As reported, Reid Genauer of Strangefolk and Assembly Of Dust has teamed with an array of jam scene veterans, including members of both bands, to create the collaborative new Reid Genauer & Folks album Conspire To Smile. Reid has launched a Kickstarter campaign in support of the LP, which features 12 reworked covers and two original songs. Today, JamBase is pleased to premiere the official video for the Conspire To Smile rendition of “Hey Jude” by the Beatles.
The title track is one of the two originals and features guest vocals from Midnight North’s Elliott Peck. “Conspire To Smile,” the song, was laid down by the original members of Strangefolk and marks the first time Genauer, Erik Glockler, Luke Smith and Jon Trafton have recorded together in the studio since their 1998 album A Great Long While. Reid enlisted the original Assembly Of Dust lineup to record the other original, “Amplified Messiah,” which marks the first studio recording made by that lineup since 2009’s Some Assembly Required. Reid’s Conspire To Smile collaborators include Jason Crosby, Dave Diamond, Marc Friedman, Jennifer Hartswick, Andy Herrick, Alex Jordan, Scott Law, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz, John Leccese, Grahame Lesh, Aaron Maxwell, Scott Metzger, Ryan Montbleau, Adam Terrell and Nate Wilson. Conspire To Smile is a concept album of sorts. Genauer laid out a few bullet points explaining the concept:
- Social Media amplifies our stories
- Regrettably, most of the stories we “seed” are negative or inane
- The good news is social media amplifies positive stories as well
- Songs are little stories, “seeds” of goodness
- Help me change our social narrative and our future for the better by Kickstarting #Conspire to Smile
For “Hey Jude,” Reid Genauer is joined by Ryan Montbleau on vocals, Scott Metzger (WOLF!, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead) on guitar, Marc Friedman (The Slip) on bass, Luke Smith on percussion and Dave Diamond on drums. The outro features a recording of the entire audience from Strangefolk’s show in January at Maine’s Waterville Opera House. Watch the video for the Conspire To Smile rendition of “Hey Jude”:
In addition to the two originals and “Hey Jude,” Reid Genauer & Folks also covered “Let Love Rule” (Lenny Kravitz), “Love The One You’re With” (Crosby, Stills & Nash), “I Can See Clearly Now” (Johnny Nash), “People Get Ready” (Curtis Mayfield), “One Love” (Bob Marley), “Not Fade Away” (Buddy Holly), “The Weight” (The Band), “All You Need Is Love” (The Beatles), “What’s Going On” (Marvin Gaye) and “This Land Is Your Land” (Woody Guthrie) for Conspire To Smile. One other song will be determined by fan voting. Rewards for the Conspire To Smile Kickstarter include the album itself, stickers, Reid’s We Are All Fables solo album, posters, t-shirts, pins, a Strangefolk live album from 1999, Live HD video recorded at AOD’s 2016 Terrapin Crossroads show, a hardcover lyric book, a 60-minute songwriters video conference session, the ability to collaborate with Ried, a performance from Genauer in your home and more.
Head to the Kickstarter page for more information about Conspire To Smile and to pledge. Listen to Reid’s recent appearance on The JamBase Podcast:
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