Jeff Schroeder

Jeffrey Kim Schroeder (born February 4, 1974) is an American musician. He is best known as a former guitarist in the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. Joining in 2007, Shroeder recorded five studio albums with them, before amicably departing in 2023. After bandleader Billy Corgan, Schroeder is the second-longest-serving member of the group.

This article is about the musician. For the American television and online talk show host, see Jeff Schroeder (television personality).

Jeff Schroeder
Jeff Schroeder backlit in pink, playing guitar onstage
Schroeder performing with the Smashing Pumpkins in 2012
Background information
Birth nameJeffrey Kim Schroeder
Born (1974-02-04) February 4, 1974
Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Guitar
  • keyboards
Years active1996–present
Formerly ofThe Violet Burning, The Lassie Foundation, The Smashing Pumpkins

Initially replacing co-founder James Iha, Schroeder made his live debut with the Smashing Pumpkins on May 22, 2007, in Paris, France, as the band embarked on an extensive comeback tour in support of the album Zeitgeist. Following the tour's completion, Schroeder became a core member of the band and was described by Corgan as a key collaborator on the subsequent albums Oceania (2012) and Monuments to an Elegy (2014). Following Iha's return in 2018, Schroeder remained in the band, ushering in a three-guitar lineup, before his departure in October 2023.

Early days and the Lassie Foundation

Schroeder began taking formal guitar lessons from David Koval (Dakoda Motor Co. and Breakfast with Amy) at age twelve. When he was eighteen, he joined the band the Violet Burning, only to become a guitarist and one of the founding members of the shoegazing band the Lassie Foundation a few years later. The group described their style as "pink noise pop". Schroeder played guitar on three full-length albums and toured with the band from 1996 until they went on hiatus, in 2006.

He joined the Smashing Pumpkins' touring lineup in 2007 and 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 Schroeder was the new guitarist for the Smashing Pumpkins, replacing James Iha. 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."

Following the departure of Ginger Pooley in 2010, Schroeder remained the only member of the band besides Corgan still present from the 2007 revival show in Paris.[1] On April 17, 2010, Schroeder played the first show with the newest lineup of the Smashing Pumpkins, which included Jimmy Chamberlin's replacement, Mike Byrne, on drums, and the Electric Prunes bassist Mark Tulin.

In 2018, after performing and recording with the Smashing Pumpkins for over eleven years, Schroeder remained within the band's core lineup, alongside returning founding members James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin. Reflecting on the importance of this, Schroeder noted: "I personally had a pretty touchy moment for myself in that I was sitting there tuning my guitar [in the studio], and then I looked around and saw Billy, Jimmy, and James. And then I look through the window and see [producer] Rick Rubin, and I thought like, 'Wow. This is a really special moment.' To think that when I joined the band it was such a different scenario, that to even think twelve years later you'd be at this point, it was really unfathomable. So I really kind of took a second and took it in."[2] Schroeder would remain in the band's reformed lineup for five years, in which time they released Cyr in 2020 and Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts in 2023. On October 24, 2023, Schroeder announced his departure from the band via social media, "to explore a slightly different path".[3]

Gear

When performing live, Schroeder plays Gibson guitars, including the Les Paul, the Gibson SG, and the ES-335; and Fender models like the Stratocaster, the Telecaster, and the Jazzmaster. He also uses Washburn guitars live. Since 2010, he has used a Randall amp MTS system, with custom preamp modules by Salvation Mods.

Personal life

In 2014, Schroeder was finishing his PhD in comparative literature at UCLA, where he specializes in Asian American literature, Francophone literature, and critical theory.[4]

Discography

with The Smashing Pumpkins

References
  1. "The Official Smashing Pumpkins Nexus". Smashingpumpkins.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  2. "Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan on playing the 'heel'". loudwire.com. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  3. "Jeff Schroeder". Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  4. "November Issue: Smashing Pumpkins Guitarist Jeff Schroeder Rocks the Books". Iamkoream.com. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
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