Eric "Rick" Froberg is an American musician and visual artist. He was born in Los Angeles, lived in Encinitas, California, and currently resides in Brooklyn. In his musical career he has been the singer and guitarist for the San Diego-area bands Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, and Hot Snakes, performing alongside fellow San Diego musician John Reis. Froberg has also played with the Last of the Juanitas, Thingy and Obits.
Drive Like Jehu was an American post-hardcore band from San Diego active from 1990 to 1995. It was formed by rhythm guitarist and vocalist Rick Froberg and lead guitarist John Reis, ex-members of Pitchfork, along with bassist Mike Kennedy and drummer Mark Trombino, both from Night Soil Man, after their two bands disbanded in 1990. Drive Like Jehu's music was characterized by passionate singing, unusual song structure, indirect melodic themes, intricate guitar playing, and calculated use of tension, resulting in a distinctive sound amongst other post-hardcore acts and helped to catalyze the evolution of hardcore punk into emo.
Rocket from the Crypt is an American punk rock band from San Diego, California, originally active from 1990 to 2005, then active during 2011 and again from 2013 to the present.
Hot Snakes are an American post-hardcore band led by Rick Froberg and John Reis, formed in 1999 in San Diego, California. Reis and Froberg had previously performed together in Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu, after which Reis had found international success with Rocket from the Crypt. Hot Snakes disbanded in 2005 but reunited in 2011.
All Systems Go is a compilation album by American punk rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 1993 by Cargo Records and Headhunter Records. The album collects songs which were previously only available on 7-inch vinyl singles, as well as some new and unreleased material.
John Reis, also known by the pseudonyms Speedo, Slasher, and the Swami is an American musician, singer, guitarist, record label owner, and disc jockey. He is best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band Rocket from the Crypt, which he formed and fronted for the entirety of its career from 1990 to 2005. Prior to this he was the guitarist in the post-hardcore band Pitchfork, and also played in Drive Like Jehu during the early 1990s. In 1999 he formed the Hot Snakes, and in 2000 also formed the Sultans, in which he sang and originally played bass before switching to rhythm guitar. He played in both these bands until their breakups in 2005 and 2007 respectively. He also released a solo recording under the name Back Off Cupids, which was recorded in 1994 but not released until 1999. Over the years he has performed in many other musical acts including Conservative Itch, Stacatto Reads, Custom Floor, and Beehive & the Barracudas. He is the owner of Swami Records, a label he founded in 1999. He frequently works with bands in a studio capacity and releases albums by many southern California groups through his label. He also hosts the "Swami Sound System" program. Reis remains an influential figure in the San Diego underground music community and is currently performing with San Diego bands the Night Marchers and PLOSIVS, with Rob Crow.
Pitchfork was an American post-hardcore band formed in 1986 in San Diego, California and disbanded in 1990. They are most well known as the first "real" band of guitarist John Reis, who would later gain fame as the frontman in Rocket from the Crypt, and as the first collaboration between Reis and singer Rick Froberg. As an aspiring visual artist and illustrator, Froberg provided most of the band's artwork while Reis developed his studio skills by acting as producer on their records.
Circa: Now! is the second album by American punk rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 1992 by Cargo Music and Headhunter Records. It was the band's first album to include drummer Atom and saxophone player Apollo 9. Intense touring following the album's release gained the band acclaim in underground music circles, scoring them the first of many "minor hits" with the song "Hippy Dippy Do." The band also filmed music videos for the songs "Ditchdigger" and "Sturdy Wrist."
Eucalyptus is a studio album by the post-hardcore band Pitchfork. It was released in 1990 through Nemesis Records and re-released in 2003 by Swami Records. The album is the band's only full-length studio album. It was produced by guitarist John Reis and its artwork was created by singer Rick Froberg, who at the time used the stage name Rick Fork.
Yank Crime is the second and final album by the San Diego, California post-hardcore band Drive Like Jehu, released on April 26 1994 by Interscope Records. It was the band's major-label debut and its artwork was created by singer/guitarist Rick Froberg. The band toured in support of the album but then quietly disbanded the following year as the members moved off to pursue other interests.
