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Daniel Leyes Marks 4/20 With a Weed‑Themed Double Single at the Late Todd Snider's East Nashville Compound

by Rich and Laura Lynch

Nashville marked April 20, 2026 with a bittersweet celebration as Mayor Freddie O'Connell officially declared it Todd Snider Day, honoring the beloved folk troubadour six months after his tragic passing. The decree sanctioned two public events across the city, each designed to remember the songwriter whose humor, heart and countercultural spirit shaped generations of musicians. What should have been another year of Snider's famously loose 4/20 festivities instead became a communal moment of remembrance - a citywide exhale for an artist whose final tour ended far too soon.


A big night was planned at The Purple Building in the Five Points section of the 615.

At The Purple Building - Snider's East Nashville compound, creative sanctuary and recording studio - the late songwriter's presence still lingered in the air. Much of the room remained exactly as he left it before departing for his ill‑fated West Coast run, a time capsule of open notebooks, scattered instruments and the unmistakable aura of a man mid‑creation. It was here that his friend, protégé and fellow traveler Daniel Leyes returned to debut two new singles from the album he recorded under Snider's guidance. Both tracks, steeped in humor and haze, carried a distinctly weed‑friendly theme - a fitting tribute to the man who championed irreverence as an art form.

Leyes, who splits his time between Nashville and his hometown of Bradley Beach, just outside Asbury Park, has long embraced an unconventional path. He spends roughly three weeks each month busking across the country, taking his songs directly to the streets - a practice Snider not only encouraged but celebrated. For Leyes, the physical grind of this nomadic approach is outweighed by its spiritual purpose: it keeps him connected to the raw, unfiltered world that shaped both his own songwriting and Snider's. If honoring his mentor means lugging a guitar case through airports and alleyways, he's more than willing to do it.


Daniel Leyes released "Ha Ha Weed Is Legal" and "Stoner Mating Call" on 4/20.

The new singles - "Ha Ha Weed Is Legal" and "Stoner Mating Call" - reflect Leyes' blend of humor, heart and social commentary. The first track revels in the cultural shift brought on by cannabis legalization in New Jersey, poking fun at states still clinging to prohibition. The second is a soulful, tongue‑in‑cheek ode to love, smoke and the easygoing spirit that defined so much of Snider's influence. Together, they form a playful yet sincere salute to 4/20 and to the man who taught Leyes that songwriting could be both mischievous and meaningful.

For Leyes, this moment is more than a release day - it's a continuation of a creative bond that began in 2023 at a songwriting camp in upstate New York, where he and Snider became instant cosmic comrades. Their collaboration deepened through the making of The Purple Building Sessions: Medicinal Americana, Snider's final production project and Leyes' most personal work to date. As Leyes prepares to release the full album this June and continue his busking‑fueled travels, he carries Snider's legacy with him: a reminder to stay curious, stay honest, and, when the moment calls for it - spark one up in the name of the friend who changed his life. Happy 4/20 indeed!


Todd Snider is fondly remembered in East Nashville.

Related Links: For more information on DANIEL LEYES and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links - Daniel Leyes | The Purple Building


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Nashville marked April 20, 2026 with a bittersweet celebration as Mayor Freddie O'Connell officially declared it Todd Snider Day, honoring the beloved folk troubadour six months after his tragic passing. The decree sanctioned two public events across the city, each designed to remember the songwriter whose humor, heart and countercultural spirit shaped generations of musicians. What should have been another year of Snider's famously loose 4/20 festivities instead became a communal moment of remembrance - a citywide exhale for an artist whose final tour ended far too soon.

At The Purple Building - Snider's East Nashville compound, creative sanctuary, and recording studio - the late songwriter's presence still lingered in the air. Much of the room remained exactly as he left it before departing for his ill‑fated West Coast run, a time capsule of open notebooks, scattered instruments and the unmistakable aura of a man mid‑creation. It was here that his friend, protégé and fellow traveler Daniel Leyes returned to debut two new singles from the album he recorded under Snider's guidance. Both tracks, steeped in humor and haze, carried a distinctly weed‑friendly theme - a fitting tribute to the man who championed irreverence as an art form.

Leyes, who splits his time between Nashville and his hometown of Bradley Beach, just outside Asbury Park, has long embraced an unconventional path. He spends roughly three months each year busking across the country, taking his songs directly to the streets - a practice Snider not only encouraged but celebrated. For Leyes, the physical grind of this nomadic approach is outweighed by its spiritual purpose: it keeps him connected to the raw, unfiltered world that shaped both his own songwriting and Snider's. If honoring his mentor means lugging a guitar case through airports and alleyways, he's more than willing to do it.

The new singles - "Ha Ha Weed Is Legal" and "Stoner Mating Call" - reflect Leyes' blend of humor, heart and social commentary. The first track revels in the cultural shift brought on by cannabis legalization in New Jersey, poking fun at states still clinging to prohibition. The second is a soulful, tongue‑in‑cheek ode to love, smoke and the easygoing spirit that defined so much of Snider's influence. Together, they form a playful yet sincere salute to 4/20 and to the man who taught Leyes that songwriting could be both mischievous and meaningful.

For Leyes, this moment is more than a release day - it's a continuation of a creative bond that began in 2023 at a songwriting camp in upstate New York, where he and Snider became instant cosmic comrades. Their collaboration deepened through the making of The Purple Building Sessions: Medicinal Americana, Snider's final production project and Leyes' most personal work to date. As Leyes prepares to release the full album this June and continue his busking‑fueled travels, he carries Snider's legacy with him: a reminder to stay curious, stay honest, and, when the moment calls for it - spark one up in the name of the friend who changed his life. Happy 4/20 indeed!