The Snyder Family Band showcases the talents of 16 year-old Zeb Snyder, on guitar, and his sister, 12 year-old Samantha, on fiddle. Their father, Bud, backs them up on upright bass. Their extraordinary musicianship and their depth of feeling for the music they play have taken them to stages everywhere from the Wayne C. Henderson Festival in VA to the Cook Shack in Union Grove, NC , the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree in Nashville and MerleFest. They have were selected as an official showcase band for the 2010 World of Bluegrass in Nashville in October.
The Snyder Family Band from Lexington, North Carolina, guided by father Bud Snyder who plays bass for the group, features twelve year old Samantha on fiddle and fifteen year old Zeb on guitar. Their mother, Laine, who rounds out their beautiful three-part harmonies, often joins them.
Samantha began playing classical violin at age three in the Suzuki method. By age four she was playing duets with Zeb, who was learning classical guitar. At age seven she made the transition to bluegrass by taking fiddle lessons and in 2007 she won first place at the Jimmy Edmonds Homecoming Competition at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, VA. The prize was a fiddle made by luthier and fiddler Jimmy Edmonds. In 2008 at age nine she became the youngest ever to win the prestigious Fiddler of the Festival award 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 with Zeb and her mom, Laine.
Zeb began classical guitar lessons at age seven. He broadened his interest to include bluegrass at age eleven and entered a new phase that brought him to his favorite style of playing the guitar - flat-picking. Zeb has won many guitar competitions since he began flat-picking. In 2007, he won the top prize, a Wayne Henderson guitar, at the Jimmy Edmonds Homecoming Competition at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, VA. Zeb also enjoys playing mandolin and banjo along with singing lead and harmony vocals with Samantha and mom, Laine.
Bud did not expect, at this time in his life, to learn a new instrument. It was not until his children needed a bass player for the family band that Bud stepped up to the challenge. Taking tips from Zeb and fellow players, he now contributes a smooth steady beat that adds depth to the growing talents of his children. He truly enjoys the bond that making music provides as it allows him to be a part of this family band.
Happy to sit and listen to the developing talents of her young children, you can occasionally find Laine on stage adding her voice to create three-part harmony. Growing up in a family of four girls, she has a love for harmony from her days of singing with her sisters at home, in the car and in church. Laine is kept busy during performances off stage by entertaining the youngest Snyder, four-year-old Owen. It is her joy to sit back and watch husband, Bud, join children, Zeb and Samantha, as they blend their God given talents.
Owen Snyder, 5 years-old and the youngest member of the Snyder family, has been taking classical guitar lessons. He has made occasional stage appearances singing and entertaining the crowd. The rest of the family is ready for him to join the fun full time on stage.
The Snyders are becoming known to many of bluegrass’ greats and were invited to perform on the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree with Dailey & Vincent during their 2009 trip to the IBMA World of Bluegrass and have opened three shows for the group at the Old Rock School. They have appeared on the Song of the Mountains television show on PBS and are scheduled back to perform this year. They have also performed at the Wayne C. Henderson Festival, Bluegrass First Class, the Rex Theater, MerleFest and many other great festivals and venues. All it takes is one performance by this group to leave the crowd asking for more.
The Snyders have released three recordings, Snyder Family Band, in September 2008 and it was voted 29th in the Top 50 Bluegrass Albums of 2008 by the listeners of WNCW FM radio. They released their first CD on the Mountain Roads Recordings’ label March 30, 2010, entitled “Comin’ On Strong”, that includes original material written by Samantha. Their second release on the Mountain Roads Recordings label, Stages, features the title track for this project written by 12-year-old Samantha. The song reflects not only on her experiences during her musical career but also the comfort and joy that music has provided to the Snyder Family. It is a reflection on the Stages they have performed on, the friends they have met along the way and Stages that they hope to cross during their musical journey. Samantha sings lead on this song and is accompanied by her brother, Zeb (16), on guitar and mandolin with father Bud on upright bass.
This project, the Snyder Family’s third release, showcases the tremendous musical, vocal and songwriting abilities of this amazing family. It features five original songs by Samantha and Zeb and a variety of songs from numerous sources and genres:
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