Bob Schneider

Last updated

Bob Schneider
Birth nameRobert Schneider
Born (1965-10-12) October 12, 1965 (age 58)
Ypsilanti, Michigan, U.S.
Genres Pop, rock, folk, country
Occupation(s)Musician
Years active1990s–present
LabelsShockorama, Universal, Vanguard, Kirtland
Website www.bobschneider.com

Robert Schneider (born October 12, 1965) is an Austin, Texas based musician and former lead singer of the rock band Ugly Americans. [1] He has recorded and officially released over 20 studio albums and EPs, many on his own Shockorama Records label. He also regularly releases additional demos, live recordings, and other projects through various platforms. His first major record Lonelyland (2001) was licensed through Universal Records, [2] which, along with a subsequent distribution deal through Vanguard Records, made his early releases widely available. [3]

Contents

Schneider's primary musical style centers on an acoustic singer-songwriter presentation, with experimentations in electronic sounds, rock, and other cross-genre combinations. He is known to perform live as both a solo act, and also with various musical groups, including his own Lonelyland and Texas Bluegrass Massacre bands, and has developed a reputation for improvisation and audience involvement. [4] He continues to have a long-standing Monday night residency at the Saxon Pub in Austin. [5]

He is married to Laura Moore-Schneider, with whom he has two children, a son and a daughter. [6]

Early life

Schneider was born to Robert Sr. and Katie Schneider (an opera singer/musician and teacher respectively) in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He was raised with his sister in El Paso, Texas, as well as Munich, Germany, [7] where he moved with his family at the age of 2 so his father could receive vocal training. [8] Schneider later recalled the experience as a marginal existence, stating that his parents "had this big plan, but my dad just didn’t have the voice". He learned guitar and piano at an early age, and often performed at his parents' parties. [7]

Before turning to a solo career, Schneider spent years performing in various bands, often as the loud and energetic front-man. He dropped out of the University of Texas at El Paso, where he studied art while also performing in his first major band, a local funk-rock outfit called Joe Rockhead. The band independently released three albums before disbanding. [7] Schneider subsequently performed with the Ugly Americans, sometimes as an opening act for the Dave Matthews Band, and signed with the revived Capricorn Records. [9] In 1997, Schneider co-founded The Scabs, a funk ensemble that regularly played local Austin venues, and was described as "inspired by The Rugburns (right down to the suits and ties) [with] bawdy show tunes and puerile blues". [7]

Schneider briefly dated actress Sandra Bullock between the years 1999 and 2001. While the relationship did not last, his songs have continued to appear in films from throughout the actress’s career. [10]

Solo Career

In 1999 Schneider was convinced to record and release Songs Sung & Played on Guitar at the Same Time, [11] a short collection of acoustic songs, which inspired him to officially form his own solo act, initially under the name "Lonelyland". Lonelyland went on to become the title of his first major studio album, which sold over 10,000 copies at Waterloo Records alone, and eventually led to a nationwide re-release after signing with Universal Records in 2001. [12] The track "Big Blue Sea" in particular received significant radio play, and garnered some national attention. He was eventually dropped by Universal, but went on to record I'm Good Now in 2004, which was distributed by Vanguard Records, garnering further national attention and some critical acclaim.

During this time, Schneider began a long-running weekly songwriting game with a rotating group of friends (including names like Jason Mraz, Patty Griffin, and Matt Nathanson), which saw him creating many new songs, sometimes at a rate of one per week or more. [13] His contracts with Universal and Vanguard provided him the freedom to develop "side projects" under his Shockorama label, [3] which allowed him to release many of these creations. Side-projects from this period included Underneath The Onion Trees, The Galaxy Kings, and I Have Seen The End of the World and It Looks Like This. These projects initially received limited releases of approximately 10,000 copies each, though Vanguard eventually agreed to re-release some in 2006, to coincide with his next major album The Californian . [14]

Schneider went on to sign with Kirtland Records in 2009, releasing his next major album Lovely Creatures , which featured the single "40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)", as well as Patty Griffin on the track "Changing Your Mind". It peaked at #14 on the AAA Radio Chart. Schneider released a second album with Kirtland Records in 2011 entitled "A Perfect Day", featuring the single "Let The Light In." 2013's Burden of Proof was his third and final project with the label, before he moved back to Shockorama with 2015's King Kong, the result of a crowdsourcing campaign through PledgeMusic.

During his period with Kirtland Records, Schneider began the habit of categorizing his ongoing songwriting creations and demos under yearly album labels. Many of these songs found unofficial releases through internet platforms such as Myspace, SoundCloud, Snocap, and more, [11] while others were officially released through further side projects.

In 2017, Schneider began formerly making his massive backlog of recorded demos available to fans through Patreon. [15] His subsequent albums were all gifted to backers prior to their releases, with Blood and Bones releasing June 8, 2018, In A Roomful Of Blood With A Sleeping Tiger releasing August 27, 2021, and The Human Torch releasing as individual tracks between December 8th and December 31st, 2023.

