The high school band at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters? No, it’s The Locust, purveyors of pummelling progressive rock
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The term “progressive” can spell certain doom for a band in this day and age. To be dubbed with such a descriptor connotes sprawling, epic songs delivered by cape-wearing dinosaurs like ELO and Yes. The term is feared more than a label-imposed writing session with Desmond Child.
One band, however, is turning the tide. Chaotic, furious and borderline cacophonous, San Diego’s The Locust is pushing the borders of punk rock and hardcore with their frenzied albums, entrancing live shows and shocking esthetic.
A spectacle of musical pyrotechnics and athletics, their performances — recorded or otherwise — have more technical proficiency than Dillinger Escape Plan and more blast beats than Napalm Death. Factor in the fact that members (guitarist-vocalist Bobby Bray, bassist-vocalist Justin Pearson, keyboardist-vocalist Joey Karam and drummer Gabe Serbian) are constantly enshrouded in green locust outfits that obscure their individual identities, and this band is, in every sense, progressive.
“We try to be progressive in all ways. If you’re not, you’re regressive,” shrugs Pearson. “Are we prog-rock like Rush? I doubt it. But we’re progressive as human beings.”
The Locust will journey across Canada this November as a part of Exclaim!’s annual Aggressive Tendencies tour (a celebration of heavy music) in support of their latest Anti/Epitaph release, New Erections. After over a decade of releasing hyperactive blasts that range from 30 seconds to a whopping minute-and-a-half, this will be their first full-on trek across the Great White North. Supported by Despised Icon, Child Abuse and The Dischord of a Forgotten Sketch, the event promises to be a sensory assault of instrumental calisthenics and distorted bedlam.
“The (tour) name seems odd for us, because we’re not an aggressive band,” says Pearson. “I’m more excited to tour Canada properly because we’ve never been able to do that before. It’s hard for us to get in there because some of us have criminal records. We’ve avoided it for a few tours because of that. We’ve had to get a pardon for one member, and when we were there last, we were supposed to file some sort of taxes. We didn’t, and now they’re fining us $6,000 for a show we made $300 at. This should be an interesting excursion.”
As fascinating as it will be for The Locust to finally execute their New Erections for us Canucks, though, the shows should prove to be equally shocking for the uninitiated and longtime fans. A vast departure from their previous albums, New Erections showcases a more patient band. Songs foray into slower territory, not simply super-fast riffs and manic beats — that “progressive” thing again. As Pearson notes, New Erections is more creative, a good sign for musicianship.
“We prefer to diversify our abilities, where many artists stick with what is comfortable,” he says. “Some people are taken aback by elements of New Erections, but we didn’t write it with expectations. For me, I’d rather have something new than the same old. It’s fine if other artists find their formula and stick with it, but if you’ve bought one of their records, you’ve got all 10.
“We want to evolve, and we did a good job,” he continues. “We developed vocal styles. We used to just yell, and a lot of bands do that. It gets boring after awhile. We have ambient, percussive elements we weren’t used to, we have more space where Plague Soundscapes was dense, and we consciously started writing with space and letting riffs develop. There’s more movement instead of part, part, part. It’s more mature, even though I don’t know what that means. More natural, maybe?”
Still, Pearson points out that despite more musical movement within songs, fans shouldn’t expect much physical interaction from the band at shows. While nonetheless incredibly captivating due to their intensity, The Locust have quite a task re-creating their bombastic tunes in a live setting.
“Eventually, you don’t have to concentrate and map out every minute movement, but (when first performing a new album), you have to concentrate,” Pearson laughs. “For all of us, we’re stationary because of effects pedals, playing and microphones. We’re not like Dillinger Escape Plan where you can throw your instruments and jump around. We’re using our hands, feet and mouth and trying to position our bodies so we can play a riff accurately, sing into the mic and press the right effects pedal. But the power of the music is still conveyed. It’s kind of absurd, actually.”
