SNYDER FAMILY BAND
Wherever I Wander
Mountain Home Music Co.

www.mountainhomemusiccompany.com
 

More than a few years ago now, I was down in North Carolina when a friend insisted that I go to the Cook Shack that Saturday morning to see a little girl play the fiddle. The Cook Shack is a roadhouse that serves on weekends, among other things, as a focal point for the music of Wilkesboro/Union Grove area. Musicians gather to play, hang out, have breakfast, and listen.

I went, and sure enough, an impossibly cute, strikingly young girl got up and played the fiddle. It was Samantha Snyder. If there were rough spots here and there, they were absolutely forgiven because she was, in any case, so good for her age and clearly having so much fun. It’s one of those things that really affirms something about life.

The next thing anyone noticed was her brother, Zeb, who even then could turn heads on guitar. I probably felt a bit sorry for him given that so much attention was given to his younger sister, but he got up there too, and he had the chops to pull some of the focus. They a few years later they came to a national attention – at this point formed as the Snyder Family Band with father, Bud, on bass – when Adam Steffey featured them prominently on his 2013 release, New Primitive.

It’s been a lovely trajectory and it’s been equally lovely to watch, if at a distance. The Snyders have grown, as has their musical ability. These days, as is apparent with their latest release, Wherever I Wander, they now don’t have to rely on cuteness or age anymore. Swing, bluegrass, newgrass, country – the album is a tour of the range of styles that the siblings are excelling at. Were you to know nothing at all about them, hearing the first track, “New River Rapids,” would still easily turn your head, as it should. Zeb has been very visible on guitar in the past, though here demonstrates that he’s equally good on mandolin. He may be reaching toward a bit of flash at times, but it merely registers as confidence, something he can and does wear very well. “After You’ve Gone” is a startlingly good arrangement of the swing standard, and here, as elsewhere, the confidence in the delivery is remarkable.

What’s perhaps new with this album is that Samantha and Zeb are really displaying their own voices through their instruments, and where the album shines is in the instrumental work. A couple years ago, Zeb was still clearly striving to sound like his heroes, Tony Rice prime among them. That’s what young players do, of course, and his ability to pull it off was impressive. On this album, though, he’s sounding different, more like Zeb. He’s bringing together what he’s learned and he’s asserting his own voice. That’s true for Samantha as well. Here, we’re not thinking of other players, we’re thinking of her.

If there are any soft spots, it’s perhaps that they might be a touch too aggressive in places, and not giving enough space within the arrangements. The vocal are a bit swallowed, and their songwriting, including that of the title track, doesn’t yet match the maturity of their playing. Still, one day, I’m certain it will.

— Glen Herbert