Have I proposed marriage to Bob Schneider in the past? Several times. Usually the drill goes something like this…

Me: “Hey…um…*giggle*…Bob. Will you…um…*giggle*….um…marry me? *giggle*”

Bob: “What part of the restraining order do you not understand?”

Me: “…*giggle*…man…you are so freakin’ hot…*giggle*…”

Bob: “SECURITY!!!”

Just when I figured there was no place left to go on the biggest pedestal in the world, Bob Schneider just moved up another notch.

He’s got this big-ass tour coming up in support of this big-ass-hella-great new album, When the Sun Breaks Down on the Moon.

“I made this record at home, over the course of the last six months. I played all the instruments on it, including ukulele, banjo, trumpet, trombone, bass, guitar, piano, drums, keyboards, mandolin, steel drums, melodica, harmonica, as well as all the vocals,” says Bob Schneider of the experience making ŒWhen the Sun Breaks Down on the Moon¹. “I also did all the engineering, mixing, and mastering.”

Seriously, is there anything Bob can’t do? No. No there is not.

For Austin, Texas based songwriter and performer, Bob Schneider, finding a way to challenge everyone was at one point a major creative goal learned in Art School. Steeped as he was in the visual arts tradition of pushing boundaries Bob’s commitment to staying honest, and demonstrating independence was quickly embraced by Austin¹s music fans and other media artists for his purposeful trampling of every music, visual, and performance line he could cross.

He soon found this challenge to convention tiring and boorish. To Bob, real artistic credibility comes from harnessing all your creative energy and, to the best of your ability, passionately engaging your audience. This was clearly a nod to the music influences that helped shaped his perspective: Tom Waits, Queen, Prince and Paul Simon for music and Police, Talking Heads, and Earth Wind and Fire for live performance.

As such, Bob¹s songs are replete with characters and stories that populate his imaginative alternate universe of nihilism, redemption and the eternal search for peace of mind and are revealed in a highly visual and verbally clever musical style. Bob¹s stage performances comfortably fuse and weave anthemic rock songs with the addition of the tastiest bluegrass, R& B, country and funk inspired beats. So, as a proud University of Texas, El Paso Art School drop-out, Bob came to realize that he if enjoyed writing songs that inspired, entertained and made people just feel happy, then this might be the ultimate statement of independence.

And, the audience responded in kind. He¹s won Austin¹s Songwriter-of-the-Year award multiple times, built a rabid national audience based primarily on word of mouth recommendations, and has just completed a national arena tour opening for the Dixie Chicks. Though comfortably working with a major label, Universal, on the album, Lonelyland, Bob successfully reacquired his catalog rights and partnered with indie-distribution stalwart, Vanguard Records, on his most recent records I¹m Good Now and, The Californian.

Bob¹s reputation for being a tireless artist gigging hundreds of shows a year and painting and writing on the off days are no longer just a Texas legend. His fan base knows to expect the unexpected at shows with songs pulled off any of the fifteen albums he’s been involved with or the pop music catalog he has lodged in his brain. Indeed, every show seems to be two plus of hours of a phenomenally good time delivered as Bob iconoclastically climbs the hill of popular music stardom.

Tour Dates:

2/21/08 - Cypress Saloon (FULL BAND SHOW) - Cypress, TX
2/22/08 - Cactus Cafe (solo show) - Austin, TX
2/23/08 - Uptown Theater (solo show) - Marble Falls, TX
2/25/08 - Saxon Pub - Austin, TX
2/28/08 - Bend Studio - Dallas, TX
2/29/08 - Josabi’s (Leap Year Celebration!) Helotes, TX
3/01/08 - Threadgill’s (TX Bluegrass Massacre Kickoff) - Austin, TX
3/03/08 - Saxon Pub - Austin, TX
3/07/08 - Antone’s - Austin, TX
3/08/08 - Antone’s (SCABS show) - Austin, TX
3/10/08 - Saxon Pub - Austin, TX
3/13/08 - Mucky Duck (St. Patrick’s Day Celebration) - Houston, TX
3/14/08 - Saxon Pub (SOLO show, early show) - Austin, TX
3/14/08 - Threadgill’s w/ Texas Bluegrass Massacre - Austin, TX
3/15/08 - Threadgill’s - Austin, TX
3/16/08 - Threadgill’s w/ Mitch Watkins - Austin, TX
3/17/08 - Saxon Pub - Austin, TX
3/18/08 - Exit/In (Hotel Cafe tour) - Nashville, TN
3/19/08 - Center Stage (Hotel Cafe tour) - Atlanta, GA
3/20/08 - Cat’s Cradle (Hotel Cafe tour) - Carrboro, NC
3/21/08 - Warehouse Live (full band) - Houston, TX
3/22/08 - The Aardvark (full band) - Fort Worth, TX
3/24/08 - Rhythm Room - Phoenix, AZ
3/25/08 - Belly Up Tavern - Solana Beach, CA
3/26/08 - Coach House - San Juan Capistrano, CA
3/27/08 - Safari Sam’s - Hollywood, CA
3/28/08 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA
3/29/08 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
3/30/08 - Chop Suey - Seattle, WA
3/31/08 - Big Easy - Boise, ID
4/01/08 - The Palladium - Salt Lake City, UT
4/02/08 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
4/07/08 - NCAA Final Four - The Big Dance - San Antonio, TX
4/12/08 - Antone’s (Peace-Love-Happiness Charity Ride performance) -
Austin, TX
4/17/08 - Bend Studio - Dallas, TX
4/19/08 - Granada Theater - Dallas, TX
5/02/08 - Fine Line - Minneapolis, MN
5/03/08 - Double Door - Chicago, IL
5/04/08 - Blueberry Hill - St. Louis, MO
5/05/08 - Music Mill - Indianapolis, IN
5/06/08 - World Cafe - Philadelphia, PA
5/07/08 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
5/08/08 - Knitting Factory - New York, NY
5/09/08 - Birchmere - Alexandria, VA
5/10/08 - Diesel - Pittsburgh, PA
5/13/08 - PRIVATE PARTY - Austin, TX
5/22/08 - Stubb’s BBQ (Rock & Restock Charity Event) - Austin, TX
5/23/08 - Meridian - Houston, TX
5/24/08 - Nutty Brown (Memorial Day Party) - Austin, TX
11/01/08 - Bowie High School (La Crosse Charity Fundraiser) - Austin, TX