Bob Schneider
Birth nameRobert Schneider
Born (1965-10-12) October 12, 1965 (age 58)
Ypsilanti, Michigan, U.S.
GenresPop, rock, folk, country
Occupation(s)Musician
Years active1990s–present
LabelsShockorama, Universal, Vanguard, Kirtland
Websitewww.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]

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 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

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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b Moser, Margaret (October 2, 2009). "What About Bob?: Bob Schneider's affirmation Austin Music". AustinChronicle.com. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  15. ^ a b "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.

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