The Fire Within, led by associate professor and chair of music Juliet Forshaw, will start the spring semester's Focus on Faculty series with a free concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 2, in the Sheldon Hall ballroom.

The group is an expansion of her previous duo, Avalon, formed with partner Michael Judge.

"We added guitarist David Alexander after we were all snowed in one night and wrote a song together," Forshaw explained. "We released our debut album in March 2024, and more recently have added percussionist John Shambo." 

Their self-titled debut captures the band's folk style in an acoustic setting, ranging from serious to whimsical subjects. On stage and in recordings, the music reflects the group's tight bond.

"More than a band, we are also best friends," Forshaw said. "We grow food and raise livestock together. Many of our songs come straight from our daily lives; others are fictional. We try to explore the full human experience, from the divine to the down and dirty."

Forshaw's expansive knowledge of music -- teaching courses ranging from classical music to opera, popular music to heavy metal -- helps inform the band's eclectic repertoire.


"As a music history teacher, I deal with many periods of music, and all four of us have deep roots in various styles - opera, classical music, blues, rock, folk and a shot of bluegrass," Forshaw said. "A reviewer described the album as having a 'rough and ready campfire folk troubadour feel.' Another musician friend told us we sounded like 'astronaut hillbillies,' whatever that means. I did want to be an astronaut when I was a kid, and we're all kind of turning into hillbillies now. So the description fits!" 

In the past two years, The Fire Within has played at the Hook Songwriter Series at the Oswego Music Hall, a few small outdoor festivals, several local bars, a winery and a church, Forshaw noted.

"This is the first time our band will be playing at SUNY Oswego," Forshaw said. "We feel the fire within, and we hope you will too."