NASHVILLE |DATE: JUNE 10, 2011
FROM: TODD BRODGINSKI/ANGELA VILLANUEVA
BARI LIEBERMAN/MITCH SCHNEIDER
BOB SCHNEIDER RELEASES VIDEO FOR
“LET THE LIGHT IN”
OFF HIS CRITICALLY PRAISED ALBUM
‘A PERFECT DAY’
ALBUM AVAILABLE FOR $5 EXCLUSIVELY ON AMAZON.COM
THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH
TOUR CONTINUES WITH NEW DATES ANNOUNCED
Acclaimed singer/songwriter/musician BOB SCHNEIDER has released a new music video for the lead single off his critically praised album A PERFECT DAY, released April 19 on Dallas-based Kirtland Records. The video for “Let The Light In” can now be seen here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnaV-AZmm-I. Also, for the month of June Amazon.com is offering the full-length album for only $5 available for purchase here: http://tiny.cc/bobschneideramazon.
Known for his candid and razor-sharp lyrics as well as his unique blend of rock, country, folk, blues, pop and funk, SCHNEIDER shines on A PERFECT DAY. “Let The Light In” references the Wicked Witch and the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. The video–which weaves a mini-Bob Schneider in with live animation paintings and graphics–portrays the life of the modern-day Wicked Witch and her quest to let her hair down and “let the light in again.” Produced by Cosmic Toast Studios and directed by Andy Pagana, the animated paintings come to life as the Wicked Witch puts “that old dress on/and get herself looking real.” According to SCHNEIDER, “I’m perplexed about where this stuff comes from, but I imagine the Wicked Witch is some representation of an ex, who is finally ready to go out and have some fun.”
SCHNEIDER recently performed “Let The Light In” with a string section on PBS’ “Austin City Limits” as part of the show’s 36th season finale. View that performance here at the 38:40 mark: http://video.pbs.org/video/1769474605/.
Other highlights on A PERFECT DAY–his 11th solo album–include “Another Bad Idea” (the subject is love), “Everything You Love” (he sings “God will destroy/Everything you love/If you live long enough”) and “Penelope Cruz,” where he longs for a love that’s out of reach (“I wanna make a baby with Elizabeth Taylor/Around 19 and 57”) and reveals: “I wanna fall in love like I was falling off the face of the earth/I wanna fall forever/But every day/My dreams seem farther and farther away.”
Critics have praised the new collection. Here’s what a few have noted:
“A Perfect Day is a statement, and an album, that can be both sarcastic and sincere. Just in time for spring, Bob Schneider’s latest effort is at times breezy as well as melancholy, biting as well as laugh-out-loud funny. The opening track, ‘Let the Light In,’ with its playful steel drum percussion, urges one to stay positive: ‘It’s been so long since you didn’t feel bad/Not spending all the time making people feel sad.’ But the way Schneider delivers the lines of his extended Wizard of Oz metaphor during this song is filled with hesitance, sounding like someone hoping not to jinx whatever changes he’s observing. It’s this laid back delivery that is Schneider’s strength.”
— Matt Popkin, AMERICAN SONGWRITER, 4/26/11
“No matter what the setting, he can rip your soul out with one song and make a roomful of jaws plummet to the floor with something ribald and hilariously profane.”
–Patrick Beach, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 4/20/11
“Bob Schneider's best work resides in A Perfect Day, even if the album and he still show no signs of peaking…The best of A Perfect Day betters that of Lonely Creatures, itself an oft-irresistible grab bag of adult contemporary radio catnip. Like Lou Reed's ‘Perfect Day,’ Schneider's musical surety flexes a lyrical right angle exemplified in A Perfect Day's centerpiece, ‘Everything You Love,’ a perfect Cloud moment of electro vox arcing Muzak-ally into a cult refrain: ‘God will destroy everything you love if you live long enough.’ The first half of A Perfect Day, beginning with ‘Let the Light In,’ whose warm, rhythmic groove feeds the singer dream weaving some Wizard of Oz confection, is one of the best sonic confections Schneider's ever committed to tape…peaking with ‘Penelope Cruz,’ a rejoinder of sorts to ‘Cap'n Kirk’ only light-years sexier…Perfectly awful or perfectly genius, Bob Schneider's having another Perfect Day.”
