Acoustic favorite Harvey Reid journeys through his past

After nearly four decades of pushing his music forward, Harvey Reid has spent time lately with an ear toward his past accomplishments.

Last year, the acclaimed acoustic songsmith and performer dug through the archives for a pair of releases, "Capo Voodoo," a set of originals and interpretations of compositions performed in the partial capo style, and "Songs from a Long Road," which found him selecting more than a half dozen favorites from his vaults alongside a handful of originals.

To Reid, the reasons for taking a journey through his past were as much artistic as they were in terms of commerce.

"Greatest hits albums have always been what a record label did after a contract expired, to milk more money from the artist's catalog, and the artist never had any say in what was done," he said. "I enjoy having the control over my work, and I feel some obligation to myself and my listeners to clean up, remaster, remix, re-release and reorganize my catalog."

Slated to perform Feb. 12 at Valparaiso's Front Porch Music, Reid was reared in Maryland and honed his musical chops along the East Coast, as well as in Nashville and Colorado, before calling New England his home base.

Currently residing in Maine, Reid won the National Fingerpicking Guitar Competition more than three decades ago, and a 1996 set, "Steel Drivin' Man," was selected by the internationally–read Acoustic Guitar magazine as one of the Top 10 folk CDs of all time.

Over the course of more than two dozen albums and on stages worldwide, Reid skips through genres, wowing listeners with his spins on folk, Celtic, blues, rockabilly, bluegrass and classical music.

"Since the acoustic guitar is my chosen instrument, my repertoire is basically whatever I can make happen on my guitar by myself," he said. "I have always liked all kinds of music, and never wanted to just be a blues guy or a Celtic guy, since that would be theater, and because I want to stay interested. So I might put a baroque piece next to a Chuck Berry song, which is OK with me."

Having spent time focusing in on his past, Reid plans to look forward artistically in 2012. Partially inspired by his young children, who are nearing guitar–playing age, he has cultivated a way of playing the instrument using only two fingers to navigate the frets.

A CD of playing in his two–finger style, he said, is in the works.

"It's actually possible to play sophisticated–sounding solo acoustic instrumental guitar music, including things like Beatles songs and Motown hits, if you only have two fingers, which I think will get some attention," he said.