Fred Schneider: Visiting Outer Limits with The Superions
SOMEWHERE ON LONG ISLAND: The word “inimitable” gets thrown around a lot in music, but when the subject is Fred Schneider, things get a little fuzzy — fact is, just about everyone thinks they can sound just like the B-52’s legendary lead male honker. Wanna practice? Get ready: His vocals now pervade track after tongue-in-cheek track on the eponymous new EP from his side project, The Superions.
The Superions alter your ego
“People say, ‘Want to hear my imitation of you?’ I say, ‘Sure,’ and then I say, ‘That stunk,’” the New Jersey-born Schneider relates. “I can sing – I took voice lessons. I’m singing on ‘Love Shack’, but that may be a little more spoken-word. I’m just doing what I do. It’s my own original style. It’s talk-singing.”
The first ultra-trippy moments of The Superions’ EP (dropping Feb. 23 on Happy Happy Birthday to Me) show you an extra-heavy, extra-welcome dose of Schneider is coming. Backed by bandmates Dan Marshall (programming) and Noah Brodie (keyboards), Fred (if we may call him that) has got an entirely new dimension to move around in.
And move it The Superions do. The disco dance thrill of “Who Threw that Ham at Me” is undeniable – we double-dare you to sit still. None can resist the smoldering allure of “Totally Nude Island” (with Leslie from the Lolligags ashore). The whole three-piece sounds great but the insane visions of Schneider, strutting down this musical Fashion Week runway, are even better.
“The Superions have taken off in a way that he hadn’t expected,” Fred sez of the band’s beginnings, the result of a tour stay two years ago with Marshall and Brodie in Orlando. “I turned them onto lounge music, and one day they came up with music and wanted me to put words to it. We did one take of ‘Totally Nude Island’, Ursula 1000 did a remix for it, and it snowballed.
“Of course The B-52’s are my first priority, but that’s sort of on autopilot,” he explains. “But my other thing is making The Superions take off. It’s not anything else. It’s like the B-52’s used to be, when we would have constant jam sessions, not run out of ideas for songs, listen to morning shows and bad poetry. With The Superions I get to do whatever I feel like, re-analyze and say, ‘It’s fine’. We just never know what’s going to happen.”
Recording into Pro Tools, Schneider wielded a mic in the bathroom and The Superions tracked a great sounding set of songs on a tight budget. “Noah does the keyboards, Dan mans the computer. Noah used to play the drums – he put down the Guitar Hero and is becoming a keyboard hero.”
A highly experienced music hero himself, Schneider is keeping the revenue mix relatively simple, with paid downloads and TV/film placements a top priority. “Amazon/iTunes, and synch licensing is important,” he says. “But you can’t support yourself with downloads, so a lot of bands that haven’t established themselves with a live show give up. They wonder why some of their favorite musicians aren’t putting out music, but that’s like writing a book and someone just steals it.
“We’re savvier now, and The Superions are licensing everything. Actually, strip clubs are using ‘Totally Nude Island’ a lot. Maybe we’ll do a record signing at strip clubs! Probably the next record. Especially because it’s probably going to be for kids.” – David Weiss