On The Road With Pears

Fat Wreck Chords artist Pears will be performing at The Milestone in Charlotte on September 17th. We caught up with guitarist Brian Pretus and he told us about the first concert he attended, his dream music festival, and stories from the road.

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
Like the melodic hardcore of the 90s if they had gotten to grow up listening to themselves... So, I guess like the natural progression in the lineage of this super specific sound. We're pretty chord-y and dynamic, too.

What's the first concert you attended?
Buckcherry, Smashmouth and Lenny Kravitz when I was eight. So dated that there's a goddamn timestamp on it.

What's the strangest gig you've played?
Hmmmm, this is a tough one. Probably a gig at Squeaky Lizard in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Somebody had his Grandma in a casket in the back of his truck in the parking lot.

What's the craziest thing a fan has done at one of your shows?
Easy. Grab and hold my nuts. One time a girl did this and told me to kiss her. That's called sexual assault, and it's not a good look.

What's the first thing you look for when you hit a new town?
A clean bathroom! Nobody likes shitting at a truck stop.

How do you spend your days on the road?
Now I usually download stuff to watch on Netflix onto my phone and binge watch TV shows. It passes the time.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Not really. Just try to be in a good mood, what's this all about if I'm not enjoying myself?

What's some advice you'd give to a band embarking on its first tour?
Half-ass nothing. Sure, make sure you have fun, but make sure you kick ass. Also, only work with people you can be proud of working with, you don't have to eat the shit you think you do.

Final question: You're the opening act of a music festival. You can get any five artists, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five acts do you choose and what song do you all perform together for the final jam?
Dang. I'm gonna answer this selfishly, solely for the bands I'd love to watch, not the bands I think would have fans that would also like us: The Police, Failure, Genesis, Nirvana, and Nick Drake. We'd all join each other on stage and play a 40-minute version of that Eiffel 65 song about being blue.

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