Rick Froberg, the singer, guitarist and visual artist finest acknowledged for getting the knotty, overdriven sound of math rock into the mainstream (or near to it) with his influential San Diego band Drive Like Jehu, died Friday in San Diego. He was 55.
His death was verified Saturday by his longtime bandmate John Reis, who wrote on Instagram that he “passed away suddenly previous evening from purely natural triggers.”
“His art created lifetime better,” Reis wrote. “The only thing he liked much more than art and rock and roll was his friends. He will without end be remembered for his creativeness, eyesight and his potential to convey splendor into this entire world. I appreciate you, Rick. I will skip you for the relaxation of my everyday living.”
Signed to the significant label Interscope Data in the early 1990s as component of a deal offer that integrated Reis’ extra commercially pleasing Rocket from the Crypt, Generate Like Jehu specialized in a brand name of loud and structurally ambitious indie rock that served as a key inspiration for acts like Modest Mouse and At the Drive-In.
Nonetheless the band was just one particular of numerous Froberg performed with in a profession that stretched about three a long time: In advance of Drive Like Jehu, he and Reis performed in Pitchfork, whose 1990 LP “Eucalyptus” is greatly regarded as a post-hardcore classic right after Push Like Jehu broke up in 1995, he and Reis fashioned Incredibly hot Snakes, and Froberg later on launched Obits. Each band was developed all around his perception that blistering sounds and catchy hooks could effortlessly coexist as a vocalist, Froberg honed a variety of desperate yelp that carried equivalent areas emotion and disgust.
Push Like Jehu’s self-titled debut arrived out in 1991 “Yank Crime,” its sophomore LP and initial for Interscope, followed in 1994, numerous several years after the runaway achievement of Nirvana’s smash “Nevermind” established off a feeding frenzy for rough-edged bands with powerful neighborhood followings. The band’s drummer, Mark Trombino, went on to deliver hit data by Jimmy Consume Entire world and Blink-182 Trombino also opened Donut Pal, the hipster-fave L.A. doughnut shop with treats named just after article-punk bands this kind of as Fugazi and Hüsker Dü.
In addition to new music, Froberg was an illustrator who created placing album addresses for his bands as perfectly as for Rocket from the Crypt, Sparta and many others.
Travel Like Jehu reunited in 2014 for a performance at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in San Diego’s Balboa Park and afterwards played festivals together with Coachella. Very hot Snakes unveiled 4 studio albums concerning 2000 and 2018 Obits’ most latest album, “Die at the Zoo,” came out in 2021.
