“We hope our audiences get a chance to escape the confines of time and the pressures of modern life” explains Jesse Iaquinto of Fireside Collective, “We prioritize groove so our listeners can dance and let loose.  The pinnacle is when we all transcend our individual selves, both onstage and in the audience, and become one entity experiencing the precious nature of life. We are all one, and music allows us to experience that.”  Inspired by the burgeoning art scene, close knit community, and natural beauty of Asheville, North Carolina, newgrass turned eclectic jam band Fireside Collective has spent a decade working towards this very pinnacle.  Original band members Joe Cicero, guitar, Jesse Iaquinto, mandolin, Tommy Maher, resonator guitar, and Carson White, bass, began playing together in 2014 when Iaquinto gathered the group of bluegrass enthusiasts to back up some of his original songwriting.  At the time, Iaquinto was waiting tables at the Biltmore Estate and studying early folk and country music,  Cicero, Maher and White were similarly balancing odd jobs and college classes while diving deep into roots music.  When the band first began, they hoped to integrate elements of bluegrass, folk and acoustic music, but focus mainly on original songs and compositions.  But a few years in, the band took a hard dive into bluegrass and newgrass, inspired by Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice, and Bela Fleck among others.  Fireside Collective spent years touring the bluegrass circuit, playing bluegrass festivals, and attending the IBMA conference and awards shows.  They saw relatively quick success, winning the 2016 band contest at MerleFest, and charting #3 on the Billboard Bluegrass Charts with their 2020 release, “Elements”.  But the Covid pandemic gave the band a chance to stop, reflect, and move forward with intention. While many bands disintegrated during the long and challenging pause in live music, Fireside Collective took the opportunity to reimagine their future as a band, incorporate their new interests and musical growth, and simultaneously look back on the original intentions behind the bands’ formation.  When they began touring again, Fireside drew inspiration from jambands like The Grateful Dead,  the group’s agreed upon North Star.  There was significantly more improvisation, changing setlists from night to night, and longer musical movements.  With the introduction of Michael Tillis on drums in late 2023, the sound expanded to include heavy funk elements as well as classic rock and even ventured into techno and world music. By the end of 2024, Fireside Collective had become a true hybrid, with a strong foundation in bluegrass and folk, and healthy doses of rock n’ roll and funk, all blended together in a unique and colorful amalgam of original music.  Iaquinto, Cicero and Maher all contribute original music to the group’s repertoire.  Iaquinto explains that the band hopes their music will be accessed by fans on many different levels, from a surface level party environment to a more philosophical introspection when the time is right.  “I draw a lot of influence from Robert Hunter, Bob Dylan and the Beatles.” he says.  “I hope to write songs that provide comfort and warmth to the listener while giving them a chance to look deeper if they wish”