The Dogs

Hard to believe but Matt Snyder is a self-taught piano player. He started at age 10 and was in his first band by the time he was 12. He began playing professionaly at 16.

Matt was fortunate to have attended Bonita High School (BHS) in La Verne, California. During his high school years, there was a huge emphasis in the jazz music department at BHS. He was the pianist for the BHS Jazz Ensemble from 1976 to 1978 and received the following awards as the pianist: Outstanding Piano Soloist at the Monterey Jazz Festival (High School Competition), awards for musicianship from The National Association of Jazz Educators (NAJE), "Who's Who Among American High School Students" for musical acheivement 1977 to 1978, co-recipient of "Sweepstakes Award" for both Monterey and Reno International Jazz Festivals, and the Gordon Goodwin Jazz Award from Bonita High School.

If playing in the high school Jazz Ensemble wasn't enough, Matt was in the rock band Thin Ice, along with future Dog Frank Hanson. Thin Ice won 2nd place in the 1977 Battle of the Bands at the Hollywood Bowl. They wrote original songs, recorded, and performed at numerous clubs throughout Southern California from 1977 to 1982.

After marrying his high school sweetheart, Annemarie, Matt honed his chops by working five nights a week from 1983 to 1985, playing with local legend Ray Farr in his band Clockwork. Shortly after his stint with Ray Farr, Matt played numerous gigs around Southern California with the Tyrone Anthony Group from 1985 to 1995. He has also been a member of the local classic rock band The LCR Band since 1992.

Along with playing, Matt earned a degree in History and was a music consultant in the school district in which he lives. Along with playing in The Dogs, Matt is currently a middle school History teacher and founding member of the worship team at Sierra Vista Community Church. He is still married to his wife Annemarie and they have three boys, Evan, Brendan, and Grant.