Justin Pearson

Justin Pearson (born August 20, 1975) is an American musician and record label owner, known for being the vocalist and bassist in a number of San Diego–based noise rock, punk and powerviolence bands, as well as running his record label Three One G Records. Starting off in the punk outfit Struggle in 1994, ensuing projects such as Swing Kids, The Locust, Dead Cross and Retox. He has collaborated with Kool Keith, Gabe Serbian, Karen O, Nick Zinner, Adam Gnade, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Asia Argento, The Bloody Beetroots, Silent, among many others.

Pearson has been cited as an influence for his work in Swing Kids and The Locust on the genres of noise rock when Pearson was only 15. Pearson played bass alongside vocalist Dylan Scharf, drummer Jose Palafox and guitarists Eric Allen, Tobias Nathaniel and Cliff Cunningham. The band regularly played shows in all-ages punk clubs in Los Angeles and San Diego, usually donning insect costumes.

After being impressed by the band's demos Deathwish Inc offered to put out the band's first 7-inch, The Rains after some remixing and remastering. After the release the band wanted to play live shows, however the band did not yet have a bass player. The band's original idea was to get a different bass player for each show, however the band got in touch with bassist Justin Pearson and after a two shows the band asked Pearson to join. In the months that followed, Some Girls added a second guitar player Christopher Sprague and recorded another EP, The Blues. The band's EPs would later be collected on the band's 2003 compilation album All My Friends Are Going Death. The band released a self-titled EP and their debut album Ugly Animals that year through Ipecac Recordings, a California-based record label co-founded by Mike Patton and Greg Werckman. Ugly Animals was self-funded by the band members and recorded on analog tape to capture the aesthetic of the band that couldn't be captured digitally, a decision made by engineer Manny Nieto.

Crimson Curse

Founded in 1998, The Crimson Curse was Pearson's first group to include keyboards and elements of deathrock. According to Pearson the band was an attempt to return a sense of lunacy and excitement to the hardcore punk scene, which had begun to appear dry and pedantic to Pearson. Pearson says he modeled the group on the Dead Boys. The band also included Jimmy LaValle and Jesse F Keeler of Death from Above 1979/MSTRKRFT. Pearson has stated "we got all these fucked up kids together. Made some punk music. That was it. But as a band we didn't get very far." A review of the band's first demo stated "The recording was horrible, but was enough for me to realize that they sounded godlike."

Holy Molar

In 2001, Pearson alongside vocalist Mark McCoy (under the stage name Mark McMolar), guitarist Gabe Serbian of The Locust, drummer Maxamillion Avila and keyboardist Bobby Bray formed Holy Molar. The band dressed in white lab coats, medical masks, and sometimes appeared spattered with blood.

Head Wound City

In 2005, Pearson joined the supergroup Head Wound City alongside, Jordan Blilie and Cody Votolato both of The Blood Brothers, Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Gabe Serbian.

On September 20, 2014, Head Wound City reunited and played their first show in nearly eight years at BedRocktoberfest in Bedrock in Los Angeles, it is also their second show ever as a band. The band reportedly performed two new songs, which were dubbed "nu 1" and "nu 2" on the band's setlist. In January 2015, the band announced that their self-titled 2005 EP will be remastered and reissued on March 10 via Three One G. The EP's press release notes state that the "members are optimistic about creating new material in the future". In February 2016, Head Wound City announced they were releasing a new album titled, A New Wave of Violence. Also in February 2016 the band released the single "Scraper". In March 2016 the band released the single "Born To Burn". The album was released on May 13, 2016, through Vice Records. The album was produced by Ross Robinson and was written over the course of a week in January 2015. The album is named after a 1982 Raymond Pettibon magazine.

Planet B

In 2014, the band Planet B was formed by Pearson and Luke Henshaw who were later joined by Gabe Serbian. Planet B made contributions to the Incompresa soundtrack, their live debut at the San Diego Public Library in conjunction with a screening of the film.

Dead Cross

Pearson and Dave Lombardo had both individually previously worked with producer Ross Robinson, who asked Pearson to play on Poppy Jean Crawford's demo as a session bassist. Pearson later found out that Lombardo was also playing on the demo; Crain also took part in these sessions. Lombardo noted that he had to fill some tour dates and was lacking a band, so Lombardo, Pearson and Crain formed a live band in about 12 days; this project became Dead Cross. Dead Cross was officially formed on November 30, 2015, by Crain, Pearson, Lombardo and vocalist Gabe Serbian. The band made their live debut that December. Gabe Serbian left the band and later the year Mike Patton joined the band.

Deaf Club

Deaf Club is an American punk band that formed in 2019. As of 2021, the band is made up of vocalist Justin Pearson (The Locust, Head Wound City), guitarist Brian Amalfitano (ACxDC), bassist Jason Klein (Run With The Hunted), and drummer Scott Osment (Glassing, Weak Flesh). The band have releases on Three One G, Sub Pop and Sweatband Records. They are "a savage sound bath dripping with sardonicism: a blastbeat-centric hardcore punk assault channeling crust, thrash, and grind (un)sensibilities. Succinct pauses, surreal frequencies and effects, breakneck pace and sharply hurled vocals characterize the band’s aesthetic, which seems as though it is rooted in a sort of nasty-sound-meets-highbrow-message ethos."

