sandiegopunk.com

An interview with...
Justin Pearson

Justin Pearson has been an integral part of the San Diego music community since the early 90's. He's played (and continues to play) in more bands than we can keep count of while still making time to run Three One G records. He has an amazing story, a unique perspective, and great advice, so read on.

Did you grow up in San Diego? Can you describe your teenage years? Were there any San Diego bands in particular that made a strong impression on you? I moved to San Diego when I was 12. I'd have to say that my teenage years were pretty complicated. I grew up fast. The whole reason for moving to San Diego was because my father was killed in phoenix where I had previously lived. When my mother moved her and I, things were a mess right off the bat. She had moved us to San Diego with a new boyfriend who

was abusive to both of us. So my introduction to not only mental abuse, but physical abuse as well started at an odd time for me. After dealing with my father's death and having to leave my friends and familiar surrounding, I was projected into this really crummy situation. So there I was living with this douche bag who had influenced my mother to have issues with me, how I looked, who I hung out with, who my friends were, music I listened to, etc.

At the middle school I attended I had problems there as well. There was this skinhead there who would beat the crap out of me and at one point caused me to get an operation on my knee. He had also called my home and threatened to shoot me. This got the authorities involved. Him and his friend would break into my locker and take my clothes during physical education. They would beat me up on my paper route and take my papers, the whole 9 yards. But as I got older I was able to stand up to them and things got a bit easier. But at the age of 16, when I figured out that I could also stand up to my mother's boyfriend and physically hurt him in ways to get him off my back, I also learned that I could seek legal action on him for the abuse towards me. Shortly after my situation at home escalated to me having to fight back, my mom kicked me out of the house. I managed to stay in school and graduate with the help of the social security checks that I would get from my fathers death.

So not having to worry about creating income at some lame job to pay rent, I started playing and touring in a band called Strugggle. So anytime I was out of school, I was on tour. It was strange for me to be living on my own and to have toured around the U.S. before even getting out of high school. In retrospect I feel I was lucky to have had to move to San Diego. Phoenix had nothing to offer. Still doesn't to this day. Right off the bat I was exposed to bands like Amenity, Heroin, Crossed Out, Forced Down, Drive Like Jehu, Crash Worship. Also, being friends with a lot of the people who played in the bands. Knowing people and seeing their bands provided me with the confidence to start a band as well. Then with touring I met bands like Filth, Downcast, Undertow, Born Against, Rorschach, Blatz. So I was being exposed to great bands and great people who all had a lot to offer. I was also drawn towards the political side of a lot of it at the time. This was when the first Gulf War was happening, the Rodney King Trials were going on, Roger Hedgecock's "Light Up The Boarder" bullshit was taking place. I found inspiration in others political actions and a huge inspiration was when I ended up becoming friends with Kent McClard who did No Answers fanzine and Ebullition Records. This was also the in to getting Struggle to release records. I gained a lot of knowledge working with Kent and then working with other smaller labels. I figured out that anyone can do just about anything they want to if then just put effort into it and educate themselves.

As I got older I was exposed to other great San Diego bands such as Antioch Arrow, Unbroken, End Of The Line, and others of the time. I think the most impressive part of the music and people that I was exposed to was the ethics that seem to fit in with San Diego. For instance going to the Che Café to see a great three-piece jazz band and have all you can eat spaghetti followed by Heroin playing to close out the night was a rare thing in the world of music. Or even years later having the ability to see shows under the 94 freeway, in these sewer drains that were underground. Somehow a few hundred people would turn up to see bands who would drag their gear and a generator down there to have shows was a amazing thing. It was inspiring and rare to find things like this. I think ethics of San Diego music culture was what was most impressive to me. Not many places can a band like The Locust play with Rocket From the Crypt, or have the ADRV Drum Core (Crash Worship) play on the Struggle LP. There are less limitations to what people do, less guidelines and more freedom. Or maybe San Diegans are just sick of the mundane.

