Reed Foehl

Guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Reed Foehl first gained recognition performing with the jam band Acoustic Junction before embarking on a solo path that merged rock, folk, bluegrass, and improvisational elements. Raised in Boston, he moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 1989 and soon joined Tim Roper, Curtis Thompson, and Matt Coconis to establish Acoustic Junction. The group built its following through relentless touring, issuing its debut album, Love It for What It Is, in 1991. Four additional releases followed—one appearing under the name Fool's Progress at the insistence of their label—until the band dissolved in 2000, a split Foehl later traced to the toll of a decade on the road. While still active with Acoustic Junction, he began developing his own songs and issued the intimate solo set Leo's Song in 1995, which was later reissued in 2005. After devoting time to songwriting and family life with his son, he stepped forward as a solo artist with the 2004 album Spark and recommitted himself to live performance. In 2005, Vince Herman, previously of Leftover Salmon, asked him to participate in a new project for a benefit show that became Great American Taxi. Although Foehl regarded Herman as both a close friend and gifted collaborator, he chose to prioritize his own career once Herman committed to keeping the band together and departed before their 2007 debut, instead delivering his third solo album, Stoned Beautiful, that same year. Once an Ocean appeared in 2009, and in 2014 he partnered with the roots label Immersive Records for Lost in the West.