MUSIC
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2002
Texas artist blends rock with his roots
In a venue known as Antone's in Austin, Texas,the name Bob Schneider is nothing unfamiliar.
LIVEMUSIC
For years, the Austin local has been making music and performing as the front man for such bands as The Scabs and Ugly Americans. He won 10 plaques at the 2001 Austin Music Awards — including one for musician of the year—and is dating Austin actress Sandra Bullock.
Leslie Kimmel
lkimmel@kansan.com
Even though his heart lies in Texas. Schneider's popularity across the nation is overdue. He showed Lawrence his own style last Friday at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St.
The Bob Schneider Show had a Ben Folds-esque feeling with Schneider taking the stage solo, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. What the absence of his band took away, Schneider was able to replace with his versatility.
Think Tom Petty with a touch of Dave Matthews, and the voice of a toned-down Anthony Kiedis.
Schneider's combination of roots rock, blues and a hint of country comes together with a contemporary twist.
His folk rock-rap wordplay over
And not only with his guitar. Over it, Schneider free-styled about such things as the Holiday Inn and added new lyrics to songs he had previously written. This personal touch made his show entertaining.
Before breaking into up-tempo "Tarantula," Schneider was able to get everyone
acoustic sounds gives his show an authentic feel. But he was also able to switch from a soft, romantic voice in such love ballads as "Moon Song" to a more husky sound in somewhat harder tunes like "Jingy."
Perhaps the most notable thing about The Bob Schneider Show is his ability to improvise. Like a true musician, Schneider is able to cater to the crowd, add an extra verse and feed into other songs.
in the house to stand up. He then got practically a full-house chorus going, encouraging those who didn't know the words to just yell out anything and everything.
Think Tom Petty with a touch of Dave Matthews, and the voice of a toned-down Anthony Kiedis.
Periodically, he would call on the crowd to make loud party noises, and even got almost everyone to move in the catchy country-rap, "Bullets."
Schneider played a majority of his songs off of his solo album Lonelyland, which he launched last fall. The Galaxy Kings, his most recent release, is also under his name.
"Tumblin Dice" is built around a jazzy piano riff with feel-good lyrics. His husky voice accompanied by chorus girls in "Montana" has a Spanish-style woodblock in the background.
The jazzy bass line in "Sunkist" conjures up images of sitting in a coffeehouse. It has
a humble way of bringing back reality by discussing everyday occurrences like "cigarette burns" that just make you "smile and say fine."
Schneider even throws in "Good Luck, which slightly resembles a country tune. In a twangy, deep voice that sounds weathered by a cowboy's work, he sings about no more drinking and gambling, but is able to balance the song with more contemporary lyrics.
The Galaxy Kings further demonstrates Schneider's ability to mix roots rocks with a jazzy touch.
However, the music in a few of the songs slightly resemble one other and the lyrics in some songs such as "Blood" are lacking entirely.
Anyone who appreciates music that is simultaneously funny and sad with many components and a jazzy-rock feel should definitely check out Bob Schneider. Anything by The Scabs and Ugly Americans is also good listening for those who have a more brassy taste.
And while Schneider's music is good to listen to on CD,it's even better if you can catch it in concert.