Automatic Midnight is the first studio album by the San Diego, California post-hardcore band Hot Snakes, released in 2000 by Swami Records. Both the band and the album began as a "side project" for John Reis in June 1999, during time off from his main band Rocket From the Crypt. Reis wrote and recorded a batch of songs in San Diego with Delta 72 drummer Jason Kourkounis. To provide vocals for the tracks Reis called in Rick Froberg, whom he had played with in Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu from 1986 to 1995. Most of the material from these sessions was used to create Automatic Midnight, which became the first release for Reis' newly formed Swami Records label.
Suicide Invoice is the second studio album by the San Diego, California rock band Hot Snakes, released in 2002 by Swami Records. It was recorded in a similar manner to the band's previous album Automatic Midnight, with guitarist John Reis taking time off from his main band Rocket from the Crypt. As a visual artist and illustrator singer/guitarist Rick Froberg provided the album's artwork, while Reis released the album through his Swami Records label.
Audit in Progress is the third studio album by the San Diego, California, rock band Hot Snakes, released in 2004 by Swami Records. It was recorded in a similar manner to the band's previous two albums, with guitarist John Reis taking time off from his main band Rocket From the Crypt. In comparison to the band's previous albums, Audit in Progress is more aggressive and primal. Audit in Progress would be Hot Snakes' final studio album until 2018's Jericho Sirens, as the members decided to disband following a tour of Australia in Spring 2005.
Thunder Down Under is a live album by the San Diego, California rock band Hot Snakes, released in 2006 by Swami Records. It was recorded during the band's Spring 2005 tour of Australia. The entire album was recorded live on May 10, 2005 in the studios of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for use on the radio station Triple J, and features songs from all three of the band's studio albums.
Paint as a Fragrance is the first studio album by American punk rock band Rocket from the Crypt. It was released in 1991 by Cargo Records and Headhunter Records. It is the band's only recording featuring their original lineup, which included drummer Sean Flynn and backing vocalist Elaina Torres.
Back Off Cupids is a solo album by the San Diego, California musician John Reis, released in 2000 by Big Fish Records. "Back Off Cupids" was also the name given by Reis to the musical project. Recording of the album's material took place in 1994, in between sessions with Reis' bands Drive Like Jehu and Rocket From the Crypt, and involved Rocket From the Crypt horn players Jason Crane and Paul O'Beirne. Compared to Reis' other musical projects the music was slower, mostly instrumental, and to a certain degree free-form. The material was shelved for several years until mixing was completed in 1999, and the album was finally released in 2000.
Obits was an American rock band formed in 2006 in Brooklyn, New York. The band members are veterans of other independent rock bands: Guitarist/vocalist Rick Froberg was previously a member of Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, and Hot Snakes, and guitarist Sohrab Habibion was a member of Edsel. The band has released five singles and three albums, I Blame You (2009), Moody, Standard and Poor (2011) and Bed and Bugs (2013).
See You in Magic is the debut album by the San Diego, California rock band The Night Marchers, released in 2008 by Vagrant Records and Swami Records. The Night Marchers are the latest musical project of singer/guitarist John Reis, previously of Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, Rocket from the Crypt, the Hot Snakes, and the Sultans. Reis announced the group's formation in August 2007, after all of his previous acts had broken up by January of that year. The band also includes Beehive and the Barracudas guitarist Gar Wood, CPC Gangbangs bassist Tommy Kitsos, and former Delta 72 drummer Jason Kourkounis. Wood and Kourkounis had previously recorded and performed with Reis in the Hot Snakes. The band members are credited on the album using pseudonyms that they had used in their previous acts: Reis is credited as "Speedo", Wood as "Dner", Kitsos as "Skitsos", and Kourkounis as "Jsinclair".
Moody, Standard and Poor is the second album by the New York City-based rock band Obits, released March 29, 2011 through Sub Pop.
The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 is the debut album by American post-hardcore band Hoover, released in 1994 on Dischord Records. The album was reissued in 2005, containing 3 additional tracks.
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