Bob Schneider is a fixture on the Austin scene, having kicked around for years in various bands before embarking on a solo career. He dropped out of the University of Texas at El Paso 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, slightly Phish-y 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, where he made a further name for himself as a crotch-grabbing frontman. In 1999, Schneider became a solo act, though performing at first under the band name Lonelyland. 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. Schneider has released three solo albums, and may be on the crest of bigger things with the major-label release of the second of these albums, Lonelyland. His scruffy good looks and strong, husky voice provide a good complement to his semi-confessional songwriting. His music is redolent of singer/songwriters of the '70s from Neil Young to Paul Simon, with a slightly more modern musical sensibility reminiscent of Beck. Schneider has a knack for creating pleasant adult alternative music with edgy lyrics about alienation, drug addiction, and lost romance. His success may well depend on the twists and turns of music industry trends, which come to embrace talents such as his in cyclical fashion. After an appearance at the annual SXSW Music Conference in spring 2004, Schneider issued I'm Good Now in April. ~ Mary Grady, All Music Guide
|
