Jeff Schroeder
Encyclopedia
Jeff Schroeder is a Korean American
rock musician, who became a guitarist with the alternative rock
band The Smashing Pumpkins
in 2007. He is currently finishing his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature
at UCLA, where he specializes in Asian American Literature, Francophone Literature, and Critical Theory.
and Breakfast with Amy
) when he was twelve, and when he was eighteen he joined the band The Violet Burning
, only to become a guitarist and one of the founding members of a shoegazing band The Lassie Foundation
from Southern California
a few years later, who described their style as "pink noise
pop
". He played guitar on three full-length albums and toured with band since 1996 before the band went on hiatus in 2006. He mentions I Duel Sioux and Pacifico
as his band's favorite albums; he had maximum creative time on the latter. His other side project is The Beat Concerto with friend Eric Campuzano. He joined the Smashing Pumpkins' touring lineup in 2007, but also recorded for the new Lassie Foundation album in late 2007 and early 2008.
in the new line-up. Schroeder toured with the band throughout 2007 and 2008 and appeared in the music videos for "Tarantula", "That's the Way (My Love Is)
" and G.L.O.W.
. Although no official Smashing Pumpkins studio releases to date have had Schroeder's playing, he has been confirmed as an official member of the band by Billy Corgan. In June 2010, Schroeder appeared in a live Internet stream playing on a demo with the bands current lineup.
Following the departure of Ginger Pooley in 2010 to raise her new newborn daughter, Schroeder remained the only member of the band besides Corgan still present from the 2007 revival show in Paris. On April 17, 2010 Schroeder played the first show with the newest lineup of Smashing Pumpkins which included Jimmy Chamberlin's replacement Mike Byrne
on drums and The Electric Prunes
bassist Mark Tulin.
When playing live with the band he plays Gibson
model guitars like the Gibson Les Paul
, the Gibson SG
and the ES-335, Fender
models like the Stratocaster the Telecaster and the Jazzmaster. Jeff also uses Washburn Guitars
live.
, Jeff Beck
, Slash
, Pete Townshend
, Brad Laner, Lee Ranaldo
, Thurston Moore
, Tom Verlaine
, Richard Lloyd, Carrie Brownstein
, and J. Mascis as his most prominent guitar playing influences.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock musician, who became a guitarist with the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
in 2007. He is currently finishing his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
at UCLA, where he specializes in Asian American Literature, Francophone Literature, and Critical Theory.
Early days and The Lassie Foundation
Jeff started taking formal lessons on guitar playing from David Koval (Dakoda Motor Co.Dakoda Motor Co.
-History:Dakoda Motor Co. formed in the early 1990s; among its members was Peter King, a professional surfboarder and host of the MTV show Sandblast...
and Breakfast with Amy
Breakfast with Amy
Breakfast with Amy was an Alternative Christian rock band that formed in 1986 in La Habra, California at the La Habra Four-Square church. At that time, the band consisted of vocalist David Koval, bassist Jeff "Tennessee Beans" Beahn, guitarist Christopher Colbert, and drummer Paul Pellegrin. The...
) when he was twelve, and when he was eighteen he joined the band The Violet Burning
The Violet Burning
The Violet Burning is an independent rock and roll band based in Long Beach, USA. The band was formed in 1990 in Orange County, California by Michael J. Pritzl....
, only to become a guitarist and one of the founding members of a shoegazing band The Lassie Foundation
The Lassie Foundation
The Lassie Foundation is an indie band from Southern California. Their style has been described as "pink noise pop." They disbanded in 2006 after having released three albums as well as several EPs, but have reunited and are working on a new full-length album....
from Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
a few years later, who described their style as "pink noise
Pink noise
Pink noise or 1/ƒ noise is a signal or process with a frequency spectrum such that the power spectral density is inversely proportional to the frequency. In pink noise, each octave carries an equal amount of noise power...
pop
Noise pop
Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative rock developed in the mid 1980s in the UK and US, that mixes atonal noise or feedback, or both, with the melodic instrumentation and production elements more often found in pop music, making it more melodic and angst-free than noise rock.-History:Noise pop has...
