Performing Arts

SHIRLEY — It seems only fitting that Luke Snyder became a drummer after listening to AC/DC since he was a babe in the crib.

The former longtime town resident is rocking out these days as the member of “a new band with deep roots,” Invisible Animals, whose name comes from a passage in “The Tracker,” a book by author Tom Brown Jr.

Snyder plays alongside guitarist Jon Kelley and Ryan Flynn, who plays guitar and bass. The latter two met in high school in the Boston area and bonded over shared musical interests. While they jammed and did occasional one-off performances, when Kelley went off to college in Central Mass. in 2014, he met Snyder, who is also the vocalist for Invisible Animals.

They “instantly clicked” and the duo wrote original songs in their dorm room until graduating. Fast forward several years to 2020, when they picked up creating music together again and added Flynn back into the fold.

“After sharing and building on each other’s songs virtually, a few jam sessions followed,” the band’s bio states. “Once it became clear that something real and powerful was coming together, the trio decided to take things to the next level and began recording original songs at a local Boston recording space.”

The band certainly made up for lost time and are celebrating the release of their debut album, “The Over Under,” which can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, YouTube, Amazon, and other platforms including “surprisingly TikTok.” The seven-track gem of an album “showcases the bands strengths and a broad range of styles,” they imparted.

“I made it out of the wilderness/ so I know you can do this/ it’s alright just take it step by step baby,” are the lyrics that kick off the second song on the album, “Horizon.”

When asked to describe their pleasant sound, they had a tongue-in-cheek response: “Liked by all hated by none, the best you’ve never heard” — but said their influences range from “the bluesy, country rock of the Rolling Stones and heart-on-their sleeve anthems of the Replacements, to folk, modern alternative, and everything in between.”

“With a diverse and eclectic mix of tracks, the band has songs that can appeal to any taste and serve as a gateway introducing listeners to the sounds of some of their influences and idols,” the bio states.

They practice in their “DIY studio in Boston whenever we can get the chance” and recently performed at an open mic at the Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain, a venue known for its live music scene. They are opening for band at PorchFest Quincy on May 13 and have some exciting things coming up.

“We’re in talks with a label called Leesta Vall (Sound Recordings) out of Brooklyn that does direct to vinyl sessions where we will go and record and they will press it and distribute it for us,” Snyder imparted, adding that they will be headed to Brooklyn the first weekend in June. “Each vinyl is a different recording so all who buy one, there’s never a duplicate.”

Snyder is an Ayer-Shirley Regional High School Class of 2013 graduate and studied Environmental Studies and Sustainability at Framingham State University. He started working as a water tech specialist for Little Leaf Farms, which is headquartered in Devens, shortly after college and has been in McAdoo, Pennsylvania, the past two years helping start up new locations of greenhouses.

He was transferred back to the Little Leaf Farms Shirley site in March of this year “to help out up here and to be closer to the band as we start to play more gigs.” Nowadays he calls Troy, New Hampshire home but is in the area frequently for work.

His personal music playlist consists of a lot of Tom Petty, Noah Kahan, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Collective Soul, Whiskey Myers, Turnpike Troubadours and Amy Winehouse.

“Genres and influences are far and wide,” Snyder said. “There isn’t a genre that I’ve heard that hasn’t given me some sort of inspiration.”

Current goals for the band including prepping for Brooklyn in June and “working on new music all the time.” As for what’s to come after that, Snyder said they have big dreams — and that people can contact them through their website and Instagram to book them and for more info.

“Future goals obviously are to play in venues we’ve all dreamed of playing in but right now our future goals are to just keep playing, whenever, wherever, and however we can,” he shared. “We can play them all from bar and bat mitzvahs to Sweet Sixteens to retirement parties to graduation parties.”

All of the band members write original songs but when they play live, they “add in a few covers to get people going,” an eclectic mix of songs by Third Eye Blind, The Black Crowes, Karen Dalton, The Cranberries, Pink Floyd, The Replacements and Talking Heads. They’ll be back at Midway Cafe on May 9 for another open mic and on June 8 they’re playing their “first big show” at The Jungle in Somerville and again there on June 12 with another band.

“The most enjoyable thing for me is being able to share my work and words with everyone,” Snyder said. “Also, the fact that we, the band, make it fun no matter what. We all have full time jobs and being able to do what we love on the side and to see people actually enjoying themselves when we play is a good break from reality.”

He went on to say that he’s happy to be writing and creating music again, an artistic outlet that seemingly comes easy to him. Growing up, he “always had a knack for reading and writing music in music classes,” and it helped that people around him were into all sorts of music, from AC/DC to the Allman Brothers to Brooks & Dunn.

“I always felt like music is my calling for some weird reason or another. I’ve always called to it, or it’s called to me.”