Longtime northern Utah residents are probably familiar with the annual Ogden Music Festival. Not much (short of a global pandemic) can stop this celebration, presented by Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music, as big bands from across the country usually show up, while local bands get to play alongside. In 2022, David Burchfield and the Fire Guild recorded their set, and are releasing it as an album later this year.

Burchfield has been creating music for as long as he can remember. He's released a huge catalog as a solo artist, as well as in different bands. This current lineup, however, is one of the best he's worked with: Megan Nay (fiddle/vocals), Dylan Schorer (electric guitar/pedal steel), Spencer Aamodt (upright bass) and Jagoda (drums).

Having moved to Utah from Colorado years ago, Burchfield made friends in the acoustic/bluegrass community in SLC, and met the Fire Guild members in those circles. As far as the name goes, there's not necessarily an interesting story behind it, but it does have history. "I think I just thought it sounded cool," said Burchfield. "That's what I've called my live band for six or seven years; there is a Denver iteration of that as well."

The music that Burchfield focuses on and creates dabbles in different genres. You'll find influences from indie folk, classic country and bluegrass, and he easily weaves elements from these different categories to create his own unique and solid sound, with the Fire Guild easily adding to the mix. "I think what feels closest to my heart is the indie folk thing, because being song-focused is really what's most important to me," Burchfield said. "I think that takes more of a listening audience and I think at times we've struggled to find more listening-centered environments for local bands in Utah, where folks are really paying attention to that. But we've been fortunate to find some good settings for that," he said.

The live album from David Burchfield and the Fire Guild doesn't focus too much on the bluegrass side of things, but instead has more Americana influences. "It's just way more subtle, especially given our Americana instrumentation with drums and electric guitar, but ...what draws me I think, to that, is community and being rooted in tradition," Burchfield said.

He adds that he's very excited to do a live album, as this will be his first. The cost for the album was more manageable than being in-studio, and Burchfield loves the current lineup of the Fire Guild and what they bring to the music. "I feel like somehow we're walking this line of pretty thoughtfully-written lyrics and songs that are also presented in a way that people can dance and have a good time, which I think is pretty necessary to make things work in Utah," he said. "I'm excited about what we have made together as a band and being able to finally present the live show, because I think it's pretty different from the studio records. We play some songs from state to state on this live set, but there's a lot of new songs on there too."

The recorded set marked the first time the Fire Guild played at the Ogden Music Festival, and it couldn't have gone better. "It was great. It was the biggest stage I've played on and a great audience, and we worked really hard as a band to get there and to be ready for that day. All the little things that could have gone wrong, really didn't," Burchfield said. "People just played well and had a good time. I'm super glad we had video and audio on onsite to capture all that."

The live album from the Fire Guild will be out April 27, and it's an exciting listen. Along with the album, there's a few videos to keep an eye out for. Listening through the live album, it's easy to hear the cohesion and compatibility of the members of the Fire Guild. Each track is rife with high energy, intricate instrumentation and thoughtful lyrics. Some of the songs are among Burchfield's older tracks, but the most recent ones cover a wide range of subject matter, including that of the pandemic. "There's several pandemic songs in here, meditations on impacts of COVID or wanting COVID to be over, wanting to get back to the party and get back to touring," he said.

Now that the world is getting back to a sense of normalcy, Burchfield is excited to release this new album and continue making music with the Fire Guild. "Right now, I'm really loving what I'm learning from everyone. They're also experienced in their own ways. They have all been playing for a really long time," he said. "We're finding how to bring all of that together; it's just really unique and fun to learn about." Meanwhile, there's new music in the works for after the live album, and Burchfield is looking forward to getting into the studio for the first time with this lineup.

Catch the live album from David Burchfield and the Fire Guild later this year on April 27. The group will also be performing for the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association Friday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. The show is held at Southern Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in Cottonwood Heights. Tickets for the all-ages event are $15 and can be found at iamaweb.org.