Longtime musician finally releases album of his compositions
Al Snyder at work in Albey Road Studio
Darkhorse
Al Snyder, back in the day
Al Snyder, more recently
The Corbin/Hanner Band
Al Snyder was pleasantly surprised to once receive 无毛视频渟omething无毛视频� from George Harrison.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 such a big Beatles fan, and I get this letter in the mail,无毛视频� Snyder recalled. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 one of the biggest shocks of my life.无毛视频�
One of the world无毛视频檚 most famous entertainers, as it turned out, wanted to use the registered name of Snyder无毛视频檚 Pittsburgh-area band for a few purposes. After a settlement, 无毛视频淒ark Horse无毛视频� became the name of a Harrison song, album and record label.
As part of the settlement, Darkhorse, the band, was presented with what Snyder considered to be a long-shot opportunity to sign with Dark Horse Records. In a nod to what John Lennon said during the Beatles无毛视频� rooftop concert of 1969, Snyder has been telling folks for years that his group did not 无毛视频減ass the audition.无毛视频�
He did, though, enjoy the process of recording the Darkhorse demo so much that he decided to invest in his own equipment and start a studio.
More than four decades later, after working with countless musicians on myriad projects, the keyboard player from Scott Township has released his first album of original compositions, 无毛视频淩ainy Afternoon.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚sn无毛视频檛 it terrible that you have a studio and you无毛视频檙e doing everybody else无毛视频檚 work, and when it comes to your own stuff, you think, I无毛视频檓 exhausted,无毛视频� he said.
Actually, one track is the traditional 无毛视频淪tagger Lee,无毛视频� probably best known for Lloyd Price无毛视频檚 version that topped the charts in 1959. Snyder无毛视频檚 arrangement, which he has been playing since his Darkhorse days, is so distinctive that he had it copyrighted.
Co-writing two 无毛视频淩ainy Afternoon无毛视频� songs and playing guitar on a total of seven is Dave Hanner, half-namesake with Bob Corbin of one of Western Pennsylvania无毛视频檚 most successful musical aggregations.
Joined by Snyder on keyboards, bass player Kip Paxton 无毛视频� he performs on 无毛视频淩ainy Afternoon,无毛视频� too 无毛视频� and drummer Dave Freeland, the Corbin/Hanner Band placed half a dozen singles on Billboard无毛视频檚 country chart in the early 无毛视频�80s.
The band previously was known as Gravel and shared some bills with Darkhorse. One day, Freeland called Snyder to ask if he无毛视频檇 play a fairly involved piano part for Gravel.
无毛视频淚 said, 无毛视频楾his sounds really good, but why don无毛视频檛 you come over to my studio, and I can do better,'无毛视频� Snyder recalled. 无毛视频淪o they came over, and then we did five or six songs and sent them down to Nashville.无毛视频�
As part of a record deal for them as a duo, Corbin and Hanner recently had visited Tennessee无毛视频檚 music capital to record with some session veterans.
无毛视频淭hey had five songs in the can with studio players, and when we sent down these songs from my studio, they liked the band better,无毛视频� Snyder said. 无毛视频淪o they scrapped what they had from the studio players and signed the whole band.无毛视频�
He had yet to perform with his bandmates live, though. When the time came, at a venue in Latrobe, Corbin was out of action following a vehicle accident and Hanner turned up too sick to take the stage.
无毛视频淪o here无毛视频檚 me 无毛视频� never playing with them ever, except in the studio 无毛视频� and it无毛视频檚 me and Freeland and Kip,无毛视频� Snyder said. 无毛视频淪o the first job I ever played with the Corbin/Hanner Band was without Corbin and Hanner.无毛视频�
Meanwhile, Snyder无毛视频檚 studio served as the site for the recording of quite a few songs that became hits. A prime example is the Hanner composition 无毛视频淟ord, I Hope This Day Is Good,无毛视频� which Don Williams took to country无毛视频檚 No. 1 in 1981, and it since has become a standard, most recently covered by Caylee Hammack and Alan Jackson.
Since his Darkhorse days, Snyder has been involved with numerous musical project, including a popular collaboration with the Pittsburgh Zoo. He wrote and performed 26 songs that played for patrons in front of the various exhibits, and followed up a few years later with a second round.
Today, 无毛视频淶oo Key Songs无毛视频� is available through various merchants and services for the enjoyment of the entire family.
Snyder also has teamed with Tom Rooney to put together the annual 无毛视频�12 Bands of Christmas无毛视频� compilation for Pittsburgh无毛视频檚 Froggy FM radio stations, and he works regularly with guitarist Mike Lewandowski in a band called A.T.L. & S. that has released three albums.
Lewandowsky is another contributor to 无毛视频淩ainy Afternoon无毛视频� as a performer and writer, sharing composing credits on three songs. Also appearing on a majority of tracks are drummer Joe Waslouski and bass player Curt Erickson.
The album, the sonic quality of which attests to Snyder无毛视频檚 expertise in the studio, combines atmospheric pieces with good old rock 无毛视频榥无毛视频� roll. Its 12 songs are presented in a specific order for the sake of balance between styles.
无毛视频淚 went crazy for the sequence,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 actually held off the CD for probably nine months because I couldn无毛视频檛 find a good beginning song and I couldn无毛视频檛 find a 无毛视频榗omic relief无毛视频� song.无毛视频�
For the latter, he arrived at one called 无毛视频淐harles Moses,无毛视频� featuring lyrics such as 无毛视频淭hat cat is cool, but he无毛视频檚 always in style.无毛视频� That can be taken literally, as the namesake is a friend无毛视频檚 feline.
And opening the album is 无毛视频淭hank You,无毛视频� an upbeat and heartfelt message to a special person: 无毛视频淟ittle things in my life, they all come from you/It无毛视频檚 like you无毛视频檙e there, you无毛视频檙e there, in everything I do.无毛视频�
The breakup song 无毛视频淕oodbye无毛视频� would seem to be an appropriate way to wind up proceedings, but Snyder decided to mix it up again with 无毛视频淪tagger Lee无毛视频� as the closing track, his piano pounding away to actual audience sounds from a Corbin/Hanner concert.
Thus concludes 无毛视频淩ainy Afternoon.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚 had a good time putting it together, and after all this time, I wanted everything to be right. I probably spent a little more time than I should无毛视频檝e,无毛视频� Snyder said. 无毛视频淚 haven无毛视频檛 really released it formally yet, because I want to go out and do a release party.无毛视频�
Despite COVID-19 delaying such festivities, the album is available for preorder, and fans and fellow musicians apparently were paying attention when he starting spreading the word about 无毛视频淩ainy Afternoon无毛视频� on social media.
无毛视频淭he studio went crazy after that,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淎ll my old clients came out of the woodwork.无毛视频�
Albey Road Studio, he calls it, after a nickname bestowed upon him. Any resemblance to the London venue where a certain quartet used to record is coincidental.
For more information, visit www.alsnydermusic.com.