We recently featured Joe Sneva for his emotive and intricate single, 100 Wildflowers, so we couldn’t wait to experience his latest offering, a cover of Dreams by The Cranberries!
Establishing the mood with intricate and vibrant acoustic guitar, Joe Sneva opens Dreams with layered, atmospheric vocals and the iconic, introspective lyrics, “Oh, my life, is changing every day, in every possible way, and oh my dreams, it’s never quite as it seems, never quite as it seems…”
We appreciate the charismatic delivery, and the bass vocal which adds depth and nuance to the already magnetic main vocal. The opus expands with dimensionality as Joe Sneva shares the timeless self-realization song and metaphors based on the first time falling in love.
From Conway, Washington, located 50 miles north of Seattle, we learn that Joe is a free spirit and lover of simpler times, and there is no doubt that this cover is suited to his personal style and a cohesive fit for his raw and rugged, folk-tinged discography.
Growing up on a farm as the youngest of six children, Joe first found his love for music listening to a Bob Dylan cassette his parents would frequently play on the way to church. After begging his parents for two years wanting a guitar, they finally gave in and granted him his wish. Armed only with a used Hohner acoustic and a Dylan songbook, Joe headed out into the vast frontier of his imagination, learning some of the greatest songs ever written, Like A Rolling Stone, Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright, and Forever Young. At the age of 14, Joe’s life changed. His older brother Jordan took him to his first concert, The Rolling Stones, at the famous Kingdome building in
Seattle, from that moment on, he did nothing but eat, sleep, and breathe music. Joe cites an extensive list including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, The Beach Boys, The Strokes, David Bowie, Lou Reed, 2Pac, Pearl Jam, Willie Nelson, Tribe Called Quest, & Otis Redding, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews Band, Wilco, Band of Horses, Ed Sheeran and John Mayer as his influences, which we can feel come through in his art, although there is no doubt that he is creating a sound of his own.
Speaking on the connection that he has with his greatest influence, Bob Dylan, Joe says, “The very first time I saw Bob Dylan in concert was at the Gorge Amphitheatre, one of the most beautiful music venues in the entire world. The show was festival seating, so I wormed my way up close to the front, I remember wearing a very loud red hippie poncho and was able to get on my friend’s shoulders and scream, “Bob!” “Tangled Up in Blue” was the song being performed. Bob heard the scream from the crowd, looked over my way, and directly in my eyes, gave a slight half-smile, nodded at me, then walked back to the mic. Might seem pretty uneventful to many, but to me it was the greatest moment of my life. Ever since then, all I’ve ever wanted to do was write songs.”
We appreciate the authenticity and charm that Joe Sneva shares with his art and passion, and have added Dreams to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream his wider discography including Malibu!