Kier Byrnes is a Boston-based songwriter, bandleader, and community builder. His work is rooted in the traditions of Americana, country, folk, and Irish music while remaining unmistakably his own.

As frontman of Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners, he has spent years creating high-energy performances that blend storytelling, musicianship, humor, and heart. Beyond the stage, Byrnes is also the founder and organizer of New England Americana Festival; a growing annual festival returning to Bellforge for its second year. The day celebrates beloved regional acts and emerging voices who honor the rich lineage of Americana music and the evolving sounds of the genre today.

Ahead of this year’s festival, we sat down with Byrnes to talk about musical traditions, creative practice, and the role live music continues to play in fostering connection and sparking joy for both audience and performer.

Bellforge: Your performances feel less like passive concerts and more like communal events: part dance hall, part storytelling session, and part celebration. That same spirit seems to live inside the New England Americana Festival, which you created and now bring to Bellforge each year. How do you build experiences that invite the audience to gather around music in that way?

Kier Byrnes: For me, live music has never been just about performance; it’s about creating a space where people feel connected to each other, even briefly. Some of my favorite musical gigs weren’t polished concert hall moments; they were crowded rooms, late-night sessions, places where the line between audience and performer disappeared and became one big dance floor.

The New England Americana Fest was originally put together by a big group of friends in the local music scene. From day one, the New England Americana Festival was meant to be about the music but it was also meant to be more than just music; it’s been a place where people could stumble into a conversation, hear a song they didn’t expect, dance with strangers, or reconnect with a part of themselves they may have forgotten about.

Bellforge: The Kettle Burners blend country, Irish folk, Americana, polka, and old-school barroom energy into something that feels both rooted in tradition and uniquely your own. What made you gravitate towards these musical traditions, and what keeps you returning to them?

Kier: I’ve always been drawn to music that carries history in it. Country, Irish folk, polka, Americana, all those traditions come from people finding ways to celebrate, grieve, survive, and tell stories together. There’s something deeply honest about that kind of music. A lot of those sounds found me early through family gatherings, listening to old records, and hanging out with friends at bars, festivals, and other community spaces where music wasn’t separated from life. That music has been woven into my life, and I don’t think I could escape it if I tried. At the same time, I’ve never wanted to treat tradition like a museum piece. The goal isn’t imitation; it’s evolution and putting our own spin on it. We take those roots and filter them through who we are, where we live, and what we’ve experienced. That’s the icing on the cake for me.

Bellforge: Writing, performing, and staying connected to your musical life over many years requires a different kind of endurance than people often see from the outside. What habits, conditions, or communities help protect your creative life today? And what tends to pull you away from it?

Kier: Our band, Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners, is still a fairly new band; our first EP only came out in 2024, so I’m not sure how many secrets I know, but if I had any advice for others undertaking an artistic endeavor, I’d suggest the following: don’t worry about it, don’t over think it. Just keep showing up, as that is what actually gets things done. Community helps. Good bandmates help. Having people around who can tell you when a song idea has legs or when you’ve accidentally written the same song three times also helps. Ha.

Bellforge: What keeps you making music in a world that can undervalue creative pursuits, especially music rooted in live performance and human connection?

Kier: They say in golf that hitting just one perfectly struck shot is enough to forgive an entire round of bad holes. I’m no golfer but I can absolutely crush it when it comes to riding around in a cart and drinking beer… just give me a guitar, ha! But going with that golf analogy, sometimes you can get lost in the weeds making music: agonizing over hitting the right note or stringing together the right words to fit in the bridge. The “perfect shot” for me that always brings me back to making music is when you realize that your music has touched someone; it could be people dancing, singing along or just nodding their head to the beat. Also, after these many years, I don’t know what else I’d do. My resume basically reads: “Played banjo in questionable weather conditions.”

Bellforge: After performing for many audiences and stages over the years, what part of yourself is still becoming? What are you forging toward musically that you’re excited about?

Kier: The part of myself that’s still becoming is probably the part learning how to get out of my own way. When you’re younger, you spend a lot of energy trying to prove yourself. As you get older, you realize the audience isn’t keeping score nearly as much as you are. Musically, I’m interested in going deeper. Writing better songs. Sharing better stories. Developing better ways to bring community together, like with The New England Americana Fest. I’m also trying to become the kind of musician who can resist buying another instrument just because it looks interesting. So far, that last goal has not been particularly successful.

Bellforge: We know how well a song can bring us back to ourselves and feed our souls. Joy shows up in many ways: a record, a piece of art, a home-cooked meal, a nightly ritual. In a world that often feels heavy, where are you finding the light and joy?

Kier: Honestly, I’ve found that joy is often hiding in small things: Good food. Dogs. Sharing a glass of bourbon with my dad. Going on a walk with my kids. and the rare occasion when everyone in the band arrives at the same place at the same time. A great song. A terrible joke. A dance floor full of people who forgot to be self-conscious. I think gathering itself has become a form of resistance. Sitting in a room with other people, sharing music, laughing together, being present; that feels increasingly important.

Bellforge: Who is a regional artist whose work people should be paying attention to right now? It can be a musician, visual artist, poet, etc. What is it that you love about them and their work? What piece of theirs should we start with or where can we find them?

Kier: The band I’d love to shine a light on is Dirt Road Souls, who will also be playing at The New England Americana Fest this year. What I admire most about their work is that it just has this super-genuine feel to it. They’re not trying to be something they’re not. They’re simply making great art and trusting people to find it. They represent the kind of artistry that quietly builds lasting impact rather than chasing trends. Dirt Road Souls reminds me that authenticity still resonates.

Start with their newest release, an Americana rock opera titled “(The Life and Times of) Johnny Moonshine”. Then do what I did; listen to it again and again until you fall down the rabbit hole and emerge several hours later wondering where the afternoon went. It’s glorious.