Singer and guitarist from San Diego, California. Frontman of Rocket From The Crypt, Sultans, and The Night Marchers, and guitarist in Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, and Plosivs. Founder/owner of Drag Racist Studio, Swami Records, and City Of Refuge. Known by several aliases, primarily "Speedo", "Swami", and "Slasher".
Reis played in early bands including Conservative Itch, before founding Pitchfork in 1986 with Rick Froberg. After Pitchfork broke up in 1990, Reis and Froberg formed Drive Like Jehu while Reis simultaneously started Rocket From The Crypt, in which he used the alias "Speedo". After several early independent releases, both bands signed to major label Interscope Records in 1992. Drive Like Jehu ceased playing together after the release of Yank Crime (1994), while Rocket From The Crypt released two albums on Interscope along with a number of EPs and singles on independent labels throughout the 1990s, including a few on the Reis-run imprint Perfect Sound. Reis was also a member of the short-lived group Stacatto Reads, and put out a solo record in 2000 under the name Back Off Cupids. He started Drag Racist Studio, where he recorded his own bands as well as The Husbands and Sonny Vincent (Reis owned and operated the studio until it was destroyed by a fire in 2003).
Rocket From The Crypt took a brief hiatus in 2000 following the departure of drummer Atom Willard, during which Reis started several new projects. He reunited with Froberg in a new band, Hot Snakes, and also started Sultans (in which he used the alias "Slasher"). He also launched his own record label, Swami Records. Over the next few years Hot Snakes released three albums and Sultans released two (all on Swami), while Rocket From The Crypt brought on drummer Mario Rubalcaba and released two more albums on Vagrant Records. Both Hot Snakes and Rocket From The Crypt broke up in 2005, followed by Sultans in 2007. Reis started a new band, The Night Marchers, with his former Hot Snakes bandmates Gar Wood and Jason Kourkounis, as well as Tommy Kitsos; the band would release two albums, one on Vagrant and one on Swami. He also started a new studio, City Of Refuge, where he would record his own acts as well as The Computers, The Widows, and Ceremony (4). He also had a recurring role on the children's television show Yo Gabba Gabba! as "The Music Swami", introducing the musical guests, and hosted the "Swami Sound System" radio program on San Diego station 94.9.
Most of Reis' former bands reunited over the next several years. Sultans reunited in 2010, but have only performed a few times since. Hot Snakes reunited in 2011, touring regularly over the next 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 reunited in 2014, touring and playing several festivals through 2016. Reis also collaborated with Minneapolis band The Blind Shake for the 2015 album Modern Surf Classics, and with Canadian band Metz for a 2016 single.
In 2020 Reis started a new band, Plosivs, in which he plays guitar along with San Diego musician Rob Crow, bassist Jordan Clark (of Mrs Magician), and former Rocket From The Crypt drummer Atom Willard; they released their first album in 2022 on Swami Records. Also in 2020 Reis started a new solo project under the name Swami John Reis, releasing the album Ride The Wild Night in 2022; he changed the project's name to Swami And The Bed Of Nails the following year. He has also performed and toured as guitarist in Me First And The Gimme Gimmes since 2021. The death of Rick Froberg in 2023 brought an end to Hot Snakes, as well as to any further Drive Like Jehu reunions.
Reis is also a producer, recording engineer, and mix engineer; in addition to his own acts, his production and technical credits include releases by 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, Moon Eater, Ceremony, and The Primals (3). He is the older brother of Dean Reis, who was his bandmate in Sultans.
