The Schmidt Brothers return home for the 2026 UNI Homecoming Bash
The Schmidt Brothers return home for the 2026 UNI Homecoming Bash
For the Schmidt Brothers, performing at this year’s UNI Homecoming Bash isn’t just another stop on their busiest touring schedule yet — it’s a return to the campus all three brothers once called home.
“Why even ask that question? Of course we want to do it,” said Stephen Schmidt, the band’s oldest brother and lead vocalist, when asked to perform at this year’s celebration. “We’ll be there, and we’ll be on top of our game."
Stephen graduated in 2020 from the Wilson College of Business and was active in the UNI Pep Band as a drummer. While on campus, he worked as a part-time student employee at John Deere before beginning his current job as a data analyst and architect at Collins Aerospace.
Samuel earned his degree in technology and engineering education in 2022 and now teaches construction trades at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids.
Gabriel graduated in 2024 with a degree in business teaching and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in postsecondary education and student affairs at UNI while teaching at West Delaware High School.
The brothers often balanced coursework with weekend performances, spending evenings rehearsing together while earning their degrees.
Their impact on campus extended beyond just performing. Samuel and Gabriel also served as coaches for UNI’s Amp Camp alongside Professor Kevin Droe, helping elementary and middle school students learn modern band instruments and rock music.
“It was really cool to bring the modern band music knowledge we had to the UNI Music Department,” said Gabriel.
Stephen credits UNI with preparing him professionally, while Samuel appreciated the hands-on learning environment.
“The professors were great and super knowledgeable,” said Samuel. “My favorite thing about UNI was that, while going through a very hands-on program, the equipment was very relevant and state-of-the-art to today’s industry.”
The Vinton, Iowa trio, Stephen, Samuel and Gabriel Schmidt, has spent the last several years building one of the Midwest’s fastest-growing music acts. Their high-energy performances feature everything from country and pop favorites to the classic rock anthems they’re best known for covering artists such as Journey, REO Speedwagon and Foreigner. But don’t be surprised if they suddenly launch into Britney Spears, the Spice Girls or Miley Cyrus.
“I love playing the girl pop music,” said Samuel Schmidt. “The kind of stuff you would never expect a bunch of grown men to perform. Some are caught off guard by it, but it’s so fun and a lot of people love it.”
The brothers emphasize that their goal is for everyone to know every word, which is why they choose to play all of the hits from several genres.
That crowd-first mentality has fueled the band’s rapid rise. In 2026 alone, the Schmidt Brothers will perform 45 shows — the most they’ve ever done — as they continue expanding their audience across the Midwest.
“Every year we’re attracting new people, doing more shows; it just keeps getting better,” said Samuel. “It hasn’t leveled off, it just keeps going up, which is crazy.”
Long before they were packing dance floors and headlining festivals, the Schmidt Brothers were three siblings making music with their dad.
“I was six years old when we did our first show, and that was with our dad under the ‘Schmidt Family Band,’” said Samuel.
The youngest brother, Gabriel, was so young he couldn’t actually play an instrument for the show. Instead, he stood up on stage with a fake guitar and pretended to play.
Music quickly became a family tradition, and even as the brothers grew older and joined different bands, performing remained a constant.
“We grew up doing music with our dad, and then once we grew up and went off to do different things, we all joined separate groups,” said Stephen.
The trio came back together to form the Schmidt Brothers in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When COVID hit, a lot of our shows were cancelled, so we used the time to develop a band with just the three of us,” said Stephen. “During that downtime, we made some videos of covers, and we started building our social media following. We built the following before we did any shows.”
Once live events returned, so did the crowds, especially for the Schmidt Brothers.
“I kind of always knew we’d be doing something like this, but at this level of success, that’s not something I expected,” said Stephen.
The family’s Panther ties extend even further. Their mother attended UNI, both Stephen’s and Samuel’s wives are UNI graduates — with Samuel even getting engaged on campus — and the band’s longtime booking agent, Kyle Talbott, is also a UNI alum.
“UNI has been a big part of our family for forever really, and we’re excited to come back,” said Samuel.
