Juliet Forshaw of SUNY Oswego’s music faculty keeps her creative spirit burning, as shown by her new release with the trio The Fire Within.

The group –- which includes Forshaw’s longtime partner Michael Judge and new member David Alexander –- will officially celebrate their record with an album release party from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 24, at Bridie Manor in Oswego.

The event is free and open to the public.

“We play original acoustic songs in a folk style,” Forshaw explained. “The subject matter ranges from the mundane to the mystical, and we write in a spirit of adventure, nature and whimsy.”

Both multi-instrumentalists, singers and songwriters, Forshaw and Judge had been performing as Avalon for years when they found a kindred spirit in Alexander, a skilled finger-picking guitarist. Alexander and Judge offer similar earthy voices while Forshaw has the ability to instill soaring, seemingly operatic, vocals when needed.

They noticed “all three of us sensed a shared worldview: a reverence for the land and a desire for a deeper relationship with it,” Forshaw said. “We progressed from campfires and garden projects, to splitting gigs and playing covers, to writing music together. We wrote our first song during a blizzard when we had to shelter in place for the night.”

Learning new rules 

By navigating the often-complicated processes of getting music onto streaming and purchasing platforms, Forshaw is learning skills and finding solutions to challenges that will benefit fellow musicians as well as current and future students.

“My students are more media-savvy than I am, but I've learned a few things in the process,” Forshaw said. “First of all, it's easier now than ever to put your music out into the world (online) –- but you are a needle in an ever-growing haystack, you are dealing with large impersonal platforms that take most of the revenue and don't provide the kind of promotional support that artists have traditionally relied on, and casual listeners no longer feel obligated to pay for music because there's so much free content online.”

The experience has shown how a do-it-yourself attitude and varied skillset –- beyond just being a great artist –- can help in the music business.

“As an independent artist today, you have to be prepared to do all your own promotion,” Forshaw noted. “When dealing with platforms, be prepared for long chats with automated customer service. Having some skills with photography, graphic design, social media and videography is a must. You are going to have to work really, really hard.” 

But as the new record and band’s growing following show, the effort can be worth it.

The Fire Within’s self-titled debut is streaming and available for purchase on Bandcamp, Apple Music and Amazon, as well as streaming on Spotify and Pandora.