Interviews

Three.One.G

by Calvin Christ (Ed.by Jeff Kile)

Three One G is an independent record label from San Diego, California. Started and run by Justin Pearson of Swing Kids, The Locust and Some Girls, the label has grown from an amateur project to a tremendous force within the independent music community. With labels like Three One G, artists are able to have direct contact with and control over their art. Driven not by profit margins but by a sense of duty, its somewhat of a surprise that Three One G can even exist in a world seemingly motivated only by the bottom line. When Business student Calvin Christ was faced with an assignment to interview an entrepreneur that he admired, he chose Justin Pearson of Three One G. When I asked Calvan to elaborate on this decision, he said that, “JP just has an amazing story. He worked his butt off to get to where he is today and he was honest about it, never compromising any of his morals throughout the entire way. And yes, I dig the music.” The following interview was conducted by Calvan Christ of El Cajon, California.

When was 31g started? Who or what was your main inspiration to start a label?
The label was started about ten years ago. I suppose the main thing that drove me to start my own label was how things usually went with the other labels that I had dealt: things such as altered artwork, poor quality product, bad distribution, etc. were all facets as to why I started this business. My inspiration, as you call it, came from the fact that I knew I could do what others were doing--but better. And since I had a lot invested in music, I jumped in headfirst.

What is the significance of the name?
Well at the time of me starting the label, a band that I was in, called Swing Kids, just released a 7” EP on a friend’s label. The outcome of the record was horrible. The label changed the art, added art, had made t-shirts with the art on it as well as the label’s logo. So, Eric Allen, who was in band with me, as well as another band called Unbroken, offered up two of their songs for me to release a single in order to get the label going with a solid first release. On the Swing Kids EP that had just come out, there was a Joy Division cover of the song “Warsaw”. The chorus says “3-1-G”. The name seemed obscure and fitting for the aesthetic that I was going for at the time. Coincidentally, the Swing Kids 7” EP became my label’s second release as I repressed it shortly after the original folded.

When considering bands for the label, what are a few things you look for in the band? What are things you wish to avoid?
First and foremost, the bands are friends of ours and in a sense, family. For hree One G, the artists that are part of the label are all part of a musical community or musical culture, if you will. Most people can’t see a correlation between a band like Cattle Decapitation and Quintron. For us, it’s all one in the same. The other aspect that is important to the label’s style is the fact that all of the artists are sincere and have so much invested in what they have created. So one of the main things that we avoid is signing a band that is just a carbon copy of another band. There are so many bands out there and we want to surround ourselves with those who have soul and sincerity.

What is the hardest part about running your own label? What is the most rewarding part?
There is not one part that is hardest and I’m not even sure how to approach this question. I guess the main thing would be finance. See, this industry has changed and continues to change. The basic fact that downloading is defeating in itself. We will shell out a chunk of money for a recording to only find it on the Internet for free before we can even sell a single copy. So this will make things that much harder to recoup and in turn, pay royalties. Also, the fact that we specialize in vinyl releases makes things a bit harder to generate funds. Vinyl is costly and there are not as many retailers for vinyl compared to CD’s. The last major thing that is hard for us is the fact that Allysia and I both have to make ends meet by other methods of income. I’m lucky enough to have bands as a source of income and Allysia tends to do odd jobs here and there.
As far as the rewarding side of things, well there are plenty. Anything from the fact that we are part of these records and artists who are amazing human beings is worth it alone. Working with people like Mick Barr, Gabe Serbian, Nick Zinner, Quintron, Chris Hathwell, and everyone else on the label really is an amazing aspect. Also, from time to time, someone will tell us how grateful they are that we release the music that we do and how it has affected their lives. Lastly, the fact that we started this on our own and we do what we want with it. We have created this and we have had the ability to document some of the best art of our time by doing so.

In your opinion, what makes 31g different (positively or negatively) from other labels? Well, first off, we have a 50/50 profit split with the bands. This is a pretty high royalty rate to offer to artists. We also tend to do interesting packaging and push vinyl releases where a large portion of labels these days will tend to only release CD formats with basic packaging. Another aspect of the label is that we choose to only work with artists that we completely respect and support. Some labels will release a band’s album with delusions of grandeur. For instance, when a popular band has members in another band, they would release their material in hopes for financial success, aside from any musical interest in the release. I don’t want to name names, but this sort of thing has happened with artists that I have played with, too. It’s just defeating for the band and moves a record label’s ethics more towards a business and further from integrity. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to make money, but if we don’t stand behind the band’s sound or aesthetic, we will pass on working on a specific release.

What were your goals for 31g when you started the label? Which of those goals have been met and which haven’t?
Honestly, there were not set goals. I wanted to have more control over releases of bands that I was in and also to just put out good records by artists whom I respect and appreciate. As time goes on, I tend to add more and more goals to the list. Of course I’d love to continue to grow, so I guess that is the goal that we are constantly working on.

