Hot Snakes

It's been fourteen years since the Hot Snakes last studio record but now is the right time. The album, Jericho Sirens, is an impulsive kick in the ass full of vitality, punk rock fury, and power drill precision. It's the kind of record that might get stir you from your slumber, or it might be a sonic deterrent to "help drive the roaches" from your home. At least that's what guitarist John Reis--also know as The Swami--suggested in our conversation. "But I wouldn't know," he says. "I don't have roaches." 

Don't mistake the lull in Hot Snakes' recorded output for a lack of activity, though. Reis is always at work. Whether he's running his own label, Swami Records, or playing in Drive Like Jehu (with Rick Froberg, also of Hot Snakes), Rocket From the Crypt, or any number of personal projects as producer and musician, he stays busy. 

In the post-hardcore realm, Reis is a definitely a figurehead, a musician and artist that hundreds of bands are indebted to--myself included. I owe him a nod for the early guitar inspiration on Drive Like Jehu and, most recently, his parental advice. Since our conversation, I'm that much closer to making The Ramones a band my daughter can enjoy. 

Who knows? Maybe John Reis really is The Swami.      

Analogue: I’m pretty excited about this record and I’m not just saying that. I feel like a lot of people are going to be excited to hear a new Hot Snakes record.

John Reis: I’m glad you like it. It was the best I could do at the time.

Analogue: Why do you say that? 

Reis: Because that’s what it always is. Everything is always the best you can do at the time. 

Analogue: Would you have wanted more time? Or anything you wanted to do differently?

Reis: No, I really dig it. I think its great. I don’t ever really revel in any record I’ve made. You make it and its more about the process then it’s done. Hopefully you’re happy with it—which I am. I’m really happy with the way it sounds. The songs we’re playing live are really fun to play. Yeah, I couldn’t be any more happy. But at the same time it’s kind of like, always moving forward and we’re already working on the outline for the next one right now. It’s a really good time for the band.

Analogue: The album sounds like a warm-up record for the band to get back into gear. 

Reis: I wouldn’t say it’s a warm-up record in the sense that we didn’t really have to refamiliarize ourselves with much because we’ve all been playing in bands for a while at this point. We’ve all been playing in bands together for...I don't know how many year. I’ve been playing with Rick [Froberg] since 18? So that’s 30 years of making music with him. If there was a warmup process that feeling evaporated very quickly and it just became about, “Here we go.” This is something that exists and its real.

Analogue: Maybe “warmup record” is the wrong descriptor. I suppose it sounds like you guys were gearing up again after being away for a bit. 

Reis: There is a sense of that. A sense of 'this is a new thing.' We are a band that’s put out three studio records and then kind of called it quits. Now it feels like there’s something that feels improved upon and revitalized.

Analogue: It’s been about 14 years since your last record, is that right? 

Reis: That sounds about right. 

Analogue: For the most obvious question, why is right now the right time for Hot Snakes to make a new album? 

Reis: Well, we stopped playing for a while so for about 14 years we were doing other things. We got back together and played together in 2012, I think. So six year; why six years? Six years isn’t really that long. I mean, we needed to talk about it for five years first (Laughs). Like all great ideas. And why now? I don’t know. Rick and I were playing shows with Drive Like Jehu so when that came to an end we felt like ok, now’s the time—at least in my mind—that we’re going to get everyone together in a room and we’re going to start doing this.

Analogue: And it is weird to ask that question because there’s never a right time for things to happen. It just seems like, “Ok, well let’s do this.” 

Reis: It does feel like it is the right time—because it is the time.

Analogue: There’s a lot of death on this record. Some song titles with "death" in them. Was that an idea that fit into your head or is it just a ubiquitous topic?

Reis: Well, Rick [Froberg] comes up with the lyrics. So I can’t really comment on specifics—I’ll leave that to him. But as far as the vibe, overall and where we are all at in our lives, I think…yeah. I think there’s something romantic about the finality of life. (Laughs) I’m just going to attribute it to that. 

Analogue: There’s always something that’s going to bring about death or the end of the world, it seems. 

Reis: Yeah, it is its own form of hysteria. But to say that’s what the record is about or what even some songs are about would be an oversimplification, kind of. 

Analogue: I wanted to ask a strange question if you don’t mind. So, I always have trouble introducing my daughter to punk rock records. Is that something you’ve dealt with and, if so, do you have any tips for me? 

Reis: Well, you know, they’re their own people from the day they’re born. So, from my experience, it’s best not to introduce of play any kind of thing and put importance on it. In the end, they’re going to make up their mind what they like and what they don’t like. And the more you like something, there’s a tendency to not like the stuff. My parents didn’t like punk rock; maybe that’s was part of the appeal for me. 

With my kid, there’s some stuff I play and he doesn’t like, stuff that he’s not really a fan of. And that’s ok. What kind of records are you trying to turn your daughter on to and how old is she?  

Analogue: She’s eight and initially I started with The Ramones…

Reis: Yeah, that’s a real gateway drug right there. That would be a good, no-brainer, first pick. She didn’t like it? 