". He played guitar on three full-length albums and toured with band since 1996 before the band went on hiatus in 2006. He mentions I Duel Sioux and Pacifico
Pacifico (album)
Pacifico is the debut album by The Lassie Foundation. The album was originally self-released in 1999, but the band re-released the album in 2000 on Grand Theft Autumn. The album has minor-key melodies and falsetto harmonies. The songs contain much guitar, which give the album a fuzzy, shoegaze feel...
as his band's favorite albums; he had maximum creative time on the latter. His other side project is The Beat Concerto with friend Eric Campuzano. He joined the Smashing Pumpkins' touring lineup in 2007, but also recorded for the new Lassie Foundation album in late 2007 and early 2008.
The Smashing Pumpkins
On April 6, 2007 rock rumor webzine Buddyhead reported that Jeff Schroeder was the new guitarist for The Smashing Pumpkins, replacing James IhaJames Iha
James Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
in the new line-up. Schroeder toured with the band throughout 2007 and 2008 and appeared in the music videos for "Tarantula", "That's the Way (My Love Is)
That's the Way (My Love Is)
"That's the Way " is a song written by Billy Corgan and performed by The Smashing Pumpkins on their album Zeitgeist."That's the Way " is the second, and final, commercial single from the album, and was released to radio in August 2007, with a retail single in September...
" and G.L.O.W.
G.L.O.W.
"G.L.O.W." is a song by the American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. It premiered on Chicago alternative rock station Q101 on September 29, 2008...
. Although no official Smashing Pumpkins studio releases to date have had Schroeder's playing, he has been confirmed as an official member of the band by Billy Corgan. In June 2010, Schroeder appeared in a live Internet stream playing on a demo with the bands current lineup.
Following the departure of Ginger Pooley in 2010 to raise her new newborn daughter, Schroeder remained the only member of the band besides Corgan still present from the 2007 revival show in Paris. On April 17, 2010 Schroeder played the first show with the newest lineup of Smashing Pumpkins which included Jimmy Chamberlin's replacement Mike Byrne
Mike Byrne (musician)
Michael William Byrne is the drummer for The Smashing Pumpkins. When Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan called for rehearsals to replace Jimmy Chamberlin, Byrne auditioned and was chosen out of thousands of applicants...
on drums and The Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes
The Electric Prunes are an American rock band who first achieved international attention as an experimental psychedelic group in the late 1960s. Their song "Kyrie Eleison" was featured on the soundtrack of Easy Rider...
bassist Mark Tulin.
When playing live with the band he plays Gibson
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:* Gibson Amphitheatre* Gibson Appliance* Gibson Girl* Gibson Guitar Corporation* Gibson * Gibson Generating Station-Places:In the United States:* Gibson, Arkansas* Gibson, Georgia* Gibson, Iowa* Gibson, Louisiana...
model guitars like the Gibson Les Paul
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
, the Gibson SG
Gibson SG
At the launch of the SG in 1961, Gibson offered four variants of the SG; the SG Junior , the SG Special, the SG Standard, and the top-of-the-line SG Custom. However, Gibson's current core variants as of 2010 are the SG Standard and the SG Special...
and the ES-335, Fender
Fender
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Fender, of Scottsdale, Arizona is a manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and the Telecaster...
models like the Stratocaster the Telecaster and the Jazzmaster. Jeff also uses Washburn Guitars
Washburn Guitars
Washburn Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer. It was established in 1883 in Chicago, Illinois. Washburn is a part of U.S. Music Corporation.- History :...
live.
Influences
In a 2003 article, Jeff cited Ace FrehleyAce Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
, Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
, Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
, Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
, Brad Laner, Lee Ranaldo
Lee Ranaldo
Lee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
, Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
, Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman for the New York rock band Television.-Biography:...
, Richard Lloyd, Carrie Brownstein
Carrie Brownstein
Carrie Rachel Brownstein , is an American musician, writer, and actress, best known as a guitarist and vocalist in the now-defunct Portland, Oregon-based band Sleater-Kinney...
, and J. Mascis as his most prominent guitar playing influences.
External links
- The Lassie Foundation - The Lassie Foundation's Official Site
- Northern Records - The Lassie Foundation's Record Label
- Combat Radio - Conversations with Jeff on Combat Radio