In early January 2006, adorned in poor-fitting, borrowed business casual, Dylan Sneed slumped in a cubicle of a cold office building in downtown Dallas, TX. Over his short but painful tenure in the machine of corporate America he learned many lessons, but one prevailed above the rest: this was not where he was supposed to spend the rest of his life.
Four years and over 50,000 miles later, Dylan has become a full-fledged road warrior, and is recognized as an "A-list tunesmith" (Darryl Smyers, The Dallas Observer). After escaping his corporate confines he began booking national tours the grassroots way, making friends and fans one at a time across the country.
NO WORSE FOR THE WEAR
After finding his audience on the road, Sneed began to find his voice in the studio. The Dallas Observer praised his 2007 EP No Worse For The Wear as “one of the best local releases of the year.”
ALPHABET SOUP
When not writing his own music, Sneed found other ways to stretch his creativity. For every installment of his 2007-08 concert series called "Alphabet Soup," Sneed and several Dallas area songwriters built a unique 10-song set of covers and originals around an audience-suggested word. Each new word began with a randomly selected letter (e.g., "H" is for "Hasselhoff."). Together Sneed and his friends learned and performed nearly 160 songs in 9 months. He still plans to make it all the way through the alphabet.
BRIAN VANDER ARK / KRISTY KRUGER
In 2008 Dylan took on his first work as a sideman for other artists. He toured with Brian Vander Ark (The Verve Pipe) and award-winning Texas songwriter Kristy Kruger, playing electric and acoustic guitar and banjo. He continues to collaborate in this way with artists across the country.
TEXODUS
The end of 2008 brought about the biggest change in Sneed's career so far. On August 31 he packed his few remaining possessions and set off on his last tour as a Texas resident. He called the tour "Texodus," and kicked it off with a synonymous event that featured 9 of his closest musical compatriots from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The long, emotional night was a great success, and preceded three weeks of shows along the way to Hartsville, South Carolina, the small southern town that has become Dylan's new home base.
HOME SWEET HOME
In the summer of 2009 Dylan and fellow Texas songwriter David Ramirez booked two weeks of house concerts across the South and Midwest. The duo called their tour "Home Sweet Home." The songwriters' mission was to spread the word of the house concert format, teaching aspiring hosts how to organize these intimate nights of music and community. Both artists continue to play house concerts across the country today.For the most up-to-date information on Dylan Sneed, stay tuned to
www.dylansneed.com.
"Like a sober Townes Van Zandt."
- Kevin Oliver, SC Free Times
“Sneed represents the best side of true Americana: music of passion and skill that can move an audience with a whisper or a roar.”
- Darryl Smyers, The Dallas Observer
Notable venues played:
Workplay Theater (Birmingham, AL)
The Living Room (New York City)
Schubas (Chicago)
Eddie's Attic (Decatur, GA)
Evening Muse (Charlotte, NC)
Good Folk (Fayetteville, AR)
The Blue Door (Oklahoma City, OK)
Cactus Cafe (Austin, TX)
Iota Club & Cafe (Arlington, VA)
Notable artists played with:
Brian Vander Ark (Verve Pipe)
Monte Montgomery
Richard Shindell
State Radio
Willy Porter
Ian Moore
Derek Webb
Other achievements:
2010 Folk Alliance International - Official Showcasing Artist