Single Premiere: Cary James Snider, “Penny Lane (Don’t Seem Right)”
One half of Philadelphia-based folk group The Younger Brothers has embarked on a solo singer-songwriter project. Get an exclusive preview of the first single off his EP, which drops tomorrow!
Cary James Snider’s Fortunes EP album art by Ajai Vishwanath.
If you’ve followed Adventures in Americana from the beginning, you probably know that we’re huge fans of the lockdown-born Philadelphia group The Younger Brothers. We featured their first two singles in one of our first posts, included another on our social justice playlist, snagged an in-depth interview with the duo (who are not each other’s brothers BTW), and reviewed their 2021 EP. If you haven’t checked them out, I highly recommend giving their vibrant, quirky, irresistible folk-pop sound a chance. You’ll thank me!
So we were thrilled (once I confirmed that no, this isn’t the end of The Younger Brothers) to learn about a solo project by one of the duo, Cary James Snider. His four-song debut EP, Fourtunes, drops tomorrow, and we’re honored to premiere the first single, “Penny Lane (Don’t Seem Right),” below. But first, we wanted to learn a little bit more about this new endeavor.
Carol Roth: Tell me about your solo project! When did it start?
Cary James Snider: Fall 2021. I went through a breakup, moved back home for a few months, and it led to a big writing frenzy. It felt like every time I picked up the guitar a new song came out.
CR: What inspired you to go the solo route with these tracks?
CJS: I never really consciously thought about these songs as being my first project of my career as a solo artist. They sort of came out of thin air, and after that I was puzzled about what to do next. After about a year of going back and forth, I decided to release four of them. If it weren’t for my mother, I might never have done it. She just kept telling me, and I agree: “Music is a gift. Share it.”
CR: Who inspired you musically?
CJS: I can’t say enough about the influence of Graham Nash’s debut solo album from the early 70s, Songs for Beginners. His simple songwriting and light and gentle way of singing tenor helped me realize that what I was doing in my songs was okay. It made me feel like, yes, there could be an audience for my music too. Joni Mitchell, John Denver, Jim Croce, Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon and James Taylor were supporting actors too.
CR: How does the new music compare to your band The Younger Brothers?
CJS: I realized that, as much as I love writing for my duo The Younger Brothers alongside my friend and astonishing musician and singer Angus Culhane, there was a tenderness to these new songs from the breakup period, a personal quality that felt distinctly my own, emotional and intimate. They called for a single vocalist and a solo approach.
Musically, I find these songs to be quieter, moodier and more acoustic than most Younger Brothers tunes. While my duo leans more folk, my solo stuff leans more singer-songwriter. I also got the chance to play my tenor recorder on these tracks, which sounds a bit like a wood flute, and gives the songs an earthy character I love.
Cary James Snider. Photo credit: Callie Woods, 2022.
CR: Talk about the new EP that drops tomorrow: How did it come together?
CJS: I had some great help making Fourtunes a reality. My brother, Jacob Snider, an incredibly talented composer and producer, helped me record the songs using Pearlman TM-1 microphones. Dave Pearlman makes incredible tube mics in California that compare to the mics they used on Beatles records in the 60s, and I think you can hear that old school resonance on the record. In fact, the beautiful album art, with evocative fine line work by the artist and filmmaker Ajai Vishwanath, was inspired by the microphone stand we used in the recording sessions.
Though I did the guitar fingerpicking for all four tunes, I’m greatly indebted to Brooklyn-based guitarist and producer Johnathon Elyashiv, a man who lives and breathes music, who added the most natural guitar accompaniment to the first three tracks. We spent a terrific day at his studio in Brooklyn laying down the guitar for “Mary.” (Had some great Thai food too.)
Also, Rich Hinman laid down some lovely pedal steel on the final track, “That’s Why.” And Sienna Peck’s violin throughout the EP really can’t be understated. She creates a magical space to sing in and casts a glow on everything her strings touch. She just makes me sound beautiful.
I was also blessed with gorgeous harmonies from Jacob Snider, Sienna Peck and my mega-talented cousin Samantha Gongol of the famed pop duo Marian Hill. Sammy’s background vocals on “Keep the Angels” are breathtaking. To me, that’s probably the strongest track on the EP. Everything came together for that one.
CR: What’s the story behind this single, “Penny Lane (Don’t Seem Right)”?
CJS: After I wrote this song, I realized I had a real project going, and it could turn into something special. I really enjoyed singing it—it felt a little like Fleetwood Mac to me—and seemed to express exactly what I was feeling.
The lyrics tell a story of a person who doesn't want to over-promise a future with a romantic partner, who he knows, ultimately, won't go the distance with him. Penny Lane and Abbey Road remain places that are fun to imagine together, but are utopias that will never, sadly, be reached.
CR: Any upcoming shows or other plans you’d like people to know about?
CJS: I’ve been demoing some of these songs at Younger Brothers concerts, and I’m planning to do a couple solo shows this winter. I’m so pleased I get to share this music with the world. It is so meaningful to have people listen to this record—don’t hesitate to reach out!
Listen to the “Penny Lane (Don’t Seem Right)” single now!
Carol Roth. Photo credit: Dan Lee.
Carol Roth is a full-time marketing copywriter and the primary music journalist and social media publicist for Adventures in Americana. In addition to studying the guitar and songwriting, Carol’s additional creative side hustle is writing self-proclaimed “trashy” novels under the pseudonym T.A. Berkeley!
