P.A. Kane Upcoming Events:

 

—Books And Bottles- Bookfair at The Ridge 555 Orchard Park Road, West Seneca, NY. September 25th, 530-7:30pm

—Book Talk & Signing- Lackawanna Public Library 560 Ridge Road, Lackawanna, NY. September 30th, 6pm

—Book Talk & Signing- Orchard Park Public Library  S 4570 South Buffalo Street, Orchard Park, NY. October 15th, 6pm

—Book Talk & Signing- Hamburg Pub lic Library 102 Buffalo Street, Hamburg, NY. November18th, 6pm

—Makers Market- Buffalo Historical Museum Vendor Show- One Museum Plaza Buffalo, NY. November 28th 11-5pm

—Book Talk & Signing- West Seneca Public Library 1300 Union Road, West Seneca, NY. December 22nd, 6pm

"Ballad of The Kingsmen" Todd Snider

Todd Snider passed away from pneumonia on November 14, 2025.
This essay is from my 2020 book: The Last Playlist (A Sonic Epitaph)  

Todd Snider's 2004 release, East Nashville Skyline, is a modern classic in every sense of the word. It's a great and tumultuous ride into Hank Williams's Cadillac Coupe DeVille, Mike Tyson's entourage, and the head of a jumper on a ledge who receives some divine intervention from St. Peter. Although Snider's entire catalog is pretty great, this album is his London Calling or Exile on Main Street.

Originally from Oregon, Todd Snider is a modern-day troubadour wandering the country with a guitar slung over his back, a harmonica fixed to his neck, and a head full of hard-luck stories. His songs are a mixed bag of country, rock, and blues jumbled together with minimal instrumentation and production. He delivers his songs in an affable, shaky voice that sometimes borders on preachy but is utterly sincere. Lyrically, many are story songs, often focusing on characters living on the fringes of society with a penchant for ending up in handcuffs with no more than a prayer for bail. His songs make you laugh, cry, and think—the holy trinity of songwriting.