Swami John Reis

Since the early '90s, John Reis has been one of the busiest, most influential figures on the San Diego punk/indie rock scene as founder of Rocket from the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, and PLOSIVS. The common thread in Reis' projects is a love of the power of aggressive, straightforward rock & roll, and a willingness to crossbreed punk with rhythm & blues (Rocket from the Crypt), indie rock (Drive Like Jehu), garage rock and surf (Hot Snakes), and hard rock (the Night Marchers). He indulged his passion for surf music on 2015's Modern Surf Classics and added pop touches on 2022's Ride the Wild Night. Swami and the Bed of Nails debuted their fusion of punk, pop, and garage influences on 2024's All of This Awaits You, while he showed his solo work had lost none of its edge on 2025's Time to Let You Down.