The Reckless Saints

“Their ‘Blue-Twangled Folk n Roll’ sound rides like a V8, firing on all cylinders!”

Gurf Morlix - Gurf Morlix

“This husband and wife team runs the gamut from engaging acoustic folk to driving bluesy tunes, with hints of twang sprinkled in. The album was recorded in Schneider’s studio in Florida and mastered in Austin by acclaimed producer, songwriter and engineer Mark Hallman (Carole King, Ani DiFrance and Eliza Gilkyson) who has played with and heard countless artists. He says, “This truly is a wonderful record. It is one of the finest singer/songwriter records to come across my mastering desk in a long time.” The ringing impression from this offering is the seamless blending of so many forms of roots music combined with meaningful and often insightful lyrics. It works beautifully.”

Jim Hynes - Making a Scene - Making a Scene

"Roy's gift for blending Southern-influenced folk, blues, country and rock into a seamless genre with his own signature sound demonstrates his connection to the best in the tradition of fine wake-me-up and kick-me-in-the-ass roots music... a vibrant jubilee on the banks of the Mississippi." - T. Roland ~ No Depression

“One of the finest singer/songwriter records to come across my mastering desk in a long time!”

Mark Hallman [Carole King, Ani DiFranco, Eliza Gilkyson] -

“Among the record’s finest moments is the aching fiddle (Kevin Aland) and electric lead guitar fuelled ballad 'If I Die Tomorrow.’ Mayfield’s outstanding lead vocals (she sounds most like Eilen Jewel) on the painstaking ballad are first class. In immediate running order, you also have such delights as the piano and fiddle adorned 'Subjugated Love,’ andSchneider sounding as good as at any time on the record on 'Jump In' (as Mayfield provides some electric harmony vocals to go with RS’s harmonica, dobro etc.). With hints of Chris Hillman, and the Desert Rose Band, 'Walkin’ On A Wire' is yet another gem. .... Fans of the Cactus Blossoms will love 'Poison Arrow,' and going way back I also detect favourable Don and Phil Everly. They are that good. I can’t help but think Schneider is the real deal. A great discovery. ”

Maurice Hope - Flyinshoes Review - Flyinshoes Reviews

Roy Schneider and Kim Mayfield wear simplicity well. They're one of those bands, given a small stage, can do a lot with just their voices and their instruments. Mayfield is the bluegrass inflected pulse of the two saints, with her uncomplicated and constant strumming on the mandolin, while Schneider dusts some twinkling finger picking on his guitar. While singing Schneider and Mayfield's similarly toned voices crash like two waves, one after the other, carrying words of falling in love, heart break and traveling. [MA] - Monterey County Now

"Roy Schneider fits in the same bag as such classic singer-songwriters as Guy Clark, John Prine, Steve Goodman and Townes Van Zandt. Well worth seeking out."
-Alan Cackett, Maverick magazine (UK) - Maverick Magazine (UK)

Roy Schneider & Kim Mayfield at Zoom @ the Moon SE24/ Herne Hill, London.

There’s a lot to be said for harmony singing and generating a vibe. And Roy Schneider and Kim Mayfield provided an object lesson in the art of both with a spellbinding performance at their short notice Zoom @ the Moon show.
Playing their first ever UK tour, the estimable Florida duo have taken a low profile approach to their tour, with gigs sprinkled over a number of folk clubs, blues clubs and acoustic rooms, either side of an anchor festival date. But their approach and their music is already paying dividends. As at Herne Hill, they may not yet be playing to huge crowds, but in terms of making new fans and racking up cd sales, they are doing fine thank you very much.
And what a cd it is. 'Erleichda' (prounced err-LIKE-da) is much like their live show, simply mesmerising. The songs are snapshots of a life being lived to the full. Each lyric and each harmony accompaniment filled the gaps between Roy’s acoustic and Kim’s mandolin (and vice versa). Schneider’s songs are much like a painter, who painstakingly fills a canvas with slightly different colours and subtle additions to bring a sparkling coherence to the whole. And while many of the songs start in an understated way they quickly gathering momentum on the back of a Schneider vocal sweep, or and often as not, some high intensity rhythm guitar. Kim added gentle chord changes and mellifluous notes on a Korg, while Roy impercetibly shifted from colourful narratives to an occasional falsetto to emphasise a lyric or mood. And moods and feelings were very much to the fore in a set that drew the audience in, and left them hanging on every nuance.
Billed as an evening of Americana, Roy Schneider is the kind of talent whose songs will surely bring him rich reward in the future. He’s already shared bills with the likes of Rodney Crowell and Fred Eaglesmith and he‘s obviously influenced by the likes of Guy Clarke, Neil Young, Steve Earle, and inevitably Dylan. But his multi dimensional approach included some sumptuous Eagles style harmony singing on ‘South in the Summertime,' and he added an uplifting feel on the flighty melody line of ‘On Hill Time’. And being an evening of Americana he came close to JJ Cale on the slighty funky ‘Keep It Simple’. In between times there was also the occasional dash of humour, set alongside some seriously good playing on an unlikely but exhilarating mandolin led cover of ‘The Thrill is Gone’
But best of all was his self penned ‘Carriage’, a rumination of life that featured Kim’s accompanying harmonies and delicate keyboard work. It was one of the defining moments of a memorable night when things went up a notch, as the song soared and Roy's ascending top line floated rounded the room and filled it with a beautiful melody. Equally good, was the emotive down-home feel of ‘People of New Orleans’, - with the prescient line ‘weeping for the people’. It’s the kind of song you could image Dr. John might have penned, but Roy’s lyrics are all his own, and it provided another one of those moments when you could hear a pin drop as the deo and crowd were locked in the moment. Roy briefly switched to a brace of acoustic solo numbers before leading a crowd sing-along (of sorts) with a cover of the Grateful Dead’s love song ‘Brokedown Palace’
Roy Schneider is that rare species, a troubadour who sings with passion, plays with a natural fluency and writes from the heart. The live show proved to be an extension of his song writing craft. Each anecdote and each observation seemed to be a genuine positive take on life as it comes. ‘Erleichda’ is the album, Roy Schneider is the name, check out the remaining dates and see him if you can.
Pete Feenstra
- Pete Feenstra

