About Bob Schneider
Robert Schneider is an Austin, Texas based musician and former lead singer of the rock band Ugly Americans. 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 was licensed through Universal Records, which, along with a subsequent distribution deal through Vanguard Records, made his early releases widely available.
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. He continues to have a long-standing Monday night residency at the Saxon Pub in Austin.
He is married to Laura Moore-Schneider, with whom he has two children, a son and a daughter.
Schneider was born to Robert Sr. and Katie Schneider in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He was raised with his sister in El Paso, Texas, as well as Munich, Germany, where he moved with his family at the age of 2 so his father could receive vocal training. 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.
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. Schneider subsequently performed with the Ugly Americans, sometimes as an opening act for the Dave Matthews Band, and signed with the revived Capricorn Records. In 1997, Schneider co-founded The Scabs, a funk ensemble that regularly played local Austin venues, and was described as "inspired by The Rugburns bawdy show tunes and puerile blues".
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.
In 1999 Schneider was convinced to record and release Songs Sung & Played on Guitar at the Same Time, 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. 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.
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