Just a quick word on this band from Vermont - Assembly of Dust…I grew up on Strangefolk and all the Wormtown Trading Co. festivals and I was skeptical about Reid’s new project ever since I first heard of it. In fact, I was downright angry that he left our New England pride because of graduate school, all the complications with Jon’s cancer, creative stagnation, etc. Bulls***! The Assembly of Dust is nasty! While their Bonnaroo set in 05’ was absolutely rocking - http://livebonnaroo.com/frameset.asp?downloads - I had yet to see them again till Langerado over spring break. They opened up with this new tune off their newest album Recollection, which by the way is comprised of nearly all sweet songs, called “Truck Farm.” The rock tune really woke the weary eyed early risers and truly shocked the audience with not only their musicianship and prowess as a raw live act, but also with Reid’s ability to continually break out seemingly new, yet always beautifully written tunes. I caught them next at Summer Camp, which saw AOD take over the stage during moe.'s headlining slot for a segue out of “St. Augustine” into the old Strangefolk tune “Westerly.” I was speechless. Then two weeks ago I saw them at Mountain Jam, and although the setlist wasn’t as rocking as the week before, it still solidified the fact that I am a new wholehearted Assembly of Dust fan. Reid’s songs are comparable in their sincerity and passion to those of Crosby Stills and Nash’s most beloved tunes, while the ability to discern the different instruments apart from each other is reminiscent of The Band. The point is with these guys is that they play with PATIENCE!!! A skill that most bands don’t even dare try to implement into their shows. Sometimes taking two to three minutes between songs, the Assembly of Dust has the ability to fill the soundscape unlike Strangefolk did, though still maintaining the capacity to allow their jams to develop organically into gorgeous climaxes. Please check these boys out, they’ll be playing at the L.L. Bean Summer Concert Series this Saturday in Maine and then down the road a bit at All Good. Check out “Whistleclock,” “Truck Farm,” “40 Reasons,” and “Grand Design” off their new album Recollection and I promise you won’t be dissatisfied. Because it seems that sincerity in music these days is becoming more and more scarce, I thought I’d lend a heads up to listen for this band as I am sure their strict regional following will soon become realized by more than just the current devoted fans. Check out their myspace and fuzz pages at - http://assemblyofdust.fuzz.com/
http://myspace.com/assemblyofdust
Enjoy!!