Stacking The Deck with Dave Schneider
Stacking The Deck is a feature exclusive to Adam’s World where I bring packs of 1991 Pro Set Superstars MusiCards to artists, and we discuss who they find in each pack.
Some people know Dave Schneider from The Zambonis, his rock band that writes songs about hockey.
Others know Dave Schneider from The LeeVees, his collaboration with Adam Gardner of Guster where they write songs about Jewish culture, and family.
Regardless of how one knows him, if you’ve been involved in Connecticut’s music scene anytime over the past three-plus decades, it’s a safe bet you know Dave Schneider.
Not just a local legend, Schneider’s bands have played some of the biggest arenas in the country, and whether he’s using hockey as a metaphor for life, or hosting the annual CTGB event with Chris Frantz of Talking Heads, his days, and nights continue to be filled with incredible stories.
Multifaceted, and multi-talented, Schneider also has a children’s book about Jewish food, titled Oh My Nosh! What Shape Is Your Bagel?, due out later this month.
With Schneider always at the center of the action, I caught up with him at the Fairfield, CT coffee shop Las Vetas to open up some packs of MusiCards. The artists we found sparked conversations about the power of a truly great song, the role U2 had in the founding of The Zambonis, and the music opinion he had as a youth that led to him getting punched in the face.
I want to start with Hunters & Collectors, because you had such a great reaction when you pulled this card. What is your Hunters and Collectors story?
My brother kind of got me into music. He got me into new wave.
Very early on I only listened to, I think Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Deja Vu, Cat Stevens, the first KISS record, and the first Cars record, which was new wave, but I didn't know.
He went to camp, and he came back with a mixtape from a guy named Obie, Peter O’Brien. Peter was from Australia, and the mixtape had all these Australian bands on it. Eventually my brother studied in Australia, and I went to visit him in ’83 and ’84, and I went to see this band Hunters & Collectors, and they blew me away.
I’ve gone to a show maybe three times in my life where they sing a song you’ve never heard before, and it’s in your head for life. “Carrie Anne” by The Hollies was played by a band called Game Theory in 1986 at The Grotto (in New Haven, CT), and I didn’t know it was a Hollies song. All I knew was I had that melody in my head for 20 years. Then I heard The Hollies, and I’m like – Oh my God, there’s that song!
Well, Hunters & Collectors played a song called “Throw Your Arms Around Me,” and it was one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard. Then I realized I loved (the band) Split Enz. They parted, and Crowded House started, and the lead singer of Hunters & Collectors, Mark Seymour, his brother Nick Seymour is in Crowded House.
I went to see Crowded House at CBGB. I taped that show on my little Aiwa walkman. They played “Throw Your Arms Around Me,” and I’m like – Oh my God, there we go, this is the greatest song!
Even six months ago Eddie Vedder played it at a benefit with Glen Hansard.
It’s just one of the greatest songs, and Hunters & Collectors is a monster band. I don’t know what they’re doing now, or even if they’re active, but they were powerful, and the lead singer Mark Seymour was just the most kick-ass lead singer.
We’ll stick with foreign bands here, and go right to U2.
Early on in life I didn’t know what they were singing about, but I felt like I was part of the revolution, you know? I was really a suburban kid from Trumbull, CT, and I was doing OK, but I’m like – oh the world needs us now!
I didn’t know what they were fighting for in every song, but I did catch them early. I saw them at Woolsey Hall at Yale, and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
The next show I saw them, they blew up after War came out, and they were playing the New Haven Coliseum. I’m looking at the stage to my right, and there were two guys with a big sheet that said something like “You sold out,” and it turns out those are the two guys I would eventually start The Zambonis with nine years later.
I didn't know them (at the time), Peter and Tarquin (Katis), but they were holding the sheet up.
So because of U2, The Zambonis exist!
There’s also a great connection to Bono in my life.
I have this one story about Bob Dylan, there’s a video made for it, and it’s gained popularity.
Because of the bands that record with Peter, (there was one time) Glen Hansard was recording with him, and Peter told Glen Hansard my Bob Dylan story. Glen Hansard says, “Oh I have to tell Bono that, he’s friends with Dylan,” so eventually we find out that he tells Bono, and Bono calls (and tells) Dylan, so the story went to Dylan through Bono, which is a pretty insane.
And the story is?
So the story is I was going to see Bob Dylan and Tom Petty at the Hartford Civic Center. My friend Bob has special passes through his father, so we parked underneath, and we go see the show. When the show’s over we go down an elevator, down some stairs, and we’re walking to our car. As I’m walking forward two big guys are surrounding this guy in the middle wearing a little white hoodie, and as I walk by I look, and it’s Bob Dylan. So I go (to my friend) “Bob, Bob, Bob, come on, it’s Bob Dylan,” and he's like, “What,” I said, “It’s Bob Dylan.”
