There’s an old line about the issue label types often dub the “sophomore jinx.” And that is, “You have your whole lifetime to write your first album, a matter of months for the follow up.”

One need only pick up Dead Ringer, the successor to Meatloaf’s epic Bat Out Of Hell, or Hootie & The Blowfish’s Fairweather Johnson for a sonic sampling of said phenomenon.

Would the fact that Brattleboro-based indie rockers The Snaz had the luxury of recording their debut at the highly revered Guilford Sound Studios (their prize for besting the competition in a 2012 Battle of the Bands) help them avoid such a pitfall? Anything’s possible. And considering that said debut yielded the number two song on WRSI’s 2013 year-end countdown, the infectious “Anna,” with a video that has garnered more than 10,000 YouTube views as well, the anticipation level is certainly high.

Then again, the length of their “lifetime” to write would not qualify them for Social Security, even when combining all of the band members ages together. In fact, the average age in the quartet is presently 15.5 years.

“I think the new record will live up to the first because we’ve been playing a lot of the songs for years and had a lot of time to perfect them,” notes keyboardist Mavis Eaton, discussing Running Away From Home, the follow up full-length they will debut at their March 7 Iron Horse engagement.

“The new disc is much more complex musically, too,” adds guitarist/singer Dharma Ramirez. “On the first album everything was really straightforward. I wrote the tune and brought it to the band and they primarily played the same chords and melody, you know? This new album speaks really well for how the relationships between the band members have grown.”



In other news: He may be a “Cowboy, baby” and hail from Motown. But Bob “Kid Rock” Ritchie will kick off his 36-stop summer tour right here in New England. Tix are on sale now for opening night Wed, June 24 at Hartford’s Xfinity Theatre and show two the following night at the Xfinity in Mansfield, Mass.

The tour coincides with the recent release Rock’s 10th studio effort. It’s called First Kiss and according to the company promoting the tour, he’ll be a really cheap date for anyone who wants to see him live.

“Every effort is being made to keep fees down and scalpers at bay,” Live Nation Entertainment declared in a written release. “Tickets from the second row to the lawn will be $20 with reduced parking and service fees, keeping the total ticket price about $30 or under.”

Additional discounted packages that include parking and $2 off the purchase of First Kiss will be available at participating Walmarts and, just like in Rock’s last trek last summer, the first row of seats will be held back and given as free upgrades to lucky fans. Oh yeah, and draught beers with be $4, too. Talk about “Ba-wit-da-bargains.”

For more information or to purchase your seat, kindly point your browser to livenation.com.

Last but not least, if the lingering winter has given you the blues, give it back — and “wine” about it — with the final installment of the Blues In The Barrel Room series at Jonathan Edwards Winery) in North Stonington, Conn.

For $25 in advance, $30 at the door, attendees can enjoy a glass of their favorite JE vino, a small plate from the evening’s featured food vendor, and the sounds of the Booze Beggars this Saturday, March 7. And let the Crawler tell you, these guys are no new kids on the block. In fact, they are the official party band of the Block — Block Island, Rhode Island — where they formed in 2003 on the deck of the infamous Captain Nick’s (an establishment run by Valley hip-hop MD Dr. Westchesterson) and perform regularly in the high season. “We cut a very good album in 2005,” the band notes on its current bio. “But we keep forgetting to bring them to gigs to sell. To date there are only 932 copies left.”•

Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email garycarra@aol.com.