable, and musical. We couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to share it with!

Joe reflecting on an amazing experience...

The people of Mexico were so kind. They were grateful that we were sharing our music and we had many deep connections. They wanted us to bring back the message that Mexico is a safe and beautiful place. They hoped that more people would come and enjoy the wonders of Mexico.

Thank you to the fine people of Mexico for being so welcoming!! Everyone we met was so kind and the experiences we had will stay with us for a very long time. We learned a new style of music, we ate some incredible food, we talked with wonderful people, and we made countless new memories which have enriched our lives and left us filled with hope!

Now we find ourselves with just 2 more shows in 2017. We hope to see our Raleigh friends this Saturday at the Pour House. Raleigh has been that home away from home that we’ve needed to keep moving forward and we couldn’t think of a better place to help us close out this year. On Sunday, we’ll be back in the mountains performing at Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard with the Jeff Austin band. We’re so excited to be so close to home for this New Years Eve and we can’t wait to share it with our mountain family!!