You have to experience Bob Schneider live to understand why he may be America’s greatest undiscovered musical talent. Since the 2001 release of his acclaimed album, Lonelyland, and the “next big thing” hype that went along with it, two things have happened; 1) He has toured relentlessly playing hundreds of dates per year building an audience of devout fans, of which one blogger recently referred to as “The BS’ers,” and; 2) He has not become the next big thing. And to anyone that has witnessed the on-stage magnetism of Bob Schneider that is an inexplicable injustice, which may be as much the fault of the broken nature of the music business as it is anything else.
Bob is the consummate Entertainer, taking his audience through a cathartic experience from the wild abandon of a rock god to the somber introspection of a singer songwriter to a dry-witted stand-up comic (that might be where the “BS” comes in), and just about anything else you can imagine swirled into the mix. And he does so without any pretensions because, for Bob, his audience is as
much a part of the show as is he or the consistently stellar players that he assembles to back him up. Night after night he earnestly delivers a set that is both giving and captivating and diehard BS’ers will testify that musically you’ll never know what to expect, but there is always one thing that you can expect and that is a party.
With every show newly converted disciples leave with a craving for more. And there is more to be had through the exploration of his catalog of 15 albums – almost all of which he has released independently through his own Shockorama label. Amongst them are the gems, Lonelyland and I’m Good Now, and fan favorites like The Galaxy Kings and Underneath the Onion Trees. Take a journey through these albums and you’ll discover a depth to his musicianship that leaves him virtually unparalled as a songwriter. Seemingly, there is no musical boundary that Bob is uncomfortable crossing and his repertoire covers a spectrum of global musical styles…. mambo, rap, jazz, blues, country, latin, swing, soul, even bluegrass…. all done with the persuasion of a virtuoso of any one of those single genres. Some say that he cannot be categorized but that’s not accurate because despite the gumbo of all of these musical spices it is just Rock n’ Roll. Bob Schneider style Rock n’ Roll, for certain, but that is what makes him unique and one of a kind.
Lot’s can be said (and has been over the years) about Bob’s sorted history, which in one concise paragraph can be oversimplified into this: He grew up attending Catholic school in Germany where his father sang opera and his mother taught school…Left Germany to attend art school at the University of Texas/El Paso…Dropped out and moved to Austin where he struggled around as a musician before gaining some national recognition via his punk-funk band Joe Rockhead…He signed to Capricorn Records as the rock n’soul band, Ugly Americans, and nearly simultaneously formed The Scabs with a band of infamous Austin neo-legends known for (and still performing) their outrageous live shows… He went solo to explore his introspective singer/songwriter side and recorded Lonelyland, the biggest selling album in the history of Austin’s infamous Waterloo Records and a with a new record deal from Universal Records he is forced into the national spotlight…Universal doesn’t deliver but gives him the opportunity to jump ship so he leaps onto Vanguard where he releases his under-recognized masterwork, I’m Good Now…Fame and the almighty power of a hit record slip away but he builds his audience the way that he knows best through relentless live performances which have included tours with the Dixie Chicks and Stevie Nicks but mostly through headlining club and theater tours…And throughout all of this he continues to pursue his love for art which is another paragraph altogether.
As a performer, Bob has an almost supernatural ability to sell his diversity to his audience and over a ten-day period in his hometown of Austin, his fans are treated to all of it. There’s the legendary ten-years-in-the-running residency at Saxon’s Pub, where performing as Lonelyland, an acoustic, somber and introspective Bob eventually gives way to storytelling, raunchy rock and comedic breaks. On any given Monday, the audience will be entertained by a new song or two as this is the venue where Bob test-drives his latest material. Two days later, at Antones, it’s the riotous experience of a BS rock n’ roll show. The very next night the musical mélange of The Scabs can be heard before returning to the Saxon’s residency. And, then on one single Friday, it’s a show at a SXSW day party, followed by a solo acoustic performance, and then all hell breaks lose when his Texas Bluegrass Massacre hits the stage at Threadgill’s for a hip-billy party complete with audience dance floor, sing along, and on-stage participation. Saturday night brings another rock show and then for the perfect ending of the weekend, it’s a Sunday evening jazz show with guitar great, Mitch Watkins. And all of that is over a period of ten days. Like the BS’er’s say, you don’t know what to expect, except that a party is for certain.
So what’s up next for Bob Schneider in 2008? Not surprisingly, quite a lot. There are plans underway for Lonelyland Redux – a second look at this definitive work – expanded and produced for re-discovery with an accompanying DVD and supporting concert tour; loose talk of a Christmas album; and the pre-production of a musical based upon an epic 22 song cycle called, F**k All You, Motherf**kers…
…But not before he hits the road in support of the release of his latest collection of songs, When the Sun Breaks Down on the Moon, an intimate gift for the BS’ers and an invitation into Bob’s imaginative alternate universe of nihilism, redemption and the eternal search for peace of mind. The tour will take Bob from Texas to both of the other coasts where he will most certainly continue to build
his audience the way that he knows how – one convert at a time.
