Hello From Blacksburg, VA!!
PostPosted:Fri Jan 08, 2010 1:18 pm
Hi all,
I'm not really new to RU Kind but just now getting more involved. My name is Tom Snediker, I live in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I play guitar in a Dead cover band called The Kind - we have been playing since my 20th birthday party in 1986, which makes me . . . old. I play guitar, lap steel, and a little banjo. I also play in a bluegrass band called Crossties since 1993 or so and a gypsy jazz band called Scott Fore and His Hillbilly Hotclub - Scott is an amazing player and has won the Winfield National Flatpicking Championship as well as a ton of other bluegrass guitar competitions (5 wins at the Galax Fiddler's Convention). I was born in Frankfurt, Germany while my dad was stationed there - I lived there for most of my childhood (up until high school). My dad was a spy.
I have been blessed to get to play with some awesome musicians. My bass player, Steve "Slash" Hunt worked with blues legend and Muddy Waters side man, Bob Margolin for 10+ years (standing next to Muddy in the Band's Last Waltz), recorded Junior Wells last song (Rolling Stones' Satisfaction for "Paint it Blue" a stones tribute album), toured with Bobby "Blue" Bland of "Turn on Your Lovelight" fame, as well as the Rev. Billy C. Wirtz - an amazing piano player and totally hilarious. I have jammed with Byron House, bass player for Sam Bush, Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, The Dixie Chicks, among others. We also had Robin Sylvester, of Rat Dog, sit in a couple of gigs with us a few years back. We've been privileged to open for Rick Danko, Merle Saunders, Hot Tuna, New Riders, and Jefferson Starship (had a hilarious conversation with Paul Kantner about parenting).
I have been in Blacksburg since 1984 when I started at VA Tech (GO HOKIES!!). I love this area and there is no place I would rather live in the entire world. My college career had many twists and turns (including flunking out in 1987 thanks to the Grateful Dead and playing in my band - pulled an amazing .4 QCA). Eventually got a BA in History and then a Master's Degree in the same. I got a second MA in Instructional Design and all but a dissertation away from my PhD. I love learning and have missed being out of school for the last 2 years. I think I am near a record for credit hours at one school (close to 350).
I managed a local music store and taught guitar for 10 years or so while in school. I now do instructional design work for a small leadership development company. Kind of ironic that I am helping to train the next generation of business leaders.
I met my wife doing a theater production of "Hair" a guy I worked with's girlfriend was in the play and they had to fire their pit 'cause the sucked. We came in two weeks before show time. Our first rehearsal with the actors was the first dress rehearsal. The girls were preparing for the nude scene and when I got to the stage, a girl walked up to me with a long trench coat on, opened it and asked me "what do you think?" I said, I think I'm gonna like theater. I've done 5 musical productions with that theater group (Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Once Upon a Mattress, Stage Fright, and Rocky Horror Picture Show) We didn't date for 3 years after that. We have two awesome kids, Katie (3) and Philip (1). She's a great singer and now sings with my band (she's also a lot smarter than me with a 160 IQ).
Well, that's me in an nutshell.
as we say around here "HI Y'ALL!!!"
I'm not really new to RU Kind but just now getting more involved. My name is Tom Snediker, I live in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I play guitar in a Dead cover band called The Kind - we have been playing since my 20th birthday party in 1986, which makes me . . . old. I play guitar, lap steel, and a little banjo. I also play in a bluegrass band called Crossties since 1993 or so and a gypsy jazz band called Scott Fore and His Hillbilly Hotclub - Scott is an amazing player and has won the Winfield National Flatpicking Championship as well as a ton of other bluegrass guitar competitions (5 wins at the Galax Fiddler's Convention). I was born in Frankfurt, Germany while my dad was stationed there - I lived there for most of my childhood (up until high school). My dad was a spy.
I have been blessed to get to play with some awesome musicians. My bass player, Steve "Slash" Hunt worked with blues legend and Muddy Waters side man, Bob Margolin for 10+ years (standing next to Muddy in the Band's Last Waltz), recorded Junior Wells last song (Rolling Stones' Satisfaction for "Paint it Blue" a stones tribute album), toured with Bobby "Blue" Bland of "Turn on Your Lovelight" fame, as well as the Rev. Billy C. Wirtz - an amazing piano player and totally hilarious. I have jammed with Byron House, bass player for Sam Bush, Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, The Dixie Chicks, among others. We also had Robin Sylvester, of Rat Dog, sit in a couple of gigs with us a few years back. We've been privileged to open for Rick Danko, Merle Saunders, Hot Tuna, New Riders, and Jefferson Starship (had a hilarious conversation with Paul Kantner about parenting).
I have been in Blacksburg since 1984 when I started at VA Tech (GO HOKIES!!). I love this area and there is no place I would rather live in the entire world. My college career had many twists and turns (including flunking out in 1987 thanks to the Grateful Dead and playing in my band - pulled an amazing .4 QCA). Eventually got a BA in History and then a Master's Degree in the same. I got a second MA in Instructional Design and all but a dissertation away from my PhD. I love learning and have missed being out of school for the last 2 years. I think I am near a record for credit hours at one school (close to 350).
I managed a local music store and taught guitar for 10 years or so while in school. I now do instructional design work for a small leadership development company. Kind of ironic that I am helping to train the next generation of business leaders.
I met my wife doing a theater production of "Hair" a guy I worked with's girlfriend was in the play and they had to fire their pit 'cause the sucked. We came in two weeks before show time. Our first rehearsal with the actors was the first dress rehearsal. The girls were preparing for the nude scene and when I got to the stage, a girl walked up to me with a long trench coat on, opened it and asked me "what do you think?" I said, I think I'm gonna like theater. I've done 5 musical productions with that theater group (Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Once Upon a Mattress, Stage Fright, and Rocky Horror Picture Show) We didn't date for 3 years after that. We have two awesome kids, Katie (3) and Philip (1). She's a great singer and now sings with my band (she's also a lot smarter than me with a 160 IQ).
Well, that's me in an nutshell.
as we say around here "HI Y'ALL!!!"