How did you get into the scene and form bands and a label? Did it just happen, or was it a planned process? Was there a steep learning curve for you, or did seems just seem to fit together?

Things did just happen. I never thought it out. It was all just coming together as time went on. Everyone was friends with everyone and things were accessible. Anyone could book a show if they wanted. If you were not playing in a band you were doing a fanzine or creating art. And there were people into film, skating, whatever. There was Food Not Bombs and Ocho Y Media. Housing co-ops and house shows and parties. In retrospect, it was a learning process but it all just came together at the time. As far as label stuff was concerned, labels that inspired me to release records on my own were Vinyl Communications and Gravity. Matt Anderson was influenced by Discord as was I. so we had a great amount of ethics involved in what we were al doing. With the learning curve you mentioned, I'd have to say that I am still learning to this day. Times are changing and that is an important factor for being successful at what one does,

Were your parents supportive in the process? What do they think of your music? At the time my mother kicked me out we didn't talk much. However she was always supportive of me playing music. Before I was old enough to drive she would take me to band rehearsal and deal with taking me to get equipment that I needed. I think she would rather me play music than a lot of crap that kids tend to do at that age. Sure she thought it was crap but I felt that the music she liked was crap as well. But my mother is an amazing person. She shows so much support for what I do with my bands and my label. My mother is friends with the people I

play with and sometimes will show up to see us play. Even in the Struggle CD, there is a photo of us playing our last show at the Che and she is sitting on the side of the stage wearing our shirt. All she really says to me these days is that she can't understand the singing and that we should try to write songs for older people like herself.

How would you describe the music community you were involved in growing up? In what ways did it differ from what we have now?

Well I feel that the music community has its up and downs. Unfortunately, some people get burned out. But over all San Diego has a lot to offer. At least it has to me for so long. Sometimes I feel that the lack of artistic outlets San Diego and the fact that it is such a conservative city, people are forced to me creative and figure out other avenues for the art community. Also I think that the social and political aspects of San Diego lends for a much more intense reaction or outcome to what is created.

Have you noticed any distinct changes in the San Diego music community since then (in the bands, venues, the way people act at shows, etc)?

Well being that San Diego has always been a city that can't offer all ages venues that have a bar for people 21+ divides things to an extent. Then there are people like Len who runs Soma who would call the fire and police of all other all age venues since I was 15, creates problems for others often. So there would be times when there were a plethora of great venues and people at shows, and then there would be times when there was nothing. Like I have said, there are up and down in San Diego's music community. I think a lot of it comes from what is available and who is actually doing things to make it a better city. Sure, there are changes but they are mainly the ever so slightly changes that come with the world we live in.

Are we going in the right direction or are we on the downward slope? What do we need to improve and what's working well?

You are asking the wrong person. Only time will tell I guess. Plus I'm not really sure what you are getting at. Musically, socially, ethically, etc. the question is so vague. Do you mean us as humans? If that is the case, it seems that we are on a downward slope. Things are so screwed up with the Bush Administration and the way human are treating the planet. Global warming is effecting everyone and mother nature's immune system is reacting and creating problems for everyone except the filthy rich and big business conglomerates who can buy their way out of things.

Can you walk us through a typical "day in the life" for you? (Or maybe two different days in the life, one for on tour and one for at home). A day in the life not on tour consists of one of two band rehearsals, or both. A few hours of e communication with people in relation to label stuff, or with band

mates. Processing mail order then shipping them out. Correcting art and proofing things, as well as trying to find a middle ground with people in bands, budgets, and timelines. Hanging out with my pup Gee Gee. Trying to find time to eat and then at some point taking a few minutes to relax and then so it all over the next day.

On tour it's a lot easier actually. There is the average drive of 4 to 8 hours. On this trek, read, debate, watch a film, do interviews like this one that I'm doing. Load in, sound check and then the show. Depending on what city, hopefully get to see friends and hang out a bit. Pack up. Eat. Drive out of town to a hotel. Then wake up and do it all over again.

How do you manage playing in a trillion different bands and running a label at the same time? Is there room for much else? When you start focusing on one project, do you feel the others start to lag behind?

