'Plenty for All: The Art of Rick Fröberg': Panel Discussion and Music Event with Akashic Books Publisher Johnny Temple

Event Details

When beloved underground rock singer/guitarist Rick Fröberg (Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes) passed away in June 2023, he left behind not only an indelible musical legacy, but also a stunning and wide-ranging body of visual art.

In January 2026, Akashic Books will be publishing Plenty for All, a gorgeous collection of Rick’s artwork. To preview the release, The Westport Library will be hosting a panel discussion about the book, followed by a short acoustic musical set of his music.

The panel will feature one of the book’s curators, Sohrab Habibion (guitarist/singer in Rick’s band Obits), and Johnny Temple (bass player in Girls Against Boys and Soulside, and publisher of Akashic Books). The musical performance will feature Habibion, Temple, Benny Trokan and Mikey Post from the Jay Vons, plus an additional surprise guest or two.

Why You Should Come 

Get an early look at this highly anticipated volume from Akashic Books, the Brooklyn-based independent company dedicated to publishing literary fiction, crime fiction, music/pop culture titles, children’s picture books, and political nonfiction by authors who are either ignored by the mainstream, or who have no interest in working within the ever-consolidating ranks of the major corporate publishers.

It’s also a can’t-miss for fans of Fröberg, the influential underground musician and artist. Plenty for All is the first look at his visual artwork in book form and will be of great interest across the globe to his many fans. Fröberg’s work has become very influential, and an inspiration to quite a large group of people in both the art and music worlds.

About Plenty for All: The Art of Rick Fröberg

Fröberg was an accomplished artist and musician born in Southern California who spent most of his early creative years in San Diego before moving to New York, and then back to San Diego toward the end of his life. While juggling both of his creative outlets, he established a meaningful, urgent, vital, and powerful platform. Plenty for All: The Art of Rick Fröberg represents the many chapters and layers of his visual art practice. All of the different bodies of work he made are examined in detail — presenting the viewer with a well-rounded survey of his life’s work, mostly in chronological order.

One of the most compelling and fascinating aspects of this volume is the physical progression of Fröberg’s line work and brushstroke, and his eventual adaptation to digital means. His artwork was often featured on the record covers of his own bands, as well as other groups he met on the road, and much of his early work also appeared on posters, flyers, ads, skateboard graphics, logos, and T-shirt designs, before eventually progressing to illustrations in magazines, books, and newspapers. Fröberg’s paintings, drawings, etchings, and prints were also shown at art exhibitions throughout his career.

Fröberg is sadly missed and mourned, but this volume will no doubt further his creative legacy. It includes short essays by curator Rich Jacobs and musician/artist Sohrab Habibion.

Book information courtesy of Akashic Books.