The always mischievous and wry-humored Todd Snider has been to Mountain Stage so many times it's a wonder he doesn't have a guest bedroom. Snider made his first appearance on Mountain Stage in 1995 and has been a perennial favorite ever since; on Sept. 19, 2021, Snider had his 16th appearance on the show, making him one of the show's top-returning artists.
"He is a raconteur and road dog who says he misses banging around America like it's his back yard," says Mountain Stage host Kathy Mattea. "2020 was a year that kept taking people he loved – and in his funk he dreamed up a church, the First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder, which is the name of his latest album."
Before diving into more recent works, Snider shared a trio of oldies including the epic, Shel Silverstein-esque song, "Just Like Old Times," which inspired the 2021 film, Hard Luck Love Song. "I have been making up songs since I was 20. I am 54 now and I have been a troubadour my whole adult life," Snider told the audience. "When they sent us home ... it was the longest I have been in one place since 1994."
Losing three of his musical heroes this past year, including Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Joe Shaver, Snider shared the tune "Handsome John," which he wrote in memoriam of longtime friend John Prine."The next time I saw him he walked off to Paradise / In a way that I would say that I still take for advice / For with a plain-spoken word and a simple melody / You can see this world with dignity."
Snider is back out on the road this fall and winter, including a multi-date waltz across Texas.
Copyright 2022 West Virginia Public Broadcasting