Well its not that I'm in a lot of active bands. I really only have The Locust and Some Girls as full time bands. With Holy Molar and Head Wound City, some of the members live in other cities so we are limited to what we can do. Most have other full time bands so very little gets done with them. But with the two full time bands I tent to somehow find time to work on all the Three One G stuff that is needed to do each day. I usually stress out lose my mind from time to time resulting in alopecia (where you lose all the hair on your body) or financial disaster where I cant leave the house since I have no money for gas or anything else. But honestly, what saves me is my dog. Without her, I'd be a mess. The funny thing is, she doesn't even know what she does for me. I'm also really lucky to have Allysia running Three One G with me. She keeps things together and is there to bail me out of needed.

Running a successful label while playing in several bands must give you a unique perspective on the music industry. Has running Three One G had any impacts on the music you make or projects you're involved with? Has it changed your thoughts about the music business or the way you make records?

Well this is an interesting question. The word successful is what I tend to not see with Three One G. I think of successful and labels like Epitpah or Touch and Go come to mind. For us, it's tough. We can't afford to hire help even though help is much needed. We have trouble paying the bills and repressing releases that are out of stock. We can't do all that we want to. We are fortunate to have people like Aaron who is the cyber portion of the label working for next to nothing and also our publicist, Maria from Blue Ghost, who I swear doesn't charge us from time to time, both being part of the label. Then the whole internet realm where we will shell out a few grand for an album to find it on the www for free before we get to even sell a single copy. It's sort of defeating at times to try to tackle things and see that happen to us. But even beyond that, I cant get past the fact that we can't sell out of the first pressing of an Orthrelm LP and there is total horseshit like Atreyu, Coheed and Cambria, and maybe the worse of them all: Avenged Sevenfold, all selling tons and tons of albums. Is it that people have bad taste or are the masses just accepting of marketing teams and cultural profiling? Wait, there are tons more shitty bands… Good Charlotte. Urg!

I've noticed you've commented in several places artwork and packaging for records is just as crucial to you as the music itself. Could you extend your thoughts on this? What's the roll of visual arts in punk world? Do you practice any form of (non-musical) art?

Well I do feel that the art is an extension of the music. So if you are creative, why not take it a step further and break away from the average mundane packaging? For Three One G, we have to taper off on the expensive and at times, excessive packaging for the fact that bills need to be paid as do royalties. But at times it just feels that people lack on the artistic perspective of an album. As far as my "roll", I'd say that I don't have a roll. With the bands that I am part of, we all take part in the artistic aspects of each release. With the label, it's both the bands and us throwing ideas at each other. Sometimes bands will have something that they want to do or we will have an idea and if all the parts fit together we will execute it.

Do you have any advice for kids looking to start a band or label?

For bands, first off I'd like to say that myspace is a lame way to promote your band. That site is a pathetic attempt at mixing youth culture with major label corporate marketing all tied in with fraggle glam and sexual predators. Not to mention that Rupert Murdock owns the damn thing. Other than that, I would suggest doing what you love to do but making it real and not trying to replicate something that is already done. Also realize that you can do it yourself. Get a van and leave on tour. If I did it when I was 15, before cell phones and the internet existing. Anyone can do it now. As far as a label, I'm not sure what advice to offer. If you start a label, try to put out a band that is known or that is willing to tour. If you release your friends band from your town that will only play at house parties, you are going to be stuck with a few hundred 7"s or CD's.

Who are some up and coming locals we should keep an eye for?

Rail Them To Death, Mr. and Ms. Tribute to Uglyness, Tender Buttons, Demonstrations

And last, a bit of a silly question, is it Justin or JP, or do you go by both?

Either. My mom and close friends all call me JP. When I was little there were three Justin's on my block, so I became JP.

Justin Pearson interview conducted via e-mail, October 2005 by Joel Scheingross.
http://www.threeoneg.com
http://www.thelocust.com
http://www.somegirlshaveallthefuck.com