Reid Genauer is a country boy. He may live in New York City, but he’s keenly aware of the difference between rural and urban life.

“I’ve spent the bulk of my adult life so far in New England, in a rural, agrarian setting in Vermont,” said Genauer, front man for the roots-rock ensemble Assembly of Dust, which plays tonight at Ushuaia in Orono. “I moved to New York a few years back and it was a total culture shock.”

The tug of war between vibrant, hectic city life and peaceful, familiar country living is apparent in many of Genauer’s songs, featured on Assembly of Dust’s two albums, the self-titled debut and 2004’s “The Honest Hour.” He may like the food, fashion, arts and nightlife in Manhattan, but as he put it, “It’s like living in a war zone.”

Which may be why Genauer enjoys playing Maine so much – AOD has played in Portland several times in the past few years. It also helps that prior to AOD, he played with legendary New England jam band Strangefolk, which by the time Genauer left the band in 2001 had amassed a large, dedicated fan base in Maine.

Genauer still plays some old Strangefolk tunes on the road, but he’s mostly concerned with the present. His most recent songs combine a folky, rootsy sound with sensitive, acute lyrical observations, akin to Paul Simon and the Grateful Dead both musically and emotionally.

His storytelling edge, however, stems from other sources.

“I’m sort of a junkie for movies and books. I like the parallel universe that songs and books and movies and plays bring you,” said the 33-year-old Genauer. “I’m also a student of more grassrootsy forms of music, blues and folk and bluegrass and all that, and they all tend to embrace the storytelling tradition. I definitely model my songwriting after some of that.”

“The New Real Rhythm” is one of those story-songs, telling the tale of a girl and the West Virginia family she’s born into. “Tavern Walker” could be an anthem for AOD fans, and even has become the moniker for the band’s street team. “Roads,” a live favorite, is one of those rare things that is wonderful when it happens: a smart, introspective song that’s also catchy as hell.

When he’s not on the road with AOD, Genauer serves as director of creative marketing at eMusic.com, an mp3 downloading Web site. The band features former members of other New England bands, including Percy Hill keyboard player Nate Wilson and bassist John Leccese, and they tour as much as they can, though the real world beckons much of the time.

The last time Genauer was in Orono was with Strangefolk in the late ’90s, at the University of Maine.

“Fans up there tend to be more appreciative of live music,” said Genauer. “They aren’t getting bombarded with it all the time, so when they get it, they really appreciate it.”

Supporting acts:

Taken individually, John Medeski, Billy Martin and Chris Wood are extremely powerful musicians. As a group, Medeski, Martin and Wood are one of the finest jazz trios working today – though the band brings in aspects of punk, hip hop and electronic on a regular basis. The organ-drum-bass combo plays at Sunday River Ski Resort in Bethel on Saturday, Feb. 25. Tickets can be purchased at www.sundayriver.com, or by calling 824-3000.

Reid Genauer and Assembly of Dust will play at 8 p.m. tonight, Feb. 24, at Ushuaia in Orono, with the Ryan Montbleau Band and local jamsters Roost. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Bull Moose Music locations. For information, visit www.assemblyofdust.com. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.