Sunday, October 9, 2011

If Todd Snider Were a Dog

Todd Snider is to musicians what the Irish setter is to dog breeds.  Fun and free wheeling.

Todd is someone you sort of feel at home with referring to by his first name. A gifted songwriter, unpretentiously funny story-teller, with apparently unlimited enthusiasm and energy.  He half-shuffled on stage at Kentucky Country Day School Saturday night, wearing a floppy hayseed hat, a dark vest over a denim-colored shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, and half-tucked into over-sized baggy blue jeans.  The jeans rolled up at his bare feet just enough that he wouldn’t trip over them.  If he tried for the laid-back look he put a lot of effort into his appearance. My guess is he just got dressed and turned out that way. 

Over the next two hours, Todd sang, played guitar, harmonica, and piano, told long, very funny stories, stirring wild enthusiasm from his followers and charming the rest of the audience.

Like Josh Ritter, another very gifted singer/songwriter, Snider appears to genuinely enjoy performing.  And that type of enjoyment is contagious.  From the raucous, good-humored “Beer Run” Todd had the audience singing along, hooting and hollering all the way to the “Conservative, Christian, and Right Wing Republican.”  Something a tad ironic, yet perfect about the entire audience at the upscale, private, suburban school joining in on the gentle yet counter-culture lyrics Todd wrote and sang. 

Todd claimed he was not trying to send a message but wrote the words he did because “they rhymed.”  Yeah, sort of like letting your Irish setters run through your well-appointed house because they matched the décor.  You have to love it.

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