Frontman of Hot Snakes and Drive Like Jehu, Rick Froberg, dies at age 55

At the age of 55, Hot Snakes, Drive Like Jehu and Obits’ vocalist and guitarist Rick Froberg passed away.

In a post on Instagram, John Reis, Froberg’s longtime bandmate in Hot Snakes and Drive Like Jehu announced his passing. “Rick died unexpectedly from natural causes Friday night, June 30, at around 11 p.m. He improved his life with his art. He loved his buddies even more than he loved music and the arts. He will always be recognized for his imagination, foresight, and for his capacity to infuse the world with beauty. Greetings, Rick. For the rest of my life, I will miss you.”

In the late 1980s, Froberg and Reis formed the post-hardcore band Pitchfork. After that, they started the emo rock band Drive Like Jehu, and in 1994, Interscope Records distributed Yank Crime, their major label debut.

Drive Like Jehu was momentarily put on hold by Reis in the middle of the 1990s so he could focus on his other band, Rocket from the Crypt. By the decade’s close, Reis had established his own record company, Swami Records, and had reconnected with Froberg to form the post-hardcore group Hot Snakes.

Suicide Violence and Audit in Progress are two of the three albums that Hot Snakes released between 2000 and 2004. After a break, the trio came back together in 2018 to record their fourth album, Jericho Sirens.

Froberg founded the band Obits in 2006. Three albums were released by them between 2009 and 2013.

Drive Like Jehu was revived by Froberg and Reis in 2014 for a series of live performances, including one at Coachella in 2015.

As a gifted visual artist, Froberg also produced artwork for his bands, Rocket from the Crypt, and Swami Records.