With influences ranging from Ani Difranco to Jack Johnson and from Dashboard Confessional to Coldplay, Syd lives for pop melodies and sharp hooks. With a strong, haunting voice that carries his songs, and guiar chops to boot, he's "a rising star" (The Day). Relaxed and charismatic onstage and off, Syd brings his Vermont charm with him wherever he goes. It's paid off, as he's won over audiences across the country, playing over 250 shows a year.
Syd's latest album, "Fault Lines" has sold over 2000 copies since release in May of 2004 and was named one of the top 25 Demos of the Year by Music Connection magazine. "Back Home", a haunting lullabye that closes the album earned Syd an award from the Great American Songwriting Contest. Recently Syd took home a Gibson Les Paul after the uplifting pop gem "All I Know" made him a finalist in the Starbucks/Nemo songwriting competition. All this to say that Fault Lines was well worth the effort.
Crammed into short weeks of recording in January of 2004 with no time to waste Syd and guitarist Tuck laid down the basic tracks for the album with producers Todd Hannigan and Jesse Seibenberg (Jack Johnson, Supertramp, Tristan Prettyman) who helped craft an album that captured the songs they had toured in the Fall of 2003. Ranging from the gritty stomp of "This Is What I Get" and the counrty shuffle of "Dreams" to the anthemic, rousing "Rest of My Life", Syd shows a rare ability to transcend the singer/songwriter genre and make it his own.
As life on the road continues this year with a solo acoustic tour of colleges and band dates in major East Coast cities (including a second annual showcase slot at Boston's Nemo music festival), Syd shows no signs of letting up. Fall of 2006 will see the release of a new record, a new tour, and another new beginning.
