The secret to Todd Snider's success is a solid work ethic. The singer/songwriter doesn't get a lot of time away from the road; lately, just the weekdays.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The secret to Todd Snider's success is a solid work ethic.
The singer/songwriter doesn't get a lot of time away from the road; lately, it's just the weekdays. Otherwise, he stays pretty busy. He recently performed at the All Good Music Festival in Masontown, but even when he gets home, he says he's always putting in his time.
"I'll get up early-early," he said, thoughtfully. "I'll drink coffee, read the paper, maybe smoke half of a joint, then start typing or playing something."
By, say, mid-afternoon, Snider will take a break. He likes to go grocery shopping, get charcoal, beer, sometimes liquor and something to cook. In his backyard, he'll fire up the grill, get the coals good and hot, and then pour garlic over them.
"It's a vampire fire," Snider said. "It just smells good to me. We'll listen to some oldies music, put something on the grill and burn it -- almost always, we burn it -- then order a pizza or something."
This is the storytelling of Todd Snider: earnest, odd and funny. The characters of his songs are often working-class types who may or may not be actually working. There's a lot of humor in his music and a lot of understanding about how regular people feel. Snider says he's one of them.
"So sometimes when I'm speaking out for them," he said, "it's like I'm speaking out for me."
Some of these people aren't obvious choices for someone to write a song about, such as baseball legend Dock Ellis. In 1970, Ellis pitched a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres while allegedly under the influence of LSD. Snider's song was called "America's Favorite Pastime."
Snider says that, while he doesn't take LSD and then play baseball, he can understand what Ellis might have felt.
"I feel like I've had some good gigs under circumstances when it should not have gone as good as it went -- as it were."
Snider comes off as laid-back, but never lazy, despite how he occasionally refers to himself. This summer aside, he tours heavily through the year and releases albums steadily. His last, "Peace Queer," came out in October. His latest, "The Excitement Plan," was released June 9.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The secret to
Todd Snider's success is a solid work ethic.
The singer/songwriter doesn't get a lot of time away from the road; lately, it's just the weekdays. Otherwise, he stays pretty busy. He recently performed at the All Good Music Festival in Masontown, but even when he gets home, he says he's always putting in his time.
"I'll get up early-early," he said, thoughtfully. "I'll drink coffee, read the paper, maybe smoke half of a joint, then start typing or playing something."
By, say, mid-afternoon, Snider will take a break. He likes to go grocery shopping, get charcoal, beer, sometimes liquor and something to cook. In his backyard, he'll fire up the grill, get the coals good and hot, and then pour garlic over them.
"It's a vampire fire," Snider said. "It just smells good to me. We'll listen to some oldies music, put something on the grill and burn it -- almost always, we burn it -- then order a pizza or something."
This is the storytelling of Todd Snider: earnest, odd and funny. The characters of his songs are often working-class types who may or may not be actually working. There's a lot of humor in his music and a lot of understanding about how regular people feel. Snider says he's one of them.
"So sometimes when I'm speaking out for them," he said, "it's like I'm speaking out for me."
Some of these people aren't obvious choices for someone to write a song about, such as baseball legend Dock Ellis. In 1970, Ellis pitched a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres while allegedly under the influence of LSD. Snider's song was called "America's Favorite Pastime."
Snider says that, while he doesn't take LSD and then play baseball, he can understand what Ellis might have felt.
"I feel like I've had some good gigs under circumstances when it should not have gone as good as it went -- as it were."
Snider comes off as laid-back, but never lazy, despite how he occasionally refers to himself. This summer aside, he tours heavily through the year and releases albums steadily. His last, "Peace Queer," came out in October. His latest, "The Excitement Plan," was released June 9.
Snider says when he was working on the album, he had a hard time finding the right sound. At the time, he was listening to Kris Kristofferson's "The Old Road," which he liked very much and decided this was how he wanted it to sound. Snider asked his manager to find someone who could help him get there. His manager called Don Was, who produced the album.
Snider says they'd met before. During the brief period when country superstar Garth Brooks was "Chris Gaines," he covered Snider's song, "Alright Guy." Was produced it.
"But I wasn't sure he'd remember me," Snider said.
It was a reasonable fear. Was has worked with dozens of notable artists, ranging from The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan to Willie Nelson and The B-52s. But Was remembered Snider and helped him produce "The Excitement Plan." Was even brought Snider on tour with him and his band, Was (not Was) last year. The band is best known for the '80s hit "Walking The Dinosaur."
"I love that song," Snider said.
Meanwhile, Snider's album is doing fairly well. He's gotten nice reviews in Rolling Stone, Paste and Spin magazines, and he's enjoying the leisurely pace of the festival season. For him, it's a great chance to get out in front of people and just have a good time.
"I like to see the other bands play," he said, "and I really like the smell. Most of all, I really like the ones where the girls wear those summer dresses and their feet are dirty."
And the downside?
"Downside?" he asked. "There is no downside."
Reach Bill Lynch at ly...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5195.
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