When a fan gifted Reid Genauer a hand-drawn poster referencing 100 of his songs, the songwriter and lead singer from Strangefolk and Assembly of Dust initially viewed it as a much-appreciated gesture. But that poster would ultimately inspire him to re-record those 100 songs, resulting in a collection called “This is What I Saw.”
The majority of the songs were originally written and recorded for his band, Assembly of Dust, the folk-rock group Genauer founded in the early 2000s after departing from jam favorites Strangefolk.
Genauer, currently touring with Assembly of Dust, will perform at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 8 p.m.
Genauer was deeply moved when the artist who created the poster, Pete Nogas, presented him with the 36-inch-by-24-inch, pen-and-ink drawing.
“When I first got it, it felt kinda like a trophy,” said Genauer, calling from his home in Colorado.
“One day as I was sitting there looking at it, it struck me that it was the first time I’d ever seen my catalog presented as one body of work,” he continued. “Plus, my second thought was those songs are like chapters or vignettes of my life.”
This led him to record all the songs. He traveled to a studio in La Honda, California, with a few acoustic guitars and recorded the 100 songs in five days.
“It was like an audio version of the poster,” he explained. “It’s raw, just me and an acoustic guitar.”
The songwriter never considered recording the songs with a band. “It’s not what I wanted to do,” he said. “I recorded them around the time the Bob Dylan movie, ‘A Complete Unknown’ came out. I was so in awe of his early years, when it was one man and a guitar holding his audience.”
In January, he started releasing the songs on streaming services. There are 20 songs on each recording, presented in alphabetical order under the title “This Is What I Saw (Seen One)” and so on, with a total of five releases. But when he hits the road with Assembly of Dust next month, you’ll hear many of these songs.
“When we go out as Assembly of Dust, we are going out to rock,” Genauer said of the upcoming tour.
Genauer has a long history playing in western Massachusetts with both Strangefolk and Assembly of Dust. In the late 90s, Strangefolk, based in Burlington, were part of the exploding jam band scene and frequently played in Northampton.
“We played The Iron Horse, then Pearl Street, and then The Calvin,” he recalled. “It was an exciting time.”
Genauer left Strangefolk in 2000, exhausted after years of touring, and decided to return to school. But music called him back, and a few years later, he formed Assembly of Dust.
As for Strangefolk, they continued without Genauer, and in 2003, they headlined the first StrangeCreek Campout festival in Greenfield. The festival organizers combined the first word of Strangefolk with the second word of the other headliner, Max Creek, to call the festival StrangeCreek. The festival continues every Memorial Day weekend, but Strangefolk last played the event in 2009.
In the ensuing years, Genauer has reunited with the band for a couple of shows, the most recent being in 2019 at the Garden of Eden Festival, which the band had established in 1996 and held sporadically over the years. Any more Strangefolk shows in the works?
“It’s something that’s always stirring in the back of our minds,” he said. “The concise answer is no, but I’d sure like to do it again.”
However, the singer is currently focused on the upcoming Assembly of Dust tour.
“We’ve had a somewhat liquid, rotating cast of characters in recent years,” Genauer said. “Now, it is more cemented.”
Guitarist Jon Leccese has been with the band since its inception and drummer Dave Diamond has been around half of that. “We’ve added Scott Law on guitar, who is a really accomplished guitar player, and Michael Borrowski playing keys, which was missing when we went out last time,” Genauer said.
“They are a great band, and it’s nice to play with the same group and establish a chemistry and a language of your own, if you will,” he said, adding he is ready to get back in the studio with the band.
“Having done such a stripped-down project, I’d like to do a rich Assembly of Dust album next. I have the songs written,” said Genauer, who is inspired by artists like The Band and Jerry Garcia.
“My dad, who is in his 80s, said, ‘You know you have so many records already, why are you making another one?’ I said, ‘Dad, why do lemmings run off cliffs? That’s just what I do, I have a compulsion to write songs.’”
And with so many songs to pull from, the band plays a different set each show to keep it interesting for themselves and the audience. Assembly of Dust last played the Shea in 2024 and looks forward to returning.
“It’s a great room,” Genauer said. “It is one of the great historic landmark theaters that are peppered throughout the northeast. It feels like stepping into another era.”
Doors open at 7 p.m. Advance tickets at sheatheater.org. It is an all-ages show.
Steel Pulse and other reggae shows come to the area
The next few weeks are going to be great ones for reggae fans. We don’t get a lot of nationally touring reggae artists coming through this area, but that’s about to change.
The biggest news is that the British roots reggae band, Steel Pulse, will appear on the summer stage at Tree House Brewing in South Deerfield on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. The band formed in 1975 and, through the years, has continued to record and remain a strong concert draw.
They have never wavered in their commitment to bettering humanity through music. The lyrics on their latest album, “Mass Manipulation,” deal with racial injustice and human rights. Their current tour is called the “Reggae Against Racism” tour. Local band The Alchemystics will open the show.
Also, Kabaka Pyramid, who hails from Kingston, will be at the Stone Church in Brattleboro, Vermont, on Friday, July 31 at 8 p.m. Local band Simon White and Rhythm Inc. will open.
Reggae legend Yellowman, known as the King of Dancehall, will be at the Shea Theater on Friday, Aug. 14 at 8 p.m. This show was originally scheduled for July 30, and all tickets have been automatically transferred to the new date.
Colrain Food For All Benefit Concert at Incandescent Brewing
If you are looking for a way to spend your Sunday afternoon, head to Incandescent Brewing at 203 South St. in Bernardston. They are hosting a benefit for Colrain Food for All from 2 to 5 p.m. Not only is this a fundraiser for a good cause, but it is also your chance to catch the debut of the new jazzy funk band, Grass Bend. The lineup features Valley favorites Nico D’Amico on guitar, Parker McQueeney on keyboards, Forrest Dulong on bass and Dave Noonan on drums.
Colrain’s Food for All is a volunteer effort to help families experiencing food insecurity. The group got off the ground in January, motivated by skyrocketing food costs and other cost-of-living expenses. Organizers realized that putting food on the table was difficult for some. Their motto is “neighbors helping neighbors,” and their goal is to make sure nobody goes hungry.
The goal of this benefit is to honor the work they have done to help raise funds to keep going. The afternoon will feature a live auction, raffle and crafts for sale. The event is free to attend, but donations are welcome.
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.