Today we’d like to introduce you to Chandler Sneed.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Chandler. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised here in Dallas, TX. I come from a well-known musically inclined family, my mother is the M.O.M at Concord Church here in Dallas, and my father is the Pastor of Family of Faith Christian Center Church In Duncanville, TX. You know growing up in a household where both your mother and father sing you would imagine that my sister and I both would be singers as well, but I always consider myself the green apple that grew on a red apple tree. Ever since I was a baby, I was always attracted to the drums, And no matter where we were or where a set of drums were, you can guarantee that I was about to make some noise. I remember my grandmother bought me my very first drum set when I was a kid, We were living in an apartment at the time but we managed to make some room for it. It was an MRS drum kit and it was the best thing ever to me, I didn’t necessarily practice the way I was supposed to being a kid and all but when the lightbulb finally went off you couldn’t keep me off that thing. I’m self-taught, I’ve basically watched other people do it and I mimicked them, it wasn’t until I got to the high school I actually learned how to read music and my instructor gave myself a foundation around the skills I obtain from watching other drummers at church and during the time YouTube was on the rise. When I finally expanded outside of Gospel music and got into Hip-Hop, R&B, jazz, Lo-Fi, etc. that is when my style changed. My mom would always tell me even till this day to not be a one-trick pony, meaning that if you’re going to be a musician or artist do you need to be versed in all the styles that come under that category. When I got to college that’s when her words came to life, I wanted to go to school to become the best drummer I can possibly be but instead they had me doing things like playing timpani, xylophone, marimba, vibraphones, bells, All the things that I didn’t want to do but I still use some of those skills not understanding at the time just how useful they would be today. Overall my journey I say has been a straight and narrow one, I try to be the best person I can possibly be although it’s one of the hardest things to achieve, I take my craft very seriously and I like to make sure it shows everywhere I go.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It hasn’t been a smooth road but at the same time, it hasn’t been a rocky road. Like any other person, we have our doubts about whether or not what we do will bring us a big success in the future. Everybody has a dream of not working a normal job and the only job we want to work is the job that we created for ourselves in our lane. It wasn’t that long ago I was complaining about not getting gigs with people to now I might be overwhelming myself at times LOL. I think my biggest challenge that I suffer with even till this day is patience. We all want things to happen immediately when we want things done but in reality, sometimes you have to wait for the final product. Confidence was another one when the opportunities finally came, I knew what I needed to do but I wasn’t there mentally. When I first started giggling real heavy there were parts of me that They automatically made me doubt myself and ask,”Am I really ready for this?” “Are these people going to like me and the band I’m playing with?” Now, these may be some small things to some people but when you’re the new guy and the only people to really like your playing has always been at people at church you will wonder if people outside of church would like you just as much. Maybe it was just me and I don’t know, but to summarize all of this, doubt was my biggest enemy.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am a freelance musician which means I make myself available for all artists and musicians who may need someone to either sub for them or fill a position permanently. I am a Percussionist who specializes in Gospel music, Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz, Latin, Pop, etc. Over the past three years or so might work rate as a freelance percussionist has significantly rose and continues to rise. I don’t like to overwhelm myself but at the same time I don’t like turning down jobs so I’m always on the move, And in order for me to keep this work great going to try to make sure that my attitude is in check, my integrity is at its peak, and I followed the instructions given to me by whoever it is I’m playing for.
What were you like growing up?
Music of course was one of my biggest interests but outside of that, I love combat sports(WWE, UFC, Boxing, Barr Knuckle Boxing). I don’t want to seem like I’m a violent person or anything but I’m not as strong on basketball and football like I used to be when I was just a little bit younger. With combat sports, anything can happen in the blink of an eye and I think that excitement is what keeps me interested in it. Just recently I got into producing my own music which is something I’ve never tried doing before until now and it has truly been a very fun experience. I like to travel especially when it somewhere I haven’t been, I can’t wait for the day I can finally go to Brazil. I also love custom art, For example, I just repainted one of my old drum sets that I’ve had sitting at home in the corner, It took me about two weeks but I finally got it done. As far as my personality goes, I’m very calm and respectful. I tried to be approachable although I do like to mind my business and just lay in the cut. I try to make it to where people don’t have bad things to say about me. I prefer my reputation to be as clean as a whistle.
Contact Info:
- Email: mastasneedyesindeed@yahoo.com
- Instagram: masta.sneed.yes.indeed
- Facebook: Facebook.com/ChandlerMastaSneed
- Other: YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/user/sneed112092
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