— Raoul Hernandez, AUSTIN CHRONICLE, 4/15/11
“Soothing and endearing, Austin’s Bob Schneider speaks to the heart with his stirring collection of songs entitled A Perfect Day…’Honeypot’ and ‘Everything is Cool’ deliver gorgeous textures of reverb and delay in Schneider’s vocals, with the haunting atmosphere of more echo guitars and synths. ‘Peaches’ is a standout – amiable, goofy and fun. It delivers Schneider’s full package. His personality is quirky, yet brilliant and thoughtful…’Everything You Love’ is a genuine stadium rocker…Dramatic and listenable, the messages of longing and love are immediate. The band sets the pace, and the album flows nicely from track to track. Each instrument resonates in its own voice, not crashing into or overbearing another. ‘Penelope Cruz’ is a beautiful mixture of jangly guitars, stirring piano riffs, lush harmonica and charming backing vocals. The fact that each song is soft spoken and not too overpowering helps make Schneider’s record more irresistible to spin each time. Funny and charming, Schneider is infectious in his sound and persona – his songwriting versatile, blending a delightful mixture of folk, rock, country and soul genres. A great effort by a talented songwriter.”
— Shawn Haney, PERFORMER MAGAZINE, May 2011
“… this new CD is his most irresistibly cohesive. It’s all about the groove, the rhythm, the move-your feet energy. The horns-filled funk of ‘Am I Missing Something’ is alone worth the disc’s price. ‘Fun Cake’ is infectious power pop, while ‘Penelope Cruz’ is slinky, percussive soul-pop. The quirky lyrics are there, too, such as namedropping the Wicked Witch and the Tin Man on the spacey, melodic opener ‘Let the Light In.’ Get ready for serious head-bobbing and foot-tapping."
— Mario Tarradell, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/19/11
“So seductive is the voice of this acclaimed Austin singer-songwriter that it's several seconds into the magical opening track, ‘Let the Light In,’ before you realize you're humming along to a love story filled with reworked, worked-over characters from The Wizard of Oz…Schneider often works the same grown-up, stripped-down melodic rock turf as Jack Johnson, evidenced on ‘Honey Pot,’ a soulful Memphis groove-by-way-of-Texas…Soon, Schneider goes into signature tongue-twisting mode for ‘Yeah, I'll Do That’ and gets bouncy and preciously poppy with ‘Funcake,’ but he's much more enjoyable in the dreamy indie filmland of ‘Penelope Cruz’…Schneider's not missing much on this, his 11th solo album.”
— Hector Saldana, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 4/19/11
"…well-crafted album tells blunt stories and observes the world around us. Not crooning or sounding sad for himself, Schneider takes the songs to a place that actually gives the listener strength….Schneider succeeds in making this album something of a start-to-finish piece instead of an album where you go looking for the best tracks."
— David Tobin, CAMPUS CIRCLE, 4/20/11
Currently on a headlining tour performing new material and fan favorites, more dates have been added. All dates below are full band shows. In a review from a recent show at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, QuirkyNYChick.com wrote “Folks came to have fun. And fun we had…Things were hot, sweaty and at times outright funky. Twenty-three songs (if I counted correctly!) yet, everyone was asking for more. A lot of the songs took on some reggae flavor (a bit more than usual) and there was a little more funk in the mix…I keep saying it, you really have to see this man live. But be warned, you may have to go to BS Anonymous to deal with your Bob Schneider habit because, you will become addicted. Of course, if you're like the rest of us, you won't want to be cured. You'll just continue to happily look forward to your next Bob fix (5/30/11).”
SCHNEIDER’s headlining shows:
DATE CITY VENUE
Sat 6/11 Austin, TX Antone’s (w/ Mitch Watkins)
Mon 6/13 Austin, TX Saxon Pub (w/ Lonelyland)
Sat 6/18 Dallas, TX House of Blues
Mon 6/20 Austin, TX Saxon Pub (w/ Lonelyland)
Wed 6/24 Helotes, TX Floore’s
Fri 7/1 Austin, TX Antone’s (Scabs)
Sun 7/3 Austin, TX Nutty Brown
Thu 7/7 Oshkosh, WI Oshkosh Waterfest
Fri 7/8 Lincoln, NE Bourbon Theater
Sat 7/9 Bellvue, CO Mishawaka Amphitheatre
Sun 7/10 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
Sat 7/16 Hutto, TX Fritz Park
Sat 7/23 Houston, TX House of Blues
For more information on BOB SCHNEIDER, contact:
MSO PR
Todd Brodginski 818-380-0400 x239 toddb@msopr.com
Angela Villanueva 818-380-0400 x232 avillanueva@msopr.com
Bari Lieberman (Tour Press) 818-380-0400 x222 blieberman@msopr.com
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