2023 also saw the release of FAYM, a crowd-funded graphic novel with illustrations by Justin Barker, and a story based on Schneider's long-time rock opera project of the same name. [16]

Soundtrack contributions

Awards

Bob Schneider during live recording session at The Saint, May 2011 Bob Schneider recording 400R.jpg
Bob Schneider during live recording session at The Saint, May 2011

Bob Schneider has won 55 Austin Music Awards, to date, for multiple different projects ranging from 1992 to 2017. [14]

Austin Music Awards

Discography

Solo Albums


The Scabs


Ugly Americans


Joe Rockhead

Unreleased Projects

Schneider has many unpublished musical projects that, while never officially released, have been made available to fans (either partially or in full) via Patreon and similar platforms. Many more unlisted projects and older demos are simply uncategorized, or grouped under a legacy "Anthology" label. [15]

Known Albums


Yearly Demo Collections

Live Recordings

Since the 2000s, Schneider has recorded almost every one of his live performance, making the recordings available for purchase as show souvenirs (which he labels "Frunk") for the audience. Originally available only as physical double-disc CD sets, Schneider began to phase out physical media around 2010 in favor of USB drives and digital online purchasing. While the majority of recordings prior to 2012 are no longer available, the current archive is maintained on his Bandcamp. [18]

Books

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cracker (band)</span> American rock band

Cracker is an American rock band, formed in 1990 by lead singer David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman. The band's first album Cracker was released in 1992 on Virgin Records; it included the single "Teen Angst ", which went to #1 on the U.S. Modern Rock chart. The band's follow-up, the 1993 album Kerosene Hat included the hit songs "Low", "Get Off This", and "Euro-Trash Girl".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Flying Burrito Brothers</span> American country rock band

The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band best known for their influential 1969 debut album, The Gilded Palace of Sin. Although the group is perhaps best known for its connection to band founders Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, the group underwent many personnel changes and has existed in various incarnations. Now officially known as The Burrito Brothers the band continues to perform and record new albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Osborne</span> American musician (born 1962)

Joan Elizabeth Osborne is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best known for her recording of the Eric Bazilian-penned song "One of Us" from her debut album, Relish (1995). Both the single and the album became worldwide hits and garnered a combined seven Grammy Award nominations. Osborne has toured with Motown sidemen the Funk Brothers and was featured in the documentary film about them, Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nitty Gritty Dirt Band</span> American band

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (NGDB) is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulf Lundell</span> Musical artist

Ulf Gerhard Lundell is a Swedish writer, poet, songwriter, composer, musician and artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond Rio</span> American country and Christian music band

Diamond Rio is an American country music band. The band was founded in 1982 as an attraction for the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, and was originally known as the Grizzly River Boys, then the Tennessee River Boys. It was founded by Matt Davenport, Danny Gregg, and Ty Herndon, the last of whom became a solo artist in the mid-1990s. After undergoing several membership changes in its initial years, the band consisted of the same six members from 1989 to 2022: Marty Roe, Gene Johnson, Jimmy Olander, Brian Prout (drums), Dan Truman (keyboards), and Dana Williams. After Prout and Johnson both departed in 2022, they were replaced by Micah Schweinsberg and Carson McKee respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Rock</span> Canadian record producer

Robert Jens Rock is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer and musician, best known for producing rock bands and music artists such as Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, the Tragically Hip, the Cult, 311, Our Lady Peace, Bryan Adams, the Offspring, Michael Bublé, Black Veil Brides, David Lee Roth, and Ron Sexsmith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty Loveless</span> American country music singer (born 1957)

Patty Loveless is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first few releases were unsuccessful, she broke through by decade's end with a cover of George Jones's "If My Heart Had Windows". Loveless issued five albums on MCA before moving to Epic Records in 1993, where she released nine more albums. Four of her albums—Honky Tonk Angel, Only What I Feel, When Fallen Angels Fly, and The Trouble with the Truth—are certified platinum in the United States. Loveless has charted 44 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including five which reached number one: "Timber, I'm Falling in Love", "Chains", "Blame It on Your Heart", "You Can Feel Bad", and "Lonely Too Long".

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1993.

<i>Im Good Now</i> Album by Bob Schneider

I'm Good Now is the sixth solo album from Bob Schneider, released April 13, 2004 through Shockorama Records and distributed by Vanguard. It was described by Allmusic.com as ' quite varied, echoing several singer/songwriter traditions', while popmatters found it 'an impressive batch of songs'. On the lyrics Schneider explained that 'none of them are autobiographical. They are all different narrators, they are all different personas'. No Depression magazine found the collection of song perhaps too eclectic and saying that 'even the most patient listener's endurance has been sorely, and possibly fatally, tested' towards the end. The album was awarded 'Album of the Year' at the Austin Music Awards of 2004. The album was produced by Billy Harvey, and featured contributions by Rafael Gayol and the Tosca String Quartet. The song "Love Is Everywhere" was featured in the film All About Steve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Codetalkers</span> American jazz/rock band

