Standing among the other parents gathered for our town’s Memorial Day ceremony, I proudly looked on as my marching band uniformed sixth grader flawlessly rat-a-tat-tatted away on the snare drum. In front of him, the band’s teacher stood in formation, leading his students while also playing the tenor/quad drums.  

Just that morning, my son asked if he could take drum lessons with that band teacher over the summer; he’d just learned that was an option and wanted in. Seeing his enthusiasm and commitment, I was grateful that his band teacher had inspired him to the point of his wanting to spend time improving his drumming skills over the summer. In that moment, I was reminded of the movie Mr. Holland’s Opus and I smiled. The very next thought to follow from there was of Strangefolk and their just-announced Garden of Eden festival coming up in August.

It may seem strange that a middle-aged mom’s thoughts would wander to a 1990s jamband just then, but the association makes perfect sense if you’re me.

The start of the story dates back to September of 1995, when I received set II of Strangefolk’s show from Colby College in Waterville, Maine as a bonus in a Phish tape trade I had set up in AOL’s Phish Bowl chat room. Though that’s the official beginning, things didn’t really start coming together until about a year later.

Fresh off a phenomenal summer seeing Phish at Red Rocks, followed by the Clifford Ball—which included an unexpected backstage adventure (for more on that, read the book)—the fall of 1996 saw me starting as a sophomore transfer student at UMass Amherst. Within my first few weeks in the Butterfield dorm, I met a girl who would soon come to be known affectionately within the Strangefolk scene as “Jean, Jean, the Glitter Queen.” A few days after that introduction, I saw a flyer in our dorm announcing that Strangefolk would be playing downstairs, in our dining room…and if you wanted to help put posters up around campus for it, talk to Jean.

I swung by Jean’s room and she told me about having seen Strangefolk play at Deadhead Heaven (the nascent festival that later became Gathering of the Vibes), and I told her about the bonus tape I got in a Phish trade. She didn’t have that set yet, and I didn’t have any of the handful of tapes she had, so we exchanged blanks and made copies for each other. Long story short, I was recruited both to plaster the campus with posters and to help with of day-of set up/break down logistics.

Having had my face sufficiently melted at that show, I invited my friends in Boston to come visit me in Butterfield after winter break was over, because Strangefolk was scheduled to play again at the end of January. Having made converts of them at that show, we all went to see them play at The Paradise in Boston a few days later, which led to our heading up to Maine to see them in Portland the following night, and then again, the night after that in Waterville (bringing me full circle back to that Colby College tape). Little did I realize it at the time, but Strangefolk would later become my only triple digit show count band.

If your own story with the Grateful Dead, Phish, and/or any other band with a travel-happy fanbase followed a similar path back in the ‘90s, then you probably have your own collection of faded ticket stubs, disposable camera prints, and dog-eared DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer map books to show for it. Adventures were planned, friendships were formed (or strengthened), memories were made, and some of us were even lucky enough to find love along the way.

Like many others, I was one of the lucky ones. My husband, Bill, and I were introduced by mutual friends in 1999, and we started dating in 2000. Sadly, that would be the same year that lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Reid Genauer, would depart from Strangefolk, leaving the band’s future uncertain.

As many bands do when a member leaves, lead guitarist Jon Trafton, bassist Erik Glockler, and drummer Luke Smith decided to carry on. They hired a new guitarist/vocalist, Luke “Patchen” Montgomery, and later, keyboardist, Don Scott.

Though many fans enjoyed the next chapter in the band’s sound, and some felt it was an improvement, others drifted away. Not long after leaving Strangefolk, Reid began playing solo acoustic gigs, which eventually gave way to Assembly of Dust (AOD). Some loved both bands, some preferred one over the other, but everyone had strong opinions, and they weren’t always kind in sharing them.

This fracture in the Strangefolk fan base was a difficult time for all involved. Similar to how Jerry’s death brought out the worst in the Deadheads and Phish phans who hung out in the 710 Ashbury and Phish Bowl chat rooms on America Online (AOL), things often devolved into nastiness in the online Strangefolk community. I distinctly remember someone comparing the turmoil and vitriol to being caught in the middle of their parents’ acrimonious divorce.

