SPOTLIGHT: Assembly of Dust

Assembly of Dust was created when Reid Genauer left the group Strangefolk, the folk rock group he helped start in 1991 and stayed with until 2000. The group consists of Reid Genauer ∞ lead vocals, guitar,Adam Terrell ∞ lead guitar, vocals,Andy Herrick ∞ drums and John Leccese ∞ bass, vocals.

Their newest album Some Assembly Required is their fourth and went on sale towards the end of July. The new album features guest artists on almost every track. From Richie Havens, Bela Fleck, David Grisman, John Schofield, Mike Gordon and Martin Sexton, these talented artists give their assist in helping Assembly of Dust create some great music. One of my favorites, Theresa Andersson plays and sings on the song "Straight."

Genauer cites the Beatles, the Band, Neil Young and Wilco as among some of his influences. The songs are character driven, "I tried on some different characters and moods" relates Genauer.

Genauer credits his AOD bandmates for shaping the record. “It’s not like we went from bluegrass to heavy metal, but we all took a bit of a turn,” he says of his peers (who were once mockingly described as “[not] the worst batch of musicians you'll ever hear”...you can find that on their My Space bio). “The songs were loose to start with – we banged out some rough recordings on a digital recorder. They were skeletons – the band delivered the flesh and muscle to the songs. Andy and John did some stuff they had never done before, and Adam, he really stretched his musical vocabulary on this one. He and I spent hours listening to records together, coming up with an overall vision.”

One of the songs is about the old blues singer Leadbelly. "In the echo hall/stood the prisoner of a cold cell/a man of any age filled the solemn cage/dead or living you could hardly tell" captures the life Leadbelly lived before he was released from Angola.

The group is making a name for itself in its hectic touring schedule. They've played Carnegie Hall as well as Bonnaroo and continue bringing their music to as wide an audience as possible. The new album is...

the creative culmination of nearly two decades playing music and being one of the music world’s most respected (if slightly under-the-radar) musicians and songwriters.