Bob Schneider is a fixture on the Austin scene, having kicked around for years in various bands before embarking on a solo career. He dropped out of the University of Texas at El Paso to front his first band, the funk-and-rap outfit Joe Rockhead. The band independently released three albums before disbanding immediately prior to signing with a major label. A stint with a jamming, slightly Phish-y outfit called the Ugly Americans followed, which experienced some success as an opening act for the Dave Matthews Band and Horde. In 1997, Schneider went on to co-found the Scabs, where he made a further name for himself as a crotch-grabbing frontman.