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Like Carly Simon? Do you groove to alt-rock, retro country, roots rock, Southern soul and bluegrass? Then Cassie Jean & The Fireflies are for you. The mom of three who coaches her sons’ teams when she is not playing co-ed soccer or in a women’s competitive league talked to us with a chill vibe about her heartfelt lyrics and music.
Songwriting duo Cassie Jean Barbaresi and Rich Odato are partners in life and music. You might have heard them playing around town. Odato works in downtown St. Pete running a marketing company.
When the pandemic hit, they took a hiatus from performing live and decided to focus on creating original songs and music in their home studio. A prolific songwriter digging deep into her personal experiences, hopes and challenges, Cassie Jean churned out an entire album with 14 songs and hasn’t stopped since. Just last week, they were back in the studio recording two new originals, plus a Christmas song.
It wasn’t an easy path. Serendipity led them to Grammy-winning producer/engineer Bud Snyder of /Baysound Sounds, a who worked with the Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, Gregg Allman, and others. The three assembled a “rag tag team of just the right players that decided to just have fun in studio, do what we love and see where it goes,” says Cassie Jean.
“We had symphony orchestra bassist John Miller, YouTube star drummer Sammy “Barefoot” Warren and then did follow-up sessions in Nashville. Producer/engineer Snyder added more talented musicians into the mix, including Joe Spivey (fiddle, mandolin) and Grammy winner Phil Wolfe (Hammond B3 organ). For the final mix, they added backup vocals with Taylor Opie and Vincent Colaiocco, plus Garrett Dawson on percussion before it was sent to rock legend Rodney Mills for mastering.
In 2022, their debut album, Heart Over Head, was named “Top 100 Alt-Folk Albums of 2022” by Roots Music Report. Her favorite song, “Tomorrow” was a #1 RMR Folk Chart single.
“It’s funny, because writing ‘Tomorrow’ while we were on lock down, it just hits you with a message of hope, how you gotta hold on, how you have to hold on to tomorrow,” says Cassie Jean after her day working with pre-K children who she adores, saying, “they’re always singing.”
“Quick Trip To Hell” is also deeply personal for her, and fun.
“I think it’s a relatable story about the struggle with your demons and the voices in your head that you don’t wanna listen to… and that special person who brings you back from the underworld,” says Cassie Jean. She added that “Grammy’s Chicken Soup” came from a late night with Rich’s mom eating her famous dish while discussing getting out before a flood.
The CD also reached #22 on Alt-Country, #125 on Americana, #31 on Euro Indie. It also has three tracks in rotation on blues shows.
It’s “a genre-jumping debut album full of sweet, soulful vocals, uplifting lyrics and stories, and music that spans indie Americana, folk rock, and retro country, with hints of bluegrass, blues, and R&B,” says Odato, who plays guitar on the album.
Music was always with her. Cassie Jean’s mom played piano, and her dad introduced her to the Rolling Stones.
“I wanted to be a professional soccer player, but in high school, I got bit by the music bug and didn’t look back,” says Cassie Jean, whose influences include Ray LaMontagne, Led Zeppelin, Clearwater Creedence Revival, Brandy Carlisle, and many Tampa Bay bands. “I think music is a universal language and it’s magical,” she says. “It can also be motivation.”
Cassie Jean believes that inspiration comes from listening to the sounds around you and the stories in your soul.
“You got to let the music in to let the song come out. Even if it’s in the middle of the night, the music will beckon. There are times when my kids are humming a melody, and it just sinks in. Our 6-year-old helped us write a song called ‘Snap Out Of It’,” she says.
As for the name of the band?
“I love fireflies because they make their own light. And I just find that especially in the darkness and to me, as a metaphor it works,” Cassie Jean says. “I hope though my songs, people find that light and sense of adventure that fireflies bring.”
Follow Cassie Jean & The Fireflies on social for all performances with more to come in Pinellas. Sept. 6: Lakewood Ranch First Friday Street Festival (Main Street); and Sept. 24: Cassie Jean and Rich on RadioStPete.com Sunshine96.7FM, live 6-7 p.m.
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by Nanette Wiser
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