Recently, SPB had the opportunity to interview Justin Pearson, the mastermind behind the holy trinity of grind, The Locust, Some Girls, and 31G Records . Justin was straightforward and uncensored, as always.
Scene Point Blank: Your sound is aggressive and caustic, but it lacks the caustic soulless masculinity that defines the genre. Can you talk for a bit about why you opt for a more complex, genuine, precise aesthetic?
JP: Our musical approach is in no way submerged in masculinity so therefore it lends way for other aspects.
Scene Point Blank: Nearly all of your songs (the vast majority of which clock in at under sixty seconds) show a very calculated attention to detail - bizarre time signatures, 16th note blast beats, black-hole basslines, etc. How do you guys work in all these elements and create such dynamic soundscapes in such little track space?
JP: To be honest, it's all from the subconscious. It's not that we have ever set out to create something that was a specific way. It was always just a product of the people involved and out influences be it music, education, social situations, etc. but on "Safety Second, Body Last" it's the complete opposite musical approach where its one song that spans ten minutes. And with our new album, "New Erections", there are tracks that are three, four, five, minutes long. We have progressed to a point where we are not repeating ourselves musically, which we view as a good thing. I feel that we have branched out from the more dense sonic pieces that we have written and brought that to a level where our music still holds that aspect but at the same time allows for the material to move and mature.
Scene Point Blank: You guys have a very unique stage presence (taking the stage in matching tailored bathroom-stall green spandex outfits and bug-eyed masks). What is the rationale behind the costumes?
JP: The uniforms came from the critics who had a lot to say about how we looked when we did in fact look like a "regular" type band. It was "journalists" like Jessica Hopper saying that we had this sort of image that we were concerned with. You know, talking about our jeans and shit. So we took that situation and added irony and absurdity to it. We morphed from furry vests and goggles to full body suits. For us, it adds to the live visual aspects of the music that we create. Who wants to look at four dudes playing music? And really who give a crap about what sort of attire we wear. The main focus of The Locust, is the music.
Scene Point Blank: Fans often become physically violent at your shows, so much so that you guys have started carrying mace onstage with you. What is it about your music that makes people so unsettled?
JP: That was stuff that happened way in the past. Those were just child-like antics that carry over from middle school and high school. To even talk about those people is just silly. Lets move on, shall we?
Scene Point Blank: I feel like your influence on modern rock is similar to Philip Glass's on art music. How would you define your influence and impact?
JP: As a band, our influences stretch from one side of the musical perspective to the other and everywhere in between. It really focuses on the obscure as well. But I think over time we have all subconsciously been attracted to artists like The Beatles, Carcass, The Residents, Leonard Cohen, Crossed Out, The Nation of Ulysses, The Birthday Party, etc. But I think that our influences go way beyond music to be honest. I think that the world we live in tends to direct us in ways that are apparent than musical influences. The world that we live in, how its so fast paced, how its hostile and critical, and how humanity as a whole is flushing itself down the toilet all are aspects that tie into what we create musically.
