The Fiddleheads When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Dahlonega Tickets: $14 in advance, $16 at the door More info: thefiddleheads.net
They may have come together as a school band in Dahlonega, but the reach of The Fiddleheads is quickly spreading beyond North Georgia.
The group formed in 2009 as a bluegrass ensemble on the campus of North Georgia College & State University.
On a whim this summer, the band - Zak McConnell, Trygve Myers, Jake Larios, Michael Wallace and Adam Kersh - decided to audition for NBC's "America's Got Talent."
Although the group made it through several rounds of the competition, they ultimately didn't receive enough votes to stick around. Despite not winning, the group's televised performances helped them to gain nationwide attention. Since the show's airing, the band has performed in places like the Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville and the Kentucky Bluegrass Music Festival.
The Times caught up with guitarist Michael Wallace to learn more about the group's rise to fame.
Question: Were the America's Got Talent performances representative of a typical Fiddleheads show?
Answer: Those (pop music cover) performances were not exactly representative of a Fiddleheads show. We do not only play pop songs. We also enjoy playing lesser known songs and even some of our originals.
Q: What was it like opening yourselves up to the criticism of the "America's Got Talent" judges?
A: To be honest, some of the criticism we received was difficult to hear, but we never let it discourage us. We know that not everybody will like what we do, but we believe in the music we make.
Q: If folks haven't seen a Fiddleheads show, how would you describe your performances to them?
A: We are still a very young band. With each show, we come closer to finding who we really are. We just enjoy playing what we believe to be good music — whether it be pop, rock or bluegrass.
Q: Do you all have a CD available for purchase or a place where people can download any of your music?
A: We have a demo album out that we sell at the shows we play, but we will have a full-length album out soon on iTunes. We want it to be great, so we ask everyone's patience please.
Q: Looking at your Facebook fan page (facebook.com/TheFiddleheads), you guys are well on your way to hitting 5,000 likes. Does the group's popularity surprise you all?
A: We never expected the support we've received since (the television) show. We are much appreciative to all the fans for the support. We hope to continue playing music for a long time.