Drive Like Jehu

Drive Like Jehu were an American post-punk / post-hardcore band from San Diego, California, greatly influenced by American acts such as Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Mission of Burma, Slint, Wipers, Black Flag and Honor Role, as well as German Krautrock bands such as Can and Neu!, and Italian film composer Ennio Morricone. Drive Like Jehu was founded in 1990 in San Diego by Rick Froberg (guitar, vocals), John Reis (guitar), Mike Kennedy (bass), and Mark Trombino (drums). Froberg and Reis had originally played in Pitchfork, but despite musical similarities, there were some significant changes in the lineup of Drive Like Jehu. Froberg, no longer just a vocalist, picked up a guitar, while Kennedy and Trombino formed the rhythm section of the new band after having played together in Night Soil Man, a prog-influenced punk outfit. The group released their self-titled debut album on Cargo in 1991. The following year, they released the double a-side single, Hand Over Fist/Bullet Train To Vegas on Merge Records, and released the original recorded version of Sinews on the Headstart to Purgatory compilation of San Diego bands. Drive Like Jehu and Rocket from the Crypt (a garage-punk band fronted by Reis) were signed to Interscope Records as a pair, with the label releasing Drive Like Jehu's second album, Yank Crime, in 1994 after which the band embarked on tours of the United States and Europe. Drive Like Jehu played their final shows in 1995 with little fanfare. While John Reis concentrated on Rocket from the Crypt full-time, Froberg and Trombino would both eventually leave San Diego. Froberg briefly played in Thingy with Rob Crow (of Pinback) before moving to New York City to work as an illustrator. Kennedy went back to school and became a chemist, while Trombino, who engineered most of the band's recordings, became a audio engineer and producer for the likes of Blink 182 and Jimmy Eat World, among others. Since the breakup, Reis continued to front Rocket from the Crypt until 2005, whilst working on other projects including Back Off Cupids, Sultans, and starting his own record label, Swami Records. In 2000, Froberg and Reis reunited to form Hot Snakes, who released three full-lengths on Swami before retiring in the summer of 2005. In 2007, Reis formed The Night Marchers with former Hot Snakes bandmates Gar Wood and Jason Kourkounis, releasing their debut album, See You In Magic earlier this year.