MP3 Christopher Snyder - Reflected

Alaskan inspired piano compositions and instrumentals resembling David Lanz and George Winston.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (42:57) !
Related styles: Easy Listening: Mood Music, New Age: Solo Instrumental, Featuring Piano

People who are interested in David Lanz Enya George Winston should consider this download.


Details:
I started playing music at seven and from then on it was music in soul. My first instrument was a trumpet but the piano quickly called me over to it. I am self taught with the instruments I play and most of the lyrics are on the spot improv. In 2009, a song I wrote "Oceans", was selected for a indie film being submitted to the CANN film festival in France later this year.
In 2010, I was nominated for 7 out of 12 awards at the Alaska Music Awards, bringing home 2 of them: Best Rock Artist, and Best Performer.
My biggest musical experience was singing for the pope with Up With People on his birthday in the Vatican back in 1998. Since then it has been living room studio jams and the occasional wedding. In the cold month of January 2008, Andy Benton and my self started the band Third Wheel in a friends garage. In one week we were playing 3 nights a week around Anchorage and booked gigs for the rest of 2008 by April. Third Wheel quickly turned into The Third Wheel Project due to the amazing amount of musicians we would find in the crowd and invite to play with us at later shows. This makes for a ever changing show each and every time. Some nights its cello, strings and piano, while other nights its full out jam style with the full gamut of instruments. We have opened for bands and events such as the Binge "Censored 49" Premier, Musiq Soul Child, Mark Ballin from Dances with the Stars, The 2010 Alaska Music Awards, Pilot V, JC Holley, The Dave Velasquez Band, Static Cycle, Arctic Flow and Will Johnson. Special performances are lined up each and every show, so check back frequently at or website, www.thirdwheelproject.com, to hear about the new line up of artists.
I have several new songs that are going to be featured in some feature films being shot in Alaska. I am also involved in scoring some of the movies! This has been such a fun project! Be on the lookout for some cool music videos coming out soon as a result! This coming year has some great shows lining up. My tour will take me across Alaska, Washington, California and Hawaii. There are even talks of heading to Europe in the fall right after the annual Whittier Fall BBQ.
One thing remains constant.... we have a good time and make some killer music. Under my playlists I have a mix called "And Friends" que up the playlist and take a listen to some of the music made by my friends who have at some point jamed out with Third Wheel Project. Thanks for stopping by and checking our project out. Chris

ps: Here is a recent press release of my Band, Third Wheel Project.
Interrogation: Joel Kachel and Chris Snyder of Third Wheel Project
By Laura Chartier | Posted: Thursday, February 24, 2011 12:00 am
Most local musicians will tell you that Anchorage has a surprisingly large and diverse music communityâand one that is supportive of new musicians. And for such a far-flung city, Anchorage also attracts a fair number of Outside acts. Not many groups could claim to both build local talent and bring in Outside artists to collaborate, but Anchorageâs Third Wheel Project is designed to do just that.
This week, Third Wheel Projectâa cross between a regular band and a music workshopâis hosting a member from Outside, Joel Kachel, at several shows. âThird Wheel Project is a band and a group that I started to help grow musicians,â says Chris Synder, the groupâs creator. According to the groupâs website (www.thirdwheelproject.com), Third Wheel Project is âa band of musicians with the same common goal⦠to get people to smile and tap their foot in beat with our feel good music.â
On the musician development side of things, Sydner records all of Third Wheelâs live shows to help artists work on recording and songwriting. âWe end up collaborating a lot,â he says. âI play a lot of piano and guitar and ukulele, and I really enjoy engineering sound, so itâs fun for me to help produce music. And by doing this Iâve been able to form a band of core members that I feel are pretty good.â
One of those core members is Kachel, a singer/songwriter based in Minnesota. Third Wheel Project first invited Kachel to Alaska in October 2010. During that trip, the group played â12 out of 14 daysâ he was here, says Kachel. Third Wheel also played at the Whittier Fall Barbeque, with a range of musicians sharing a stage, instruments, and songs. The type of music Third Wheel plays varies widely. âWe play a lot based on the audience,â says Synder. âIt could be acoustic jazz, other times it will sound more like Sublime, or Ben Folds Five, a kind of upbeat full band sound. Basically I would rather have someone say, âHey, turn it up,â than âHey, turn it down.ââ
Kachel agrees: âItâs not overplaying your space,â he says.
Kachel is focusing on recording during this trip, though the group will also be performing at a few shows. At home in Minnesota, Kachel runs a landscaping business in the summer, so winter, he says, is his primary time to tour. After his last trip to Alaska, he was inspired to keep traveling, and took a road trip to Nashville to perform and network with other musicians.
Sharing inspiration and material is a main focus of the Third Wheel Project. âEverybody thatâs a part of the group is able to bring their music to the group,â explains Snyder, âand everybody will learn their music.â That culture encourages artists like Kachel who focus largely on original music. The name Third Wheel, says Kachel, refers to how musicians might feel when entering a new group, something that this project aims to alleviate. Both Snyder and Kachel are self-taught musicians, so they can relate to newcomers to the music scene. âIâd sit at home in front of the piano when I was a kid and just learn it [by ear],â recalls Snyder. As for Kachel, âEvery time I record I say hey, if weâre not having fun we need to switch it up,â he says. âAnd I think thatâs important. Thatâs what music is all about, people can see your excitement and your enthusiasm when you perform.â
As for future plans, Third Wheel will be bringing a group from Hawaii, called Lights Out Project, to Anchorage in the near future. Synder and Kachel have other ideas, too, about reaching out to communities using music, such as bringing recording equipment to villages to run songwriting workshops. Synder once traveled extensively with Up With People, an international education and music performance program, and he brings a global perspective to Third Wheelâs work. He recently agreed to help write the score for a documentary about indigenous tribes in Guatemala, which focuses on themes of interest to Third Wheel, too. âThe ability to record music can really inspire a lot in a kid,â he says.