Rick Froberg, RIP

3 July, 2023

Hot Snakes in Nottingham, back in 2004.

As the tagline for this site and my online persona will attest to, the musical endeavours that Rick Froberg was involved in - notably Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes - had a profound impact on me. From a teenager hearing ‘Here Come the Rome Plows’ for the first time through to having my ears melted a couple of years back at what will sadly be the last time I’ll ever see Hot Snakes live, his lyrics, vocals, and guitar playing are something that resonated with me on a deeply fundamental level.

Hot Snakes in particular were absolutely my band, especially during the early 2000s when I was getting excited to go stay in San Diego for the first time. That trip changed the course of my life in a number of ways, set the scene for friendships and memories for a lifetime, and was planned around being able to watch them live in their home town. It cemented my affinity for Southern California, and ‘Suicide Invoice’ is the sound track to that trip - a CD I all but wore out during numerous road trips whilst there.

I’m beyond saddened at Rick’s passing, especially knowing that he’s gone well before his time.

RIP Rick.