Todd Snider makes funny meta-country.
“I like to talk about chicks and cars, and partying hard,” goes part of the refrain on “Hey Pretty Boy,” a tune poking fun at music-biz-obsessed people in Nashville, off of his 2016 record “Eastside Bulldog.” Rather than schmoozing about publishing deals, co-writes and royalties, Snider prefers the subjects (or maybe just the actuality) of drugs and women’s breasts, and he’s certainly not alone. On “Check It Out,” Snider offers another self-referencial nugget, singing “This song is even better than it sounds.”
As a restless storyteller, Snider made a name for himself with, among other things, his epic between-song anecdotes, setups, asides, banter and verbal riffs. He was a bit of a half-cocked-sounding stand-up dude with a guitar. Snider grew tired of that routine a few years back and started winging it a little more. He’s still comic, but he’s also cosmic. He’s professed his fondness for LSD, and the general do-what-thou-wilst outlaw-freak vibe pervades his music. A good example of this would be the thoroughly Southern-friend honky-tonk/boogaloo of “Bocephus,” also from his recent record, which consists of a slinky party groove that culminates with the group-chant of the title. The entire record showcases an alter-ego of Snider’s known as Elmo Buzz, sort of a hell-raising ZZ Top song come to life.
Todd Snider performs at Infinity Hall, 32 Front St., Hartford, on Saturday, April 21, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $24.65 to $44. 866-666-6306 and infinityhall.com