I start to go back towards Bob Dylan, but they’re walking away from us, and I’m screaming “Mr. Dylan!” and now I break into a quicker walk, which I call a jaunt, and I’m approaching him, “Mr. Dylan,” and he stops, and I sort of move forward, and he looks at me right in the eye, and goes, “I don't know you. Suck a dick,” and I screamed, “He spoke to me!” and they walked away, and that was it. That’s the Bob Dylan story.
So that made it all the way back around to Bob, around the world.
That’s amazing. Speaking of people you’ve probably bumped into, up next is Westport, CT’s own, Michael Bolton.
The Zambonis, at some point after our first record, and EP, I said to my partners Peter, Tarquin, and Jon (Aley), “We should have horns. We should definitely have a horn section.”
We knew this guy, Satin was his stage name, and he just showed up at a show at The Beat in Portchester, NY, one day with a saxophone. He was great, so we called him, and said, “Hey, can you find a horn player?” and he goes, “Oh yeah, my friend Kiku (Collins).” I said, “OK, great!” They came over, and we then had The Zambonis horn section for a couple years.
My friend Jen Butler made … Satin wore a one piece, New York Rangers colors, velour or velvet, I think it was velour, tight one piece, and for Kiku she made a skirt and a top.
The Zambonis played Madison Square Garden for a Christopher Reeve benefit two years in a row. We had a publicist at the time, and we were supposed to take a photo for Rolling Stone with John McEnroe, and all these people from the ’90s, (including) Beverly Hills 90210 cast members. The publicist put her hand up, and stopped Kiku and Satin, and said, “Just the core band.” That wasn't my choice, and that hurt.
That was the end (of them with the band). Also, they wanted to write more parts, and we were just a little selfish with our writing skills.
Anyway, Kiku, she did fine. She went on to play with Michael Bolton, and play with a lot of folks, including Harry Connick Jr., and she still plays a ton.
You know what, we’re booking a New York show right now, and she keeps saying let’s get together …
But Kiku plays with Michael Bolton, and my friend Drew McKeon used to play with Michael Bolton. He’s a drummer, but he’s busy with Seal now.
Let’s move to of my favorite One Hit Wondering artists, Alannah Myles.
We have a station here in Connecticut, 99.1 WPLR, and I have this theory that either she owns the station, or there’s some sort of kickback going on, because they play that song (“Black Velvet”) maybe three times a day.
That could be an exaggeration, but I’m definitely going with two times a day.
I’d love to see her her sales figures for her airplay, because Connecticut is supporting Alannah Myles.
Growing up I got into new wave, and that was what shaped me. Then I loved The Kinks. I didn’t go with the classic rockers that were so big, and I, for some reason, fought against Led Zeppelin.
Just because everyone else loved them?
Yeah, everybody loved them. I grew up in Trumbull, CT, and everybody loves Zeppelin. Zeppelin this, Zeppelin that. It was Zeppelin, and Rush. Eventually I came around to Rush because they started sounding like The Police, so that worked for me, but I would fight against Led Zeppelin.
I love music, and I know a lot about music, and unfortunately I obsessed way too much about every player, and every band. One day in ninth grade, I wasn't a smart kid, but I have some wit, and I can antagonize well, and this guy Mike told me that John Bonham was the best drummer in the world. I said, “Well, you obviously have never heard of Simon Crowe from the Boomtown Rats,” and he goes, “What?” and I said, “Simon Crowe, he’s the best drummer in the world.”
Now, in hindsight, I was wrong, but he’s like “What are you talking about?” I said, “Or even Martin Chambers (of The Pretenders). He’s better than John Bonham,” and he starts really getting flustered. I said, “Both those guys are better.”
“How can you prove it?”
I said, “They both put milk in their snare, and then they hit it, and the milk flies up,” and he punched me right in the face right at that moment, and I deserved it.
That’s why I pulled the Jimmy Page card.
It’s also probably why you weren’t a Led Zeppelin fan for a while.
I was so wrong. I love Led Zeppelin (now). I love Physical Graffiti. I love the production. I love Jimmy Page, and I bought everything the guy did.
Due to my brother Keith’s involvement in music, early on he was friends with The Alarm from playing them at this radio station, WJMF at Bryant College. We would go see The Alarm wherever they were playing for like a good two month stint when they played around here, and they’d always have a soccer game with their crew, and we’d end up playing soccer with all the guys from The Alarm.
I was never great with the ladies, but I started bringing these really cute girls to The Alarm soccer festival.
We would just play soccer, so it was kind of cool, but they were a great band, and it always stuck with me that every time the guitarist would go to solo he would always yell, “The greatest guitarist in the world!”
So The Alarm stuck with me.
For more of Dave Schneider, check out thezambonis.com, and theleevees.com.
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