Analogue: I think he comment was, "Why is it so fast?" And I didn't really know how to respond to that.

Reis: I have a tendency of overthinking things so if I had a child and she said that, I would immediately say, “Well, this is an innovation in music. They were the first ones to play like this. They invented this speed and tempo and people weren’t really doing this before them so they’re playing this fast because they were breaking rules and doing things that haven’t been done before.” 

As much as everybody loves The Ramones, I still contend that they were underrated. What they did happened in a vacuum. The Ramones had no Ramones to draw from. They were into 50s and 60s pop music and hits and The Velvet Underground—how does that turn into that?  

Analogue: She hooks onto music that has more of a melody. Which is fine because The Beatles have plenty of melodies. 

Reis: You might want to start on Pet Sounds because there’s a logic that will take you to The Ramones if you like The Beach Boys or Phil Spector stuff. You will end up at The Ramones eventually. Then again, you could always just say, “You better like The Ramones because if you don’t you’ll be in trouble.” (Laughs) 

Analogue: Something about that seems like it might backfire on me. (Laughs) But she listens to her own thing and there’s some of it that I really like that I feel like I shouldn’t like. Is there anything like that that you listen to that people might be surprised by? 

Reis: Mmm…I don’t think so. Is there really such thing as a guilty pleasure anymore? I don’t know. I like so much music and, as a fan of stuff that I like, I have that obsessive quality where I really get into things, you know? So maybe it’s to the level  which I like certain things that would be surprising. But just actually liking something? I don’t think anyone would be surprised by anyone liking anything at this point. 

Analogue: You think it’s all fair game right now?

Reis: Yeah, I do. There’s so much cross-pollination, so much information and everything is going in so many different directions. It’s different from when I was a kid. Anything you want to listen to is in your pocket, on your phone. You can get anything. Not to date myself as a dinosaur but its kind of like, when i was younger you would go to the record store and, all these things that we take for granted as being ‘classics’—The Stooges and The MC5 and even The Ramones for that matter—you couldn’t find these records! They weren’t in print! You could find the new Ramones record but it wasn’t like, ‘I want this,’ you went to the store, found it and they had it. A lot of the things you hear used in deodorant commercials and car commercials now, these ‘classic’ songs, you couldn’t find them. 

I didn’t get into some stuff until later and it was people making cassettes. A friend of friend has it and you traded cassettes. It’s better now, you know, it’s not worse. I’m not going to say, “Things were better then.” No, it’s better now. Having access to great music is better, that’s not worse. You just hope that it inspires people and they make great music. And that things in the future are going to be really exciting.  

Analogue: I guess that’s something I didn’t really think about—access can inspire great music in the future. 

Reis: And these references won’t all be from the same place. Pulling things from different attitudes and different eras; pulling them all together. It’s great. It’s exciting to have that access. 

Analogue: How’s the record label, Swami Records, going?

Reis: I’ve been laying low right now. I’m in full rock and roll mode, playing shows and doing the Hot Snakes and still doing Rocket from the Crypt, as well. That’s where my interests lie right now. Not so much in putting out records. I enjoy doing the label, it’s fun but it’s not where my focus is right now.

Analogue: It must be hard to balance putting out other people’s music and working on your own. 

Reis: Yeah, and not only that but it’s really difficult, the business of trying to get people to care about a record or music. It kind of is baffling to me. It confuses me and there’s something that inherently seems un-rock and roll about trying to figure out how people hear about music and where. Things that are unfun in nature regarding exposing some music that you think is really exciting. 

I like the art project aspect of it which is what drew me to it. All the things that need to happen for records, this document to exist, it’s fun. I almost look at it as a way to immerse myself further in the music and also to take responsibility to do things myself. It’s fun but it’s also expensive to put it bluntly.  

Yeah, and not only that but it’s really difficult, the business of trying to get people to care about a record or music. It kind of is baffling to me. It confuses me and there’s something that inherently seems un-rock and roll about trying to figure out how people hear about music and where. Things that are unfun in nature regarding exposing some music that you think is really exciting. 

I like the art project aspect of it which is what drew me to it. All the things that need to happen for records, this document to exist, it’s fun. I almost look at it as a way to immerse myself further in the music and also to take responsibility to do things myself. It’s fun but it’s also expensive to put it bluntly.  

Analogue: So, if you were to look back over the last ten, fifteen, or twenty years, is there one event or one album that kind of stands out to you as being a great moment that you made? 

Reis: Right now it’s just all about the new record. I’m super stoked on it, stoked to play those songs and, although, I haven’t revisited the record since we mixed it, it’s kind of where I’m at in the moment. I don’t go back and listen to my records, really. I prefer to play the songs and I get enjoyment from that. 

Like one thing? Ok, this is something that ultimately I don’t want to say “proud” because it seems cliche but something where I did a good job and we all did a good job and high-fives all around? I don’t know. I would have to come back to the new record because that’s what is most important to me right now.