Photo of Swami and the Bed of Nails courtesy of Swami Records
Judging in terms of musician death, on a personal level, the calendar year of June 2023 to May 2024 was the crappiest in my lifetime. You knew that these days would arrive, but you expected them to coincide with your own golden years. Both Rick Froberg and Steve Albini were not supposed to die at the ages of 56 and 61, respectively. And both died with the same, maddeningly way: Undiagnosed heart condition. You say to yourself, “Aren’t we supposed to catch these things before they happen!” Without going on a ‘lack of affordable, preventative medicine’ rant, “WITH STATE OF ART MEDICINE, AREN’T THEY SUPPOSED TO CATCH HEART CONDITIONS EARLY?!”
San Diego’s John Reis (Rocket From The Crypt, Drive Like Jehu) was the longtime friend and frequent bandmate of Rick Froberg. These two literally grew up together. From 1986 to 2023, Reis was in three different rock bands (Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu and lastly, Hot Snakes.) with Froberg. Hot Snakes released four studio LPs, a live record, a Peel session and many singles. HS were in the process of recording what would have been their fifth studio album. “We were all very excited about the initial recordings. The songs set the bar high,” Reis said. And there were plans for the band. Reis remarked that 2024 was to be “an exciting year for Hot Snakes.” However, on June 30, 2023 Froberg passed. As one could imagine, his death hit Reis hard. “When Rick suddenly passed, I was completely heartbroken and shellshocked. The loss continues to be something I have trouble navigating,” Reis said.
Before Froberg’s death, while writing songs for what would have been the B-side of the new Hot Snakes record, Reis noticed some the songs he was pouring out would fit better on a different album.
“In November 2023 I decided to finish it and turn it into something. At the time I felt paralyzed and confused so I tried to unparalyze myself by surrounding myself with friends, making something out of nothing, playing music which feels timely to me and make plans,” Reis said.
For part of that plan, Reis enlisted the help of a who’s who of Friends of John Reis. Contributing to the album includes Jason Koukounis (drums), Joe Guevara (piano and synth), Tommy Kitsos (bass), Mark Murino (guitar) Rob Crow (vocals), and Richard Larson (drums). After all that collaboration, what came out is All Of This Awaits You from Swami John Reis and the Bed of Nails. It serves as a follow up to his 2022 solo LP Ride the Wild Night. [1]
Jokingly referred to as “his comeback record for his three fans,” All of This Awaits You more than delivers what you were expecting: punk-tinged rock with garage-y elements. At the risk of sounding insular and lazy, it sounds like a record that John Reis would make. The vocals are a dead giveaway. All of This Awaits You is like an old hoodie – it’s warm, comfortable and familiar. There are no skips on this one. As shown on standouts like “Ketchup, Mustard, and Relish,” “Harbor Freight,” “Don’t Wait,” “Privacy,” album opener “How Are You Peeling?” and “Lost in Bermondsey,” Reis and company serve up a whole lot of positivity. God knows we could use some. The circumstances that led to this record sucked beyond words, so it’s great to have this record instead of a long, sad silence. And, if you’ve never heard of John Reis then, please shield your eyes from my disapproving glance and then check out Rocket From the Crypt, The Night Marchers and The Sultans. Drive Like Jehu, too. They’re just a totally different animal. If you have a healthy amount of airline miles, Reis and friends are touring for this record. No St. Louis, unfortunately. United Kingdom. West Coast. East Coast. | David Lichius
[1] When compared to Reis’ recent past catalog (Hot Snakes, The Sultans, The Night Marchers) the LP was a minor yet noticeable departure from what you’ve heard from Reis in the past. Ride the Wild Night has its moments with the title track and “Vape In the Dark Alone,” but in the end, it had too much, uh, old time rock influences? This is not a qualitative observation. The record was just not my thing.