Strangefolk

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Strangefolk is a rock-oriented jamband originally from Burlington, VT. Since forming in 1991, they have released five studio albums, two live albums and one live concert DVD. The band consists of Jon Trafton (lead guitar, vocals), Erik Glockler (bass, vocals), Luke "Patchen" Montgomery (rhythm guitar, lead guitar, vocals), Don Scott (keyboards, vocals) and Russ Lawton (drums).

Strangefolk: (L to R) Trafton, Montgomery, Scott, Glockler, & Lawton
Strangefolk: (L to R) Trafton, Montgomery, Scott, Glockler, & Lawton

At the heart of Strangefolk's songwriting is a seamless blend of narrative lyrical content and inventive melody. Rock, folk, blues, and bluegrass influences converge to create an instantly recognizable sound, which keeps Strangefolk's listeners moving from start to finish. When punctuated with Strangefolk's trademark three-part harmonies and soaring lead guitars, the band's unique songwriting ability develops a natural avenue for the band to extend themselves in a live setting. The result is one of the more gratifying live music experiences around.

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[edit] History

Originally formed at the University of Vermont as an acoustic duo "Strange Folk" in 1991 with Trafton and other founding member Reid Genauer, Strangefolk (now one word) added bass and drums within a year and took to playing the bars in and around the vibrant musical community of Burlington, Vermont. After only a couple years of developing their signature sound in and around the Vermont music scene, the band began touring the club and college circuit around the Northeast, quickly gaining momentum and popularity with each tour. Regional tours paved the way for national tours, with the band logging over 100 shows per year. In 1998, Strangefolk signed with Mammoth Records, only to have the record deal collapse when Disney purchased Mammoth in 1999. "A Great Long While", which was to be the band's major-label debut and was produced by Nile Rodgers, was released independently in 2000.

In September 2000, following the band's annual Garden of Eden Festival in New Haven, Vermont, founding member and primary songwriter Genauer left the band to pursue a graduate degree at Cornell University, as well as other personal reasons. He had grown weary of Strangefolk's hectic touring schedule and was discontent with the end of the band's record deal and the direction of the band. In 2002, Genauer formed Assembly of Dust, which continues to tour today.

After auditions in New York City in the Fall of 2000, Strangefolk invited Luke "Patchen" Montgomery to join the band, along with keyboardist Scott Shdeed. The newly aligned group began touring once again in early 2001. Shdeed was replaced on keyboards in October of 2001 by Don Scott. The current line-up was completed when drummer Luke Smith left the band for personal reasons in September 2003. After the band took a brief hiatus from touring, former Trey Anastasio Band drummer Russ Lawton joined Strangefolk in April 2004.

In early 2005, Strangefolk was once again forced to take a break from playing and touring when Jon Trafton was diagnosed with rectal cancer. While Trafton underwent treatment, the other members of the band formed a side project called The Windfalls with guitarist Steve Jones of the band The Boneheads. Following nearly a year of treatment and overwhelming support from his family, friends, band mates and fans, Trafton is cancer-free and Strangefolk is playing on a more regular basis once again in 2006.

At their Garden of Eden music festival in September 2006, the band debuted another side project dubbed The Tells. Consisting of all five members of Strangefolk, The Tells played a late-night two-hour set of music consisting entirely of Led Zeppelin cover songs. The band repeated this performance again in October 2006, opening for themselves under the moniker The Tells at a concert in Burlington, VT.

In 1998, fans of Strangefolk started a small charitable organization called Strangers Helping Strangers, collecting non-perishable food items at several of the band's concerts throughout New England. Since then, the organization (also referred to as SHS) has expanded to work with over twenty-five other bands and cover an area from Maine to Delaware. In 2005, SHS collected approximately 50,000 food items at over 150 events.

[edit] Line-up

(1991-1992)
(1992-Sept 2000)
(Nov 2000-Oct 2001)
(Oct 2001-Dec 2004)
(Apr 2004-present)

[edit] Discography

  • Strangefolk (also referred to as "Demo") (1994)
  • Lore (1995)
  • Weightless in Water (1998)
  • Live (EP) (2000)
  • A Great Long While (2000)
  • Open Road (2001)
  • Coast 2 Coast (Live) (2002)
  • Coast 2 Coast: Volume 2 (Live) (2003)

[edit] Videography

  • Garden of Eden 2002 (DVD) (2003)

[edit] References

Strangefolk at Allmusic.com

[edit] External links