SIBLINGS Alyssa and Anthony Adario have formed a new band called Birchwood Blaze. (Beth MacGray Photo)
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The love of music and family inspired Lynnfield residents Alyssa and Anthony Adario to form a new band.
Birchwood Blaze is a new Americana band comprised of the Adario siblings. The musicians released the band’s debut record, “Teakwood & Flannel,” this past June.
“It’s available on all the streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, etc.,” said Alyssa. “We also have print versions available at our shows.”
Anthony said Birchwood Blaze’s sound is “pretty eclectic.”
“That is what led us to label it broadly as Americana music,” said Anthony. “It encompasses blues, country, soul, folk and vintage rock and roll. I always find it funny how different audiences interpret our music differently. In Boston, people call us country but in Nashville, we fit in better with the rock and blues crowds.”
While Alyssa primarily plays acoustic guitar and sings while Anthony plays electric guitar, she noted that both musicians are multi-instrumentalists.
“We both play several instruments and like to find chances to switch it up, especially on our recordings where we play everything,” said Alyssa. “Anthony will often play harmonica, banjo, dobro, lap steel guitar, organ or mandolin. I’ll play mandolin, fiddle or piano, and I like to play electric guitar as well. We’ve even borrowed an upright bass a few times, and Anthony did a good job putting it down on some of our recordings and videos.”
Birchwood Blaze recently went on its first tour that included stops in the Southeast.
“I couldn’t be happier with how the tour went,” said Anthony. “We went to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which was a bucket list stop for me. A lot of people have never heard of it, but they have two legendary studios where the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and Duane Allman recorded, so it felt kind of magical being there. We are already planning our next tour down there.”
Alyssa agreed.
“It was great,” said Alyssa. “I already can’t wait for the next one. Being at home now is making me a little restless. I’m looking forward to getting back into some of those venues like Kimbro’s Pickin Parlor in Franklin, Tennessee and the Boro Bar in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.”
Birchwood Blaze also played a variety of shows in New Hampshire and Maine this summer. The band will be playing at the Huckleberry Hill School PTO Golf Tournament at the Thomson Country Club in North Reading on Monday, Oct. 18.
While Alyssa said Birchwood Blaze is primarily a duo, she said the band does occasionally perform with other musicians.
“Last year, we did a Halloween livestream that featured local bass player Andrew Bond,” said Alyssa. “We have a song out that Lynnfield High School graduate Colin Lamusta sings on. He joined us for a video last year too.”
Anthony noted that Birchwood Blaze will be releasing another song that will feature guest appearances from LHS Band alumni.
“I am looking forward to releasing that song,” said Anthony.
Anthony said Birchwood Blaze “started pretty organically.”
“Having both been musicians in the same family, we were already constantly playing music together,” said Anthony.
Alyssa echoed Anthony’s sentiment.
“We decided to formally make a band out of it because it was a way for us to get out, play music for people and travel around New England,” said Alyssa.
Alyssa has been playing music for the past decade.
“I’ve always been interested in music since I was a little kid,” said Alyssa. “I always knew I wanted to be a singer. I
I started studying with an opera singer when I was in middle school, and it just sort of took it from there. I won ‘Lynnfield Idol’ when I was a teenager. My brother and I weren’t in high school at the same time, but we were both really involved in the band program. It definitely helped being so involved in the LHS Band program. I’m very grateful to former LHS Band Director Tom Westmoreland for giving us those opportunities and really being a mentor to the two of us.”
Anthony started playing guitar in 2014 during his freshman year at Lynnfield High because he wanted to join the LHS Band and learn how to play music from Westmoreland.
“I got the motivation to start in the beginning because I wanted to be a part of the LHS Band community,” said Anthony. “Music is a really unique way of collaborating with people, and what LHS Band had was a great example of that. It got me playing with lots of different people and it’s great to learn to be compatible as a musician. I’m really fascinated with the way different individuals leave their stamp on a song.”
The Adario family moved to Lynnfield when Alyssa was 8-years-old and Anthony was 4. Alyssa graduated from LHS in 2014 and Anthony graduated in 2018.
“I’ve spent almost my whole life in Lynnfield, but the fact that I wasn’t born living here made me appreciate it young,” said Anthony. “I definitely wouldn’t have had the freedom to go out on the street and make friends if it wasn’t a small town community.”
For more information about Birchwood Blaze, visit https://birchwoodblaze.com.
