Willy Porter was about 10 years too early.  He was playing the clubs and colleges when grunge was rising to power and no one wanted to sit and listen to a talented singer songwriter.

Now, with the rising popularity of guys like John Mayer, Jack Johnson, and Norah Jones, people like Bob Schneider are taking center stage.  As the former frontman of Ugly Americans, his voice is familiar and his tunes are edgier and more personal.  Well, a lot of them focus on sex.  You can tell he's been on tour a few times and has one in every port.

He opened his recent show at Bimbo's 365 Club with a song that clearly was his version of Bob Dylan's Talking World War III Blues.  Comparison to Dylan is not an inclusive description of this Bob.  Schneider has an incredible musical range and can present a jangly beer-drinking sing along followed by a hard rocking, guitar laden power song.  He'll even throw in a piano ballad and a nasty, sex driven rap.

He's a Texan and he won't let you forget it.  He prefers to get the crowd singing with him and seems at home coaching the audience with the spirit of a high school football team captain.

 Prior to the show, I had heard bits and pieces about this guy whom I thought was one of the Dukes of Hazard.  I was glad I was wrong on that.

Visit his website

Upcoming Shows

6/22 - Park West, Chicago, IL

6/26 - Birdy's, Indianapolis, IN

6/27 - Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI