Rick Froberg: Jan. 19, 1968 - Jun. 30, 2023

A few weeks ago, Rick Froberg from Hot Snakes and Obits (and Drive Like Jehu, and Pitchfork) unexpectedly, shockingly died. We’re so grateful to have had the privilege to work with and know him. And, if possible, we’d like to help people remember or revisit (or visit for the first time - man, I envy you…) some of the music he (and his bandmates) made. It’s really unrivaled. So, we asked a few friends, folks who work here, and some of the other artists we work with to give us their picks, tell us why they chose the songs they did. It’s an incomplete list. We’ll try to add to it, or find other excuses to tell you about this stuff. We’ve only just started and we really miss him.

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“I know that a mouthful of spit and germs

Is all I got to share with you

But I need your love” - Hot Snakes “Light Up the Stars”

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What follows here are some of the picks and “why”s we received. The actual playlists include a lot more songs, because there are a lot more incredible songs in Rick’s catalog, certainly more even than we included. 

You can (and should) listen to these playlists here:

#rickfrobergforever

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Jon Strickland (Sub Pop) - Pitchfork - “Thin Ice” from the Saturn Outhouse 7”/EP: Bought the Saturn Outhouse 45 when I worked at Leopold’s in Berkeley, must have been 1990, mainly cos the mysterious cover art (by Froberg) reminded me of R. Crumb. Being a Norcal snob, thinking of San Diego in terms of Chandler – “one of the most beautiful harbors in the world with nothing in it but navy and a few fishing boats” – I was amazed to find a great Amerindie band from there, who sounded like all my favorite SST bands. First few notes of “Thin Ice” sealed the deal; the acoustic breakdown at the end still gets me.

Jeremy Devine (Temporary Residence) - Drive Like Jehu – “Caress” from Drive Like Jehu (https://youtu.be/cnSkGoHEmOo): My friends who had introduced me to Drive Like Jehu in late ’91 were obsessive Pitchfork fans, but I’d missed them entirely, so this was the first time I ever heard Rick’s voice. I’ve probably played this album – and this song in particular – well over 500 times in my life. There is still something so singular and magical about the first Drive Like Jehu record that I’ve never really heard or felt since. I remember years later when I first met Rick in person, I had a hard time looking at him without thinking, “You’re the guy who made THAT. That’s YOUR voice that’s been rattling around in my brain all these years.” What a gift.

Nabil Ayers (Beggars Group) - Drive Like Jehu - “If It Kills You” from Drive Like Jehu: From the moment I first heard it, “If It Kills You” by Drive Like Jehu has remained etched in my brain as Rick’s magnum opus. Clocking in at just over seven minutes, this masterpiece plows through distinctly different musical movements, seamlessly blending together and peaking each time Rick’s blood-curdling voice screams the chorus. And despite its craziness, everything about the song—from the repetitive bass riff to the percussive guitar clicks—is somehow super catchy.

Bekah Z Flynn (Sub Pop) - Drive Like Jehu - “Here Come the Rome Plows” from Yank Crime: …one of my all-time favorite album openers. It’s loud, abrasive, and raw, pulsating a lyrical immediacy. Yank Crime is about as perfect as an album gets, and Rick changed the way I listened to and consumed music. He was a musical hero, a true OG, and I’m grateful we were buds. May it always rain Bialys on you, friend.

Gabe Carter (Sub Pop) - Drive Like Jehu - “Do You Compute” from Yank Crime: It’s got that searing triumphant ostinato part that I think Rick plays and then the rest of the band sidles in behind him. That song got us through so many long tour drives. 

AND: Hot Snakes - “10th Planet” from Automatic Midnight...

Megan Jasper (Sub Pop) - Drive Like Jehu - “Do You Compute” from Yank Crime: There are so many great songs to choose from but I’m picking “Do You Compute” because it’s just a perfect song. I love its hypnotic opening and build. I don’t really enjoy being screamed at by anybody but I’ll always love being screamed at by Rick.

Randall Huth (Pissed Jeans) - Hot Snakes - “10th Planet” from Automatic Midnight: Up until around the year 2000, I was really only interested in fast hardcore from the early ‘80s. Automatic Midnight really hit at the perfect time for me. The playing on this record is really fantastic. The way the guitars work with one another is beautiful. So many fantastic, unique melodies. It gave me a totally different perspective of what punk is, what it could be. 

Alex Edkins (METZ and Weird Nightmare) - Hot Snakes - “No Hands” from Automatic Midnight: This one gets me every time. When I think of Hot Snakes, this is the song I think of. This is sheer rock n’ roll power. The opening guitar riff paired with Rick’s perfect vocal is just untouchable. When I was living in Ottawa, before METZ existed, roughly half of the Ottawa punk scene drove down to Montreal to see the Snakes at La Sala Rosa. That venue seemed huge to me at the time (couple hundred people) and it was packed. That show is burned into my brain. It was, to this day, one of the best rock shows I’ve ever seen. John and Rick didn’t say a word, they didn’t stop once between songs, not once. It was a seamless onslaught of perfect song after perfect song at breakneck speed. The place went absolutely nuts. We left the venue covered in sweat (unavoidable even if you weren’t dancing) and smiling ear to ear. We started hugging each other, even strangers. Everyone was in disbelief of what they had just witnessed. I know this sounds like hyperbole but I swear to you it’s true.  We were cheering and hugging like our favourite sports team had just won the championship, I’ve never experienced anything like it since.

Chris Jacobs (Sub Pop) - Hot Snakes - “Light Up the Stars” from Automatic Midnight: “Turn on the waterworks right now, I ain’t laughing.”

Carly Starr (Sub Pop) - Hot Snakes - “Plenty for All” from Audit in Progress

Bradley Fry (Pissed Jeans) - Hot Snakes - “Plenty for All” from Audit in Progress: I feel so very fortunate to have been able to meet Rick, talk with him and play shows with Hot Snakes. For me, the song that sticks out is “Plenty for All,” because it’s my absolute favorite Hot Snakes song and probably one of my top 10 songs ever. I don’t even know what to describe about it besides it being perfect. Every chord change, every word, just outstanding. In February 2020, we were fortunate to play the Empty Bottle in Chicago with Hot Snakes. I still have a video on my old phone that I took of them playing “Plenty for All” and it’s just so powerful. It makes me wonder if he knew how amazing and captivating he was to watch perform. A few weeks later, the world shutdown for Covid and there was a long time where I thought that was gonna be my last show. But how could anyone be upset if the last live band they got to see was Hot Snakes. That show in Chicago is even more special to me now.

Chris Stealy (Sub Pop) - Hot Snakes - “Braintrust” and “US Mint” from Thunder Down Under

Josh Machniak (Sub Pop) - Obits - “Milk Cow Blues” from I Blame You: When I first moved to Seattle in 2008, one of my first shows I saw here was Obits in some unnamed art loft/workspace, I think it was off Alaskan Way near Pioneer Square. It was the only show I saw there. I distinctly recall a local band called Coconut Coolouts opened, one of the drummers would later become a co-worker of mine. I also recall seeing Mark Arm at this show. There being no stage really, I stood behind/aside Rick’s small combo amp the entire performance. I’m pretty certain they closed with a semi-extended version of “Milk Cow Blues.” I really love the Jehu-esque off-time stress in the choruses, amidst a classic sped-up blues style progression over the entirety of the song. Afterwards, I casually thanked Rick, as he was breaking down his gear, for their performance and he was very kind, thanking me for being there.

Steve Turner (Mudhoney) - Obits - “Let Me Dream If I Want To” b/w “The City Is Dead” 7”: I’m going with The Obits 7” of “Let Me Dream If I Want To” b/w “The City Is Dead.” Both are covers, NYC’s Mink DeVille on the A side, and Belgium’s legendary The Kids on the flip, because the songs someone chooses to cover can say a lot about their point of view and aesthetic. Willie DeVille had that gritty NYC street poet vibe and was just COOL, while The Kids had such a youthful exuberance for punk rock and were an awful lot of fun. Definitely two of Rick’s many sides.

Vish Khanna (Kreative Kontrol) - Obits - “Two-Headed Coin” from I Blame You: Most of the times I interviewed Rick, we were on the telephone and usually when I asked him about his clever lyrics, I could kinda hear him rolling his eyes at me. The truth is, Rick was one of the best songwriters to ever do it. His narrative gifts and knack for picking up on compelling bits of history and human behaviour for cool song fodder were uncanny. He also had a voice that could convey rage and bemusement at once (among other things) and “Two-Headed Coin” has always been one of my favourite performances. A conspiratorial tale about what is likely nothing more than a U.S. mint mistake, and yet, the fuck-up might pass through a million pockets, like a metallic virus. What an idea! Rick’s voice is way up in the mix, there’s so much venomous soul in every line delivery, and the phrasing choices fucking rule too. Meanwhile, this song is also amazingly incredulous comedy; it’s so angry but the wit of it makes me laugh. Rick was just the best singer and writer—it’s bonkers.

Guy Maddison and Dan Peters (Mudhoney - same picks) - Obits - “I Can’t Lose” b/w “Military Madness” 7”: “I Can’t Lose” is one of the best and most unusual pop punk songs there is IMO. The subject matter is nicely juxtaposed with its flipside “Military Madness” (a Graham Nash cover). Rick’s voice is so great on both tracks. I asked him once about “I Can’t Lose” and he said it was a very tough song to sing. (GM)

Nick Duncan (Sub Pop) - Obits - “Taste the Diff” from Bed & Bugs: I was an intern at Sub Pop when Obits released Bed & Bugs, and “Taste the Diff” was the first time I had ever heard Rick Froberg’s inimitable howl. Rick’s voice ran me over like a combine, all grinding gears and churned-up dirt. The way that opening line grabs you by the hair makes it an all-time favorite album opener for me.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/14/arts/music/rick-froberg-dead.html

“I’m just lost without him,” he added. “I don’t know what to do now.”