Thrown out of the disco

Emerging from the ashes of the hard-rocking Hot Snakes, Obits have been hailed as the saviors of rock 'n' roll.

Formed in New York City in 2005, the four-piece band received national attention after a 2008 live recording went viral on the Internet, catching the interest of Sub Pop Records, which offered the band a contract. I Blame You was released to wide acclaim in 2009. Obits are currently on a European tour, which includes a stop this week at Prague's Klub 007.

Lead singer and guitarist Rick Froberg, speaking to The Prague Post recently from Brooklyn, where Obits were working on a new album, said the band's initial achievements - he stopped far short of using the word success - were more a result of chance than planning.

"We really didn't start out with any plans. We just got together and started trying to write some songs. The next thing we knew, Sub Pop was inviting us to record, so we just went with it," he said.

I Blame You is steeped in the best of the rock 'n' roll tradition, from the hard-edged surf rock sound of Froberg's Hot Snakes band mate John Reis, who is better known for his work fronting Rocket from the Crypt, to more obscure influences such as legendary cult punks Nation of Ulysses.

One might expect a straight-shooting rock band to be influenced by the usual suspects like Iggy Pop and The Who. But Froberg said Obits have wide-ranging tastes.

"We listen to everything from MC5 to weird African stuff we find on the Internet. But our songwriting isn't about listening to other people and trying to incorporate their sound. We just do what we can with the skills we have and the sound we want," he said.

Froberg said it's too early to tell how Obits' new album will sound. But he did say the band has been playing new material during live shows, with only the best songs surviving this trial by fire. Debuting new songs for unfamiliar audiences is an integral part of the band's recording process, he said, as Obits tend to write prolifically and record selectively.

"In a band, you play music as a musician, but in the studio you need to approach the music as a listener. You need to listen carefully as songs are played back and make alterations until you have something that you'd actually like to listen to," he said. "It's the same with playing live: Some songs feel great to play and some don't, so those either have to get jettisoned or augmented," he added.

Obits have never played Prague, but most of the band members have toured Europe in previous bands. Froberg visited the city in 1992 when he "played a show and then went out and danced. We got thrown out of the disco," he said.

Obits' European tour will take the band as far southeast as Macedonia. Nearly 20 years older and wiser than he was during his first European tour, Froberg says there are significant differences between touring the United States and touring Europe, and he prefers the latter.

"People in Europe treat you like you're worth something; they feed you and put you up, all that stuff. In the U.S., people act like you're wasting their time, and that you're a slacker. We're making it a point in this band to travel to Europe as much as possible," he said.

That's good news for Prague rock fans.

Stephan Delbos can be reached at
sdelbos@praguepost.com