In 2019 they released their first EP "Contemporary Sickness" on Three One G. The following year a limited edition cassette was released on Sweatband Records which featured remixes of the debut EP by the likes Yawns (GothBoiClique). Towards the end of 2020, they released a limited edition lathe version of "The Wait" by Killing Joke, alongside a cover version of "Wardance" by Human Issue Collective. Their debut album "Productive Disruption" was released in 2022 on Three One G and Sweatband Records. Later in 2022, they released the EP "Bad Songs Forever" which featured a cover of "Broken Face" by Pixies (band). In 2024, a split EP with Fuck Money was released on Sub Pop and Three One G which featured a cover version (with HIRS Collective) of "Tourette's" by Nirvana (band). In September 2025, Deaf Club released a full-length album called We Demand a Permanent State of Happiness.

Other bands and side-projects

Pearson was part of the short lived band Ground Unicorn Horn. In the band released 2006 single "Damn I Wish I Was Fat".

From 2008 he has also been a member of Leg Lifters, which consisted of Pearson and Nathan Joyner. Leg Lifters is considered a production team. They produced a radio show with Vestal Radio, web video episodes, and remixes. They also released original musical material, including a collaboration with Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation.

All Leather was founded in 2008. It consists of Pearson on vocals, Nathan Joyner on guitar, Jung Sing on drums, and Eric Livingston on synthesizers. They released their debut EP Hung Like A Horse on Dim Mak Records. In August 2009 they released a remix album entitled Hung Like a Donut, also on Dim Mak, which featured a remix by Bloody Beetroots. On September 12, 2010, All Leather won the San Diego Music Awards "Best Hard Rock Album" category for their album When I Grow Up, I Wanna Fuck Like a Girl.

In 2021, Pearson teamed up with Lombardo and Henshaw once more, and created Satanic Planet which also features Lucien Greaves of The Satanic Temple. They released the self-titled album on Three One G which featured guests such as Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitation), Jung Sing (Silent), Shiva Honey, and Steve-O amongst others.

Three One G

In 1994, His third book is a collection of his lyrics (and some writings) published in 2018 called The Race To Zero and is published by Three One G and Pioneers Press. In 2025, his fourth book "GG Alien and the Mystery Meat" was published by Three One G and Bread and Roses Publishing, and "is mainly centered around Pearson’s time working various queer spaces as security or barback between tours with The Locust and Retox, particularly at a place called Rich’s".

Actor While widely known for his performance on an episode of The Jerry Springer Show in the late 1990s, Justin has more recently taken part in numerous other acting roles. In 2014, he played the character Ricky in Asia Argento's film, Misunderstood. He has also done cartoon voice work on an episode of Cartoon Network's Uncle Grandpa, entitled Odd-yssey. In 2017, he played himself in Joe Cardamone's The Icarus Line Must Die. Additionally, he has been interviewed in documentaries Records Collecting Dust and Parallel Planes.

Personal life Justin Pearson is a vegan and has participated in campaigns for PETA on behalf of animal rights. He only uses secondhand leather and for the most part eats non-genetically modified, organic food. Pearson became a vegetarian in his early teens for ethical reasons, inspired by aspects of the punk community, especially the group Downcast and reading No Answers fanzine.

Justin has been in a relationship with photographer Becky DiGiglio since 2015.

He had a female Cocker Spaniel named Gee Gee that appeared in some of his videos. Pearson dedicated himself to her "well-being and longevity" and made local campaigns for some of her health problems. She died in early 2016. Today, he has a male Cocker Spaniel named Captain.

Podcasts

Since 2015 Pearson has been presenting the podcast series Cult and Culture alongside Luke Henshaw. Over the years, guests have included John Waters, Michael Malarkey, members of Napalm Death, Lucien Greaves, and many others. The episodes are available to stream via all major streaming platforms and are often premiered via BrooklynVegan.

Discography

Struggle

One Settler, One Bullet: An Anthology (1994) (compilation album)

Swing Kids

Discography (1996) (compilation album) Anthology (2020) (compilation album)

The Locust

The Locust (1998) Plague Soundscapes (2003) Safety Second, Body Last (2005) New Erections (2007)

The Crimson Curse

Greatest Hits (2001) (compilation album)

Holy Molar

The Whole Tooth and Nothing but the Tooth (2003) (compilation album)

Some Girls

All My Friends Are Going Death (2003) (compilation album) Heaven's Pregnant Teens (2006)

Head Wound City

A New Wave of Violence (2016)

All Leather

When I Grow Up, I Wanna Fuck Like a Girl (2010) Amateur Surgery On Half-Hog Abortion Island (2025) (compilation album)

Retox

Ugly Animals (2011) YPLL (2013) Beneath California (2015)

Dead Cross

Dead Cross (2017) II (2022)

Planet B

Wrong Utopia (2015) Planet B (2018) Fiction Prediction (2024)

Satanic Planet

Satanic Planet (2021)

Deaf Club

Contemporary Sickness (2019) Productive Disruption (2021) Bad Songs Forever (2022) We Demand A Permanent State Of Happiness (2025)