Live and Local: Scott Snyder

I used to always walk around with a bucket of anxiety about my general competence. Whatever it was, work-related, home tasks, even just shaving around the goatee without fungoo-ing it all up. I couldn’t stand making things harder on myself because I don’t know what you’re doing, and I don’t want to demonstrate to the masses that I’m – at core - a dipshit.

As I’ve grown older, I don’t feel that way any longer. I would like to say that time and experience have rewarded me with a certain amount of wisdom and the competence grown from practice and experience and learning from past mistakes. I’d like to say that, but, really, it’s more accurate to say I know what I’m good at and what I’m not, so I’m not often surprised, and I don’t really care what other people think. For the most part, they’re every bit as much of a dipshit as I am, after all. I guess realizing that is a kind of wisdom. Maybe?

No, my stress bucket now is filled with concern that the people I’m DEALING with are, in fact, idiots. Does the guy who changes my oil put the drain plug back on and remember the little o ring, or is all of my oil going to pump out as I’m zipping my way to Costco? Did the person who worked on my guitar cut the nut slot too deep so now my g string buzzes like an annoyed bumble bee every time I grab a fret past the second?

There’s comfort in knowing what you’re doing. There’s also comfort in the person standing in front of you performing some service knowing what THEY are doing. Skill and competence are good things, and not nearly as common to find as I’d like, in myself or other people.

So when I’d had a day of work where, not only did I mess something up early on to start the day, but I was then beset with obtuse assholery all around me, it felt good to finally get to Ploughman to find Scott Snyder playing.

Scott knows what he’s doing. You can toss him the keys. You’ll be fine.

I first met Scott at the world famous Wednesday night Ploughman’s open mic a couple of months ago. He played some high-end classic rock  (“Night they Drove old Dixie Down”, “Sweet Melissa”…that kind of thing). Kind of reminded me of a sitting-down acoustic version of the great Mitch Morrell (faithful readers will know that is quite a compliment coming from me… I want to be Mitch when I grow up).

I got to see him a few more times, came to learn he’s also a bluesman, and when he told me he was playing gentle Thursday at Ploughman in January, I was all about it.

And his set did not disappoint at all. Turns out he has a solid book of music in his head that varies in style and range to make a very interesting and entertaining set, and then – in his second set, he pulled out a sweet Gretsch resonator, and clearly demonstrates that he knows what he’s doing with a slide and can break down some for real blues with his hands and his voice and from the heart.  He means what he’s doing up there, and you can’t help but be pulled in.

So it was a great set, a perfect close out for an otherwise kinda shitty Thursday, and we got to meet Scott’s skiing buddies and his lovely bride, for whom he did a couple of songs.

Scott’s good people, and I look forward to catching more of his sets, and it’s also relaxing and entertaining to see someone who knows what they’re doing, and they clearly love doing it.