ROBERT SCHMID 

Born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, Robert Schmid grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. In junior high school, Robert jammed with Billy Jones, later to become The Swimming Pool Q’s first bassist. Robert attended North Fulton High School (alma mater of the poet James Dickey) where he was the drum major in the marching band. In 1977, he joined Cruis-O-Matic, one of Atlanta’s earliest New Wave groups. Cruis-O-Matic opened for The Sex Pistols at their American debut in Atlanta on January 5, 1978; the group also supported The Ramones, The Runaways, and Eddie Money. Robert joined The Swimming Pool Q’s in the summer of 1978, and he was a key member throughout the group’s early "Heroic Phase." His extraordinarily energetic, propulsive style is showcased on The Deep End.

Robert left The Q’s in 1981. He played with two Athens' combos, Pillars of Talent and The Method Actors and Robert played sessions and live performances with many other artists, including live dates with John Cale. Between 1982 to 1987, he lived in San Francisco where he became a member of Paris Working. During his time on the West Coast, Robert’s gloved hand appeared on the joystick of an X-1 rocket plane in the film, The Right Stuff, and his silhouette can be seen under the rolling end credits of F.F. Coppola’s Cotton Club. Upon his return to Georgia, Robert joined GoVanGo (with Method Actors singer, Vic Varney), later drumming with Guadacanal Diary’s Murray Attaway on his first solo outting. Currently, Robert plays with the Atlanta band, Calendar (featuring Jimmy Gough an original member of Atlanta's New Wave combo, The Basics), Kevin Dunn and the Common Article 3, and The Hot Place, featuring Lisa King and Jeff Calder. He has also performed with Glenn Phillips Band and Supreme Court (the Glenn Phillips/Jeff Calder collaboration).

Robert has returned to the band in 2011, and appears with The Q’s as their current bass player.