From getting in trouble for drumming on desks in grade school to successful solo projects, Brianna Snider has come a long way in her musical career.
Snider, sophomore, previously made surf-rock-esque music under her own name, but recently decided that she wanted something more than that.
“That’s how saltlick was conceived: wanting something more out of my music,” she said. So in January 2018, at the beginning of her second semester at Capital, she created saltlick.
“… Ever since, I’ve just been writing real and honest music,” Snider said.
Snider writes everything — drums, vocals, bass, guitar, the works — whether in her home back in Pittsburgh or her dorm here at Capital. “Lately when I’ve been performing live I’ve been having a backing band that’s just a rotating cast of friends and Conservatory of Music pals,” she said.
Those friends and Conservatory pals consist of Capital students Jacob Masi and Nate Kalnitz, as well as Columbus State Community College student Stan Russ.
“I’m inspired by a lot of my peers in music; there are a lot of smaller bands with only a handful of followers on Twitter that push me creatively as a person and musician,” Snider said. “As for [bigger] bands that I look up to, I definitely think of Petal, Title Fight, and Alvvays as big inspirations.”
Snider uses the term “apathetic rock” to describe her music.
“This is kind of a niche genre thing that I came up with because I simply can’t think of a particular mold I fit into,” she said. “Some would consider my music to be ‘emo’ because of how guitar-driven it is, and ‘lo-fi’ because of the production quality.”
Ultimately, she feels that there isn’t a specific genre that does her music justice — she just considers it “her own.”
Snider tries to make her instrumental presence as strong as possible when it comes to her music.
“I am a musician first and foremost, so lyrics and vocals are kind of an ‘afterthought’ in the writing process for me,” she said. “I always try to write powerful instrumentals that convey as much energy and emotion as the words themselves.”
Saltlick’s upcoming album Until Next Time, which will be released Nov. 1o, was written over a three-month period this past summer, and Snider considers it to be snapshots of her life, both past and present.
“Emotionally, I was attempting to capture how I felt at the time, and that caused some internal struggle. I constantly was wondering if I was conveying what I wanted to say correctly, but as soon as I just let it all come out, I was able to let go of the fear,” she said.
Snider also said that she not only creates music for herself, but for her listeners, as well.
“I want to be able to impact my listeners and have them take away something from my music, whether it be my interpretation or some completely different interpretation,” she said. “I’ve already had people tell me that my music made them ‘feel things’ and have helped them through a hard time, and to me that’s the most rewarding thing in the world.”
Snider said that she hopes to make music for as long as she can, whether solo under saltlick or playing with others.
“Since I do go to school here for music technology, audio engineering and studio work is also something that I would love to do, as I love being able to make others’ music come to life,” she said. “It gives me joy like nothing else.”
On Nov. 9 at Columbus’ own Big Room Bar, Snider will be having a release party for Until Next Time, along with Queer Kevin, RUINR, and Mary Kekic. Doors open at 7 p.m. and music starts at 8 p.m.
Saltlick can be found through the website or on Spotify.
