All of This Awaits You

Different people deal with grief in different ways. Swami John Reis, the punk firebrand who founded Rocket from the Crypt, was a close friend of guitarist Rick Froberg, one of his musical partners in the band Hot Snakes. Reis was writing material in anticipation of recording a new Hot Snakes album when Froberg died unexpectedly on June 20, 2023. Reis was severely shaken by the news, and he turned to music to help him cope. However, while most people might have made a lot of quiet, contemplative music in response to the passing of a good friend, that wasnt what Reis chose to do. He didnt want to ponder death, but celebrate life, and summon the high-spirited joy that was so much of a part of the music he and Froberg loved most. With this in mind, Reis formed a new band, Swami and the Bed of Nails, and they quickly knocked out a debut album, 2024s All of This Awaits You. Nothing about All of This Awaits You should surprise anyone familiar with Reis work, but the man has always been a reliable creator of high-quality, high-energy punk with a healthy portion of melody, and his gifts have in no way failed him on this LP. A frantic blend of pogo punk, uptempo pop, and garage rock snarl, Swami and the Bed of Nails fire on all cylinders on All of This Awaits You, with liberal quotes from songs and bands they love and enough electricity to power your Prius for a month. Here Reis is joined by guitarist Mark Murino, bassist Tommy Kitsos, and drummers Jason Koukounis and Richard Larson, and this band manages to sound frantic and precise, tight enough to honor the strength of the tunes and with enough swing to make this music you want to jump around to all night. These songs get over on their hooks and drama rather than any great lyrical insights, but Reis words are clever and funny when they make themselves heard. If this music was created to share the thrill of having fun and celebrating the life force that drives great rock & roll, then Swami and the Bed of Nails have succeeded admirably on their first LP. Its short, tasty, and a blast, and hopefully Rick Froberg is dancing to it on some other astral plain. ~ Mark Deming