Reid Genauer (born May 19, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter and musician best known as the singer and guitarist of the bands Strangefolk and Assembly of Dust More recently he has recorded and performed under the moniker Reid Genauer & Folks. He has been active as a composer, recording artist, and live performer since the early 1990s, and is known for his story-like lyrical style of Folk Rock. Genauer, originally from Chappaqua, New York, started his music career in college at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...

where he and guitarist Jon Trafton started Strangefolk as an acoustic duo originally named Strange Folk. Genauer and Trafton added bassit Erik Glockler and drummer Luke Smith to the group and changed the name to Strangefolk. The quartet found grassroots success with self produced albums Lore, Weightless in Water Strangefolk. and consistent national touring Strangefolk. After 10 years of recording and touring Reid Genauer left the Strangefolk in 2001 and formed a second group called Assembly of Dust.The groups first recording, was released as under Reid Genauer”name as a solo album titled "Assembly of Dust," in 2003. Subsequently, he assumed the album title as the band's name, Assembly of Dust and found critical acclaim with, live album The Honest Hour. and Some Assembly Required. The latter of which featured a guest musician on each track including Richie Havens,

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...

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, Grace Potter,

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, David Grisman,

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and

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. In 2018 Reid Genaur organized a cast of 24 musicians to record his latest studio album Conspire To Smile under the moniker Reid Genauer & Folks. The album primarily consists of cover songs whose messages point towards love, positivity and community as a source of solidarity. The songs range from Lenny Kravit's “Let Love Rule” to Woody Guthrie's classic folk song “This Land Is Your Land”

Songwriting and musical style

Genauer began writing poems at the age of 10 after reading

Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, poet, cartoonist, singer / songwriter, musician, and playwright. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before ...

’s ''

Where the Sidewalk Ends ''Where the Sidewalk Ends'' is a 1974 children's poetry collection written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. It was published by Harper and Row Publishers. The book's poems address many common childhood concerns and also present purely fancif ...

''. He started writing songs at 14. Since then he has gone on to write, record, and publish more than 100 songs. His songwriting has drawn comparisons to his early influences, including Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter of the Grateful Dead. The Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Beatles, and Paul Simon.

Author and Entrepreneur

Genauer has worked at Snapple, Fox Mobile Group, and

eMusic eMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. In exchange for a monthly subscription eMusic users can download a fixed number of MP3 tracks per month. eMusic was established in 1998, is headquartered in New York C ...

. He was recruited by Magisto in 2012. In May 2016, Genauer was chosen as one of the “100 Most Influential North American Tech Marketers” by Hot Topics

Writer

Genauer has published articles on human interest, marketing and the tech industry. He also writes about the importance of storytelling in human culture. Genauer was a contributor for the book, “Lessons from the Road: Musicians as Business Leaders” (Oct 17, 2017, Archer Publications)

Children’s Book Author

In 2016, Reid wrote and published Jeffery's Jungle (2016, CreateSpace Independent Publishing), a 24-page children's book for ages 4–10, illustrated by Alan Close. It chronicles the mischief of a young boy and the power of his imagination. The book was inspired by Shel Silverstein's “

” and is written in the spirit of

Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
'' The Cat In The Hat ''The Cat in the Hat'' is a 1957 children's book written and illustrated by the American author Theodor Geisel, using the pen name Dr. Seuss. The story centers on a tall anthropomorphic cat who wears a red and white-striped top hat and a red b ...

.” Genauer has written more than 100 children's poems and plans to publish a series of books in the future.
Reid Genauer Children's Author (NYS Music, Feb 25, 2016)

Personal life

Reid was married once and is the father of three boys.

Discography

Reid Genauer * Reid Genauer, Assembly of Dust (2003) * Reid Genauer & Folks, “Conspire To Smile” (2018) * Reid Genauer & Folks, “Extended Release” (Live) (2020, Strangefolk * Strangefolk (1994) * Lore (1995) * Weightless in Water (1998) * Live (EP) (2000) * A Great Long While (2000) * Live at the Capitol Theatre Port Chester, NY 12/27/98 (Live) (2012) * Live At The Palladium Worcester MA (2018) Assembly of Dust * The Honest Hour (2004) * Recollection (2007) * Some Assembly Required (2009) * Found Sound- Live (2011) * Sun Shot (2013) * Live from The Oregon Trail (2016)

References

External links

Reid Genauer Official Website

Assembly of Dust Official Website

Strangefolk Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Genauer, Reid Living people 1972 births