Prolific Bob Schneider strikes again

Singer-songwriter to tour in support of latest album

By Stayton Bonner
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Sunday, April 27, 2008

From his early rock 'n' roll days with Joe Rockhead to his current takes on funk with the Scabs and Americana with the Texas Bluegrass Massacre, singer-songwriter Bob Schneider has forged a singular path.

His lyrics can range from sophomoric sexual humor to tender balladry. How many artists play with a full horn section on Friday and then a fiddle and banjo on Saturday? His new album, "When the Sun Breaks Down on the Moon," epitomizes his DIY career ethic, and his defiance of classification exemplifies the Austin music aesthetic as he sees it.

"When I moved here in 1989, there were a lot of experimental-type bands," he says. "The Butthole Surfers and the True Believers, which was Alejandro (Escovedo) and Jon Dee's (Graham) band, were big reasons I came to Austin."

Because its cost of living was so low, the city attracted artists who could work minimal hours and then concentrate on their craft.

"I had to work maybe two days a month, and the rest of the time I could just hang out," Schneider says. "I think I was paying $120 a month, all bills included, to live in some house in South Austin. People were playing music here because they just loved to play. It wasn't so much like, 'Is this the best place to play music and be a business person?' "

Schneider played everything on his new album, from ukulele and banjo to steel drums and melodica. But that's nothing new. Whenever writing music, he prefers to record it immediately, he says. Schneider estimates he has up to 500 unreleased songs on his laptop.

"I've released most of the good songs," he says with a laugh. "Usually, I'll start off with something like the trumpet. Playing it will give me an idea for a song. Or I'll pick up a steel drum. No, I won't pick up the steel drums because they're heavy. But I'll pick up a mallet and start beating something on the steel drums. Then that will give me an idea for a song and it evolves."

NovaTunes, an upstart music download service, approached Schneider about releasing an album online. He scoured his computer for hidden gems in his backlog. Schneider liked the songs so much he decided to release them in hard copy as "When the Sun Breaks Down on the Moon." The production is sparse and tender; the lyrics evocative and opaque. The album's opener, "Changing Your Mind," ostensibly a song about lost love, ends with a random image: "There's a werewolf out on my front lawn and he's ... wet from all the rain/Think I'll go say 'Hi' and offer him a beer."

Schneider doesn't question his subconscious.

"The line 'when the sun breaks down on the moon' just came to me one day," he says. "I sat down and started singing that line and the rest of the song just wrote itself. I don't even know what that line means. I just thought it sounded kind of fun. It was an interesting image."

In addition to the lyrical imagery, Schneider also painted the album's cover and engineered, mixed and mastered the recordings.

"I never take any time off," he says. "I love playing, writing and the guys that I play with. I'm very fortunate to have them."

Schneider takes his band outside Texas anywhere from 12 to 18 weeks a year. He'll resume his national CD release tour in May. On the road, Schneider performs material from all his projects, and audiences can buy a CD of the show he just played. Besides allowing Schneider to break even on touring costs, live-show CD sales offer audiences a personal memento of the evening.

"We'll go play San Francisco and then we won't return again for a long time," Schneider says. "When we play there, I'll play songs that I've just written and people can walk away with them. This way people have access to songs that are brand new."

Schneider likes the idea of songs in process.

"There are tons of clams on the live recordings," he says. "At the same time, there's magic on a live CD that you can't come close to imitating in a studio. The guys in the band don't know the songs and they're reacting to it in a way they could never do once they actually know the song. I have some live recordings of songs that are the best they will ever sound."

In 2006, Schneider opened a string of dates for the Dixie Chicks. Although the exposure was great, he hasn't seen a dramatic increase in concert attendance outside Texas.

"When you're playing seedy clubs on the other side of town, the Dixie Chicks audience is not necessarily looking for that," Schneider says. "They don't go to some (little) club on a Tuesday night in Sacramento. But people are definitely more familiar with us after that tour. It all helps."