In the years that followed, both Strangefolk and AOD struggled to pack the same venues the original lineup once used to consistently sell out. Drummer Luke Smith departed in 2003 and was later replaced by Trey Anastasio Band drummer, Russ Lawton.

In early 2005, the Strangefolk community was again hit by a major blow with the news that Jon Trafton had been diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, it was caught early, and his prognosis was promising. He did eventually beat it, and the band returned to the stage in 2006.

At the start of 2012, Bill and I had been married for seven years, had a five-year-old son, and were living in Washington state after a job-related relocation. Early in the year, Strangefolk announced an upcoming run of four northeast shows with the original band members, which had not happened since Reid’s departure in 2000.

We quickly made our travel plans and arrangements for our son to spend some much overdue time with family. We were ecstatic to not only see the band that provided the soundtrack to the start of our lives together again, but to reconnect with everyone we hadn’t seen in so long.

Looking back on the pictures from that run of shows now is bittersweet—our community has suffered several devastating losses since then. Laurie Joyal, Amy McGovern, Matt Mannering, Steph Curless, and so many others who are no longer with us will never be forgotten. They’ll always come to mind whenever we’re singing along to “So Well” (most likely with tears streaming down our faces):

Forget me not, forgive me now
Twenty years gone by
I may grow old, that’s what I’m told
But I ain’t never gonna die.
Said I may grow old that’s what I’m told
But I ain’t never gonna die

And we live in and of each other
We will remain
And we give and so discover
We will remain

So, here we are now, in 2025.

Back in the day, Strangefolk’s annual Garden of Eden festival had been the highlight of the summer, pulling thousands of fans from all over the country to the starlit hills of Vermont for a full weekend of friends, family, music, and community. Having spent 15 years disconnected from ours, Bill and I returned home to New England in 2021. Since then, we’ve been patiently waiting for another Eden festival to be announced.

Eden always felt like a family reunion, and I had so missed having that chance to catch up and reconnect with everyone. Social media is great for staying in touch, but there simply is no substitute for looking into a stranger’s eyes and getting a genuine smile in return. There have been a handful of Edens since we moved to Washington, but none since we moved back…until now.  

About a month after our 20th wedding anniversary, we’ll be spending the weekend of August 22-23rd at Strangefolk’s Garden of Eden festival in Vermont. We’re looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and introducing them to our kids…which brings me back to why I was thinking about Strangefolk as a natural progression from having been reminded of Mr. Holland’s Opus.

If you consider yourself a music lover and you’ve never seen this movie, put it on your watchlist. If you haven’t seen it, the nutshell version is Mr. Holland is a band teacher forced into retirement. Feeling defeated on his final day on the job, Mr. Holland’s  students remind him of the true impact he’s had over his 30-year career.

Though Strangefolk may not have been the sole inheritors of the Grateful Dead’s torch—as many who were left cold by Phish in the 90s were quick to crown them—they absolutely played an integral role in holding it aloft for a while in those tumultuous years immediately following Jerry’s death. Like Mr. Holland, Strangefolk had an impact far beyond fame and fortune; they were instrumental in forever changing the lives of thousands of people, many of whose names they won’t ever know.

Whether you remember seeing Strangefolk back in the day, or if reading this article is the first you’re hearing about them, rest assured that their Garden of Eden festival coming up at Jay Peak Resort in August will be well worth the price of admission.

For some, it’ll be a great weekend of music with not only Strangefolk, but also the Seth Yacovone Band opening on Friday and Pink Talking Phish opening on Saturday. For me, it’s going to be a great weekend of music plus a long-overdue family reunion with a 30-year history of smiles, laughter, hugs, tears, and sincere gratitude for having been a part of this community of strangers who became lifelong friends.

Come join us—you won’t regret it.

***

Chris Campbell has been contributing to Jambands.com since 1998. Her debut novel, The Strangest of Places, is available now. She lives in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire with her husband and three sons.