What are 31g’s major plans for the future, if any? What is being done now so that those plans are met?
Well again, growing as a business would be a future plan on a large scale. We just changed distribution companies to hopefully better our sales. Other non-business specific plans would be our future releases that we have planned. There are usually about 5 releases that are in the works at any given time. Usually the releases will be artists that we have working with, such as a band like Holy Molar. We have a few releases in the works for them, as well as Das Oath who shares members, hence bringing us back to the “community” aspect that we tend to possess.

If you could choose any one band, dead or alive, to put out a new release on 31g, who would it be? Why?
This is a tough one. There are a few that I’d like to pick from and I’d settle for any of them. I guess dead ones would be The Birthday Party, early PIL, Born Against, Carcass, Crossed Out, Discordance Axis, or Drive Like Jehu. As far as bands who are still around, MIA, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Necrophagist, Celebration, or Melt Banana. But I have also worked with bands that I would put on this list.

Based off of my knowledge from observation and experience, the average person does not accept the style of music you are associated with. Did you intentionally put yourself in this position? If so, what is your reasoning?
I don’t think that I put myself in this position consciously. For me, the type of music that I am a part of comes from my social and political surroundings. I’m affected by society and what I create is a product of that in which I live. But to be honest, I would not say that by and large, people don’t accept this music. I mean with The Locust for instance, we have sold hundred of thousands of copies of albums. This fact shows how people to some extent accept us. There is a level of success that we have obtained over time and by working with specific people. However, in relation to Three One G, I feel that the bands profiles could be much larger if we had more money to throw around and were able to do what larger labels do. There is no reason that a band like Avenged Sevenfold should be as big as they are and a band like Orthrelm should be sleeping on floors and not winning Grammys.

How would you feel if the general sound (grind, noise core, hardcore, punk, whatever you prefer to label it) of your bands, and the other bands on 31G, suddenly became mainstream and was the new MTV pop punk?
I’m not opposed to commercial success of artists at all. I don’t think there is a limit to the stuff that I’m part of musically. As long as one’s morals and ethics are not compromised, I see no problem with it. However, MTV as a whole is all about mass marketing and who has the most money behind the act. But people who I feel akin to have had this sort of success. Bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Mars Volta have reached that level of success. So I feel that if you have the vehicle to get you there, and then by all means, go there.

If I’m not mistaken, you have strong political opinions. Do you try to incorporate those opinions into your music and/or label?
I do have political opinions, as should everyone. However, I don’t push it on the artists that Three One G works with. None of the artists on the label are overtly political. Some are politically active and some just tend to live and function in a political manner. For me, bands that I am a part of tend to avoid Clear Channel, use sweatshop free t-shirts and work with political organizations from time to time. These are obvious political actions that the bands take aside from the political undertones of the lyrics to a lot of the songs.

What are your opinions on San Diego’s local music scene? What parts of it are better than other areas? What parts still need work?
Well I would like to think that when it comes to music and a “scene” I tend to think much larger. Don’t get me wrong, I love San Diego so much, I will probably live there my whole life. But to focus on a local scene is defeating at times, especially in a conservative city like San Diego. Also a specific “scene” or subculture is to some extent elitist and limiting to itself. But all music scenes in metropolitan cities for the most part have very similar pros and cons. I am grateful that San Diego has the Che Café, The Epicenter, and even the Casbah. All of these venues are supporting of the arts and provide a great forum for live music. Some outstanding things that San Diego had in the past that I was fortunate enough to experience were the shows in the sewers under the 94 freeway, the 24th and E St. house shows, and of course Pokez shows. Those were beautiful moments in San Diego music history.

How has San Diego’s scene helped you as an entrepreneur? Do you feel that you personally have helped the scene? If so, how?
All of the San Diego bands that Three One G has dealt with are amazing. There have been amazing bands coming out of this city as well. Ever since I moved to San Diego at the age of 12, I was fortunate to see bands like Amenity, Crossed Out, Heroin, Antioch Arrow, Pitchfork, Crash Worship, Drive Like Jehu, and so on. Even to this day, there are some amazing bands from San Diego such as Kill Me Tomorrow, Secret Fun Club, Cattle Decapitation, Demonstrations, etc. so in retrospect, the city is a breeding ground for great art and artists, but the same can be said for a lot of other cities as well. And hey all have their pros and cons. But we have the best weather.

What would you say is the key to your success? What is the main thing that has gotten you where you are today?
Damn, I don’t know. First I’d like to say that my definition of “success” is open for interpretation. What exactly is “success”? Without you, the interviewer, supplying a definition of the word, I’ll go out on a limb here and say that the key to my success is luck, risk, timing, and work ethic. I guess throw in a little heart and soul while you are at it.

Visit www.threeoneg.com for a roster of bands, tour dates, merch and more.