Fred Schneider
At the Paradise
by Sheril Stanford
“Tired of always being in the wrong place at the wrong time? How many times has this happened to you? You crawl out of bed on a Sunday afternoon and catch up with some friends at the local java joint. Turns out, Saturday night, while you were rockin’ out at some heavily promoted show in Boston, your way cool friends were at a tiny Cambridge, Massachusetts club catching the only area appearance of the new, excellent band from Virginia Beach that’s attracting major label attention. And last weekend, when you were at the Rumble? Your pals were witnessing a low key reunion of three punk gods you’ve idolized since you were eleven. Don’t let this happen again. Call the 1-800-BE-HIP-NOW hotline and we’ll tell you where the truly hip will be hanging out in your town. Be cool. Impress your friends. Call today!”
If you weren’t front and center at the Boston appearance of punk/new wave icon Fred Schneider, you, my friend, were in the wrong place. I’m tellin’ ya; don’t miss out on a chance to see this guy. Schneider is touring in support of his new release, Just Fred (Reprise), which was produced by snarly alt-rock mastermind Steve Albini, and it shows.
Word has it that Albini, a long time Schneider fan, received Schneider’s proposal to collaborate with open arms, and commenced to assemble a stellar group of musicians to back the B-52. Imagine, if you will, Schneider’s distinctive voice and wacky humor coupled with the following: Rhode Island’s screaming Six Finger Satellite, surf rockers Shadowy Men from a Shadowy Planet, and a collection of talent called Deadly Cupcake (featuring former Didgits/Supersuckers guitarist Rick Sims, drummer Russell Simins of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and Tar bassist Tom Zaluckyj). A potent combination.
On stage in Boston, Schneider was joined by Sims and Zaluckyj, along with Didgits drummer Todd Cole and rhythm guitarist Chris Fuller of Dis. And pure and simple, Schneider and the guys played a killer, KILLER set. This is not your dad’s music. My only complaint is that it was too short. Schneider’s new project is everything good: Punky, surfy, snarly, edgy, aggressive ripping stuff – injected with a serious sense of fun. It’s not the B-52’s, that’s for sure. It’s not aggressively campy and kitschy. But if you’re a B-52’s fan, it’s not likely that what Schneider’s doing now will alienate you. In fact, you just might like this stuff better.
As Schneider pointed out after the show, if you liked the B-52’s for Kate and Cindy’s vocals, well, you’re out of luck. And lyrically, the music is much darker. But Schneider’s unmistakable voice and sense of humor are front and center, and the distance from the B-52’s is not as great as Schneider tends to insist it is. There’s still a strong element of humor running through the lyrics (note the nasty S&M bite of “Whip” and the attitude in the first single, “Helicopter”), and watching Schneider on stage continues to be no rules, just plain fun. Schneider, currently sporting a bleach blonde buzz cut with a long curl on his forehead, shook his butt, did the swim, and swished around, apparently having a fine time. In fact, Schneider said after the show, which comes midway through the tour, that he hadn’t really felt like dancing until the Boston show, not wanting “to do the stupid thing anymore.” But dance he did, and the show was a no holds barred good time, with Schneider encouraging the boys to go wild. The set included a punkified cover of the Harry Nilsson’s classic “Coconut” (“You put the lime in the coconut…”) and closed with dance hit “Monster In My Pants,” from an earlier non-B-52’s project.
As for the B-52’s, Schneider says a record is in the works and should be out next year. Meanwhile, Schneider says he’ll continue doing what he’s doing “until something happens.” Also, expect an appearance by Schneider on Comedy Central’s Politically Incorrect. Schneider, an enthusiastic fan of both college radio and particularly, local video, which, he observes, is much less restrictive in its format than alleged alt-rock commercial radio stations. So, support local video (that’s an order!) and watch for Schneider’s latest video “Bulldozer” on Rage TV, Saturday nights at 1 a.m. on UPN. And keep your eye out; when Fred Schneider comes to a venue near you, BE THERE!
Don’t get fooled again. Call 1-800-BE-HIP-NOW!
