Street corner prophet and good time buddy Todd Snider has been championing the overlooked and underappreciated for more than fifteen years. Now, he’s back with The Excitement Plan—out last June on Yep Roc—an album that’s at once social commentary, gypsy recession recovery plan and soul-folk masterpiece.
On The Excitement Plan, Todd and crack sidemen Jim Keltner and Greg Leisz team up with Grammy-winning producer Don Was (Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones) for an album that exemplifies Snider’s by-your-wits lifestyle, earnest humility and once-an-age lyricism. Artfully combining an appreciation of what you already have with long shot hope for a happy ending, The Excitement Plan ranges from the boozy tonk of the Loretta Lynn duet ‘Don’t Tempt Me’ to the earnest soul searching of ‘Greencastle Blues.’ The brilliant ‘Money, Compliments, Publicity (Song Number Ten)’ seems to sum up Snider in a song—gracious and grounded, yet longing to write a song or two that would warrant getting too big for his britches.
Listen to Todd talk about the new record on NPR’s All Things Considered, which premiered June 24 or read his interview with The New York Times, which ran June 14.
www.toddsnider.net
www.myspace.com/toddsnider
www.eighteenminutes.com
Todd Snider on tour:
Aug. 21 @ Hoxeyville Music Festival in Wellston MI
Aug. 23 @ The Ark in Ann Arbor MI
Aug. 24 @ the Acorn Theatre in Three Oaks MI
Aug. 28 @ Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago IL