The Codetalkers were a jazz, rock and roll band from Savannah, Georgia, United States, composed of Bobby Lee Rodgers, Mark Raudabaugh and Andrew Altman. The band was formed in 1999, upon the meeting of Rodgers and Col. Bruce Hampton at a show at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta. The group toured for many years as a four-piece with the lineup of Rodgers, Hampton, Greenwell and Pecchio. In the spring of 2006, the band announced they would be touring without Hampton, who was stepping down for a multitude of reasons. The band was aiming to undertake a heavy touring schedule in support of their recent release, in which Hampton was unwilling and unable to participate. He had lent his name to the project for years in order to help Rodgers gain the recognition Hampton felt he deserved, but as a touring musician for 40 years, the grueling demands that a national tour would place on him didn't seem very alluring. Coincidentally, just as this announcement was to be made, Hampton trumped the press release by citing his own health reasons for leaving the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Greencards</span> American progressive bluegrass band

The Greencards are an American progressive bluegrass band that formed in 2003 in Austin, Texas, and relocated in 2005 to Nashville, Tennessee. The band was founded by Englishman Eamon McLoughlin and Australians Kym Warner and Carol Young. The musicians originally performed in local Austin bars, and soon found increasing acclaim. They have released one independent album, Movin' On, in 2003, and two albums, Weather and Water and Viridian, on the Dualtone record label. Their fourth album, Fascination, was released on Sugar Hill in 2009. Their fifth album, The Brick Album (2011), was self-produced with the direct support of their fans. Pre-production donors were recognized with their names inscribed on the "bricks" that make up the cover art.

John Charles Goudie is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumental musician, record producer, actor, and podcaster based in Austin, Texas. Over his five-decade career, he has received acclaim for his unique vocals and a musical style rooted in classic rock. Goudie has been the recipient of four Austin Music Awards and has fronted several bands including Goudie, Mr. Rocket Baby, Lovetree, Panjandrum, Liars & Saints, and the Little Champions. He has also been a sideman in several other bands, notably Endochine, the Lossy Coils, and Skyrocket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Skaggs</span> American musician, producer, and composer

Rickie Lee Skaggs, known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, mandocaster, and banjo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen Rose</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1965)

Eileen Rose is an American singer-songwriter who is known for her eclectic Americana music. She has released five solo studio albums and toured Europe and the US extensively with her band The Holy Wreck. She is also a member of the band The Silver Threads.

<i>Evergreen, Volume 2</i> 1967 studio album by The Stone Poneys

Evergreen, Vol. 2 is the second album from the Stone Poneys, released five months after The Stone Poneys. It was the most commercially successful of the Stone Poneys' three studio albums.

Ugly Americans was an American rock band from Austin, Texas consisting of former members of Cracker, Mojo Nixon, and Poi Dog Pondering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wheeler (musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

John Wheeler is an American musician, songwriter and music producer. While he is best known as the creator and frontman of the internationally-known "rockgrass" band Hayseed Dixie, Wheeler also performs solo and has produced and performed on albums by many other artists. He is the second cousin of bluegrass music pioneer, Lester Flatt. An avid motorcycle enthusiast, Wheeler has rode a motorcycle on every tour from 2006 - 2014, logging over 200,000 miles across Europe and the United States.

Albert Sidney "Sid" Griffin is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist-mandolinist, bandleader, and author who lives in London, England. He led the Long Ryders band in the 1980s, founded the Coal Porters group in the 1990s, has recorded several solo albums and is the author of volumes on Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons and bluegrass music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzanna Choffel</span> American singer-songwriter and musician

Suzanna Choffel is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has appeared on national television and in film. Known for her distinct voice and reggae-inspired guitar technique, her music has been described as "a unique sound equal parts Beat poetry, smoky soul grooves and indie-pop eccentricity."

References

  1. Smyers, Darryl. "Bob Schneider Just Needs a Good Cup of Coffee and an Audience Full of Women" . Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  2. "Bob Scheinder - Discography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Newman, Melinda (April 9, 2005). "The Beat - Blues Traveller, Hootie Return". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  4. Milner, Dixon (July 8, 2013). "Bob Schneider – Burden of Proof Interview". Turnstyled Junkpiled. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  5. "Bob Schneider". aaemusic.com.
  6. Thapa, Bahar Jung. "Bob Schneider and His Wife Open Up about Parenthood". liverampup.com.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Corcoran, Michael (May 26, 2013). "Bob's Burden". MichaelCorcoran.net.
  8. "Photograph by Todd V. Wolfson: Bob Schneider Austin Music". AustinChronicle.com. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  9. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Ugly Americans - Boom Boom Baby". AllMusic.com. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  10. "Sandra Bullock's Romantic History". EOnline.com.
  11. 1 2 "Bob Schneider's Song Club" (Podcast).
  12. Blackstock, Peter. "Bob Schneider - Lonelyland". nodepression.com. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  13. Langer, Andy (July 2013). "Lessons on Being a Prolific Songwriter". texasmonthly.com. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  14. 1 2 Moser, Margaret (October 2, 2009). "What About Bob?: Bob Schneider's affirmation Austin Music". AustinChronicle.com. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  15. 1 2 "Bob Schneider - Creating Songs". patreon.com. February 13, 2023.
  16. "FAYM Graphic Novel".
  17. "Bob Schneider". IMDb. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  18. "Bob Schneider Music". Bandcamp. Retrieved February 17, 2024.