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Hot Snakes

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Hot Snakes were an American rock band led by Rick Froberg and John Reis, formed in 1999 in San Diego, California and disbanded in 2005. 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.

Although they share sonic similarities with bands its members had previously been involved with, Hot Snakes' sound is much more primal than that of Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu or even Rocket From the Crypt. Reis and Froberg were also heavily influenced by bands such as The Wipers, Suicide, and Michael Yonkers Band, and these influences gave Hot Snakes a distinctive sound. The band's recordings and merchandise were conducted in a "Do it Yourself" manner, with Froberg providing all of the artwork and Reis releasing the material via his record label Swami Records, through which they are still available.

As youths growing up in San Diego, Reis and Froberg had played together in the post-hardcore band Pitchfork from 1986 to 1990. Following that they formed Drive Like Jehu, which gained the attention of major labels and resulted in a record contract with Interscope Records. By this time, however, Reis had become seriously involved with his other band, Rocket From the Crypt, and in 1995 Drive Like Jehu stopped playing together. Reis would continue to work with Rocket From the Crypt until 2005, while Froberg moved to New York to start a career as visual artist and illustrator.

Formation

Hot Snakes essentially began as a "side project" in 1999 while Reis was taking time off from Rocket From the Crypt, who were in between record labels and had lost their longtime drummer Atom Willard. While searching for a new record label and drummer, Reis started his own label Swami Records and experimented with other musicians, resulting in the formation of both Hot Snakes and the Sultans. Hot Snakes originated when Reis recorded a batch of songs with Delta 72 drummer Jason Kourkounis, then contacted former bandmate Froberg to contribute vocals to the tracks. Most of this recording session was released in 2000 as Hot Snakes' first album Automatic Midnight, which was the first release by the Swami label.

Although Reis and Froberg had previously collaborated in bands, Hot Snakes represented a new challenge logistically: Reis lived in San Diego, Froberg in New York, and Kourkounis in Philadelphia. This resulted in sporadic and intense touring and recording schedules. When a full touring band was needed, Gar Wood (Beehive and the Baracudas, Tanner, Fishwife) was called in to play the bass guitar. After some touring Reis returned to work full-time with Rocket From the Crypt.

Lineup change

In 2002 Hot Snakes reconvened to record the album Suicide Invoice and tour the United States. The following year Kourkounis left the band to play full-time with The Burning Brides, and Reis once again returned to work with Rocket From the Crypt. When Hot Snakes again returned to the recording studio in 2004, Rocket From the Crypt drummer Mario Rubalcaba (also of The Black Heart Procession, Clikatat Ikatowi, 411, and Chicanochrist) was brought in to play the drums. The album Audit in Progress was released and the band extensively toured the USA, as well as Europe and Australia.

While on tour in the UK that Fall, the band recorded several songs for BBC radio at legendary British DJ John Peel's recording studio. Their performance would be one of the last for Peel's program, as he died shortly afterwards. This session was released as the Peel Sessions EP, which replaced a planned single for the song "Braintrust" in the UK market.

Demise

In May of 2005, while on tour in Australia, Hot Snakes recorded a live in-studio performance at ABC studios for Australian radio station JJJ. On their return to the US, Reis announced in a July 7 hand-written letter posted on the Swami Records website that the band were breaking up. Audit in Progress was named "best punk album" at the 2005 San Diego Music Awards, and shortly after Reis announced that Rocket From the Crypt would also be breaking up. That Fall Hot Snakes contributed a cover of the Government Issue song "Time to Escape" to the soundtrack to the Tony Hawk's American Wasteland video game. This was the last song recorded by the band. Their live Australian radio session was released posthumously in 2006 as Thunder Down Under.

Following the breakup of both Hot Snakes and Rocket From the Crypt, Reis focused his energy on running his Swami Records label. He continued to perform occasionally with Rubalcaba in the Sultans until that band's breakup in January 2007, and continues to run the Swami label. Rubalcaba also plays in the San Diego band Earthless and is part owner of an independent record store called Thirsty Moon Records. Wood continues to record music and play in Beehive and the Barracudas, while Froberg resides in New York and works as a visual artist and illustrator.

Band Members

Rick Froberg (guitar and lead vocals)
John Reis (guitar and backing vocals)
Gar Wood ( bass and backing vocals)
Jason Kourkounis, 1999-2003 (drums)
Mario Rubalcaba, 2003-2005 (drums)

Discography

Thunder Down Under 2006
Audit in Progress 2004
Suicide Invoice 2002
Automatic Midnight 2000

Video

"Automatic Midnight"

In The Blogosphere

Google Blog Search: hot snakes band
The Night Marchers-See You In Magic/Live Featuring the original Hot Snakes rhythm section, the band reignites the Snakes scratchy sense of presicion. Likewise, Reis brings his same blaring sense of melody to the mic that created so many ready-made singalongs in the Rocket days ...
"i want a range life if i could settle down" 09 Blind Willie Johnson - Lord I Just Can't Keep From Crying. 10 Hot Snakes - Our Work Fills the Pews. 11 Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Moonlight on Vermont. 12 Nina Nastasia & Jim White - I've Been Out Walking ...
faceless188 @ 2008-05-11T17:59:00 1 Hot Snakes 24 2 Spitfire 15 2 The Felice Brothers 15 4 Rocket from the Crypt 14 5 Drive Like Jehu 11 6 A Storm of Light 10 6 Moving Mountains 10 8 Band of the Taoist Association of Wudang Mountains 8 9 Grails 5 9 Ganon 5 ...
Ex-Rocket From the Crypt and Hot Snakes Members March On John “Speedo” Reis, mastermind of San Diego’s Rocket from the Crypt and co-front man of Hot Snakes, has assembled yet another crew of forge-smithed journeymen, herded them into the van and has them on road. The new outfit, The Night ...
The Night Marchers and out adventures in awesomeness Figured dude was done with that, what after Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, and Rocket From the Crypt. But no, he's back and kicking super tail. If anyone but Speedo had named their band after the myth of dead Hawaiian warriors, ...