Collide
A lifetime set to music
Bios
About Collide:
Landing at the intersection of folk, rock, and Americana, Collide brings together cello and guitar, along with an array of guest instruments and performers, for a sound that is inviting, thoughtful, and fun. With vocals that range from Joan Baez to Bonnie Raitt, their songs have been described as powerful, soulful, and enchanting. They cover a wide swath of emotional ground, from the personal to the political, and were recognized with an Honorable Mention in the 2025 Mid Atlantic Song Contest for the single, American Circus. Collide appears regularly at cafes, art shows, and music festivals, offering crowd favorites, along with original ballads and upbeat tunes you can dance to.
About Catherine and Daniel:
Collide was formed in 2019 by Washington, DC singer/songwriter Catherine Messina Pajic and California-bred musician Daniel Ogden. After busking and performing in small clubs during college, Catherine put her artistic inclinations on hold to raise a family and pursue an international career. Traveling the world, she always brought her guitar and wrote songs about her experiences. In 2010, she met Daniel - a multi-instrumentalist, who had been in cover and worship bands for decades. Whether strings or percussion, if Daniel picks it up, he'll figure out how to play it. Their worlds collided and, eventually, a band was born. All those years of practicing, roaming, and learning life's lessons were just fodder for award-winning songwriting that ring authentic and true.
Press photos
About American Circus (Release Date: August 2026)
“It’s madness, and we’re all in the show.”
- Collide, American Circus
Two years after their debut album Union Station hit #16 on the FAI chart and #15 on NACC, Collide has released a concept EP, American Circus. It’s named for the record’s third track, which won an Honorable Mention in the Mid Atlantic Song Contest as an allegory for America’s crumbling democracy. The songs on this EP tell an emotional story of political breakdown, reflected in a range of styles from melodic ballads to lean folk arrangements to loud and angry rock - a departure from the steadier folk-country vibe of their first album. And, unlike the decades of songwriting captured on Union Station, these songs came fast and furious in just a few months.
Although political, the songs are intensely personal. Catherine and Daniel are long-time residents of Washington, DC, who have been directly affected by the nation’s dramatic upheaval. They recorded half the songs at home, then brought in their “back up band,” The Damages, to record the other half in their hometown studio, Asparagus Media, where the entire EP was mixed and mastered.