Bob Schneider (born October 12, 1965) is an Austin, Texas-based musician and artist, born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and raised in Munich, Germany. The son of an opera singer, he moved with his parents to Germany when he was two. He learned guitar and piano at an early age and made his first live appearances performing at his parents' parties.
He performed for years in various bands before embarking on a solo career. He dropped out of the University of Texas at El Paso where he studied art to front his first band, the funk-and-rap outfit Joe Rockhead. The band independently released three albums before disbanding immediately prior to signing with a major label.
A stint with a jamming outfit called the Ugly Americans followed, which experienced some success as an opening act for the Dave Matthews Band and Horde.
In 1997, Schneider went on to co-found The Scabs, which later merged with the Ugly Americans. With The Scabs, Bob Schneider made a further name for himself as the front man.
None of these bands gained much national recognition, but built solid reputations on the road. They were also a fixture in the Austin live music culture.
In 1999, Schneider became a solo act, though performing at first under the band name Lonelyland (which he later dropped as a band name, but titled his first major label album after). Schneider's musical approach as a solo artist has proven as eclectic as the diverse musical styles of his former bands -- a little bit singer/songwriter, a whole lot of bits and pieces of funk, country, rock, and folk. Because of the sexual nature of some of his lyrics, Schneider's music has been labeled as "adult alternative" by some.
He went on to record the major label solo albums, Lonelyland (2001) and I'm Good Now (2004), which garnered him significantly more national attention and some critical acclaim. "Big Blue Sea" from the Lonelyland album received some radio play, as did the title track from I'm Good Now. The track "Blue Skies for Everyone" was played during the opening sequence of the movie "Gunshy," starring Liam Neeson, while "The World Exploded Into Love" closed out the first episode of the television sitcom "Men in Trees," starring Anne Heche. "Bullets" appeared on the "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back" soundtrack.
His contract with his labels (first Universal, and now Vanguard) allow him to release albums as "side projects" on his own label. Among the albums that have been self-released are, Galaxy Kings and I've Seen The End of the World and It Looks Like This. All of these side projects were re-released by Vanguard corresponding with the release of his 2006 album The Californian. Previously, these albums were of limited availability and only roughly 10,000 of the albums were printed. After releasing The Californian, his latest studio effort, he released Greatest Hits Live, recorded in Austin on July 17, 2006, by Shockorama Records, which is only available on his website.
Bob remains committed to playing smaller venues and thrives on the energy of the stage. He currently plays regularly at the Saxon Pub and Antone's solo in Austin, Texas, as well as with Lonelyland or the Scabs on occasion, while touring relentlessly. Although he tours nationwide, he is still known as a true Austin musician. His musical influences spread into the far reaches of musical culture--funk, soul, folk, lounge, rap, punk, even some melodic experimentalism.
He is also known for having dated Sandra Bullock. It is speculated that the breakup following their passionate relationship became fodder for his music, although Schneider has been known to deny autobiographical content in his music.
Schneider toured with The Dixie Chicks in 2006. He is a reserved yet self-proclaimed supporter of free speech.
In 2009 Bob signed with Kirtland Records to release his album Lovely Creatures, which will be available in stores September 29th, 2009. Lovely Creatures features the single "40 Dogs (like Romeo and Juliet)", which has received some radio play, and also features Patty Griffin on the track "Changing Your Mind."
Discography
- Bob Schneider
- Bob Schneider & Mitch Watkins
- Underneath The Onion Trees (2000)
- The Scabs
- Freebird (1998)
- Bombtracks (1998)
- More Than a Feeling (1999)
- Destroyer (2000)
- Ugly Americans
- Ugly Americans (1993)
- Ugly Americans (Live) (1994)
- Stereophonic Spanish Fly (1996)
- Boom Boom Baby (1998)
- Joe Rockhead
- Party Till You're Dead (1991)
- Crazy (1992)
- No Going Back (1992)
Live Shows
Almost every one of Bob Schneider's live show are recorded and made available (generally sold a double-disc set) to his audiences afterwords. These recordings are released under the label "Frunk." These recordings were rarely made available to the public, although Frunk recordings (and other bootlegs) were occasionally uploaded to the Live Music Archive, however Schneider began making this content available for download on his own website in early 2009, with content dating back to September of 2007.
Bob's current appearances and tour dates are regularly updated on his MySpace page.
Books
- Schneider, Bob (2003). I Have Seen the End of the World and It Looks Like This. Shockorama Books.
See also
External links
