“The tempos are often breakneck and the dense arrangements tumble like bricks into hot cheese.” Here are the 10 best songs from John ‘Speedo’ Reis’ 10 bands including Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes, Sultans and Drive Like Jehu
This feature from Louder Sound looks back at the career of John "Speedo" Reis, a prolific figure in American punk rock celebrated for fronting or playing guitar in ten different bands over almost four decades, including Rocket From The Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes and Sultans. The piece matters as a tribute to his enduring influence on post-hardcore and punk, tracing how his shifting projects each reshaped a raw, high-energy sound while frequently reuniting him with key collaborators, notably the late guitarist and vocalist Rick Froberg.
The article runs through ten standout tracks spanning Reis's various outfits, from his early band Pitchfork's 1989 track "Sinking" through to Drive Like Jehu's genre-defining 1991 and 1994 albums, the instrumental solo project Back Off Cupids, Hot Snakes' 2000 debut "Automatic Midnight", and the stripped-back rock'n'roll of Sultans, in which Reis performed under the alias Slasher. It also notes a 2025 charity single on which Rye Coalition covered a Drive Like Jehu song in tribute to both Froberg and producer Steve Albini.
– Profiles ten essential songs across John "Speedo" Reis's ten bands, including Rocket From The Crypt and Drive Like Jehu
– Highlights his long creative partnership with the late Rick Froberg across multiple projects
– Notes a 2025 charity single cover paying tribute to Froberg and Steve Albini