We recently connected with Jesse Iaquinto and have shared our conversation below.

Jesse, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Turning my creative work into a full-time living was a process that was laden with uncertainty, calculated risks and a healthy dose of idealism. In the beginning, it was necessary to dream big and focus on the possibilities. As someone who has always played music, but never run a business, there were constant challenges along the way. How does one commodify artistic expression? How do you play to a specific audience while maintaining authenticity? These questions and more were constantly on my mind as I turned my passion into a consistent, livable income. When the band started, we all lived together and spent a great deal of time together. We saved a lot of money in the early days, which was necessary to get the project off the ground. A band requires multiple creative visions to come together and unify into one clear direction. This is not always easy, and there are really no blueprints for this. We had to just set our sails and get moving, always ready for the shifting winds and doing our best to learn from them. We’ve experienced steady growth over the years and with the help of these early sacrifices, we have been able to make this our full-time job for the better part of a decade.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a musician from New York State who grew up playing piano and guitar before falling in love with bluegrass, classic rock and the Grateful Dead. In college I majored in philosophy and spent most of my time playing music with as many different types of musicians as I could. I became more and more fascinated with the counter-culture movement of the 60’s and the music it spawned. In addition, I was captivated by the soaring harmonies and energetic sounds of bluegrass music. In 2009, I moved to Asheville, NC to immerse myself in the artistic movement that was unfolding in the Blue Ridge Mountains. My goal was to put together a progressive bluegrass band that honored the tradition of early country while also allowing classic rock and modern music to help evolve the sound. In 2014, I started Fireside Collective and we’ve been on the road ever since. We’ve played in almost 40 states as well as Canada and Mexico. The band has performed at major bluegrass festivals such as Rockygrass, Delfest, Grey Fox, Merlefest and many more. We’ve released 4 albums and are currently writing our 5th. Fireside aims to provide a captivating performance featuring original compositions, extensive improvisation and a high level of musical proficiency. Check us out at www.firesidecollectiveband.com!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In fall of 2022, the band embarked on our first official west coast tour. We landed in San Francisco, picked up our rental van and got ready to experience some new places. We had an extra day at the beginning of the tour to do some sightseeing so we headed into the city. After brunch, we went for a walk along the water. When we returned to our car, the windows had been smashed and everything but our instruments were gone. We were devastated. In all of our years, we had never experienced a situation like this and we were so far from home. In the days following, we struggled with how to proceed. Some of ur were able to recover items through insurance, but we lost songs and sentimental items that could never be replaced. On the way to one of our gigs, we decided to visit the amazing Redwood National Forest along the California Coast. These trees were so majestic and beautiful. The thing that struck me was how intertwined their roots systems were and how much they relied on the greater community to support all the trees. This made me realize how integral our community of fans, friends and families had become. We had so many people reach out and check on us and that helped carry us through. After this experience, we decided we would use this tragedy to create a new chapter and tell a story of resilience. When we got back to North Carolina, we rented a cabin up in the mountains and started writing a new album. We plan to use the experiences and inspiration we gathered on this wild ride out west to create a concept album that honors community and celebrates the journey of the human spirit.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my opinion, society should always celebrate artists and strive to create an environment where artistic expression is honored and valued. Nations are defined by the art we create. We need to make universal standards of income for artists in the same way that many other industries are protected. Some of the best art comes from people who have struggled and could use community support. When we honor artists, they create great works and society as a whole benefits. We should be adding art and music programs to schools and normalizing artistic expression. We are all artists and once we discover this, the world will blossom. If we choose not to water and cultivate the creative journey, we lose sight of the beauty and precious nature of human experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.firesidecollectiveband.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/firesidecollective
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/firesidecollective
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FiresideCollective

Image Credits
Jace Kartye, Jay Strausser