Roy Schneider is another of those fine singer/songwriters who lurk in the long grass beyond the reach of major label interest just waiting for patient hunters of fine music to find him. Well, that's not quite fair; he's been working hard to make the world aware of this new album (pronounced Er Like Duh) and is just embarking on a huge tour across the states to spread his message.

Well as far as this album goes, I'd make Roy Schneider one part child of the 60s and one part Huck Finn; his songs are full of sentiments about being free and easy and showing your love for the world but there's also a whole stack of boyish enthusiasm for the simple pleasures to be had mucking around in the country. The album opens with a song about the joys of cruising around the ' South in the Summertime' and introduces a lot of the elements that make this a very fine piece of work. Roy himself plays most things stringed and his picking style combines an easy flow with a joyful vigour - he sounds like he's having lots of fun making those strings dance for him and the sense of fun is infectious. To help him along, he's got some very fine players, most especially Keven Aland on fiddle and Charlie McCoy on harmonica. Keven Aland plays a very fine, smooth folk style that heads in the direction of Hot Club style at times and it's a joy to hear his contributions throughout this album.

Roy's got a fine singing voice, too; he's able to modulate it to suit the material and doesn't sound like he's stretching too far on the higher or longer notes. There's quite a soulful quality in there that comes over quite often and there's a warmth that's ever present. He takes a break from singing for one instrumental track, Dancing With a Horse, and this is really a showcase for some fine guitar picking as the horse dances along with a joyful spring in it's step. There's just a hint of a 60's vibe going on here - a little Mason Williams, perhaps - and Roy himself provides a little flute in the arrangement - a nod to his Jethro Tull enthusiasm he says.

The album closes with a cover of a Greatful Dead song, Brokedown Palace. I don't know the original but I like the stately nature of this performance, it feels true to the spirit of the song. Erleichda is a value for money collection, the most part of an hour of some very fine playing and some realy nice songs. There's quite a summery feel to the whole thing but then the guy is based in Florida - I guess he's not going to write about ice storms much.
John Davy
- Flyin' Shoes

"Erleichda," 2010 Damn I love this album. It makes me wanna jump in my car on a warm summer day and just zoom all over the countryside, this album blasting away. It's not surprising that many of these tunes were conceived while he was on tour. He plays almost every instrument on the planet (guitar, mandolin, banjo and more) but gets help from Charlie McCoy on harmonica (Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson), David. C. Johnson on bass and others on fiddle, vocals and piano. This collection of originals plus the Dead's "Brokedown Palace" is a stellar example of good Americana with down-home vocals, sing along choruses and a groove that'll have you wiggling your hiney on the nearest dance floor, provided, of course, that you're not behind the wheel. Great harmonies abound, reminding me of the best of 70's country rock like the Eagles -- it's not dated at all, but fresh and fun. "South in the Summertime" is a good opener for the disc, its upbeat message fueled by some great banjo work. Many of his songs are centered around a hooky guitar riff and "Keep it Simple" is no exception. There's some damn fine fiddle work from Keven Aland (Leftover Salmon, Widespread Panic) on the moody "Strange Wind" and the bluesy "Let It Shine" has a tight arrangement of mandolin, banjo, harmonica and more. "Dancing With a Horse" is a pleasing instrumental based on a sprightly finger picked guitar in what sounds like an open tuning. This disc will get a lot of airplay on my iPod. Yours too. © Jamie Anderson
- Jamie Anderson @ Minor 7th

"A heavy dose of ramblin’ Americana, complete with believable folk delivery and splattered with old-timey charm, Roy Schneider’s music is rooted in way that ties him to the outlaw singers of the past — the part where there is no latching onto someone else’s bootstraps, just playing what you believe."
~Scott Recker, eCurrent.com - eCurrent.com

“Roy and his wife, Kim, put on a great show. There is a very nice variety to his songs, he plays with gusto and excellent technique, and Kim adds just the right harmonies and accompaniment. His music deserves a wider audience, and I'd highly recommend him.” - David Holiday ~ Stone Room Concert Series, Falls Church, VA

"Roy and Kim were a delight. They are true professionals. Their music performance was flawless. Roy's songwriting is so beautiful and his stories before each song added depth and meaning to the lyrics. As house guests they quickly became friends. Our audience loved them. Book them if you can!" - Julie Lynch ~ Old Brown County Inn Concert Series in Lynchburg, OH

(A partial review of "The Humble Sessions" album)

"...had no idea this humble cartoonist played so many instruments so well.
In particular y'gotta love SQUIRRELFEST and hey, the retro-techno stuff as well; the growly doubled voice (run through a guitar amp until it distorted), etc. But bottom line, most of all, thanks Roy for letting us 'sense' the relationship between you and your family... Ultimately, that kind of connectedness is what all music is about. " - Noel 'Paul' Stookey of Legendary Supergroup Peter, Paul and Mary