Biography
The Obits formed in Brooklyn, New York, around a taut, direct strain of rock & roll built on interlocking guitar figures, forceful rhythmic drive, and melodies that straddled indie rock and garage-tinged punk. Guitarist and vocalist Rick Froberg arrived with prior credits in Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes, while Sohrab Habibion, also on guitar and vocals, had previously played in the Washington, D.C. indie band Edsel. After Hot Snakes disbanded in 2005, Froberg relocated from California to Brooklyn and began composing new songs in 2006 with Habibion and drummer Scott Gursky, who was also a member of Shortstack. The addition of bassist Greg Simpson supplied the low-end power the trio sought, locking the lineup in place without the third guitarist they had initially considered.
The band made its first public appearance in early 2008 at Cake Shop on New York’s Lower East Side, where an enthusiastic crowd filled the room; an audience member captured the set on a lo-fi recording that later circulated online. The Obits extracted two songs from the tape for their MySpace page, generating immediate interest among indie listeners. Sub Pop A&R executive Chris Jacobs, already familiar with Froberg’s earlier work, responded strongly enough to the bootleg to book the group for the label’s twentieth-anniversary festival in Seattle during summer 2008, after which the band signed with Sub Pop. To meet growing demand they issued the single “One Cross Apiece” b/w “Put It in Writing” on their own Stint Records imprint in late 2008, followed by the full-length I Blame You on Sub Pop in March 2009. Their second album, Moody, Standard and Poor, arrived in 2011 and retained the same level of intensity.
The quartet’s third release, Bed & Bugs, came out in 2013 and explored a wider range of sounds and styles; it also introduced new drummer Alexis Fleisig, formerly of Girls Against Boys, who replaced Scott Gursky. After touring in support of the record the band went quiet, then announced its dissolution via social media in April 2015. Rick Froberg rejoined Hot Snakes for their 2018 album Jericho Sirens, while Sohrab Habibion started SAVAK, which debuted with 2016’s Best of Luck in Future Endeavors. A performance recorded on August 26, 2012, in Brisbane, Australia later appeared as the 2021 album Die at the Zoo. Rick Froberg died on June 30, 2023, at the age of 55.
The band made its first public appearance in early 2008 at Cake Shop on New York’s Lower East Side, where an enthusiastic crowd filled the room; an audience member captured the set on a lo-fi recording that later circulated online. The Obits extracted two songs from the tape for their MySpace page, generating immediate interest among indie listeners. Sub Pop A&R executive Chris Jacobs, already familiar with Froberg’s earlier work, responded strongly enough to the bootleg to book the group for the label’s twentieth-anniversary festival in Seattle during summer 2008, after which the band signed with Sub Pop. To meet growing demand they issued the single “One Cross Apiece” b/w “Put It in Writing” on their own Stint Records imprint in late 2008, followed by the full-length I Blame You on Sub Pop in March 2009. Their second album, Moody, Standard and Poor, arrived in 2011 and retained the same level of intensity.
The quartet’s third release, Bed & Bugs, came out in 2013 and explored a wider range of sounds and styles; it also introduced new drummer Alexis Fleisig, formerly of Girls Against Boys, who replaced Scott Gursky. After touring in support of the record the band went quiet, then announced its dissolution via social media in April 2015. Rick Froberg rejoined Hot Snakes for their 2018 album Jericho Sirens, while Sohrab Habibion started SAVAK, which debuted with 2016’s Best of Luck in Future Endeavors. A performance recorded on August 26, 2012, in Brisbane, Australia later appeared as the 2021 album Die at the Zoo. Rick Froberg died on June 30, 2023, at the age of 55.
Albums
Die at the zoo
2021
Bed & Bugs
2013
Moody, Standard And Poor
2011
Moody, Standard and Poor
2011
I Blame You
2009
Singles
