Evelyn Snyder

Singer/Songwriter

Hi, my name is Evelyn. Born in California and raised in Germany, I decided to move back to the US in 2001. Bill and I met in Arizona and got married in 2006. We both love music. Together we create a husband and wife team we call "Basically Two" - Bill plays Bass, I play Guitar & Piano. Our live audiences are usually private venues. Professionally, I have worked in various administrative positions both in Germany and the US while playing music on the side all throughout my life. As I retired from the work force in 2018, I started performing as a solo artist in various retirement communities and truly enjoy it! I find music to be therapeutic, especially in Memory Care. In 2012, Bill and I published our very first album: "Psalms in Song for the Nations" setting to music portions of the book of Psalms in a variety of languages, including but not limited to English, Spanish, Hebrew, Swahili, and Russian. This album is inspired by various folk traditions from all over the world. In 2019 we published our Christmas album "The Light of Christmas", followed by the 2020 production: "Poems & Prayers". Inspiring songwriters to me are Joni Mitchell, Rich Mullins, and Paul Simon, just to name a few. Musical styles and influences are Billy Joel, Elton John, Frente, Eva Cassidy, Ray Charles, Gloria Estefan, and John Denver.

Profile

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Influences

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Languages

What is music to you? What does it give you?

90% of the time I express myself through melody. Actually, I used to not like writing song lyrics. So I borrowed a lot from the Bible, which is how our first album production: "Psalms and Songs for the Nations" came to be - I married a lot of Scripture to my music. Meanwhile, this has changed, mainly because my husband Bill is an incredible lyricist. We began to put his poetry to music. He inspired me to become more bold and create authentic song lyrics giving language to my feelings.

What is your music dream?

Our dream is to inspire people with our music

If you could change the world - what would you start with?

One act of kindness at a time. The ripple effect is amazing.

Which is the most memorable song from your childhood?

It's actually a song from a movie that I must have watched as a kid. The song stuck with me: "Wandering Star", sung by Lee Marvin. Another one is the song "As Time Goes By", theme song of the movie "Casablanca" with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. I perform this song a lot. It's in my heart.

Who are your favorite musical artists or bands?

Eva Cassidy is definitely one of them. Amazing voice and amazing talent! Joni Mitchel - incredible songwriter. Rich Mullins - one of the best lyricists i'm aware of. His music is so inspiring! He left a legacy.

What inspires you to make music?

My soul needs to vent. Making music is like digesting what is going on inside of me. I always feel better after jamming with other musicians or hammering out a new tune on the piano.

What is the message you want to send with your music?

God is real. Never give up.

How do you feel when you perform in front of an audience?

Happy Hour music is my favorite gig when the audience is having a great time talking over their drinks while I provide the background music.

How do you see the musicians’ reality nowadays? What could be improved?

Money is seems to always be a problem. Musicians have to come up with so much upfront cost to create an album. Not sure how to improve the situation either. Maybe music business should become a .org as opposed to a .com. I'm half joking of course, but the idea is that commercialized art has a tendency to lose the soul.

What do you think of Drooble?

Hope to make friends here and get to know artists from all over the world!

What frustrates you most as a musician?

Jealousy has hurt me multiple times in my musical career. Artists should stop comparing and start being - most importantly work together, get inspired!

Do you support your local scene as a fan? How?

We have regular jamming sessions with other artists here in the Phoenix area.

What qualities should a musician nowadays have in order to get their music heard by a larger audience?

Networking is a must. Bill and I have subscribed to Tunedly, which offers both Music Production and Music Publishing for Songwriters, Singers & Music Producers – Online. We hope to set up a publishing deal soon so our songs get more exposure.

Share some awesome artists that we’ve never heard of.

Three names come to mind: Esther Mui who puts scripture to music in the most awesome way. Accomplished pianist and songwriter, Esther Mui has written over 100 songs over a period of 25 years. Listening to her sing puts me at peace every time. Boubacar Traoré is a great Blues Guitarist from West Africa and his guitar style simply fascinates me. Liz Longley you might have heard of, since she's been on the music scene even before her graduation from Berkeley in 2010. I fell in love with her music when I listened to one of the songs she wrote: "Unraveling", a beautiful soul who writes beautiful music.