The Irish group Round the House now comprises, from left, David Firestine, Mark Robertson-Tessi, Claire Zucker and Sharon Goldwasser.

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David Firestine's voice cracks and sputters when talking about his good friend and former Round the House band member Mike Smith.

Smith, the traditional Irish group's guitarist, suffered extensive brain damage after taking a fall in his woodworking studio in January 2006.

As he lay dying in his hospital bed, his bandmates comforted him the best way they knew how.

"We brought our instruments," said mandolinist Firestine, trying hard not to sob over the phone. "We played two songs, 'Coleman's March' and 'Castle of Dromore.' 'Coleman's' was the first song that Mike taught me. The 'Castle' is just a beautiful lullaby. It seemed fitting."

The bedside performance turned out to be some of the last music Smith would ever listen to. He died two days later.

Round the House pays tribute to their fallen friend on their latest album, "Safe Home," released last week.

The 15-track recording features both "Coleman's March" — recorded with Smith before his death — and "The Castle of Dromore" and will serve as the primary source of material for the group's performance at the Fox Theatre tonight.

Filling in for Smith on the album is Mark Robertson-Tessi, who joined the band shortly after Smith's death.

The 31-year-old multi-instrumentalist was already on the group's radar as a potential fifth member before the accident. His background, with a degree in music theory and audio recording from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the ability to play one hell of a guitar, mandolin, piano or pretty much anything with strings, made him an attractive prospect.

"He is just so full of talent," said band fiddle player Sharon Goldwasser. "He is able to play so many different instruments in so many styles. It's quite impressive."

Adds Firestine, "Mark is a quiet guy, but he makes quite a statement with his music. He has a good ear. He can listen to something once and take it all in. He is also very knowledgeable about music and so we've learned from that. It has been a growing process. We knew it would be different. We thought, 'Let's not try to make things like they were. Let's see where we can go with this.' The outcome has been very positive."

Some of the differences are clearly laid out on "Safe Home." Tracks such as "As I Roved Out" and the opening reel medley featuring "Miss MacLeod's Farewell to Chastity" involve far more complex and intricate arrangements than those found in previous Round the House releases.

Whereas Smith kept primarily to rhythm guitar, Robertson-Tessi moves between the mandolin, guitar and the lutelike bouzouki, freeing up Firestine to explore new musical avenues.

"We can sit with a pile of instruments between us and switch things in and out to see what works," Firestine said.

The step up in quality might also be in part due to Robertson-Tessi's background in school and in the studio.

The University of Arizona graduate student logged plenty of behind-the-scenes time during his year as an assistant producer and engineer at the popular jazz and classical music label, Telarc Records.

"I got to see how the big sessions were run, so I figured I would bring some of that experience to our recording sessions," Robertson-Tessi said. "Things like how to manage time properly and knowing how to coax the most out of your bandmates. I saw a lot of great producers at work and just picked up on the little nuances that make a difference."

Firestine is enthusiastic about where the band is headed. He just wishes his old friend was there to see it.

"We were fairly close," the musician said. "He was always totally aware of things going on when he played. He would sense the nuances of what you were performing and immediately pick the right backup for it. It was pretty neat to watch."