The Snyder Family Band showcases the talents of 16 year-old Zeb Snyder, on guitar & mandolin, 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 Red, White & Bluegrass Festival in NC, the Rhythm & Roots Reunion in Bristol, TN/VA, the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree in Nashville and multiple appearances at MerleFest. The perfromed as an official showcase band for the 2010 World of Bluegrass in Nashville in October 2010.

When Bud and Laine Snyder started their young kids in classical music lessons, they didn't expect to find them on stage other than a recital here and there.  Now music is a big part of life for this North Carolina family as Samantha and Zeb have excelled in their individual instruments and the art of entertaining. As the two youngsters began to perform more often as a duo, their music interest turned toward Bluegrass.  While Samantha plays fiddle and Zeb the guitar, mandolin & banjo there seemed to be something missing.  So, Dad was surprised by an upright bass on his birthday and it was only a matter of time before Bud would join them on stage.  The Snyder's show includes instrumentals as well as vocal numbers by Samantha and Zeb, with Mom, Laine, joining in occasionally to add three part harmony.  

Their second CD, Stages, on the Mountain Roads Recordings label is scheduled for release on October 18, 2011 and follows the highly popular and succesful, Comin’ On Strong, released in 2010.

Stages, the title track for this project was 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 the 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 & 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:

Original Untitled by Wyatt Rice;

An old-time fiddle favorite, Angelina Baker;

Wren’s Waltz by Glen Alexander, Samantha’s fiddle teacher;

Daddy’s Gone, a crowd favorite at shows written by Bill Hallock

And a bonus track, The Glendy Burke, a Stephen Foster favorite, featuring 5 year-old Owen Snyder. Owen is currently following Samantha’s and Zeb’s path by studying classical guitar in the Suzuki method. He now sometimes joins the band on stage and is anxious to become a regular as they cross the Stages of their future.

Samantha recently won the prestigious bluegrass fiddle competition in the adult division at the 76^th Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention and Zeb, who is the current 2011 SC Guitar Champion, took first place in the adult Guitar category. Both gave amazing performances and were the hands-down crowd favorites.

Zeb Snyder said, “I am excited about the amount of original material we were able to include on this project and I like the direction that our music is taking as we continue to develop our unique sound as a band.”

Zeb’s and Samantha’s mother, Laine, adds exceptional family harmonies and on a bonus track they are joined by five year-old Owen. 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 were selected as an official showcase band for the 2010 World of Bluegrass in Nashville.

The Snyder Family Band has performed at:

IMA Official Showcase Band - World of Bluegrass 2010
Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree with Dailey & Vincent
Song of the Mountains on PBS
Wayne C. Henderson Festival
Bluegrass First Class
MerleFest
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
The Rex Theater
Old Rock Schoolhouse
Top of Georgia Bluegrass Jamboree
Bluegrass On The Waccamaw
Lil’ Johns Mountain Music Festival
Charlotte Folk Society
Red, White & Bluegrass Festival
Central Virginia Bluegrass Festival
Sugar Grove Music Fest

Stages will be available from the Snyder Family Band’s website, http://www.snyderfamilyband.com, and from;

Mountain Roads Recordings at http://www.mountainroadsrecordings.com, on September 10, 2011.