by Adam Gault
Continuing to highlight Essex County’s incredible array of musical talent, Tune Up the Parks welcomed local hard rock trio “Fire” to Essex Centre on Wednesday, July 18. The local band offered a high-energy, rock experience, reminiscent of the forgotten sounds of hard rock’s heyday.
Inspired by ‘70s rock mainstays, like Rush and Led Zeppelin, this talented young band, whose members range in age from 17 to 22, takes a hands-on approach when it comes to song writing and musical composition. Ensuring its entirely original catalogue takes listeners back to one of rock’s most celebrated eras, “Fire” simultaneously injects its own unique element into its tunes.
“If it’s a day that we’re writing, we’ll shoot for three songs and we usually get there,” Jared Porter, who is both the singer and drummer, explained of the band’s writing process. Porter is joined by fellow bandmates, guitarist Adam McLellan and bassist Andrew Wiens. “In the weeks following, it’s adding guitar solos, and other little parts. It’s just a matter of sitting down and jamming and seeing what you come up with.”
The eventual band members met while attending Leamington’s Cardinal Carter Catholic Secondary School and first began jamming together in Porter’s barn before playing their first show at the now defunct Kingsville Bridge House. Since that inaugural gig, the band has moved onto bigger Windsor venues, including the long standing and venerable “Dominion House.”
“We usually try and keep it really fun, really personal, if there’s people in the crowd who I can tell are the most interested, I’ll try and make conversation with them even from stage,” Porter said of their live show experience. “It’s just all about fun, anyway. We’re doing it because we love it. We’re just more than happy to be playing the music that we write. It’s an opportunity that everybody dreams of, I think.”
Speaking as an Essex native, Porter explained initiatives like Tune Up the Parks provide an incredible opportunity to highlight the strength of the local community and can play a large role in bringing people together.
“I grew up here in Essex, so I love anything that the community will put together. Events like these definitely bring people together and I’m more than happy to support the town in any way I can,” Porter commented. “It is all about community. I want to see more kindness, I want to see love being brought back, and I think that rock and roll has in the past brought people together and I think that’s what we’re trying to do. It’s about a fun time, it’s about making friends.”
If you missed Fire’s last Tune Up the Parks performance, you’ll be able to catch a performance again this coming Monday, July 30 as they take the stage at Colchester Harbour and Park at 7 pm.
Fire can be followed online at facebook.com/officalFIRE.