Obits

Appeared on Sat 10 Oct 09 @ The Black Box | Belfast (with special guests THE DUDLEY CORPORATION)

Obits formed after singer/guitarist Rick Froberg (Drive Like Jehu / Pitchfork) returned to New York in 2005 following the breakup of Rocket From The Crypt offshoot Hot Snakes. In 2006 he began writing new material and rehearsing with drummer Scott Gursky of Shortstack and guitarist Sohrab Habibion, formerly of Edsel, with bassist Greg Simpson. Obits made their live debut on January 12, 2008 at club on New York's Lower East Side called the Cake Shop. A bootleg recording of the show circulated on the internet, and the band posted two of the songs from this recording on their MySpace profile for listening. The recordings caught the attention of Sub Pop A&R representative Chris Jacobs, who invited them to perform at the label's twentieth anniversary festival in Seattle that summer.Obits signed to Sub Pop shortly after, but released their debut single "One Cross Apiece" / "Put It in Writing" on their own Stint Records imprint.

The band’s debut album I Blame You was released by Sub Pop on March 24, 2009. Explaining the length of time between the band’s formation and recording, Froberg explained that “We wanted to take a, not a relaxed approach, but we wanted to take our time. We weren’t in a hurry. We didn’t know what would be the result. We didn’t know if we were going to put records out. We just wanted to make something happen. We’re pleased with what’s gone on so far. It’s been pretty cool. We try to keep things slow-paced.” Critical reception to the album was generally positive, with Allmusic reviewer Mark Deming stating that “if I Blame You isn’t going redefine the way we look at rock & roll, it confirms that the word on these guys wasn’t wrong — the Obits are a very good band”, but also noting that “the Obits might just have the stuff to save rock & roll, or at least keep it off life support for a while, but as good as I Blame You may be, they’re going to have to get their songwriting chops in order before they can really finish the job.” Jason Crock of Pitchfork Media compared the album to Froberg’s past bands, stating that “while there’s evidence of growth here, there’s not enough change to alienate fans. If they can appreciate a little less mania and a little more melody, I Blame You will be a comfortable fit” and calling it “probably Froberg’s most melodic and diverse record.”

with special guests THE DUDLEY CORPORATION

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