Fireweed

Brief History

fireweed flower Fireweed is a beautiful flower that grows along the roadsides. It got its name from the fact that it is one of the first plants to grow back after a wildfire has swept through an area. However, this striking magenta flower is not the only fireweed we have around here.

There is also a great bluegrass band by that name, based in Pueblo, and made up of four Puebloans and one Rye resident. Fireweed Bluegrass Band was formed in 1989. Traditional and contemporary Bluegrass are the band's main focus, with an emphasis on original gospel tunes. Fireweed has had many configurations over the years, and currently consists of five players who have been together since the summer of 1996.

The band's banjo player, and one of the founding members of Fireweed, is Tom Thornburg, whose bluegrass roots began in Indiana where his grandfather played fiddle and sang traditional bluegrass songs. Thornburg picks the banjo and has introduced some of the band's favorite instrumentals. He also sings lead and harmony vocals. The foundation of the Fireweed sound comes from Damian Rotolo on the stand-up bass.

Rotolo is one of the original band members. In addition to bass, he plays guitar, and sings lead and harmony vocals. One of the areas finest fiddle players, Jim Schaefer adds to the tempo and flavor of Fireweed. His work on such old standards as Orange Blossom Special, along with his outstanding improvisation and lead playing are favorites with all audiences. Adding powerful "chops" and lead work on the mandolin is Dave Foncannon, who has been playing bluegrass most of his life in bands from Kansas, Indiana and Colorado.

Many of the band's well-known tunes were written by Foncannon, including Fireweed's signature song, "Step Out on the Water." Rhythm and lead guitar duties are handled by Rye resident, Joel Thompson. He grew up playing fingerstyle guitar to the likes of Dan Fogelburg and Michael Martin Murphy. Thompson is the other songwriter in the band, adding homespun favorites such as "Mountain Standard Time" and "Little Rye Home." His guitar responsibilities are supplemented by stints on the mandolin, and he sings lead and harmony vocals. You can find Fireweed playing on Colorado's Front Range at numerous festivals, private parties, fund raising concerts and church services.

Fireweed is also the host band of the popular Bluegrass on the River Festival at the Nature Center in Pueblo, an annual event that takes place the weekend after Memorial Day.

When you attend a Fireweed concert it becomes immediately obvious that the band members are having fun, and this extends to the audience. Their tight blend of vocal harmonies, driving instrumentals and their repertoire of original songs are what sets this group apart. There is no designated "leader" in the band as they prefer to lead by consensus, and all of the original numbers are arranged by the entire group, giving them that "Fireweed sound".

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