This month we’re shining the spotlight on Tim Snider. Hailing from Reno, Nevada, Tim writes emotionally charged music that spans several genres.
A deep connection to his first love — the violin, an interest in many different styles of music, and diverse experience of many different cultures gives his music a unique sound and energy that is easy to connect with.
We recently caught up with Tim to learn more about his musical experiences, upcoming projects, and what he likes most about his Americanaura theme.
AT: When and how did you start playing music?
TS: It is kind of a crazy story actually… When I was 2 months old, my grandmother, nearing her last days, held me in her arms and said, “Finally, this will be my violinist.” See, she had inherited a love of the violin from her father… My great grandfather, Theodore Post, who studied violin and composition at Juilliard and Harvard, helped to establish the music department at the University of Nevada Reno (UNR). Since none of my parents’ generation took to the violin, she thought I might. Sure enough when I was three and a half years old, I saw Itzhak Perlman on Sesame Street playing the violin and begged my mother for lessons right then and there.
AT: How you would describe the type of music you play?
TS: That is always an interesting question to answer… My favorite description that someone else came up with is “a world-folk hybrid, aimed at the heart, the brain, and the feet.” I grew up studying classical music and loved it as a kid but I got bored and ventured off into rock, blues, gospel, and american. After high-school I went to Spain to study flamenco music for half a year with a buddy. I got really into guys like Paco De Lucia, Vicente Amigo, Tomatito… I came back to the States and started a fusion-rock-latin band that led me to more experimentation and styles. We ended up going to Cuba to study Salsa music as a group… Since then, I’ve been traveling all over the world picking things up as I go. I just got back from Brazil where I met and recorded with a wonderful guitarist named Caio Andreatta. This all being said, I kind of play whatever I’m around and interested in… and it changes all the time. My songs and my music come from my life experiences and I would like to think that they are constantly evolving. I love music and strive vigilantly towards honest songwriting and passion.
AT: Who are some of your musical heroes and what you love about them?
TS: Itzhak Perlman was my first but I would say Stephane Grapelli is my all time violin hero. I cry when I hear him play. He had such style and made the violin come alive like no one else. Right up until he died, in his 80’s, he would play shows with a huge smile on his face. I hope I’m that lucky someday. I have always been inspired by Paul Simon, I think he writes from his heart and shares his life experiences and how he sees things through stories and I have a lot of respect for that. When I was 16, I went to a Ben Harper concert at the Greek theater in Berkeley, CA and decided right then and there that I wanted to be a songwriter and not just a composer. He was amazing live, he had the entire crowd up, rocking, shouting, laughing and then would bring the whole show down to silence. I mean, you could hear a pin drop and everyone was hanging on every lyric. I knew I wanted to strive to affect people in that way. Also, Paco de Lucia was a big influence on me. He really took flamenco music to new heights and was not afraid to try things while still keeping strong in his musical tradition, I like that. The list is huge to be honest, Bob Marley, Bill Withers, Sting… There is a few newer people I think are amazing, Richardo Herz is a Brazilian violinist who plays a mixture of Samba and forró… It’s incredible. Nahko and Medicine for the People is a band I’ve been able to play some shows with and I really respect what they are doing and their mission.
AT: What is your most popular song and where can we hear it?
TS: Hurricane or Free Falling might be the most popular, but we just released a new single of an album I recorded in Brazil with my friend Caio and I think that one might soon replace them (as fan favorites).
Here are a few links:
Tim’s website | iTunes | SoundCloud | Spotify | Pandora | DeliRadio
My latest CD was recorded in Brazil with the amazing musician Caio Andreatta. Our new album will be released world-wide in February 2015. However, this month we released their first single, “With You,” which can be heard and downloaded at Soundcloud.
AT: What do you like best about the AudioTheme website?
TS: The AudioTheme website is great for a few reasons: the music player makes it possible to share music in every page of my website. Its organization makes it easy to show all my material, albums, and media. In the music tab we can also share each song’s lyrics and information. The tour tab is very easy to manage and add concerts and venues’ information. The website has a private area where you can store venue’s contacts and notes, making it really easy for booking agents and music managers to keep the business organized.
AT: What can we look forward to from you in the future?
TS: Here is a bit about my latest project:
Tim and Caio, a collaboration between Tim Snider and Caio Andreatta
Tim Snider and Caio Andreatta first met in São Paulo, Brazil where they sparked a friendship and decided to embark on a new project together. Their debut album, In Brazil, features a meeting of musical minds from these two diverse musicians coming from musical upbringings almost 7,000 miles apart. Andreatta traveled all the way from his motherland for a month long special pre-release tour of their new album, in July 2014. In Brazil will be officially released in São Paulo in 2015. Only 500 special edition pre-release CD were printed and available at the pre-release shows until the official release date.
Snider and Andreatta complement each other with their unique styles and shocking amount of musical talent and skill. Snider’s world sojourns and musical influences together with Andreatta’s Brazilian flair will transport you from your chair into a mesmerizing musical place you’ve never experienced before.
Here is a little taste of their newest single, “With You”
For tour dates please go to Tim Snider’s website:
www.timsnidermusic.com