Strangefolk is a rock-oriented jam band

Jam band

-Ambiguity:By the late 1990s use of the term jam band also became ambiguous. An editorial at jamband.com suggested that any band of which a primary band such as Phish has done a cover of be included as jam band. The example was including New York post-punk band Talking Heads after Phish performed...

 originally from Burlington, VT. Since forming in 1991, they have released five studio album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

s, 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

Russ Lawton

Russ Lawton is a drummer from Vermont. He is best known as the drummer from the solo band of Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio. Lawton also performs with the Vermont jam band Strangefolk and The Chrome Cowboys...

 (drums).

Strangefolk's songwriting is a blend of narrative lyrical content and inventive melody. Rock, folk, blues, and bluegrass influences converge to create a recognizable sound. When punctuated with three-part harmonies and soaring lead guitars, the band's unique songwriting style develops a natural avenue for the band to extend themselves in a live setting.

History

Originally formed at the University of Vermont

University of Vermont

The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...

 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

Mammoth Records

Founded by Jay Faires in 1989 in Carrboro, North Carolina, Mammoth Records was one of the premiere independent record labels of the 1990s. Its roster featured such diverse talent as Antenna, Blake Babies, Chainsaw Kittens, Dash Rip Rock, Dillon Fence, Far Too Jones, Frente!, Fun-Da-Mental, Fu...

, 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

Nile Rodgers

Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...

, was released independently in 2000.

In September 2000, following the band's annual Garden of Eden Festival

Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

 in New Haven, Vermont

New Haven, Vermont

New Haven is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,666 at the 2000 census. New Haven contains the village of Belden as well as Brooksville, New Haven Junction and New Haven Mills.-Geography:...

, founding member and primary songwriter Genauer left the band to pursue a graduate degree at Cornell University

Cornell University

Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

, 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

Assembly of Dust

Assembly of Dust is a rock band formed in 2002 by former Strangefolk frontman Reid Genauer. Genauer formed the band while enrolled in the MBA program at Cornell University...

, which continues to tour today.

After auditions in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 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 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

Russ Lawton

Russ Lawton is a drummer from Vermont. He is best known as the drummer from the solo band of Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio. Lawton also performs with the Vermont jam band Strangefolk and The Chrome Cowboys...

 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 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

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

 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 September 2007 The Tells performed a late night set at the StrangeCreek Festival in Greenfield, MA, covering songs by The White Stripes

The White Stripes

The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...

 and The Raconteurs

The Raconteurs

The Raconteurs is an American rock band that was formed in Detroit, Michigan, featuring four members known for other musical projects: Jack White , Brendan Benson , Jack Lawrence , and Patrick Keeler .-Formation:The...

.

In 1998, fans of Strangefolk started a small charitable organization called Strangers Helping Strangers

Strangers Helping Strangers

Strangers Helping Strangers is a non-profit organization of music fans dedicated to holding food drives at concerts throughout the nation, benefiting those in need in each community an event is held....

, 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

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

 to Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

. In 2005, SHS collected approximately 50,000 food items at over 150 events.

Line-up

(1991–1992)	Jon Trafton - lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Reid Genauer - rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1992-Sept 2000)	Jon Trafton - lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Reid Genauer - rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Erik Glockler - bass guitar Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Luke Smith - drums Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(Nov 2000-Oct 2001)	Jon Trafton - lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Erik Glockler - bass guitar Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Luke Smith - drums Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... Luke "Patchen" Montgomery - rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... , lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Scott Shdeed - keyboards Keyboard instrument A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(Oct 2001-Dec 2004)	Jon Trafton - lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Erik Glockler - bass guitar Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Luke Smith - drums Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... Luke "Patchen" Montgomery - rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... , lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Don Scott - keyboards Keyboard instrument A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(Apr 2004–present)	Jon Trafton - lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Erik Glockler - bass guitar Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Luke "Patchen" Montgomery - rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... , lead guitar Lead guitar Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Don Scott - keyboards Keyboard instrument A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... , vocals Singing Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... Russ Lawton - drums Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

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)

External links

• Official site
• Strangers helping strangers
• Strangefolk collection at the Internet Archive
  Internet Archive
  The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
  
  's live music archive