Super Ball IX, Phish’s ninth festival and its first to take place over Fourth of July weekend,will unfold at Watkins Glen International on July 1, 2 and 3. The band’s
Grateful Dead/Furthur bassist Phil Lesh has revealed his plan to create a music venue in Marin County called Terrapin Landing where he will host concerts while off the road. Here’s
Last Friday, a poisonous snake escaped from the Bronx Zoo Reptile House and as of press time continues to elude zookeepers. Over the past five days the missing Egyptian cobra
Words: Pete Mason
In 1991, Jon Trafton and Reid Genauer met at the University of Vermont and began playing guitar together. They soon formed Strangefolk, a staple of the early 1990’s East Coast jamband scene and a band that would go on to tour the country, regularly performing at festivals and even founding a fest of their own.
[Strangefolk Family Photo, Circa 1996 – via Jon Trafton]
Their initial incarnation fractured in 2000 as Genauer left and the band continued without him. Now with the twentieth anniversary of the band upon us we look back at their career with reflections from the band members past and present.
Strangefolk started out in Burlington, Vt. in 1991 when Reid Genauer and Jon Trafton met as freshman while Jon was playing guitar on the school’s campus. Trafton was playing with the band Wide Whale and invited Reid to join them in some jam sessions. They quickly formed a musical bond and decided to form a band together. Their first practice as a duo was in the basement of Slade Hall at UVM in the fall of 1991.
Genauer: The first two songs Jon and I collaborated on were Two Boys and Things That Fly. I had written Two Boys and Jon spruced it up musically and Jon had written the music to Things That Fly and I added lyrics. I recall weeks later we performed those two songs at an open mic night and blew the doors off the place or at least we felt like we did. Whether it was actual or perceived is almost irrelevant, the point is that it was after that open mic, the performance of those two songs and the crowd response, that we knew we were on to something good. In my mind that was the start of Strangefolk that night – that moment.
Trafton: When I ended up with a double and no roommate, it became our first space to play together.
READ ON for more of The Strangefolk Story…
Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bob Weir as well as former GD managers Rock Scully and Sam Cutler as well as roadie Steve Parish share remembrances of
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Thanks to a gorgeous location, easy-to-maneuver grounds and relaxing vibe, the Newport Folk Festival is one festival that isn’t too dependent on the strength of its lineup. Yet when festival producers put together an impressive bill, the decision to attend becomes even easier. With HT faves Elvis Costello, Amos Lee, The Felice Brothers, Trampled by Turtles, Middle Brother and the PS22 Chorus among the artists scheduled to perform at the 52nd edition of Newport Folk on July 30 and 31, this lineup looks like a winner.
This year’s bill features a nice mix of artists with long, illustrious histories (Earl Scruggs, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Wanda Jackson & Mavis Staples) alongside established folk-rock acts (The Decemberists, Gillian Welch, M. Ward & Gogol Bordello) and up-and-coming rising stars (Carolina Chocolate Drops, Trampled By Turtles & What Cheer? Brigade). We’re especially excited to see that the youngsters of the PS 22 Chorus, fresh off appearances at The Oscars and Madison Square Garden, are making the trip up to Newport this summer.
Here’s a look at the complete initial artist announcement…
The Decemberists, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Gillian Welch, Amos Lee, Earl Scruggs, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Gogol Bordello, M. Ward, Wanda Jackson, Mavis Staples, Tegan & Sara, The Felice Brothers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Justin Townes Earle, Delta Spirit, Middle Brother, The Wailin’ Jennys, Freelance Whales, The Secret Sisters, Trampled by Turtles, The Civil Wars, The Head & The Heart, Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three, The Cave Singers, What Cheer? Brigade, Mountain Man, David Wax Museum, Devil Makes Three, Song Circle with Dar Williams Ellis Paul John Gorka & Liz Queler, Typhoon, The Seeger Clogging All-Stars, The Ebony Hillbillies, BrownBird, River City Extension and PS 22
Tickets for the 52nd edition of the Newport Folk Festival go on sale this Thursday, March 31 at 10AM EDT via the event’s website. You can also purchase tickets in person at the Newport Visitor Information Center.
READ ON for a breakdown of Newport Folk Festival artists by day…
The Newport Folk Festival announced its 2011 lineup at a kick-off event which immediately preceded the official March 30 press release. After an opening set by BrownBird, with guests from
Time Out Take Five is a seasonal jazz column by Doug Collette.
The average male rock fan’s opinion of musicals is likely to encompass the word “suck,” but hand him The Dears’ Degeneration Street, and unless he’s a pure-bred metalhead, it’ll more likely go something like “…awesome…”
