John Reis is a singer and guitarist hailing from San Diego, California. He is best known as the frontman of several influential bands, including Rocket From The Crypt, Sultans, and The Night Marchers, and has contributed as a guitarist in groups such as Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, and Plosivs. Reis is also the founder and owner of multiple record labels, including Drag Racist Studio, Swami Records, and City Of Refuge. He is recognized by various aliases, predominantly "Speedo," "Swami," and "Slasher."
Reis began his musical journey with early bands like Conservative Itch before co-founding Pitchfork in 1986 alongside Rick Froberg. After Pitchfork disbanded in 1990, Reis and Froberg established Drive Like Jehu while he concurrently initiated Rocket From The Crypt, adopting the alias "Speedo" for this new venture. Following several independent releases, both bands signed with major label Interscope Records in 1992. Drive Like Jehu disbanded after the release of [i]Yank Crime[/i] in 1994, while Rocket From The Crypt produced two albums on Interscope and a series of EPs and singles on independent labels during the 1990s, including several on the Reis-run label Perfect Sound. Reis was also part of the short-lived group Stacatto Reads and released a solo album in 2000 under the name Back Off Cupids. He operated Drag Racist Studio, where he recorded his own projects as well as works by The Husbands and Sonny Vincent until the studio was destroyed by fire in 2003.
Following a brief hiatus in 2000 after the departure of drummer Atom Willard, Rocket From The Crypt saw Reis embark on several new projects. He reunited with Froberg in Hot Snakes and formed Sultans, using the alias "Slasher." Reis also launched his own record label, Swami Records. Over the next few years, Hot Snakes released three albums and Sultans issued two, all through Swami Records, while Rocket From The Crypt added drummer Mario Rubalcaba and released two more albums on Vagrant Records. Both Hot Snakes and Rocket From The Crypt disbanded in 2005, with Sultans following suit in 2007. Reis formed a new band, The Night Marchers, with former Hot Snakes members Gar Wood and Jason Kourkounis, along with Tommy Kitsos. The Night Marchers released two albums, one on Vagrant and another on Swami. Reis also established a new studio, City Of Refuge, where he recorded his own projects as well as those of The Computers, The Widows, and Ceremony (4). Additionally, he appeared on the children's television show [i]Yo Gabba Gabba![/i] as "The Music Swami," presenting musical guests, and hosted the "Swami Sound System" radio program on San Diego station 94.9.
In subsequent years, many of Reis' former bands reunited. Sultans regrouped in 2010, though they have performed only infrequently since. Hot Snakes reunited in 2011, touring extensively over the following nine years and releasing a new album in 2018 on Sub Pop. Rocket From The Crypt reunited in 2013 and continues to perform. Drive Like Jehu came together again in 2014, touring and participating in several festivals until 2016. Reis also collaborated with the Minneapolis band The Blind Shake for the 2015 album [i]Modern Surf Classics[/i] and worked with Canadian band Metz on a single in 2016.
In 2020, Reis formed a new band, Plosivs, featuring San Diego musician Rob Crow, bassist Jordan Clark (of Mrs Magician), and former Rocket From The Crypt drummer Atom Willard. They released their debut album in 2022 on Swami Records. Additionally, in 2020, Reis launched a solo project under the name Swami John Reis, releasing the album [i]Ride The Wild Night[/i] in 2022; he later rebranded this project to Swami And The Bed Of Nails in 2023. Since 2021, he has also performed and toured as a guitarist in Me First And The Gimme Gimmes. The passing of Rick Froberg in 2023 marked the end of Hot Snakes and any future reunions of Drive Like Jehu.
Beyond performing, Reis is also a producer, recording engineer, and mix engineer. His production and technical credits extend to various artists, including Fishwife, Superchunk, Custom Floor, The Peechees, Selby Tigers, Cowpers, Tourettes Lautrec, The Red Onions, Dan Sartain, The Husbands, Sonny Vincent, GoGoGo Airheart, The Computers, The Black Lips, The Widows, The Spits, Mrs. Magician, Ceremony, and The Primals (3). He is the elder brother of Dean Reis, who was his bandmate in Sultans.
Born on April 23, 1969, in Ocean Beach, San Diego, California, United States, Reis has made significant contributions to the music scene through his diverse projects and collaborations.
