CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Folk Society kicks off 2011 with bluegrass, gospel, and more by The Snyder Family Band on Friday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Great Aunt Stella Center. Doors open at 7 p.m.
The Snyder Family Band showcases the talents of 15-year-old Zeb Snyder on guitar, and his sister, 11-year-old Samantha on fiddle. Their father, Bud, backs them up on upright bass. The buzz about Zeb and Samantha is not exaggerated! Their extraordinary musicianship and their depth of feeling for the music they play have taken them to stages everywhere from the Tosco Music Party to MerleFest, from the Wayne C. Henderson Festival to the Cook Shack (Union Grove, NC). As well, they’ve performed at the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Assn.) as an invited showcase band.
Zeb began classical guitar lessons at age seven and built a great musical foundation in the Suzuki method. When he broadened his interest to include bluegrass at age eleven, he entered a new phase that brought him to his favorite style of playing the guitar – flatpicking. He progressed by leaps and bounds, eagerly joining any jam session. Zeb has won many guitar competitions since he began flatpicking. In 2007, he won the top prize, a Wayne C. Henderson guitar, at the Jimmy Edmonds Homecoming Competition at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Va.. Zeb took first place in the adult guitar competition at the 2009 Mount Airy Bluegrass and Fiddlers Convention in June. Plus, he writes exciting original compositions – think Tony Rice!
Samantha began playing classical violin at age three in the Suzuki method. By age four, she was playing duets with Zeb. At age seven she made the transition to bluegrass by taking fiddle lessons, playing in jam sessions, and competing at fiddlers’ conventions. In 2007, Samantha won first place at the Jimmy Edmonds Homecoming Competition. The prize was a fiddle made by luthier and fiddler Jimmy Edmonds. In 2008, at the age of nine, she became the youngest ever to win the prestigious “Fiddler of the Festival” title at Fiddler’s Grove in Union Grove, NC, home of the oldest fiddler’s competition in North America. Along with playing fiddle, Samantha enjoys singing lead and harmony vocals and writes original songs.
Father Bud Snyder contributes a smooth steady beat on the upright bass that adds depth to the growing talents of Zeb and Samantha. He especially enjoys the bond that making music with them provides. Laine Snyder occasionally joins her husband and children on stage to create three-part harmonies. The youngest Snyder, Owen, aged four, has begun classical guitar lessons in the Suzuki method and sometimes joins the family on stage to perform.
The Snyder Family Band released “Coming On Strong,” their first CD on the Mountain Roads Recordings label, in March. Their second recording features two of Samantha’s songs, “The Great Civil War” and a gospel number, “What Will You Say,” as well as Zeb’s guitar and banjo work.
Visit their website at www.snyderfamilyband.com/index.html. Watch videos and sample recordings at www.folksociety.org.
Monthly Folk Society Gatherings are family-friendly, open to the public, and free. Donations, which support the series, are greatly appreciated. A short refreshment break follows the hour-long concert. Afterwards, join a song circle or a jam session – slow or fast – listeners welcomed.
The Great Aunt Stella Centeris located at 926 Elizabeth Ave., Charlotte.