Q&A with Rick Froberg

Obits frontman talks fish tacos, The Casbah and more

Obits frontman Rick Froberg spent 20 years playing guitar and singing in legendary San Diego indie-rock bands Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes. He’s designed the cover art for many of his own albums, as well as for Rocket from the Crypt, Beehive & The Barracudas and Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects. But in 1998, wooed by a girl, he moved to Brooklyn. Here’s our chat with him:

CityBeat: What do you miss most?

Rick Froberg: Fish tacos and being outside a lot.

Better music scene—San Diego or New York?

It’s just bigger in New York. I haven’t lived in San Diego in a while, but it’s had a pretty good music scene since the ’80s. When I was in it, it was healthy and filled with people who supported each other. There’s a real diversity of styles and motivations for playing music there. People seemed to get along well, and it wasn’t just a group who liked this and another who liked that. At least that’s what it was like for me, looking back on it now.

San Diego’s strong suit?

Talent. You really have a lot of exports— Black Heart Procession, Pinback, Three Mile Pilot. There are a lot of bands from San Diego that people know about everywhere. And considering the size of the scene—I’d say that’s pretty prolific.

Best part of coming back?

We always play The Casbah and love to see Tim [Mays, owner], Bob [Bennett, coowner], Andrew [Wilson, general manager], Ben [Heyne, doorman] and all those people that have worked there forever. In a weird way, it’s like seeing a bunch of people you went to war with. We know each other so well, and went through it at the same time together. This is the place where I spent the most important years of my life.

Obits play with Disappears and Beaters at The Casbah on Thursday, Aug. 25.