Strangefolk

by Mike DaRoncoFormed together by two college students from the University of Vermont, Reid Genauer (vocals/ guitar) and Jon Trafton (guitar) spent the first year together under the name Stranefolk while performing in pubs and coffee houses all throughout campus. Armed with only their acoustic guitars and distortion pedals, Genauer and Trafton eventually recruited Erik Glockler on bass and Luke Smith on drums, fulfilling the line-up as a four piece. With their own style of merging bluegrass, folk, rock and blues, Strangefolk had the chance to this in the studio and eventually self-releasing their self-titled first album in 1994, followed by "Lore" the next year. After a hefty touring schedule across the United States in support of these two albums, Flat Earth Records took notice and put out "Weightless in Water" in 1998.