Richard Schroder – Official Website

About

Like so many artists, Richard Schroder has a restless type of energy. As he actively seeks out success while building his musical career, he’s also satisfying his creative hunger by writing the songs that fill his heart. Do you aim straight for the big time? Or do you focus on what you love and hope success follows?

“I guess I am trying to do a little bit of both,” he says. “I’ve always been trying to bridge that gap between writing the music I feel and working hard to make sure as many people as possible hear it. I love writing songs. I love making good music. But at the end of the day, I think it’s just as important to get my work out there and try to find people to listen to it. That’s my challenge.”

On Schroder’s new album, Storyteller, he’s met that challenge head-on. It’s his best work yet, and that’s coming from a guy who’s already made a handful of excellent records. From top to bottom, the material straddles that line between satisfying his creative self and pleasing the crowd.

“You hear artists often say that a certain album is a reflection of a moment in time,” he says. “It reflects that specific time in their life, what they were thinking, how they were feeling, and Storyteller is no exception. We were coming out of the pandemic when I was writing these songs, and there was this feeling of freedom, of liberation. I felt like life was opening up and there was a lot to be excited about. Those kinds of emotions filter their way into the songwriting.”

Schroder again chose Nashville to capture the magic of his new material. It’s in Nashville that he, with the help of producer Matt McClure and as fine a band as he could assemble, brings these new songs to life. “I feel really at home with Matt and all the players,” he says. Those players include Nashville A-listers: Jeff King (electric guitar), Jerry McPherson (electric guitar), Mark Hill (bass guitar), Tommy Harden (drums), David Dorn (keyboards), Pat McGrath (acoustic guitar, etc.), Trey Keller (backup vocals) and Mike Johnson (pedal steel).

“This is the fourth time I’ve made a record here and it’s beginning to feel like my home away from home,” he says. Indeed, to recap, there was Skyline in 2019, The Stillness in 2021, and Allegory in 2022, all great work upon which his musical legacy is built. Richard’s debut album Drive (2017) was recorded in Boston, his hometown.

It doesn’t take a second for his latest magic to kick in. The rousing guitars and soaring chorus of “If All We Had” open the record and set a tone, highlighted by a blistering guitar solo and the kind of genuine feeling you get from Schroder’s best work. That track leads right into another roots-pop gem “Either Way,” characterized by a great lyric and modern production. That leads directly to a pair of songs that shine with Schroder’s humor, “Life Is a Beach” and “The Kids’ Table.” Both are light-hearted and hummable and evoke warm smiles, courtesy of Schroder and his writer partner Steve Seskin. “We were having fun, and the lighter themes were coming through,” he says.

This is, he says, in contrast to his last album, Allegory. “That album was pretty dense, a little more serious, partly because at the time we were living through the pandemic. It was different this time out. For Storyteller, the whole experience had great energy,” he says, “and it felt right. The band brought it, and the record reflects our experience.”

“Gettin’ It Gone” feels fresh, with a crisp hook and a chorus that pays tribute to music, Friday nights, and the anticipation of serious weekend fun. “Any Better Than That” is a nice summary of the things that make us deep down happy, and “Ride the Wind” is a heartfelt tribute to his son. There’s a remake of the Wilco song “Box Full of Letters,” an excellent take on Jeff Tweedy’s original classic. Finally, it wouldn’t be a Schroder album without some love songs, and there’s a trio here, including “A Thousand Hearts,” “They Said It Wouldn’t Last,” and the previously mentioned, soon-to-be classic, “If All We Had.” “I’m excited about the songs on this record,” he admits. “I can’t wait for everyone to hear it. I think the whole thing strikes a really good balance.”

Schroder’s plan to ride Storyteller and beyond is already in place. Following this release, he’s got a bunch of projects lined up, including a new album already recorded and a couple of new Christmas songs written and ready to be recorded. There will be an acoustic record as well as a new children’s song to look forward to as he picks up the pace, writing, recording, and producing material to keep the momentum going. “I love doing this. I love the creative process.” He pauses. “Am I going to be a star? Everyone knows it’s hard to make it in this business. But I’ve been working hard and rubbing two sticks together for some time now and, finally, I’m starting to see some sparks and a little smoke. People are enjoying my songs and that makes me happy. It makes all this work truly worthwhile.”

