Snyder performing at the June 12th Second Saturdays concert, for which he also serves as sound production manager.
Graduating second in his class at Cornell High School in 1975, Robert M. Snyder, Jr. - or Bob as his friends call him - had a clear path laid out for him in the field of engineering. But after catching the music bug while working as an engineering associate at a local firm, Bob chose to change paths and has never looked back.
“After college I was both working a job as an engineering associate for a company called Erie Technological Products (later called Murata) and playing in an area band called ‘Conspiracy.’ There were days when I would wake up and not know whether I was getting ready to go to work or to a gig. I realized even then, that something had to give and made the decision to pursue music full time - something I’ve never regretted,” Snyder said of his decision.
Bob spent the next 25 years touring nationally and internationally with his own bands and tour managing for other high profile artists. One of his most memorable experiences was having the opportunity to perform the song “Eighteen” by Alice Cooper with Michael Bruce, the band’s guitarist who wrote the song.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to meet, befriend, and work with artists I had admired earlier in life. I’m still in touch with many of them, and will still see them when they come through Pittsburgh on tour,” said Snyder.
After years on the road, life began to pull Bob back home. After returning to Coraopolis, he opened up his own business in town called 808 Music Haus, which has since relocated to Ambridge.
“Mainly, I teach private (one-on-one) music lessons - guitar, bass, keyboards, ukulele and voice. Also, I have a “backline provided” rehearsal room available by the hour - meaning everything is here including PA, monitors, mics, amps, drum set, keyboard rig, etc,” Snyder said.
Bob said the pandemic affected not only his small business but his performance schedule as an artist as well.
“I moved to Ambridge just as it was all going down (March of 2020), so it was uncertain times for sure. Luckily, and for no reason I can explain (perhaps cabin fever), the music lesson aspect of the business picked up quite a bit after the move. Good thing, since my live gigs went away completely and the rehearsal room rental slowed to a trickle. Things have slowly returned to close to ‘normal’ over the last six months or so.”
In addition to lessons and studio space, Snyder’s business provides live sound reinforcement for bands and sometimes festivals, such as the Coraopolis Community Development Corporation’s “Second Saturdays” concert series on Mill Street of which he serves as production manager. Concert-goers have the opportunity to hear Snyder’s impressive vocals first-hand through performances with his current musical projects, GumBand and the Davis-Gray Acoustic Trio.
Bob Snyder (left) with his bandmates from GumBand.
For Bob, involvement with Coraopolis projects is not just work, it’s personal. “I have seen first-hand what a small group of people with a love for a small town (and its best interests at heart) can do,” he said.
Snyder continued, “I was in Coraopolis for years and saw the same empty storefronts, no new businesses and no real direction for the town. [Now], you can literally feel the town revitalizing—there’s a palpable energy to the place that I haven’t seen since I was a young kid. The community garden, the food bank, several new area businesses, the restoration of the train station and yeah, events like ‘Second Saturdays’ are really helping to re-energize the place where I grew up.”
Bob recounts an idyllic childhood in Coraopolis, with too many fond memories to list.
“On those rare winter days when it would snow a foot or more, we’d get a group of 8 or 10 kids together and sled ride down George Street—from Hiland Avenue all the way down to State Avenue, with a couple kids acting as “crossing guards” at each intersection. Probably doesn’t seem like much by today’s standards, but we had a blast,” he said.
Snyder still has family in the area, including his mother, who resides in Moon Township and attends as many shows as she’s able to.
“She’s still very much self-reliant, which is a real inspiration to me,” he said. When not working or performing, Bob spends time with his girlfriend, Paulette, whom he calls his “near-constant companion and very supportive of all of my musical endeavors.”
He continued, “When not involved in something musical, we generally just try to find a way to relax a bit. We’re getting ready to take a long overdue vacation at some point later this summer—we both certainly deserve it.”
Make sure to catch Bob headline with the Davis-Gray Acoustic Trio at the August Second Saturdays event on 8/14 from 12 pm - 4 pm on Mill Street in downtown Coraopolis.
808 Music Haus is now accepting new students both virtually and in-person. The studio can be found online at www.808musichaus.com and is located at 199 Park Road in Ambridge.