Matt Snook back home while he promotes new CD, takes aim at ‘The Voice’ audition
It has been a busy past couple of years for Matt Snook.
Life has moved pretty quickly for Snook — a country and western singer/songwriter from the Dearborn area who graduated from North Platte High School — ever since he moved to Nashville, Tenn. in 2010.
There has been the non-stop gigs, of course, playing to audiences in bars, restaurants and concert halls anywhere and everywhere he can. Snook has also been heavily involved in playing for, and raising awareness and funds for, service men and women who have returned home from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Also on his plate is putting the finishing touches on his new, more-fan-interactive Web site, recording a video that was submitted to the network show “The Voice,” and… oh, yeah — the release of his third CD, “Forget.”
“It’s been a real busy — and exciting — time,” Snook said during a phone interview last week.
Snook is currently back in his old stomping grounds in Platte County for a while. He said he moved his wife and two sons back from Nashville — though he intends to maintain a residence in Nashville — and into a house in the Edgerton area “because we really like the North Platte schools.” And he is in the midst of a promotional campaign for “Forget,” which includes the top single from the album of the same name that he co-wrote with Andy Wills and Jared Wade.
This Saturday, he will perform at a CD release party at 9 p.m. at the Skylight Restaurant and Bar in Blue Springs. Snook wants his fans and friends from Platte County to come to the show, but had a word of advice for them.
“Skylight only seats 350 people, so they should get there early because it’s going to sell out,” he said.
Fans can pick up copies of the disc there as well as at a second release party April 5 at No Place in St. Joseph. At that show, the first 50 people with a $5 paid admission will also receive an autographed copy of “Forget.” Snook will also perform at 7 p.m. March 7 in Platte County at Dirk’s Bar and Grill in Platte Woods.
Snook said he is glad to back in the area after a busy 2012, culminated by his appearance last November at Tapatio Springs Resort and Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas. Snook was one of several musical artists and celebrities at the event, which was organized by Feherty’s Troops First Foundation, a non-profit organization co-founded by professional golf television announcer David Feherty. Troops First works to provide meaningful assistance for service men and woman who have suffered devastating injuries in Iraq/Afghanistan, all through fundraising events and donations.
Snook said it was “an honor to perform for and speak to our troops.” He said while there he met country and western legend George Strait and also got to perform with the band Asleep At The Wheel.
Snook said his involvement with Feherty’s Troops First will continue in 2013 when he performs at the Operation Music Heels event at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and at Bethesda Medical Center in Maryland.
“I’ll be performing for folks injured overseas and just talking with them,” he said. “Basically, I’ll be a contact person for the Troops First Foundation.”
Snook said he is also proud of the video he recently recorded and submitted to the TV show “The Voice,” in hopes of getting an invitation to compete on the show.
“I sang a few songs in it, but what really has me stoked about it are the 30-second spots from my friends,” he said. “We had 2,100 views on it the first day and more than 7,000 so far.”
The 13-minute video, which begins with Snook talking to the camera early in the morning before a free concert at Cook’s Corner Café in Dearborn, can be accessed through his Web site and also on YouTube.
Snook said his 2013 is sure to be non-stop as well — in addition to playing as many shows as he can to promote “Forget,” while keeping his hopes high for a spot on “The Voice,” he has another goal.
“I want to get signed (by a record label),” he said. “That’s the goal, the dream.”