Storyteller

Album (2023)

Christmas Shoppin'

Single (2023)

Allegory

Album (2022)

The Stillness

EP (2021)

Skyline

EP (2019)

Drive

Album (2017)

About

“I guess I am trying to do a little bit of both,” he says. “I’ve always been trying to bridge that gap between writing the music I feel and working hard to make sure as many people as possible hear it. I love writing songs. I love making good music. But at the end of the day, I think it’s just as important to get my work out there and try to find people to listen to it. That’s my challenge.”

On Schroder’s new album, Storyteller, he’s met that challenge head-on. It’s his best work yet, and that’s coming from a guy who’s already made a handful of excellent records. From top to bottom, the material straddles that line between satisfying his creative self and pleasing the crowd.

“You hear artists often say that a certain album is a reflection of a moment in time,” he says. “It reflects that specific time in their life, what they were thinking, how they were feeling, and Storyteller is no exception. We were coming out of the pandemic when I was writing these songs, and there was this feeling of freedom, of liberation. I felt like life was opening up and there was a lot to be excited about. Those kinds of emotions filter their way into the songwriting.”

Videos

Gettin' It Gone (Lyric Video)

Don't You Grow Up on Me Now (Lyric Video)

Life Is a Beach (Official Music Video)

The One I Run To (Lyric Video)

Christmas Shoppin' (Lyric Video)

It's Never Too Soon For Christmas (Official Music Video)

@richardschrodermusic

🎄My new Christmas song “Christmas Shoppin’” is out now! Link in my bio. I had a blast, recording it in New York City, with producer Scott Jacoby (Jason Mraz, John Legend), sax great Ian Hendrickson-Smith (The Roots & The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon), and backing singer Jessie Wagner (Lenny Kravitz, Kid Rock).

I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Richard

#christmas #christmasshopping #holidayshopping #holidayseason #christmassong #macys #target #amazon #apple

@youtubemusic @amazonmusic @amazonmusicforartists @apple @applemusic @spotifyforartists @pandora @amp_pandora

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As you all know, Thanksgiving is a time to gather together with family and friends over an abundance of food. But, depending on who comes, it can also get a little crazy. You know what I mean. So I wrote a song about one way to avoid all that dinner-table craziness… I’d love to hear what you think! Happy Thanksgiving!

#thanksgiving #thekidstable #kidstable

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I’m excited to announce the release of “Storyteller” - my 5th album! It always feels good to put work out into the world and it’s now available anywhere you download or stream music. Link in my bio.

I’d like to send a special thanks out to @steveseskinmusic for writing with me and to my long time producer @mattmcclurenashville for bringing this album to life in the studio!

And thank you to all the wonderful Nashville players that lended their talents on this record. @jeffkingnashville , @seshcat, Mark Hill, @daviddornmusic , Pat McGrath, Jerry McPherson, Mike Johnson and @treykeller.

Anyway, I hope you’re all doing well and thank you as always for all your support. Enjoy the new album and please let me know what you think!

Richard

@amp_pandora @pandora @spotify @spotifyforartists @applemusic @amazonmusicforartists @amazonmusic

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Some pics from the studio this week!

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Working on a new Christmas song in New York City!

Photo by @aldenstreetband

Open

Happy Fall! I hope you all had a good summer. It came and went pretty quick, didn’t it? I’ve got a bunch of new things going on that you might want to check out. If you hop over to my website you’ll see we’ve redesigned it. I’m also super-excited about my new YouTube channel where you can access a bunch of new music videos. Stay tuned for the release of my new album, “Storyteller,” out soon. And last but not least, I’ve got a new song for you. “A Thousand Hearts” is my latest single, an uptempo tune that’ll sound great turned way up! I hope you enjoy it! Link in bio!

Best,

Richard

@amp_pandora , @amazonmusicforartists, @spotifyforartists
@applemusic @spotify @apple @pandora @deezer @youtubemusic
#country #countrymusic #nashville

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I’m grateful to have reached >50,000 @spotify streams on my Summer song “The One I Run To!” Full video on my website and YouTube channel. Link in bio.

#beach #beachlife #beachvibes #summervibes #summer

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I’m excited to share my new music video for “Life Is a Beach!” The full video is available on my website and YouTube channel. I hope you’ll go check it out and please let me know what you think!

#beachvibes #beach #aruba #reggae #summervibes

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Storyteller

Christmas Shoppin'

Allegory

The Stillness

Skyline

Drive

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@richardschrodermusic

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