B-52s lead singer Fred Schneider could live anywhere in the world, but he chose to make Long Island his home base.
“I’m in a small town out east,” he said in a phone interview. “It’s beautiful here.”
Schneider will get to play a show close to home as The B-52s are co-headlining Northwell at Jones Beach Theater on Oct. 5 with New Wave peers Devo as part of their current “Cosmic De-Evolution Tour.”
“I’ve always liked Devo. In fact, I bought their first single on the independent label they were on,” Schneider, 72, said. “We never really did shows like this before, but we recently touched base at the 50th anniversary for ‘Saturday Night Live.’ ”
When The B-52s formed in 1976, they began by playing at friends’ parties. On Dec. 12, 1977, the band took the stage at Max’s Kansas City in Manhattan and the public started to take notice.
“We just got together, started jamming and everybody brought something to the mix,” Schneider recalled. “Once we began getting record offers and our shows were selling out, we realized something was going on. But we couldn’t quit our jobs until after we signed with Warner Brothers.”
With hits like “Rock Lobster,” “Private Idaho” and “Love Shack,” every night is a dance party onstage for The B-52s.
“You can tell we are having a good time and our fans are there to blow off some steam,” Schneider said. “I’m not big on stage patter. We like to keep things moving along and focus on entertaining people.”
In terms of the crowd, the band draws a mixed bag.
“We see people who went to our shows in the early 1980s and newer fans,” Schneider said. “Some now have kids and grandkids. But everybody is invited to the party!”
The trio of Schneider with singers Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson (guitarist Keith Strickland has retired from touring and original member Ricky Wilson, Cindy’s older brother, died in 1985) are typically dressed in bright colors equipped with their quirky sense of humor.
“We connect onstage better than we ever did and even have more fun now. All of us are more mature and have been through a lot,” Schneider said. “I think we realize what we have and don’t want to quit. As long as we hold up, they are going to wheel us out onstage.”
Although the band is nearing its 50th anniversary, The B-52s only made seven studio albums during that almost half-century. Schneider is rather frank about the matter.
“I guess we are not prolific,” he stated. “We took our time writing and had periods where we didn’t write. But looking back, we put so much into each one and they are all so different. I think our last studio album, ‘Funplex’ [2008] is one of our best.”
The question remains: Is there a chance for new music in the future?
“I can’t say no and I can’t say yes,” Schneider teased. “We are all currently doing solo things but never say never.”
However, next month Schneider is dropping a new solo single he collaborated on with Ursula 1000 called “Vampire Vamp.”
Schneider fondly remembers the days when Long Island’s WLIR/92.7 FM used to heavily spin every new B-52s single.
“The band’s songs went to Number One on their playlist every time and often made ‘Screamer of the Week,’ ” Schneider recalled. “That’s because people on Long Island have really good taste.”
David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday’s exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.